Tudor Grange Primary Academy Yew Tree

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school's ethos of joy, love and respect runs through the heart of everything at Tudor Grange Academy Yew Tree. Staff are united in wanting the best for every pupil. The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement, and pupils work hard to meet these.

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well.

The school is a welcoming place where pupils learn to celebrate difference. Staff encourage pupils to understand and appreciate each other's views and to value the diversity of the school community.

Many staff and parents agree that the school feels like a family.

Staff know the pupils well, and t...he school provides high-quality pastoral support to pupils and families. As a result, relationships between adults and pupils are warm and respectful.

Pupils are happy at school, and they behave well. Older pupils act as role models and look after the younger children. Pupils know that adults will help them with any worries.

Pupils enjoy a range of clubs to develop their interests and talents. These include computing, chess, silent singing, paper-craft club and netball. Older pupils learn to be independent and resilient on residential trips, where they experience zip-wires, canoeing and other adventurous activities.

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

The school has high aspirations for all pupils to be successful, both in and out of the classroom. The ambitious curriculum identifies the knowledge pupils need to learn. Learning is sequenced so pupils build on what they have learned previously.

This helps them to remember important knowledge and skills.

Staff explain ideas clearly and regularly check that pupils understand the learning. Teachers choose activities that help pupils to learn well.

For example, Year 2 pupils were given interesting mathematical problem-solving activities to practise division techniques they had just learned. This embeds their learning and, as a result, pupils can explain their reasoning for the answers they give. In science, teachers check what pupils can remember about previous learning before adding in new information.

Pupils then undertake well-designed tasks. For instance, in Year 6, pupils worked in groups to investigate the impact of a behaviour such as smoking or lack of sleep on the body. They then become 'expert' in that area and teach other pupils what they know.

Pupils benefit from a structured approach to their learning of writing in English lessons. However, in other subjects, errors in punctuation and spelling are not routinely addressed by staff. This means that pupils are not making the most of opportunities to practise their writing in other subjects.

The school quickly identifies and assesses the needs of pupils with SEND. Staff make adaptations to the learning to suit pupils' needs. Leaders closely monitor the impact of any additional support.

They know that it is effective and that pupils with SEND make good progress. In the additional resourced provision (Cedars ARP), pupils receive bespoke support that meets their needs. These pupils are happy and enjoy learning.

Pupils have access to a wide range of high-quality books every day. Reading and a love of books are a central part of school life. The youngest children listen to their teachers enthusiastically reading engaging stories, and the older pupils value the daily class story time.

Pupils learn about the sounds letters make as soon as they join the school. Staff are well trained in the phonics scheme. This ensures that pupils become confident, fluent readers.

Pupils who need extra help with reading get the support they need to catch up.

The school has designed an effective early years curriculum. Two- and three-year-old children learn the routines and expectations for successful learning.

In the early years, staff prioritise teaching communication skills and vocabulary. This helps the children, including those who speak English as an additional language, to develop their language skills. Staff and children have warm, positive relationships.

This helps the children to develop confidence and become independent.

Pupils are clear about the school rules. They meet the school's high expectations for behaviour.

Pupils are well mannered and kind to each other. The nurture room provides a safe space for pupils to learn to manage their emotions if needed. This helps pupils to become more resilient.

Pupils know that the adults will deal with rare incidents of poor behaviour. The school celebrates good attendance and has developed initiatives such as the walking bus and pre-school sports clubs to improve attendance. Most pupils attend school regularly.

However, there remains a small number of pupils who are absent too often.

Pupils enjoy opportunities to take on responsibilities and develop leadership skills. Play leaders contribute to the happy, caring atmosphere at playtime.

School councillors enjoy their roles and have been instrumental in making changes to the school, including changes to the library. Pupils learn how to be respectful citizens by raising money for charity.

The trust provides highly effective and carefully considered support to the school.

There are clear pathways for career development for staff at all levels. Staff feel valued and are proud to work here. However, some subject leaders are at an earlier stage of their career and have not yet had opportunities to develop some of their responsibilities in full, including checking how well all pupils are learning.

Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They take part in many opportunities to be involved in the school, such as workshops, assemblies and special events.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils are absent from school too often, especially disadvantaged pupils. This means they do not benefit from the good education provided by the school. The school should continue to develop its strategies, including its work with families, to improve attendance.

• The school does not have consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve in relation to their writing within the wider curriculum. In foundation subjects, some pupils make basic and repeated errors in their spelling and punctuation. The school should continue its work to implement the new approach to teaching writing so that pupils write consistently well in all subjects.

• Some leaders are new to their role and have not yet had enough opportunity to develop their subject in full. As a result, they are sometimes unclear about how well all pupils are learning. The school should continue to ensure that less experienced leaders receive support so that pupils experience a well-developed foundation curriculum and achieve equally well in all subjects.