Tuxford Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Tuxford Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

The principal of this school is Tracy Blacknell. This school is part of Diverse Academies Trust which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, David Cotton, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Michael Quigley.

There is also an executive principal, Gareth Letton, who is responsible for this school and three others.

What is it like to attend this school?

The 'five Rs' underpin everything that happens at this school. Pupils know that they are expected to be respectful, responsible, resilient, ready and reflective.

...>They understand why these are important characteristics to aspire to.

Pupils behave well. The 'school promise' helps pupils to know how they are expected to behave.

Being gentle, honest, kind and helpful are viewed as important. Pupils appreciate the 'gold card' and 'star of the week' awards. They take pride in being placed in the 'ready to learn' and 'gold card' sections of the class behaviour chart.

They look forward to weekly assemblies where they recognise and celebrate each other's achievements. Any poor behaviour is dealt with quickly. Pupils say that 'red cards' are rarely used.

This is indicative of the high expectations that leaders have for pupils' behaviour and achievement.

Pupils are prepared well for life in and beyond the local community. They know and recognise the importance of fundamental British values.

Pupils are welcoming and inclusive. As one pupil summarised: 'Everyone is welcome at our school. Everyone is treated the same.

We respect diversity.'

Pupils learn how to stay safe in a range of situations, including in the community and online. Pupils say that adults take good care of them.

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

Across the vast majority of subjects, and in the early years, the school has developed a detailed and well-organised curriculum. It is suitably planned and sequenced. Across all subjects, it makes clear what is to be taught in each year group, each term.

Content builds logically and cumulatively on what has gone before. Teachers plan and teach lessons that align closely to the curriculum intent. In most cases, pupils can recall what they have learned with ease.

For example, a group of Year 4 pupils were able to recall in detail what they had learned in geography the previous year; they accurately described how mountains are formed by the movement of tectonic plates. However, in a small number of places, the curriculum does not identify the most important information that pupils are expected to know and remember. As a result, there are some minor gaps in what pupils can recall.

Reading is prioritised. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to reading. They study a wide range of books, from different authors and across genres.

They read regularly at school and home. The are motivated by the visiting authors that they have worked with. There is a systematic approach to teaching early reading and phonics The school regularly checks to make sure that phonics is taught consistently well.

It is.

Children get on well in the early years. The wide variety of activities on offer help them to learn and remember the curriculum.

A group of children gave a detailed recount of the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. They went on to show the inspector the model castles that they had designed and built, pointing out and naming the drawbridge, turrets and towers.

Adults are skilled at supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

These pupils get the help that they need to learn the curriculum. Their needs are well understood. However, some of the targets that are set for these pupils are not precise enough.

They do not make clear the short-term milestones that pupils are expected to achieve.

Pupils benefit from a broad programme of personal, social and health education (PSHE). They learn to understand and manage their feelings and emotions.

They learn about a wide range of communities, cultures and beliefs from around the world. There is a broad programme of visitors, trips and activities that support the curriculum. However, the range of extra-curricular activities and opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities in school are limited.

The school has recognised this and are in the process of planning an enhanced offer.

At all levels, leaders, including those responsible for governance, know the school well. The trusts' central team, the local academy committee and trustees work together to provide a good level of challenge and support.

The school's plans for improvement focus on the right things. Improvements are systematically planned and implemented. On the whole, the school has a dedicated team of staff who are proud to work at the school.

The views of pupils, staff and the majority of parents are positive.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. While leaders take the necessary action to keep pupils safe, in a small number of places, records do not show the full range of actions that have been taken.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of foundation subjects, the curriculum does not make clear the most important content that pupils are expected to know and remember. This means that there are some inconsistencies in how well pupils know and remember content. The school should ensure that the curriculum, across all subjects, consistently makes clear the most important content that pupils are expected to know and remember.

• Some of the targets that are set for pupils with SEND lack precision. They do not make clear the short-term milestones that pupils are expected to achieve. This means that staff do not have a fully rounded view of what they need to do to help individual pupils to progress as well as they could The school should ensure that the targets for pupils with SEND are precise and make clear the short term milestones that pupils are expected to achieve.

• The range of extra-curricular activities and opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities in school are limited. The school should ensure that their planned, improved offer is fully implemented and contributes effectively to pupils' personal development. ? In a small number of places, safeguarding records do not document the full range of actions that have been taken to keep pupils safe.

This means that some records are incomplete. The school should ensure that all decisions and actions taken to keep pupils safe are comprehensively documented.

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 October 2014.