Tower Hill Community Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 June 2022

'Marvellous mistakes' are celebrated here. Everyone sees these as opportunities to learn. Pupils live out the school vision of 'growing together'. There is a real sense of family throughout the school. Staff care deeply about the pupils. Because of this, pupils feel safe and thrive in the nurturing environment. One parent, with a comment that was typical of many, said, 'This school really cares.' Staff set high expectations for the pupils, and they rise to them. Pupils share the responsibility for setting high standards. For example, Year 6 'active play leaders' organise activities for younger pupils at breaktimes and lunchtimes. Behaviour in lessons is good. Pupils work diligently and do not disturb each other. They talk enthusiastically about their work with each other. Bullying is very rare at this school. A very small number of pupils told inspectors that they may not report bullying for fear of being further teased about it. Leaders at the school are aware of this and are addressing it by making it clearer to pupils how they will be supported if they report bullying. Pupils love reading. A decommissioned double decker bus has been converted into the school library. Pupils sprint to the bus at social times to find books to read. Older pupils act as librarians and help younger pupils chose books that they will enjoy.

What the school should improve

• Leaders have not yet finalised their curriculum thinking across all subjects, for example in history and religious education. This means they have not yet finalised the order and content of the specific detail of what they want pupils to know and be able to do in each subject. Leaders need to ensure their recent curriculum developments are finalised and are effectively disseminated to teaching staff in a timely manner.
• The implementation of the intended curriculum across all subjects is not always consistently or closely matched to leader's high expectations due to variability of approach by some staff. Pupils are not always given suitably demanding work, particularly where less experienced staff are leading learning. Leaders need to ensure that the implementation of the curriculum is consistent across all activities by providing support and professional development for less experienced staff.

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