Tairgwaith Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Tairgwaith Primary School is a happy, inclusive school that places a high priority on the well-being of its pupils.

Nearly all pupils feel safe in school and know who to go to if they are worried. Most pupils show good levels of interest in their lessons and enjoy the opportunities they have to improve their school as part of pupil voice groups. There is a strong emphasis on community, and families greatly appreciate the role the school plays in their lives.

There is a high level of care and respect amongst pupils, staff and governors and this has a very positive influence on pupils' attitudes and behaviours. Many pupils, including those with additional learning needs (ALN) and those eligible for free school meals make sui...table progress in their literacy and numeracy skills. Teachers provide learning experiences that engage many pupils' interest and make good links with the local community.

In a majority of lessons, teachers build progressively on what pupils know. In the best examples they plan to meet individual needs well. However, the quality of teaching is inconsistent.

Provision for teaching the skills of writing and numeracy is limited, particularly in the older classes. As a result, many older pupils do not extend or apply their writing and numeracy skills well enough or progress at the rate of which they are capable. Staff have strong relationships with pupils.

They use positive encouragement, and they praise pupils for their achievements. In a majority of cases staff provide worthwhile feedback to pupils. However overall, the feedback does not support them to identify the next steps in their learning.

Leaders work with pupils and the community to create a vision for the school's work and are addressing some national priorities such as ALN reform very well. Staff collaborate to contribute to improvement work, and they undertake some suitable monitoring activities. However, these activities do not always result in the required improvements, for example in further development of their curriculum design.

Governors are very active in developing the school. They have a good understanding of their roles and responsibilities and help to ensure that it meets the many needs of its community well. Recommendations R1 Address the inconsistencies in the quality of teaching R2 Improve pupils' writing and numeracy skills in the older classes R3 Provide effective feedback to older pupils so that they know what to do to improve their work What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection.