St Nicholas Church of England Primary School, Tillingham

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Determined leadership has brought about rapid improvement since the previous inspection.

All groups of pupils are now making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The headteacher, supported by the local authority, has proficiently coached staff to improve their teaching. Since the last inspection, governors have improved their ability to challenge leaders.

They have a good knowledge of the effectiveness of the school and, in particular, the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils' achievement. The quality of teaching is now good, and most teaching makes learning interesting. Pupils respond positively and are enthusiasti...c learners.

Rigorous systems are in place to check on its quality, involving leaders and governors; and effective strategies have ensured improvement. Additional adults within the classroom are adept at supporting the learning needs of pupils. Pupils' behaviour is good and they are eager to become successful in their learning.

They feel safe because of the school's effective safeguarding routines. Children make good progress in the early years. The care and attention of adults enable children to develop their skills confidently.

The curriculum is enhanced with a wide range of visits, trips, drama and sporting activities. It supports pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. The expertise of the new management team is ensuring greater consistency in teaching and learning through well-designed staff training and checking the impact of initiatives on pupils' progress.

As a result of these many positive features, the school has capacity to continue improving. The school has received good support from the local authority and the Diocese. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Occasionally, teachers do not plan work that is challenging enough for all groups of pupils, especially the most able.

A small number of pupils do not always take sufficient pride in the presentation of their work and some teachers do not routinely challenge this. Children in the Reception Year do not have enough activities in the outdoor area, which develop and extend their physical skills. Leaders' strategies for engaging with parents do not help all parents to support their child's learning strongly enough.

Information about this school

This is a smaller than average-sized primary school. There are five classes in the school. In Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils are taught in four mixed age classes.

In the early years, children are taught full time in a Reception class. The school has no Nursery class. The school serves a community where most pupils are of White British heritage.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average. There were too few pupils in Year 6 in 2014 to make the usual judgement on whether the school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional funding for children in the care of the local authority or pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals) is average.

Due to the size of the school, there are usually only two or three disadvantaged pupils in each year group. There have been significant changes in staff in the past two years and nearly all staff are new in post. The headteacher was appointed to the school in 2014, after the previous inspection.

Two newly qualified teachers joined the staff in September 2014 and the deputy headteacher is currently on maternity leave. The acting deputy headteacher is on secondment from another local school. As a member of the Chelmsford Teaching School Alliance, the school is taking part in a pilot school improvement project with the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT) Aspire Partner School Programme.