Greenside Primary School

Age group 4-11 Inspection date(s) 27-28 June 2011 Inspection number 356342 Blaydon West Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 108348 Local Authority Gateshead Inspection number 356342 Inspection dates 28-29 June 2011 Reporting inspector Andrew Johnson HMI

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This inspection of the school 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 4-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 185 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jill Chaplin Headteacher Nicola Watson Date of previous school inspection 18 June 2009 School address Blaydon Bank Blaydon on Tyne Gateshead Tyne and Wear NE21 4PY Telephone number 0191 414 3286 Fax number 0191 499 0680 Email address nicolawatson@gateshead.gov.uk

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Introduction

This pilot inspection was carried by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and two additional inspectors. Inspectors observed 12 lessons involving all the teachers and two assemblies conducted by the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. Inspectors listened to pupils read and held meetings with them. They spoke with representatives of the governing body, teachers, school leaders and local authority staff. Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at the plans for improvement, assessment information, lesson plans, monitoring information and school policies. They examined 46 questionnaires from parents and carers, 85 from pupils and 12 from staff.

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Information about the school

The school is slightly smaller than the average sized primary school. Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion known to be eligible for free school meals is more than twice the national average. Mobility in and out of the school is high. The proportion of pupils who have been identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average, as is the percentage with a statement of special educational needs. The school was brought out of special measures at the time of its previous inspection and met government floor targets until 2010 when targets were not met at the end of Key Stage 2.

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Information about the school

A new headteacher was appointed in November 2010 and a new deputy headteacher in February 2011. Three teachers have recently been appointed and another is due to take up post in September, this means that half the teaching staff have changed in the last year. Many members of the governing body, including the Chair of the Governing Body took up their position after the previous inspection. The school has achieved several awards, including Healthy Schools status and the Impetus award for promoting human rights and shared ethical values. The Early Years Foundation Stage has separate Nursery and Reception classes and a shared outdoor area. 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

 This is a satisfactory and improving school. A cooperative and caring ethos permeates the life of the school. The new management team is making rapid improvement to many areas of school life. They are well supported by a highly effective governing body. Leaders recognise that although they have made a good start there is much work still to be done.  Pupils enjoy learning and show respect for their teachers and each other, they move around the school sensibly and behave well. Arrangements to ensure pupils’ safety are good. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the quality of care and teaching; however a few have concerns about behaviour. This was mainly related to the behaviour of one year group. Swift and effective action has been taken to tackle concerns. Behaviour is now good throughout the school.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics began to rise after the school was removed from special measures. In 2010, test results at the end of Key

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Key findings

Stage 2 were well below average. This was mainly due to a history of weak and inconsistent teaching. In particularly boys’ attainment was low. Teaching has improved and assessments at the end of 2011 shows that standards in English and mathematics have risen markedly for all groups.  Children often enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with levels of development that are below those typical for their age. They make good progress, particularly in the development of reading. Pupils’ achievement in Key Stage 1 has been satisfactory for the last three years and is improving, particularly in writing.  Strategies to improve the quality of teaching have had a positive impact and there is no inadequate teaching. In the good or better lessons, assessment information is used effectively to personalise learning. However, in a few cases teachers spend too much time on introductions and as a result, the pace of

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Key findings

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

Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory, and where leadership and management is no better than satisfactory, may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that all pupils and in particular lower attaining boys, make better progress by:  ensuring teachers always use assessment information to match learning to pupils’ abilities and needs  reducing the time teachers spend introducing topics to the whole class and giving pupils more opportunities to practise their skills and learn independently.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Embed the improvements made to leadership and management by:  sharpening the targets in the development plan so that success can be evaluated more accurately  developing better lines of communication with parents and carers to explain the success of the school and how they can contribute  developing the teaching observation system so that it becomes more useful and encouraging teachers to share best practice.

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Main report

The new headteacher and deputy headteacher have been instrumental in laying the foundations to improve many aspects of the work of the school. They have built upon the ambitious vision set out by the governing body. A striking aspect of the school is the shared determination to make Blaydon West an outstanding school. A sense of cooperation and teamwork pervades their work. So far, leaders have made rapid improvements. For example, they have successfully reduced the number of persistent absentees by more focused work with parents, carers and partner agencies. Achievement and learning in 2011 is much improved when compared with 2010 and according to school assessment attainment will be broadly in line with the national average. However, many of the improvements to the quality of provision have been brought about recently and are not fully embedded. Therefore, although the school has clearly demonstrated its satisfactory capacity to improve, there has

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Main report

been too little time for many of the changes that have been made to take full effect.

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Main report

A belief in equality lies at the heart of the school's philosophy. This is well articulated in the school development plan. However, it is less clear how some ambitions will be translated into practical action. Some targets are not sharp enough. The self- evaluation process enables the school to reach broadly accurate judgements about 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

its current strengths and areas for improvement. Assessment data is plentiful and analysed in detail to identify levels of achievement.

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Main report

There is a welcoming and calm atmosphere and a powerful feeling of togetherness and pride. Pupils try hard in lessons and behaviour is good. Although, last year there were some incidents of poor behaviour in one year-group, these issues have now been resolved and the behaviour of that group during the inspection was exemplary. Pupils told inspectors they respect their teachers and appreciate the support they receive. All the parents or carers who responded to the questionnaire were convinced that their children were kept safe and that teaching was good. A few parents and carers rightly expressed concerns about previous incidents of poor behaviour but were unaware that these issues had been successfully resolved. Bullying is very rare and pupils and staff work together to ensure that any pupils who are worried or upset are comforted and well supported. Very few pupils are excluded from the school because the behaviour management system enables problems to be nipped in

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Main report

the bud. The carers of looked after children spoke extremely highly of the support that the school offers. Partnerships with local secondary schools are well developed and they aid the smooth transition of pupils to secondary education. Staff are continuing to do all they can to track individual attendance and work closely with targeted families and specialist support agencies to drive improvement. Despite this, although rising steadily, overall attendance remains low.

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Main report

When children join the Nursery and Reception class, their levels of development are often lower than those typical for their age. They make good progress, developing well both socially and emotionally. An effective approach to the teaching of phonics means they develop good skills in and an enjoyment of reading. The youngest pupils enjoy playing and learning in the attractive outdoor area and take part in a wide range of stimulating activities both outside and indoors. Activities are carefully structured and lead to high levels of enjoyment. Therefore, when they start Year 1 they are in a good position to develop their learning. They read well and talk enthusiastically about stories they have read. Older and more-able pupils told inspectors about their enjoyment of reading and could identify particular aspects of humour and excitement in books. Currently, the large majority of pupils aged six are at or above the levels in reading expected for their age. There is a broadly similar

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Main report

picture in writing, although in 2010 standards fell. Currently, pupils' writing books illustrate that the rate of improvement in pupils' writing is accelerating. The promotion of equality is given a high priority and achievement is analysed carefully to identify any differences in the achievement of groups. Gaps in pupils’ attainment in English and mathematics are narrowing, although girls’ attainment in English remains higher than that of boys. The achievement of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is in line with their peers.

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Main report

Standards at the end of Key Stage 2 improved steadily between 2007 and 2009 but in 2010 declined and were well below average. This was mainly due to the legacy of poor teaching that those pupils received in their final years at school. Teaching has improved in Key Stage 2 and progress is now satisfactory or better in every class. Therefore, currently pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding in mathematics and 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

English are being developed well. Although satisfactory overall, there are examples of good and outstanding teaching. Staff morale is high and they are confident that the school is well led and going in the right direction. Teachers have high expectations of pupils and work is usually matched accurately to their needs and interests. In the less successful lessons, activities are not introduced quickly enough and teaching is too cautious. Although detailed assessment information is available, it is not always used successfully to personalise learning. Books are marked thoroughly and pupils are given useful advice and opportunities to respond to teachers' comments. The use of supply teachers is less frequent than in the past and this has enhanced the consistency of learning for pupils. The headteacher has carried out observations of lessons and accurately identified strengths and areas for improvement. However, there are limited opportunities for the excellent practice in

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Main report

some lessons to be shared across the school. A few lessons observations do not always lead to appropriate staff development or to targets for improvement. Teachers have limited opportunities to learn from each other.

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Main report

The school takes great care to provide pupils with lively and memorable activities. The curriculum is broad and pupils have sufficient opportunities to develop spiritually, morally and socially. Many older pupils demonstrate that they are caring, responsible and thoughtful when working with their younger peers. They have many opportunities to learn about the cultures of the wider world and their local community. Pupils have a good understanding of the importance of healthy lifestyles. Assemblies are orderly and calm and include enjoyable activities to heighten pupils’ awareness of health and fitness. Visitors to the school enhance pupils’ spiritual development and understanding. Teachers make good use of different subjects to extend pupils’ reading and writing. For example, a recent visit to a Roman fort was used to develop pupils understanding of the culture, history and geography of their region and at the same time develop reading and writing skills.

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Main report

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported by teaching assistants, usually in small groups or on an individual basis. Support is less effective when pupils are taught in large groups when teaching assistants have little opportunity to contribute. Specialist support provided by outside agencies makes a good contribution to the learning of pupils with additional learning needs. Pupils are kept safe at playtime by lunchtime supervisors. Recently, their work has been improved and this has resulted in better relationships and attitudes.

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Main report

The school has developed its response to community cohesion, which was one of the areas of improvement identified at the time of the previous inspection. The school council and headteacher believe that by improving the uniform the schools image in the community will be enhanced. Safeguarding procedures meet all government requirements. Based upon the outcomes it achieves for pupils, the school provides satisfactory value for money.

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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 West Blaydon 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 46 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 185 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 36 78 8 17 1 2 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q2 My child feels safe at school 33 72 10 22 2 4 1 2

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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 32 70 12 26 1 2 1 2

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q4 The school meets my child’s particular needs 29 63 16 35 1 2 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 33 72 11 24 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q6 Teaching at this school is good 33 72 13 28 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 18 39 18 39 8 17 2 44

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q8 Lessons are not disrupted by bad behaviour 15 33 19 41 8 17 4 9

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q9 The school deals with any cases of bullying well 20 43 16 35 5 11 2 4

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q10 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 29 63 15 33 2 4 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 33 72 8 17 4 9 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q12 The school is well led and managed 31 67 13 28 1 2 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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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Blaydon West Primary School, Blaydon, NE21 4PY

Thank you for the warm welcome and the help you gave us when we visited your school. We enjoyed meeting you. Thank you for filling in the pupils’ questionnaire and talking to us. It was good to hear how much you like your school and that you think it is getting better all the time. We agree that you go to a satisfactory school that is moving in the right direction. Here are some of the things we think are the highlights.

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Inspection of Blaydon West Primary School, Blaydon, NE21 4PY

 You and your parents and carers told us how safe and well cared for you are.  The school is a happy community where everyone cooperates and tries their best.  Behaviour is good in lessons and around the school. We know that there have been a few problems in the past, but things have been put right.  The children who start off in the Nursery and Reception classes make good progress and are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.  The new headteacher and deputy headteacher are making a real difference and things are getting better very quickly. They are very well supported by the governing body.

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Inspection of Blaydon West Primary School, Blaydon, NE21 4PY

Here are some things that still need to improve.

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Inspection of Blaydon West Primary School, Blaydon, NE21 4PY

 Teachers need to make sure that pupils always reach their full potential, especially boys. They can do this by always using assessment information to set you personal targets and giving you more time to learn.  Leaders need more time to plan and set simple measurable targets. They need to spend more time talking to your parents or carers and allow teachers more time to learn from each other.

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Inspection of Blaydon West Primary School, Blaydon, NE21 4PY

You can do your bit by attending school as often as you can and continuing to work hard.

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Inspection of Blaydon West Primary School, Blaydon, NE21 4PY

Andrew Johnson 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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