Tiverton Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time at school. They embody the 'Tiverton Ways' and are typically respectful and courteous to adults and classmates.

Pupils appreciate the help they receive from staff. They feel safe and are kept safe at school.

Pupils have opportunities to take on additional responsibilities as members of the school council, or as part of the 'eco team'.

Pupils are proud of these roles and take them seriously. For example, pupils talk positively about how the peer mediators help them in the playground if they feel sad.

Most pupils attend additional activities that develop their interests in areas such as handicrafts, film, choir and gymnastics....r/>
Pupils enjoy going on visits, particularly their residential. Year 6 pupils are rehearsing for their school production and are looking forward to performing this to their families.

Although leaders are ambitious for pupils, this is not fully realised.

The quality of the curriculum design and the precision with which it is implemented, including in early years, is too variable. Pupils do not develop the understanding they should in different subjects. This means they are not as well prepared as they need to be for the next stage of their education.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have developed a curriculum that broadly meets the ambitions of what is expected nationally. In some areas, leaders have identified what should be learned and when. This helps teachers to ensure that pupils secure the knowledge they need to learn and remember more.

For example, in mathematics, pupils practise measuring with accuracy. Older pupils apply this knowledge successfully to convert different measurements and solve increasingly complex problems. Similarly, in science, pupils learn about the life cycles of humans, animals and plants.

Older pupils use this knowledge when classifying living and non-living things.

However, the quality and depth of the curriculum are variable. In several subjects, little thought has been given to the most important knowledge that pupils need to know and understand over time.

The curriculum in these areas often lacks ambition and limits the depth of pupils' understanding. The same is true in early years. The curriculum here does not sufficiently identify how children's knowledge and skills develop from nursery through to reception.

This limits how well children are prepared for what they will learn in Year 1.

Teachers typically check that pupils understand what they have learned. This allows teachers to tackle any misconceptions and correct errors.

However, the weaknesses in curriculum design mean that teachers do not routinely check that pupils have secured the most important concepts. As a result, pupils, including children in early years, do not secure the understanding they should in different subjects.Leaders want pupils to enjoy reading.

For example, pupils like borrowing books from their class library and they read a broad range of texts. Leaders have put in place a phonics programme, but have provided limited training for staff. This means that there is variability in how well the programme is implemented.

For example, staff do not consistently identify and address misconceptions, leading to gaps in pupils' understanding. Additional intervention for pupils who struggle to read confidently is not provided in a timely way. Interventions are not suitably focused on what pupils need to practise.

Because of this, too many pupils are not well supported to read with accuracy, fluency and confidence.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are accurately identified. Leaders have been proactive in securing relevant specialist support and therapies.

Pupils' needs are communicated with teachers. This typically supports staff to make appropriate adaptations so that pupils can access the curriculum. However, adaptations are less effective when the curriculum is not as well defined for teachers.

Leaders have well-established expectations and routines for managing pupils' behaviour and attendance. Most pupils come to school regularly and on time. Pupils behave well within a calm and orderly environment.

This is because leaders' expectations are clear and well communicated.

The curriculum helps pupils to understand and respect diversity, for example by celebrating different religious festivals and through visits from community faith leaders. Pupils are helped to understand personal safety and first aid through attending workshops led by the Metropolitan Police and St.

John's Ambulance.

Staff appreciate the consideration leaders give to managing workload and well-being. Leaders recognise the work that needs to be done to improve the school.

However, those responsible for governance have had insufficient training to perform their roles effectively. This limits how effectively governors have challenged school leaders and held them to account. As a result, they do not have a fully accurate view of the school's strengths and priorities for improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that all staff receive appropriate training. Staff understand how to identify and report any concerns that they might have.

Records indicate that leaders maintain close oversight of safeguarding cases. Appropriate and timely referrals are made to external agencies when necessary.

Leaders provide pastoral support for pupils who need it.

This includes access to counsellors. The curriculum helps pupils learn to keep safe in school, online and in the wider community.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils, including those that struggle with reading, are not well supported to read with accuracy and fluency.

Leaders should ensure that teachers receive appropriate training to deliver the agreed phonics programme with precision. They should also ensure that support provided to weaker readers is timely and focused on what pupils need to practise and secure. ? In several subjects, the most important ideas that pupils need to learn have not been identified or sequenced.

This means teachers do not routinely ensure that pupils secure their understanding of key concepts. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum in these areas is clarified so that teachers focus on the most important knowledge. This will better support pupils to develop a deep body of knowledge across the curriculum.

• Governors do not have a fully accurate understanding and oversight of the school's effectiveness. This means that they have not identified or sufficiently addressed the weaknesses that exist. Governors need to ensure that they have appropriate training to help them to better hold leaders to account for their work.