Timbertree Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures. Timbertree Primary School is a good and strongly improving school, which offers increasingly well-balanced provision for its pupils. The federation is having a highly positive influence on several fronts: developing teachers' skills strengthening such systems as assessment for learning monitoring of teaching and learning to secure greater consistency between the two schools.

The executive headteacher provides the key inspiration for the overall improvement of the school. Not only does she personally provide outstanding leadership and manageme...nt, she is also able to develop effective leadership in others because she is exceptionally skilled in managing change. Consequently, leaders and other senior managers carry out their roles to a good standard.

Leaders have an extremely clear and accurate grasp of how well the school is doing and where further improvements need to be made. This means that the school has a good capacity to consolidate its successes and to bring about further improvements in the future. The key strengths of the school include: teaching that is consistently good and increasingly outstanding in English and mathematics in Years 5 and 6 good attention paid to pupils' safety and adopting healthy lifestyles, particularly in relation to their physical and emotional well-being rapidly improving results in the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 national tests, with above average attainment in mathematics and reading.

Staff and pupils alike work hard, display an ambition to succeed and a commitment to give of their best. Consequently, from below average skills on entry to school, pupils leave with average attainment in the core subjects and good achievement. Nonetheless, children's progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage remains slower than that of pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2.

Pupils' attainment and progress in science and information and communication technology (ICT) lag behind those in English and mathematics.

Information about the school

This is smaller than the average-sized primary school. While the majority of pupils are of White British origin, the proportion from minority ethnic groups is increasing.

The percentage of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is average. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above that found nationally. When the school was judged to require special measures, the local authority instigated the formation of a hard federation with a very successful neighbouring school.

The headteacher of the supporting school is the executive headteacher of both schools. There have been considerable leadership and staff changes since the last full inspection, including the appointment of three assistant headteachers and, most recently, a head of school reporting directly to the executive headteacher. The school operates a breakfast club managed by the governing body.