Ivy Road Primary School

Ivy Road Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 14–15 November 2011 Inspection number 377783 Unique Reference Number 108606 Local authority North Tyneside Inspection number 377783 Inspection dates 14–15 November 2011 Reporting inspector Gordon Potter

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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 174 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rosemary Dodd Headteacher Susan Watts Date of previous school inspection 12 March 2009 School address Ivy Road Forest Hall Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE12 9AP Telephone number 0191 2008346 Fax number 0191 2008454 Email address ivyroad.primary@northtyneside.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 rates council children's services, and inspects services for looked after

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children, safeguarding and child protection.

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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.

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

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. The inspectors observed nine lessons taught by nine teachers, including a joint lesson observation with the headteacher. In addition they conducted learning walks with the headteacher. Inspectors held meetings with representatives of the governing body, the School Improvement Partner, staff, parents and carers, and groups of pupils. They observed the school’s work, and looked at a range of school policies and documentation relating to safeguarding and strategic planning, examples of pupils’ work, assessment data and monitoring records. They also scrutinised the 49 questionnaires returned by parents and carers as well as questionnaires from pupils and staff.

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Introduction

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school's work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.

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Introduction

 How effective have strategies been to increase progress and raise attainment, especially for boys?  How effectively do the curriculum and teaching enable all groups of pupils to make good progress?  How do school leaders ensure that strategies to raise attainment are effective and sustainable?

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Information about the school

This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well above average. The percentage of pupils supported at school action is above average. The proportion of pupils at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average. The school has achieved Healthy Schools status. It provides a breakfast club each morning.

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Information about the school

A private organisation, Forest Hall Out of School Club, provides out-of-school care in the form of breakfast and after-school clubs, which will be inspected separately.

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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 findings

This is a good school. The highly-effective headteacher has had a significant impact on improving school effectiveness. Well-judged initiatives ensure that overall good teaching engages pupils and helps them to make good progress. The curriculum provides a range of memorable experiences, particularly those designed to interest boys. As a result the progress of all pupils has become more rapid and attainment, which is typically broadly average, is beginning to rise across school. There is a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ basic skills in English and mathematics, including highly effective procedures to improve reading and to offer pupils chances to write at length in subjects across the curriculum. Pupils enjoy their learning because teachers plan many opportunities for them to work together, solve problems and apply their skills in open-ended and investigative activities. However, these activities occasionally lack challenge, as information about pupils’ abilities is not used

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Main findings

well enough to ensure that work consistently matches the needs of all pupils. Accordingly, in some lessons, teachers offer too much help, the pace of learning drops and progress slows. Marking is regular and tells pupils how well they have achieved particular tasks. However, teachers do not make it clear to pupils at what level they are working or give them clear targets so that they can make step-by-step improvements in their learning. When teachers give pupils specific pointers about how to improve their work, they offer too few opportunities for pupils to act upon that advice.

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Main findings

All staff provide good care and support which ensure that pupils are happy, feel safe and show a good awareness of how to stay fit and healthy. Pupils make a strong contribution to the school through the elected school council and they say that ‘playground friends’ help them play together and behave well. They show good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, including a strong understanding of their local history and heritage. They have a mature sense of right and wrong and how to help others.

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Main findings

The school has good arrangements to engage with parents and carers, and, accordingly, they are highly supportive of the school. Good partnerships with outside agencies encourage creative, enterprise and teamwork skills and there are effective links to support those pupils with a range of complex needs. The school's accurate self-evaluation is built on a clear analysis of pupils’ progress. Its recognition of the need to improve provision for boys has resulted in successful action in increasing the rates at which all pupils make progress. The school has also implemented strategies which have improved attendance. These actions demonstrate its good capacity to improve, and it provides good value for money.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

■ By the summer of 2012, further increase the rates at which pupils make progress and raise pupils’ attainment to higher levels, by:  ensuring that pupils have clear targets that are specific to themselves and help them improve the level of their work, step-by-step  ensuring that pupils have opportunities to act upon advice about how to improve their work  ensuring that data are well used so that teachers plan work that is well matched to the needs of individual pupils and offers appropriate pace and challenge.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

The extent to which pupils achieve and enjoy their work is good. Pupils have good attitudes, are extremely courteous, form positive relationships and show great keenness to do well in their work. They especially enjoy challenging and lively activities, such as using role play to explore characters in the books they are reading, and using ‘Bee-Bots’ in mathematics to explore direction and movement. They thrive on the experience of links with local businesses and Newcastle University, which develop their scientific and enterprise skills. They enjoy exploring life in different countries and communicating with children in Uganda, which help to develop their good understanding of the wider world. Pupils achieve well in art, design technology, sport and humanities.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

The skills and abilities with which children join the Early Years Foundation Stage are typically below expectations overall. Pupils make good progress to attain standards that are generally broadly average at the end of Year 6. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are very well cared for and supported in their learning and they make good progress because their work provides appropriate challenge and interest and they are taught very effectively.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils are aware of the importance of a healthy diet and of taking plenty of exercise. This is reflected in their enthusiastic involvement in physical education, and the fact that many pupils enjoy a healthy school meal. The breakfast club effectively promotes pupils’ well-being and learning.They care for one another well, have great respect for each other and for the adults in the school, and say they feel safe. Pupils are confident that they know exactly what to do in the event of a concern.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

Pupils make a positive contribution to the school community through the elected school council which discusses and enacts improvements in school, such as improving the playgrounds. It meets regularly and plays a major role in helping pupils to behave well and feel safe. Pupils support a wide range of charities and participate in competitions with other local schools and in activities in the area which celebrate local life and history and improve the environment. Average but improving attendance rates and average attainment, supported by involvement in enterprise activities and confident skills in team work and in information and communication technology, ensure that pupils’ development of workplace skills is good.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 2

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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2

Pupils' attainment 1 3 The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 2 The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress

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How effective is the provision?

Teachers make learning fun, make it clear to pupils what they will learn and how they will know if they have succeeded. They employ interactive whiteboard technology well to engage pupils, and plan effective opportunities for pupils to learn through practical activities, including experiments, games and using role play. Teachers use questions well to ascertain what pupils already know and check that they have made progress. There are very strong relationships and teachers and teaching assistants interact extremely well with pupils to support them in their learning. Occasionally work is not well matched to the abilities of individual pupils and does not offer sufficient challenge or pace. Marking is done regularly and is used well to tell pupils how successful they have been in specific tasks. It is less effectively used to tell them how to improve their work, and opportunities are missed for pupils

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How effective is the provision?

to act upon any advice that is given. Pupils are unsure about the level of their work and lack clear targets which would help them to take the next steps in their learning.

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How effective is the provision?

The curriculum contributes to pupils’ good progress by offering a range of stimulating activities which help them to see the links between subjects and to develop and apply important skills, including those of teamwork and enterprise. For example, work on topics such as coal mining, the Tudors, or life in other countries successfully develops imagination, creativity and research skills. There are highly effective procedures to encourage pupils’ enthusiasm for reading and there are many opportunities for pupils to write at length. Well-planned enrichment activities, including visits to residential centres and to museums, visits from religious groups and opportunities to work on initiatives with the local secondary school, help to develop pupils’ skills in science and their understanding of different faiths and

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How effective is the provision?

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4 is low cultures. There are many popular extra-curricular clubs which promote learning and enjoyment in sporting, arts and environmental activities, including cooking, art and information and communication technology.

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How effective is the provision?

This is a very caring school in which everyone looks out for each other and where all staff sensitively identify and support children and families who are vulnerable. The school has worked effectively with families to increase attendance, which is average and improving, and there has been a significant decrease in the number of pupils who are persistently absent. Well-established and highly effective practices involve parents and carers when their children enter school, move from class to class and transfer to secondary school.

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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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2

The use of assessment to support learning 3

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2

The effectiveness of care, guidance and support 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher has determinedly, rigorously and skilfully pursued and implemented strategies that have brought about an improvement in school effectiveness. The highly-committed leadership team has introduced initiatives which have improved teaching and the curriculum. Accordingly, pupils make good progress and attainment is beginning to rise across the school. All staff have clear roles and responsibilities and are accountable for key areas of the curriculum. They welcome these opportunities to contribute to decision-making and the school improvement plan and to advance their own professional development. Governance is good. The Chair of Governing Body has a very clear understanding of how to improve school effectiveness. Accordingly, the governing body has been instrumental in supporting and challenging the school and has robust procedures to monitor the impact of strategies to raise attainment.

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How effective are leadership and management?

The school's arrangements for safeguarding pupils are good, as all aspects meet government requirements and are rigorously monitored and reviewed to ensure pupils' safety. Very clear arrangements ensure that child protection procedures are of high quality. The school has introduced a range of effective initiatives to involve parents and carers in their children’s learning and to provide regular information about their children’s progress. It also has very strong links with outside agencies to support the pupils’ wide-ranging needs and to develop learning opportunities. There is a clear commitment to promoting equal opportunities and to ensuring that discrimination against any group is avoided at all times. The school is proud of its inclusive nature and makes a good contribution to community cohesion. The sense of community in the school is exceptionally strong and there are well-developed links with the local community. Pupils have a good understanding of the United Kingdom

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How effective are leadership and management?

as a diverse, multicultural society and of life in other countries. These are the grades for the leadership and management

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2

The leadership and management of teaching and learning 2

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Effective interventions, by all adults, are skilfully directed to develop skills in singing, counting, speaking and listening, and linking sounds and letters, so that children make good progress from their starting points. Children particularly enjoy creative activities, including role play, construction and using information and communication technology to paint pictures. They like to experiment with their light and shadow machine and enjoy exercising and exploring together, especially in the forest garden where children investigate the natural world. While there is a commitment to outdoor learning, some opportunities are missed to access the outdoor area in the Reception class.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Children develop independence and a good understanding of how to stay healthy, through accessing healthy snacks and drinks. Staff ensure that requirements regarding children’s safety are rigorously met. They encourage children to share, to take turns and to behave extremely well. The leadership team of the headteacher and the Reception class teacher works effectively so that information about children’s skills and abilities offers a clear picture of attainment on entry and is well-used to measure ongoing and overall progress. Work is well planned, is clearly based on observations of children’s learning, and children’s own preferences and activities are well linked to the learning goals for this stage. Occasionally, some opportunities are missed to extend the learning of the more-able children and to encourage boys to engage in more focused play activities. Very positive partnerships with parents and

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Early Years Foundation Stage

carers enable children to settle quickly into the Early Years Foundation Stage classes. The learning journals, in particular, help parents and carers to understand how well their children are progressing.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage

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2

Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2 The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of leadership and management in the Early Years Foundation Stage

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Views of parents and carers

Approximately one-third of parents and carers responded to the questionnaire, which is typical to that found nationally. The respondents strongly support the school and its leaders and appreciate how well they meet their children’s needs, ensuring they enjoy school, are healthy and safe. The inspection findings reflect these very positive views.

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questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Ivy Road 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 13 statements about the school. The inspection team received 49 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 174 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 38 78 9 18 0 0 1 2 The school keeps my child safe 36 73 11 22 2 4 0 0 The school informs me about my child's progress 29 59 19 39 1 2 0 0 My child is making enough progress at this school 32 65 15 31 2 4 0 0 The teaching is good at this school 37 76 12 24 0 0 0 0 The school helps me to support my child's learning 33 67 15 31 1 2 0 0 The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 27 55 21 43 0 0 0 0 The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 23 47 23 47 0 0 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 32 65 17 35 0 0 0 0 The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 25 51 18 37 3 6 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 24 49 22 45 2 4 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 32 65 14 29 2 4 0 0 Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 34 69 14 29 1 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

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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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 43 47 10 0 Primary schools 6 46 42 6 Secondary schools 14 36 41 9 Sixth forms 15 42 41 3 Special schools 30 48 19 3 Pupil referral units 14 50 31 5 All schools 10 44 39 6

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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 pre viously.

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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above is for the period 1 September 2010 to 08 April 2011 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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.

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Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

 The school's capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils' needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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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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to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's main

findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Ivy Road Primary School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE12 9AP

On behalf of the inspection team, thank you for making us so welcome when we inspected your school and talking to us so freely and courteously.

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Inspection of Ivy Road Primary School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE12 9AP

You go to a good school and your teachers know how to make it even better. The team was impressed by the work of the school council and your work in history and art. Your behaviour, politeness and the great care and respect you have for one another are admirable. Your teachers take good care of you and make your lessons fun. You told us that you look forward to coming to school because you like your teachers and appreciate the activities the school provides for you, such as visits and clubs. Your parents and carers like the school very much. Your teachers have agreed with me that they should do the following things to help your school to improve even more.

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Inspection of Ivy Road Primary School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE12 9AP

■ Help you reach higher standards at the end of Year 6, by making sure that all the information that teachers have about how well you are doing is used to plan work that is at the right level of challenge for all of you. ■ Make sure that you have clear targets to help you to improve your work. ■ Make sure that you have opportunities to act upon the advice your teachers give you when they mark your work.

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Inspection of Ivy Road Primary School, Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE12 9AP

You can all help by continuing to do your best and attending regularly. We wish you every success in the future.

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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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