Turves Green Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

At Turves Green Primary everyone is valued and included. Pupils say that their school 'is a special place because no one is an outsider, and no one is left out'. Pupils, parents and staff agree this is a school that is getting better every day.

Leaders and staff have high expectations of all pupils. They want the very best for them. Pupils work hard to meet these goals.

Pupils behave really well in class, around school and at playtimes. Positive and caring relationships have created an environment where pupils are kept safe and feel safe.

Leaders, staff and pupils work hard to make sure that pupils are ready for life in modern Britain.

Exciting assem...blies and creative opportunities enthuse the pupils and help to broaden their outlook on life.

Pupils work hard to support each other. They take on responsibilities such as school councillors or internet safety advisers.

This provides them with opportunities to make a difference to their school and community.

Pupils have a good understanding of what bullying is and the impact it can have on other pupils. Leaders investigate any incidents of bullying and act when needed.

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

Leaders want the very best for the pupils at Turves Green Primary. Dynamic leadership and high expectations are driving improvements. Staff are really committed to making sure that pupils get the best from their time at school and to preparing them for the next stages in their education.

Children get off to a strong start in the early years. Well-planned experiences mean they learn the skills they need to be successful learners. Creative lessons such as vegetable hunts with 'Supertato and Evil Pea' inspire early learning and communication skills.

Balance bike sessions and forest school develop strong physical and social skills. Children are happy and safe because staff care for them well.

Leaders have worked hard to make sure that pupils in key stages 1 and 2 learn a wide range of different subjects.

In some subjects, for example in history, pupils learn well because lessons build on previous learning and deepen understanding. In other subjects, such as physical education and modern foreign languages, learning is not always as well planned. However, leaders have already started to make improvements to these subjects and others.

They are also making sure that all staff have the right skills to teach them.

Reading is a strength. Teachers make sure that all pupils quickly learn the phonics they need to be successful readers.

Reading books provide pupils with the chance to practise the sounds they know in school and at home. Teachers read to the pupils daily, and this helps pupils to develop a love of reading. When pupils fall behind in their reading, teachers act quickly to make sure they get the support they need to catch up.

Mathematics has developed strongly over the past few years. Recent changes to lessons make sure that pupils have frequent opportunities to use their arithmetic, problem-solving and reasoning skills. This means that they are more successful at applying their new-found knowledge to a range of questions and problems.

In geography, like many other subjects, the pupils develop a strong understanding of the world around them. In their lessons, they learn about such things as the oceans and continents. Carefully planned lessons that build on previous learning mean that pupils acquire more challenging knowledge as they get older.

In most cases, pupils achieve really positive outcomes at Turves Green Primary. For most pupils, teachers set work that helps pupils to achieve their very best. This helps them to make good progress over time.

However, teachers do not always plan work that challenges the most able pupils. This is particularly the case for some of the oldest pupils. This limits their learning and prevents them from achieving as well as they could.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make strong progress. This is because leaders make sure they get the right support and teachers closely match learning to pupils' needs. Leaders constantly review support to make sure it is the best it can be, and check that staff always have the right skills to teach the pupils.

Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Thought-provoking assemblies encourage the pupils to consider such things as Black history or the Holocaust. All learn to play a musical instrument and have opportunities to develop 'young engineering' skills.

Trips to places such as the National Space Centre enrich and bring learning to life. An impressive range of clubs develop the pupils' sporting, artistic and cooking skills.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have created a culture where pupils feel safe and are kept safe. Clear policies and regular training mean all staff know how to act when they are concerned about a pupil, and they do this promptly. Leaders deal with these concerns appropriately, bringing in external help when required.

Pupils and families get the high-quality support they need from this school.

All safeguarding policies and procedures are clear and understood by staff. They keep secure and detailed records relating to child protection.

Leaders make sure all required pre-employment checks are in place.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

While the curriculum has rapidly improved over the last few years, some subjects are not yet as strong as others. It is clear from the actions of leaders that they have started to address this to make sure that learning in all subjects is effective.

Leaders need to continue to develop the subjects where the planned curriculum and the curriculum delivery are currently not as strong as they could be, to make sure that pupils learn and remember more in all subjects. . For most pupils, teachers set work that is ambitious to enable pupils to achieve their very best.

However, this is not always the case for the most able pupils in key stage 2. This means they are not deepening their knowledge to the extent that they could. Leaders need to make sure all pupils have access to learning that is suitably challenging and ambitious.

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