East Rainton Primary School

East Rainton Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 16–17 November 2011 Inspection number 377818 Unique Reference Number 108794 Local authority Sunderland Inspection number 377818 Inspection dates 16–17 November 2011 Reporting inspector Margaret Armstrong

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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 120 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Janet Meek Headteacher Sara Toole Date of previous school inspection 24 March 2009 School address School Road East Rainton Houghton le Spring DH5 9RA Telephone number 0191 553 6505 Fax number 0191 553 6506 Email address East.rainton.primary@ schools.sunderland.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 two additional inspectors. The inspectors observed teaching and learning in eight lessons, taught by six different teachers, and held meetings with the governing body, staff and groups of pupils. Inspectors looked in detail at the following: the school development plan and safeguarding policies; the school’s data on pupils' progress; and systems for monitoring the quality of teaching. They analysed and scrutinised responses in 55 questionnaires returned by parents and carers. Staff and pupils’ questionnaires were also scrutinised by the inspection team.

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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 well children achieve in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The quality of teaching and learning and its effectiveness in accelerating pupils’ progress and raising achievement for all pupils, particularly the more-able.  How effectively leaders and managers monitor, review and evaluate the impact of their actions on outcomes for pupils.

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Information about the school

This is smaller than the average size for a primary school. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above average. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is average. The school has achieved Healthy Schools status and the Intermediate International School award. The school runs its own breakfast and after-school clubs. There has been a high level of staff absence in recent months. An acting deputy headteacher, seconded from another local school, was supporting the school at the time of the inspection.

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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 satisfactory school. The headteacher’s success in sharing her ambitious vision for the school is demonstrated by the good team spirit which pervades the school. Strong relationships and good pastoral care result in pupils’ good behaviour and enthusiasm for learning. Pupils say they enjoy coming to school and feel safe and secure. Consequently, their attendance is above average. Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay healthy. They participate enthusiastically in sporting activities and talk knowledgeably about their involvement in special events, such as the ‘Be a positive citizen!’ project. The contribution pupils make to the school and wider community is good. For example, they are proud of the work they have done to improve the school playground. The school’s engagement with parents and carers is good and most are appreciative of the work of the school. Parents and carers speak highly of ‘the lovely, caring school which is sensitive to pupils’ needs’.

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Main findings

Attainment is average by the end of Year 6. It is higher in English than it is in mathematics. Although pupils are confident in basic numeracy, they are less secure in applying their skills to solve problems in a range of contexts. Overall, pupils' progress and achievement is satisfactory. Children start in the nursery with skills levels that are below the expectations for their age. Provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage is effective and children make good progress. However, progress is uneven as pupils move through the school. The unevenness is linked to variability in the quality of teaching. Where teaching is good, teachers set a brisk pace to learning and expectations are high for all pupils. When that is the case, progress accelerates quickly. In less successful lessons, teachers do not always make effective use of information from assessments to plan sufficient challenge for more-able

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Main findings

pupils. In those lessons, the pace of learning is slower and the level of engagement less secure, particularly for boys. The use of marking to help pupils improve is inconsistent across the school. The school’s curriculum is satisfactory. It has been reviewed recently to provide more interest and increase motivation, an example of leader' success in driving improvement.

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Main findings

Comprehensive self-evaluation by the headteacher, staff and the governing body has focussed the school more sharply on its strengths and areas for improvement. Recent development of subject leaders' skills is enabling them to make a fuller contribution to evaluating the school's work. The monitoring of teaching and learning is carried out regularly, but is not always sufficiently rigorous. As a result, teachers are not always sure how they can improve their practice and ensure pupils achieve as well as they should. There is a satisfactory capacity for sustained improvement and the school provides satisfactory value for money.

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Main findings

Up to 40% of schools whose overall effectiveness is judged 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?

 Raise attainment and accelerate progress in mathematics by: - ensuring that teachers make better use of assessment information to plan a higher level of challenge for the more-able - broadening the range of curriculum opportunities to enable pupils of all abilities to apply their mathematical skills to solve problems.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve consistency in the quality of teaching and learning by: - improving the pace of learning to increase pupils’ level of engagement, particularly for boys - giving pupils clearer indications of how to improve their work through feedback in lessons and marking.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the monitoring and evaluation role of subject leaders by providing them with more training to enable them to be more rigorous when observing lessons and scrutinising pupils' work.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Most pupils enjoy learning and are active participants, who are keen to succeed. In lessons, they listen carefully, work hard and make satisfactory progress. Positive relationships ensure that pupils behave well, are friendly and helpful to one another and respectful to adults. Although most pupils show good attitudes to learning, their progress is variable as they move through the school. Attainment is broadly average, but improving by the end of Year 6 and achievement is satisfactory. Pupils are more confident in English than in mathematics, where pupils are not always secure in handling numbers to solve problems. Although there is no significant difference in the progress of different groups, more-able pupils do not always progress as quickly as they should. The skilled work of support staff enables pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and other pupils who are potentially vulnerable due to their circumstances to progress equally as well as others.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Pupils feel safe in school and know who to turn to if they have a problem. They talk enthusiastically about the interesting experiences the school offers them. They enjoy the wide range of physical activities provided thoroughly and recognise this helps them keep healthy and positively engaged. They are proud of the contributions they make to the school. The school council, for example, has played a key role in helping to plan a ‘Friendship Stop’. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils understand fully the school’s expectations, which underpin the positive ethos of respect and consideration for others. They are sensitive to the needs of others, have a strong sense of right and wrong and are tolerant of differences. Their good attendance and the satisfactory progress they make in developing their basic skills, prepare pupils satisfactorily for the next stage of their education.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

These are the grades for pupils' outcomes

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3

Pupils' attainment 1 3 The quality of pupils' learning and their progress 3 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?

Teaching and learning are satisfactory. However, teaching is too variable in quality to promote consistently good progress. Where teaching is good, teachers set high expectations for every pupil, the pace is brisk and teachers use perceptive questioning to extend pupils' thinking. Intended learning outcomes are made clear and this helps pupils to know precisely what they need to do to be successful and to improve their learning. In less successful lessons, the work is not planned sufficiently and the pace of learning is slow. Teaching lacks challenge and questions fail to extend the thinking of more-able pupils. Where that is the case, the level of pupils’ engagement, particularly for boys, is less secure. There are examples of informative marking, with indicators for improvement that help pupils progress and to meet their targets, although this is not consistent across subjects or year groups.

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How effective is the provision?

The curriculum is satisfactory. It has been developed recently to enhance pupils’ motivation to learn. The curriculum is matched adequately to pupils’ needs and interests, but it does not always cater for the needs of more-able pupils. In addition, the curriculum does not provide pupils with sufficient opportunities to practise and develop their numeracy skills in problem-solving activities. An increasing variety of activities is arranged to add interest to the school day. For example, involvement in events, such as ‘Culture Day,’ has provided the pupils with opportunities to focus on special themes which interest them. Pupils benefit from a good range of opportunities outside the school day. They talked excitedly about their enjoyment of residential visits and their involvement in sporting events. New partnerships between other local schools are supporting the school in developing the curriculum. As a

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How effective is the provision?

result, pupils benefit from specialist support in areas, such as music, gymnastics and information and communication technology.

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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 The well-targeted care and support for pupils enable them work and play in a safe and secure environment. Rigorous monitoring of attendance has enabled the school to improve attendance and eliminate persistent absences. Parents and carers are kept informed of their children's well-being and they receive good-quality information about academic progress and their children’s targets for improvement. The strongly caring ethos of the school and teachers’ good knowledge of pupils, ensure that concerns are addressed quickly. Close working with external agencies means that support for pupils whose circumstances make them potentially vulnerable is rapid and effective, involving a breadth of specialist expertise. Transition at all stages is a very positive experience and ensures pupils settle quickly into new surroundings.

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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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3

The use of assessment to support learning 3

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How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher's success in sharing her ambition for the school is demonstrated by the commitment all staff have to improving outcomes for pupils. She has maintained a focus on raising attainment despite exceptionally high levels of staff absence. Leaders analyse data carefully and set challenging targets for improvement. That is enabling them to spot underachievement earlier and target support effectively. As a result, attainment is rising quickly. However, the monitoring of teaching and learning lacks some rigour and teachers are not always given sufficient guidance on how they can improve their practice. Consequently, teaching quality is variable and pupils' progress is uneven. Equality of opportunity is satisfactory. The school does not tolerate harassment in any form and ensures the school is an orderly community. To ensure full equality in learning, the school is tackling the needs of all pupils,

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How effective are leadership and management?

Governance is satisfactory. The governing body provides good support, but it is not yet using the information it holds regarding identified weaknesses to question and challenge the rate of improvement fully. Safeguarding arrangements are good, with clear policies and secure risk assessments. Staff are checked thoroughly for their suitability to work with children. Good partnerships with parents, carers and specialist agencies, ensure that pupils are well supported. The school’s promotion of community cohesion is good. Planning ensures close links with the local community and actions are in place to extend pupils’ awareness of different cultures in the United Kingdom and the wider world. These are the grades for the leadership and management

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2

The leadership and management of teaching and learning 3

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Children settle well when they first start in the nursery and adapt quickly to the daily routines. That is because adults are attentive, listen to the children and create conditions in which children feel welcomed, safe and secure. As a result, children make good progress from their starting points and achieve well. The large majority reach the level expected at the start of Year 1, although this does vary from year to year, depending on children’s ability and readiness to learn. Parents and carers are pleased with the progress their children make. Induction arrangements are good and parents and carers appreciate the Learning Journals, which ensure there is effective dialogue between home and school. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are fully integrated and benefit from high-quality support. Teaching and learning are good. Activities, both indoors and outdoors, are interesting and motivate

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Early Years Foundation Stage

children, helping them to enjoy their learning. Relationships are very positive, so pupils interact well with each other and with the dedicated staff. Leadership and management are good and there are appropriate plans in place to develop provision further. Arrangements to meet the health, safety and welfare of the children meet requirements.

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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

Most parents and carers who returned the questionnaires expressed positive views about the school. They feel their children are safe and cared for well throughout the school. Parents and carers are supportive of the leaders and managers, and feel their children are well prepared for future learning. A small number expressed concern regarding the progress their children make and the way the school deals with unacceptable behaviour. Inspectors judge that the school works effectively to support individuals to conduct themselves well and that behaviour is good. However, they endorse the view that the progress pupils make is uneven as they move through the school, although it is satisfactory overall. Inspection evidence found that pupils are satisfactorily prepared for the future. Inspectors endorsed parents’ and carers’ views about the school’s effective care for their children and found other aspects of

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questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at East Rainton 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 inspector received 55 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 120 pupils registered at the school.

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

My child enjoys school 37 67 18 33 0 0 0 0 The school keeps my child safe 33 60 18 33 3 5 1 2 The school informs me about my child's progress 20 36 30 55 4 7 0 0 My child is making enough progress at this school 25 45 25 45 1 2 0 0 The teaching is good at this school 30 55 21 38 1 2 0 0 The school helps me to support my child's learning 30 55 20 36 3 5 1 2 The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 28 51 22 40 1 2 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) 16 29 30 55 2 4 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school meets my child's particular needs 25 45 29 53 1 2 0 0 The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 18 33 25 45 5 9 1 2

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 21 38 25 45 1 2 0 0

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Total % Total % Total % Total %

The school is led and managed effectively 21 38 29 53 2 4 0 0 Overall, I am happy with my child's experience at this school 32 58 21 38 0 0 1 2

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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 previously.

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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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Inspection of East Rainton Primary School, Houghton le spring, DH5 9RA

Thank you very much for making the inspection teams recent visit to your school so enjoyable. We were made to feel very welcome and you looked after us very well. We enjoyed talking to you and especially liked the way in which you cared for each other and your school. We know the adults in school make sure you are well looked after and we know you feel safe in school. You should be proud because you are polite, respectful and your behaviour is good. You have a good understanding of how to live a healthy lifestyle and you make a strong contribution to your school and local community. We were particularly interested in the way you take responsibility as members of the school council and organise fund-raising.

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Inspection of East Rainton Primary School, Houghton le spring, DH5 9RA

You go to a satisfactory school. That means that it does some things well, but other things could be better. We found that some of your lessons make you think and work hard, but they were not all like this. That means that some of you do not always make as much progress as you should. So that you can improve further, we have asked the school to:  ensure all teaching is exciting, with teachers matching tasks to your needs in classes, particularly for the faster learners and the boys  make sure teachers’ marking helps you to improve your work  provide you with more opportunities to develop your numeracy skills in problem-solving activities  check more carefully in lessons how well you are doing.

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Inspection of East Rainton Primary School, Houghton le spring, DH5 9RA

You can continue to help by coming to school regularly, working as hard as you can and by helping each other in and around school. Thank you again for welcoming us to your school. We wish you every success in the future.

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Inspection of East Rainton Primary School, Houghton le spring, DH5 9RA

Margaret Armstrong Lead Inspector (on behalf of the inspection team)

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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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