Tufnell Park Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Tufnell Park Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school.

They think teachers explain things clearly in lessons and provide help when it is needed. They love their new school building. Parents and carers are particularly positive about the strong sense of community leaders and governors have created.

Leaders and governors have high expectations for what they want pupils to achieve. The curriculum has been thought through skilfully. It is well suited to the community the school serves.

Opportunities for pupils to enrich and acquire interests beyond their academic curriculum abound here and are really enjo...yed by pupils. There is a wide range of clubs on many themes, including gardening and juggling. Leaders keep their 'Tufnell Park promise', which outlines the range of enrichment activities all pupils are entitled to.

Pupils do not feel at risk from bullying. Staff oversight of the risks posed by discriminatory behaviour has led to pupils feeling confident that staff will tackle any incidents of this head on.

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

Leaders and governors have invested in developing subject leadership.

Some subject leaders have transferable skills, which means they have a rapid impact on improving the curriculum as soon as they take over leadership of a different subject. Leaders and governors have an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses in the quality of education.

The curriculum is well designed overall.

Pupils receive a good education across the whole range of subjects. Staff use assessment well to identify and tackle gaps and misconceptions in pupils' learning. Children in the early years get off to a good start.

Staff know what they want to find out about children's starting points and have a well- organised way of doing so. They provide a stimulating and purposeful range of activities for children to learn and develop their skills.

In a few subjects, however, leaders have not considered carefully what pupils should be learning and when.

Some guidance provided to teachers is vague about the specific skills pupils need to build on and apply as they progress through the curriculum. When this is the case pupils are asked to attempt work before they and their teachers are clear enough about what they are aiming to achieve.

Leaders have high expectations of what pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) can achieve.

However, in subjects where curriculum thinking is less successful staff find it harder to adapt lessons to ensure that any barriers posed by these pupils' needs are overcome.

Reading is given a high priority as soon as pupils start school. Teachers ensure books match pupils' abilities.

They teach letters and sounds accurately and are effective in quickly picking up on pupils' mistakes. Leaders know precisely which pupils have fallen behind and make sure staff are equipped to help them catch up with learning to read.In the early years, children are offered opportunities to learn about rhyme and repetition through careful choice of class books.

The mathematics curriculum is well established and understood by staff. Children in the early years enjoy using all kinds of equipment and activities to learn about numbers. Older pupils can explain and use the calculation and problem-solving techniques they have learned over time.

Leaders and governors are very mindful of the need to consider staff well-being and their workload. Staff say it helps that leaders communicate their expectations very clearly. Staff new to the school appreciate the attention senior leaders give them when settling into their roles.

Pupils' behaviour in lessons supports learning well. Pupils are interested and engaged, so disruption is rare. Staff can refocus pupils when necessary with a few encouraging words.

Pupils feel strongly involved in the life of the school and the wider community. The school council has recently taken the lead in broadening the menu of school meals to include halal food, for example. Pupils' cultural development is enriched well by lots of visits to museums and events, which leaders have chosen with care.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Strong levels of trust and good communication with parents support effective identification of any safeguarding risks.

Leaders work with external professionals to provide the help pupils need when a concern is identified.

They involve pupils and use their views when deciding how to teach them about staying safe from sexual abuse, including when this occurs online.

Leaders make sure that training enables staff to identify signs of concern about pupils' well-being. Leaders scrutinise their records of concerns to determine how they can get even better at keeping children safe.

Staff, including those new to the school, feel confident and well informed about how to report and record concerns. Pupils say they are encouraged by staff to follow their instinct and ask for help if something does not feel right.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There are inconsistencies in how well leaders set out what is to be learned and in what order across the range of subjects taught.

Where this is weaker, teachers find it hard to set lessons which build on prior learning and provide opportunities for pupils to learn the skills they will need in future learning. Leaders should review the content and structure of the curriculum to ensure it sets out clearly exactly what should be taught and when in every subject.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2013.