Tenbury Church of England (CE) Primary School has been praised for its ‘warm and welcoming’ atmosphere and the excellent support given to its pupils following a recent OfSTED inspection.
The high praise comes as part of an overall ‘Good’ grading for the school in a report received after inspectors visited the school on Tuesday 18 and Wednesday 19 June.
In fact, inspectors were so impressed that the school, which is part of the Diocese of Hereford Multi-Academy Trust (DHMAT), was rated as ‘outstanding’ in the personal development and leadership and management categories, which is fantastic recognition of the work being done by the staff and the leadership team.
Throughout the report, OfSTED is hugely positive about the school. Pupils were found to be ‘very happy’ and it was noted that they achieve well because ‘every child is known by the staff’, meaning they are supported as individuals.
The school’s curriculum was highlighted as having a ‘consistent approach’ and as being regularly reviewed. The advice taken from the wider trust and external sources has supported the work done on the curriculum and leaders have ensured that ‘key knowledge is clearly identified’, and that teachers ‘select appropriate activities to build on what pupils already know’.
The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) was described as being ‘effective’ by inspectors and it was noted that teachers use the information they are given about the needs of individual pupils to ensure the curriculum is adapted adequately.
When speaking to inspectors, pupils spoke very highly of the outstanding range of trips, visits and clubs on offer at Tenbury CE Primary and they are clearly very proud of their large choir which has recently performed at various regional shows.
The focus on reading at the school was also praised and the way personal development is prioritised was highlighted as a real strength. This sees pupils behave with ‘high levels of maturity and consideration’ both at school and in class, with a real understanding of the school’s expectations for behaviour in place.
Reflecting on this OfSTED report, Mrs Kerri Phelps, Headteacher at the school, said:
“I’m so proud of our school and am delighted that OfSTED has once again acknowledged what a great place this is. To read comments about the happiness of our children is very pleasing and throughout the report the respect and maturity they show is highlighted repeatedly.
“All the staff here work incredibly hard to support every single child as the unique individual they are and it was clear that OfSTED inspector could see this was the case.
“As OfSTED noted, the school’s mission statement is to ‘encourage one another and build each other up’. To see inspectors categorically state that we fully live up to that is just reward for the hard work everyone at the school does and is praised that is fully deserved.”
Canon Andrew Teale, Chief Executive Officer at DHMAT, commented:
“We are delighted that Tenbury Church of England Primary school has achieved such a wonderful set of judgments from OfSTED. We have an incredible staff team who are always willing to go the extra mile for the good of children, families and the wider community.
“Our dedicated teachers and support staff, do not work simply to achieve recognition in school inspections, they work hard in school each day to create a place where children can flourish and meet their full potential. They have achieved just that at Tenbury CE Primary.
“Kerri Phelps, our wonderful headteacher, leads the school with grace and humility, while delivering an exceptional standard of primary education. At Tenbury we have strong local governance, curriculum leadership and very high-quality teaching which combine to create a very effective primary school which provides pupils with the best possible start to their educational journey.”
