Tysoe CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time in school.

They are happy and get on well together, helping each other as 'buddy readers' or 'playmakers'. They demonstrate the school's values of 'nurturing hearts, serving with love, growing minds' through their exceptional behaviour and attitudes to learning. They contribute to the local community through the choir singing at the dementia café in Tysoe.

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils to do well. Pupils achieve these, especially in reading, where they attain strong outcomes by the end of key stage 2.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe.

They are especially aware of the risks of social media. Pupils are kep...t safe in school by the vigilance of adults. The culture is, 'every little thing builds a picture'.

Pupils, parents and carers are especially grateful for the nurture provision in school that has helped families and individuals experiencing challenging circumstances. The school dogs, Rex and Sadie, play a huge part in promoting the emotional well-being of pupils.

Pupils of all ages take advantage of the new outdoor play activities.

They make use of the outdoor environment to learn, for example, by visiting the orchard in the village. Pupils also benefit from trips to nearby Stratford-upon-Avon and participating in Shakespeare workshops.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum.

Leaders have thought carefully about how it is delivered, taking into account mixed-age classes and the split-year groups, which change annually. Plans ensure that all pupils are taught the same intended curriculum by the time they reach the end of Years 2 and 6. In each subject, the curriculum sets out what the school expects pupils to learn.

Some subject plans are new and not as well established as others. Where this is the case, the school has less understanding about how well the curriculum in these subjects is being implemented.

Success in reading begins in Reception, where children start learning phonics soon after they join the school.

Phonics is taught consistently well. All pupils, including those who find reading difficult or who have fallen behind, are enthusiastic about reading. They engage well with books, and this stimulates their interest.

They use their phonics skills effectively to decode unfamiliar words. Consequently, they quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need to be confident and fluent readers. The school has a wide range of books in the well-stocked library that pupils access.

Children in Reception are exposed to appropriate vocabulary, for example, 'author' and 'illustrator'. They learn the concept of retelling traditional tales, such as 'The Three Little Pigs'.

Pupils gain the mathematical knowledge and skills they need to solve problems.

They devise their own questions. Many pupils said that mathematics was their favourite subject. Pupils can recall information they have studied in the past, including when they have not studied a subject for a while.

In Reception, children can design and make two- and three-dimensional houses using a range of tools. The skills they acquire prepare them well for their future study of design and technology.

Staff make suitable adaptions to their teaching to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils with SEND are fully integrated into the classroom. They are supported well to access the work that other pupils are learning.

Teachers use questioning effectively in lessons to understand what pupils have remembered.

They use pupils' feedback to identify and address any gaps in knowledge.

Relationships between pupils are strong. Older pupils care for younger ones.

Through the school's 'restorative approach' training, pupils learn to resolve issues themselves. There have been no suspensions or exclusions for many years.The school manages pupils' attendance effectively.

As a result, rates of attendance have improved over time, including for disadvantaged pupils.

Pupils have many opportunities to take on responsibilities, including joining the school council and worship and eco-committees. There are many clubs, including cooking and gardening, and sporting events, such as hockey tournaments.

Pupils show a good understanding of events that occur in the world, but are less familiar with the diversity that exists within the United Kingdom.

The school engages well with parents. Parents and staff are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

Governors know the school well. They are highly supportive but also hold leaders to account for pupils' outcomes.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, leaders do not have a comprehensive understanding of how well teachers have implemented changes to the curriculum. This means that they are unsure about the impact these changes have had on pupils' knowledge. The school should ensure that leaders check to see that any planned improvements to curriculum subjects help pupils to learn better.