Twyford St Mary’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Twyford St Mary's Church of England Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are rightly proud of their welcoming school. Leaders' expectations are high.

Pupils rise to these both in their learning and conduct. Across the school, nurturing staff help pupils to feel happy, safe and well cared for. This builds an atmosphere of calmness and mutual respect.

Pupils know that staff will listen to them and will support them to resolve their concerns.

The sense of community and belonging is tangible here. Pupils behave exceptionally well.

They relish op...portunities to make a positive difference to the lives of others. For example, from the outset, younger children are linked with older 'buddies'. This approach supports children who are new to the school to form strong relationships with their peers.

Pupils get along well. They enjoy positive interactions with their friends during playtimes and lunchtimes.

The curriculum is ambitious and taught well.

Staff have a deep understanding of every pupil and their individual needs. Children in the early years settle quickly and learn routines. They are given a wide range of opportunities to play, learn and develop.

In lessons, pupils are keen to learn and their enthusiasm for topics is infectious. Pupils build detailed knowledge across the curriculum. They achieve highly, including in national assessments.

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

The school has taken effective actions to maintain standards since the last inspection. Leaders have strengthened the curriculum to ensure it precisely identifies the important information pupils should learn from the early years to Year 6. Together with governors, leaders have ensured that the curriculum has been designed to suit the mixed-age class arrangements.

In making these changes, the school has carefully considered staff workload and well-being. Those with responsibility for governance carry out their statutory duties effectively.

The school ensures that staff have secure subject knowledge.

Leaders have worked well with the local authority to provide staff with the training they need to deliver the curriculum with confidence. Overall, staff present information clearly to pupils. They demonstrate activities so that pupils know what is expected of them.

However, sometimes, the activities which pupils are asked to complete do not help them to learn the intended curriculum as well as they could. When this happens, it affects how well some pupils participate and how securely they build up their knowledge.

Staff use their checks on pupils' learning to identify and then address any gaps in pupils' knowledge or understanding.

The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified and then met effectively. The school works well with parents and carers and external agencies to ensure that pupils receive the support they need to be successful.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum.

Pupils read widely and often. Pupil 'librarians' take an active role in identifying books for each topic. Throughout the school, pupils relish reading these high-quality texts.

Phonics is delivered systematically and reinforced across the curriculum. This helps to ensure that pupils quickly learn the sounds they need to read with confidence and fluency. In the early years, children delight at using their newly learned sounds in their early writing.

Staff provide effective targeted support, where needed, to help pupils with their reading. As a result, the vast majority of pupils become confident and fluent readers by the end of Year 2.

The provision for pupils' personal development is a strength of the school.

The school's character education is well planned and underpinned by the school's values of 'courage, care, joy and respect'. Pupils learn about the importance of equality and diversity. They are supported to become independent and resilient learners.

Experiences including trips and visitors are carefully planned to enhance learning across the curriculum. For example, pupils have worked with a local ice cream business to invent a new 'carrot cake' flavour. The wide range of after-school clubs are highly valued and help build on pupils' interests and talents.

Pupils participate in a variety clubs including drama, music as well as an impressive range of sports clubs. They benefit from a wealth of leadership opportunities. These include the 'Green team' which looks after the school environment and reminds others to save energy.

This coordinated approach to pupils' wider development ensures that they are well prepared for life beyond the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes, the tasks and activities which pupils are given in lessons are not well thought through.

Where this is the case, the activities do not align well enough to the intentions of the curriculum. This affects some pupils' learning. The school should ensure that staff provide pupils with well-considered activities and tasks which develop pupils' knowledge and skills across the curriculum.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in February 2016.