Dame Tipping Church of England Primary School

Overview

This small primary school is described as a “friendly and welcoming” community where pupils are “polite and kind” and “love to learn.” The report highlights an “ambitious” curriculum that builds coherently over time, with staff demonstrating “secure subject knowledge.” Personal development is rated Outstanding, reflecting exceptional support for pupils’ social, moral, spiritual, and cultural growth.

Strengths

• The curriculum is “broad and ambitious,” allowing pupils to apply learning to “increasingly challenging tasks” as their knowledge grows.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are “particularly well-supported to access the curriculum” and flourish alongside peers.
• Reading is prioritised effectively; staff model phonics clearly, and pupils who fall behind are “quickly identified” and receive support to “catch up with their peers.”
• Staff wellbeing is supported, with leaders making efforts to “reduce their workload,” resulting in a positive working environment.
• Pupils take on various leadership roles, such as peer mediators and reading ambassadors, which helps them “gain confidence in public speaking.”

Areas to improve

• Teaching of some subject content “lacks precision,” with staff not always “routinely and systematically checking that pupils have secured new knowledge,” leading to superficial understanding for some.
• Attendance is “below the national average,” and leaders must work with all families to “improve the attendance of pupils over time” and develop a stronger culture of good attendance.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”