High Clarence Primary School

Age group 3-11 Inspection date(s) 22-23 June 2011 Inspection number 363780 High Clarence Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 111523 Local Authority Stockton-on-Tees Inspection number 363780 Inspection dates 22-23 June 2011 Reporting inspector Tom Grieveson HMI

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 under pilot arrangements; it was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 98 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ann McCoy Headteacher Jean Orridge Date of previous school inspection 7 February 2008 School address Port Clarence Road Middlesbrough Cleveland North Yorkshire TS2 1SY Telephone number 01642 561237 Fax number 01642 566481 Email address jean.orridge@stockton.gov.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This pilot inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and one additional inspector. Inspectors observed 12 lessons and all teachers were seen teaching on two occasions. A large number of pupils were heard to read. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, members of the governing body, senior leaders and other staff. Inspectors observed the school’s work and evaluated a range of documentation which included the school improvement plan, assessment and tracking documents, reading records, safeguarding and risk assessment policies. The 53 inspection questionnaires received from parents and carers were fully considered as well as those submitted by staff and pupils.

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Information about the school

The school is much smaller than other primary schools. It serves a relatively isolated community within a heavily industrialised area of Teesside. A very high number of pupils are known to be eligible for a free school meal. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage. There is a much higher than average proportion of pupils with special educational needs and those with disabilities. The school has achieved a number of national accreditations including the National Schools Curriculum Award, Basic Skills Quality Mark and the Healthy School status (Gold). At the time of the inspection three of the five class teachers were absent on maternity leave. Their posts were being covered by supply staff. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety 2

Does the school adequately promote the pupils’ well-being? Yes Does the school adequately promote community cohesion? Yes Does the school provide value for money? Yes

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Key findings

Pupils benefit from a good education. Effective leadership and predominantly good teaching ensure that learning is well-matched to pupils’ capabilities so they make good and consistent progress.

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Key findings

Pupils’ show positive attitudes towards their work and a keenness to succeed. They enjoy learning and work productively with each other. Their behaviour is good and relationships between pupils and with staff are strong. Children’s skills and knowledge on entering the Nursery are significantly below expectations. By the end of Key Stage 2, pupils' attainment overall is broadly average, it is higher in mathematics but is improving well in English.

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Key findings

Teachers’ strong subject knowledge and enthusiasm helps motivate pupils so that learning is purposeful and classrooms are industrious. In almost all cases teachers use the school’s very detailed assessment information when planning lessons so that activities build successfully on what pupils already know and can do. Marking is detailed, providing pupils with clear information about how well they have done, although in a few instances clearer guidance about how work could be improved is missing.

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Key findings

Leadership is good and has been very effective in driving improvement. The headteacher has very successfully ensured that actions are focused on those areas where progress is most required. Monitoring is rigorous and timely. While individual teachers routinely review pupils’ work and progress, this is not always analysed regularly enough across the whole school to track the impact of particular initiatives.

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Key findings

Work with parents and carers and the wider community is effective and extensive. The school enjoys an exemplary level of parental support. The governing body offers Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

a constructive balance between its appreciation of staff’s hard work and commitment, while challenging the school’s leadership about its performance. They demonstrate a keen awareness of the school’s strengths but show determination in driving improvement. All aspects of safeguarding are securely in place.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to raise standards in English by: - ensuring that all teachers consistently provide pupils with guidance about how they can improve their work - ensuring that in all cases, teachers use the school’s assessment information when planning lesson activities so that the learning needs of all pupils are met.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the on-going assessment information which teachers collect about pupils’ progress is fully evaluated by senior staff so they can accurately track the impact of particular initiatives.

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Main report

In lessons, almost all pupils work effectively, showing a sustained commitment to their work and this underpins their good and consistent progress. Pupils’ positive attitudes enable them to benefit from well-planned activities. Most work productively with other pupils in shared activities, although those with less-developed learning skills require frequent additional help from adults to ensure they remain focused and on-task. When children enter the Nursery their knowledge and skills are significantly below expectations. Their literacy and numeracy skills are particularly weak. They make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1. This is reflected in consistent improvements in reading, writing and mathematics although attainment remains below average by the end of Year 2. At Key Stage 2, the large majority of pupils make better than expected progress. Attainment by Year 6 is

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Main report

broadly average, although outcomes are higher in mathematics and reading. Specific work to improve pupils’ performance in writing is, however, showing positive results. Those with special educational needs and those with disabilities also make good progress. Their needs are known in exacting detail so the school is able to target regular and effective support to help them improve.

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Main report

High priority is given to developing pupils’ reading skills. The school’s well-structured approach to reading ensures that most pupils make good progress. They enjoy books and demonstrate increasing confidence. Careful, well-directed support for those who fall behind is very effective in helping them to progress.

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Main report

Pupils’ behaviour is at least good in lessons and around the school. Effective actions Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main report

and procedures result in consistently good attendance and there is no persistent absence. Pupils say they feel safe, that bullying is extremely rare and that all problems are dealt with very well. They express an exceptionally high degree of confidence in the staff. They know that any problems or difficulties will be dealt with speedily. Relationships between pupils and with adults are very strong with pupils showing a genuine respect towards each other and particularly towards the staff. Older pupils take their ‘House Captain’ and ‘Vice-Captain,’ roles very seriously and their help in supporting younger children is much appreciated by other pupils. Year 6 pupils provide extremely good role models to younger pupils. Parents and carers show an extraordinarily strong endorsement of the school’s approach to improving pupils’ behaviour and feel that children are kept very safe.

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Main report

Teaching is predominantly good and effectively supports pupils’ sustained and consistent progress. Lesson planning is thorough and expectations are high. Most teachers use their considerable knowledge of pupils’ capabilities to provide well- matched activities which engage, motivate and promote learning successfully. This reflects their routine use of the school’s in-depth assessment evidence when crafting lessons. In a few instances, a precise match of work is not achieved well enough so that although teachers strive to produce different work for pupils of differing abilities this is not always aligned to their needs as well as it should be. Teachers’ good subject knowledge is used effectively to enthuse and motivate pupils. Progress is regularly reviewed within lessons so that teachers know how well pupils are progressing and adjustments can be made to ensure that pupils are focused on core learning intentions. Clear and focused support helps those pupils who are falling

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Main report

behind, or who have special educational needs and those with disabilities, so they play a full part in lessons and achieve well. Marking is thorough and mostly evaluative, although not all teachers routinely provide information so that pupils know how to improve their work. In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children settle into routines quickly because staff work hard to engender their confidence and enjoyment. They are at ease in their surroundings, playing productively together and interacting with adults well. In the outdoor space, activities are matched closely to children’s interests and staff strike a good balance between actively leading and encouraging children to choose for themselves. On occasions, there is a tendency for Nursery staff to overly direct an activity when for some very young children, less direction would be more appropriate. Early literacy skills are promoted very effectively in the Reception class where excellent subject knowledge and skilful

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Main report

teaching is successfully building children’s early phonics skills.

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Main report

The school benefits from good and highly aspirant leadership . A sustained focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning is driving better pupil outcomes. Monitoring procedures are rigorous providing the headteacher with exceptionally detailed knowledge of the school’s performance. This has ensured that development planning is clearly targeted on those areas which require most attention. Despite temporary changes to those in senior leadership positions, the existing staff complement the effective leadership of the headteacher increasingly well. She has been very successful in managing staff absence. Collectively, the senior team exhibit a strong capacity to improve. While there is a secure drive to improve pupils’ literacy Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main report

and numeracy skills, the promotion of a broad and well-planned curriculum is delivering relevant learning which pupils enjoy. It is successfully supporting the drive to extend pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills and promotes equality of opportunity for all pupils particularly well. It affords a secure context for the promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.

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Main report

While the governing body shows an appreciation of the staff’s hard work and dedication, it provides an effective balance to its work by offering direct challenge to the leadership and a clear sense of purpose in promoting improvement. Safeguarding arrangements are secure and routinely reviewed. The staff, and the headteacher in particular, enjoy an exceptionally high degree of support from parents and carers who are unstinting in their praise of the school’s work. The manner in which community cohesion is promoted is good. Senior leaders’ knowledge of the community and its work in supporting families is substantial. Strategies to encourage and develop local participation, often in collaboration with other agencies, are extremely effective. The school exerts real drive and purpose in broadening pupils’ horizons from national and international contexts.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at High Clarence Primary School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 12 statements about the school. The inspection team received 53 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 97 pupils registered at the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Statements Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Total % Total % Total % Total % Q1 My child is happy at school 39 73 13 24 1 2 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q2 My child feels safe at school 39 73 13 24 1 2 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q3 The school helps my child to achieve as well as they can 43 81 10 19 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q4 The school meets my child’s particular needs 37 70 16 30 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q5 The school ensures my child is well looked after 39 73 14 26 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q6 Teaching at this school is good 43 81 10 19 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q7 There is a good standard of behaviour at this school 35 66 16 30 1 2 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q8 Lessons are not disrupted by bad behaviour 30 56 20 38 1 2 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q9 The school deals with any cases of bullying well 35 66 14 26 2 4 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q10 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 42 79 11 21 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q11 The school responds to my concerns and keeps me well informed 40 75 13 24 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q12 The school is well led and managed 43 81 10 19 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 48 6 0 Primary schools 6 47 40 7 Secondary schools 12 39 38 11

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Sixth forms 13 42 41 3 Special schools 28 49 19 4 Pupil referral units 14 45 31 10

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 December 2010 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be:  The achievement of all pupils.  Behaviour and safety.  The quality of teaching.  The effectiveness of leadership and management. and taking into consideration  how well the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Inspection of High Clarence Primary School, Middlesbrough TS2 1SY

Thank you for the welcome and support you provided when we inspected your school recently with a particular thanks to those pupils who met with us and to those who willingly talked about their work and the school. The inspection report is now complete and I want to inform you of our findings.

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Inspection of High Clarence Primary School, Middlesbrough TS2 1SY

We have judged that all aspects of your school’s work are good.

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Inspection of High Clarence Primary School, Middlesbrough TS2 1SY

We were particularly impressed with your good behaviour and the way in which you get on so well together and with the staff. Older Year 6 pupils do a great job in supporting younger pupils and sorting out problems. We were pleased to see the good progress which you make in lessons. Well done! This happens partly because you try so hard but also because of the good teaching you experience. Your teachers also work extremely hard preparing lessons for you and they benefit from the effective leadership of your headteacher and senior staff.

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Inspection of High Clarence Primary School, Middlesbrough TS2 1SY

Even in good schools there are things which can be made better. We have asked Mrs Orridge, the governing body and staff to make sure that:

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Inspection of High Clarence Primary School, Middlesbrough TS2 1SY

 when teachers mark your work you are always given advice about how to improve  teachers always use the school’s assessment information which they have about your work so that when they are preparing lessons, the activities you are given exactly match your needs.

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Inspection of High Clarence Primary School, Middlesbrough TS2 1SY

We are sure that you will be able to help the staff improve in these areas. Please accept our best wishes for the future and particularly to those Year 6 pupils who are soon to transfer to their secondary schools.

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Inspection of High Clarence Primary School, Middlesbrough TS2 1SY

Tom Grieveson Her Majesty's Inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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