Tweedmouth West First School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy, caring school where pupils thrive.

Staff go the extra mile to make sure that they understand the needs of each pupil.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive strong support which allows them to make the most of the opportunities on offer. Many parents and carers who made their views known to us agree.

For example, one parent said: 'The staff here have gone above and beyond to help my child. I'll never stop praising this school.'

Pupils enjoy a broad curriculum and lots of clubs and activities.

They become good readers and mathematicians. Sport and physical education (PE) are a prominent feat...ure of the school. Pupils take part in physical activities like the daily mile without feeling pressured to do so.

They are enthusiastic about sports and games. Many pupils talk about how these opportunities build their confidence and resilience.

There is a supportive atmosphere in the school.

Pupils respect the needs of others. Older pupils help younger ones in the playground. Pupils understand how to recognise bullying, and they are confident that staff would sort out any problems.

There are very few incidents of poor behaviour. On rare occasions, some pupils lose concentration in class when they are unclear about what they need to learn.

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

The school's motto is 'Respect, Resilience and Responsibility'.

Leaders make sure that these themes underpin everything that the school does. They want all pupils to be able to succeed, whatever their needs. Leaders are quick to identify pupils who need extra support.

They make full use of specialist advice and training to put the right support in place. As a result, pupils with SEND receive the help they need. They gain confidence and make strong progress across the whole curriculum.

Pupils learn from the example set by the school staff. Pupils respect each other's differences and show a strong sense of responsibility when helping their friends.

Leaders' curriculum plans identify what pupils need to learn in every subject.

These include the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils learn each term. Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning in subjects such as art, science and PE. They show a strong knowledge of these subjects.

In some subjects, such as history, pupils learn important facts but are less sure about how different aspects of history link together. For example, when questioned, pupils remembered a lot of detail about their study of the Second World War. However, they were unable to link any of this learning with their previous study of Florence Nightingale and the Crimean War.

Pupils are proud of their school and they work hard. The school curriculum includes lots of opportunities for pupils to build their confidence and try new things. Pupils visit places of interest and work with visitors such as local authors.

Pupils attend a wide variety of clubs, from yoga and gymnastics to cooking and gardening. The strong PE curriculum encourages pupils to push themselves. Many pupils are inspired to join local clubs and continue to enjoy sports after they leave the school.

Leaders have made big changes in the Reception class and children are achieving more now. Staff work with parents to identify children's interests and needs. They use this knowledge to build an exciting curriculum.

This approach inspires children to learn and reach high standards. During the inspection, children were learning about space. They were keen to show that they could recite the planets in order.

They could talk at length about Neil Armstrong and what it might be like to be an astronaut.

Leaders want pupils to develop a lifelong love of reading. They make sure that staff have the training that they need to teach phonics.

There is strong communication between teachers and parents. This helps parents to support their children with reading. Children learn letter sounds from the beginning of the Reception class.

Teachers continue to build pupils' knowledge of phonics systematically throughout key stage 1. Pupils read books which match the sounds they know. This helps them to practise their phonics.

Teachers often read to pupils. The pupils we spoke with told us about their favourite books and stories that they had heard from their teachers. Most pupils are fluent readers by the time they enter Year 3.

Pupils who struggle with reading receive effective support to help them catch up.

Leadership of mathematics is strong. Teachers have received effective training from the subject leader.

Pupils use correct mathematical vocabulary, including children in Reception. Pupils receive regular opportunities to apply their learning when solving problems. Pupils achieve well by the end of Year 4.

On some occasions, teachers introduce too much content at once. When this happens, pupils find it hard to remember what they have covered in the lesson.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff know the pupils well. They are quick to spot small changes in pupils' behaviour that might be a cause for concern. All staff receive regular safeguarding training and updates.

They are clear about what to do if they have a concern. Any concerns are reported and followed up well.

Leaders make sure that all staff undergo detailed employment checks.

These checks are recorded appropriately in a single central register.

Pupils learn how to stay safe as part of the curriculum. This includes learning about how to stay safe online.

A programme of assemblies supports the school's work in this area. These assemblies are sometimes led by pupils as digital leaders.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

A small minority of pupils do not remember the important content they have been taught in subjects like mathematics and history.

Inspection evidence demonstrates that content is not always taught sequentially. Leaders' checks in this regard could be stronger and more focused. Consequently, leaders should ensure that they focus more closely on how the curriculum is implemented across the school – including what is taught and when – so that they have a stronger understanding of how well pupils achieve and of the reasons for any underachievement.

. By the end of Year 4, pupils have developed strong knowledge across most subjects. However, in subjects such as history, this knowledge is limited to factual recall of information.

Pupils struggle to connect concepts across different units of work, so their understanding of the subject is not as strong as it could be. This is, in part, because some curriculum plans are not sufficiently focused on the most important content pupils should know inside out. Leaders should develop curriculum documentation further to include important themes and ideas.