Tilney St Lawrence Community Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 April 2024

Pupils appreciate being part of a small village school where everyone is known and cared for. Recent changes to the way behaviour is managed are working well. Pupils show each other kindness and respect. They are polite and courteous. In lessons, pupils are calm and follow instructions. Pupils appreciate the points they receive for positive behaviour as part of the 'rainbow reward system'. Pupils benefit from the pastoral support offered. Trusted adults help pupils to feel happy, secure and ready to learn. Pupils know they will be listened to and supported if they have any problems. Opportunities for pupils to broaden their horizons beyond the local community are in place. Pupils' aspirations are encouraged through, for example, the annual careers fair. Pupils experience different cultures through trips to France and revel in the chance to sing at national concerts. The quality of education pupils receive is not helping pupils do as well as they could. Expectations of how well pupils achieve are not high enough. Pupils' learning is not checked regularly enough to ensure pupils build on what they have learned before.

What the school should improve

• Leaders at all levels, including governors, have not held people to account with enough rigour over a period of time. This means the school has not performed as well as it should have. Leaders need to monitor and challenge more robustly to ensure the school is making the necessary improvements to secure a better quality of education for all pupils.
• Leaders have not provided the necessary support and training to staff to ensure they have the necessary subject knowledge and expertise to teach the planned curriculum well. As a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders, including governors, must prioritise subject-specific training for staff to ensure the curriculum is delivered well across the school.
• The early years curriculum lacks the necessary precision and clarity to ensure children secure key foundational knowledge. This means they often lack the knowledge to be successful in their learning both in early years and as they move into Year 1. The school must consider the early years curriculum carefully to ensure it clearly identifies the steps in learning pupils make through this part of the school.
• The school does not provide the necessary support for pupils who fall behind in their early reading in a timely manner. This means pupils who need help to catch up are not supported quickly to become fluent readers. The school must prioritise support for those pupils not reading at an age-appropriate level so they can catch up with their peers as quickly as possible.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)