Stanley Burnside Primary School

Stanley Burnside Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 10–11 May 2012 Inspection number 395759 Unique Reference Number 114033 Local authority Durham Inspection number 395759 Inspection dates 10–11 May 2012 Lead inspector Christine Inkster HMI

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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 219 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Brian Croft Headteacher L Armstrong Date of previous school inspection 18 November 2008 School address Mendip Terrace South Stanley Stanley DH9 6QP Telephone number 01207 234020 Fax number 01207 237425 Email address burnside@durhamlearning.net You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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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 after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Introduction

Christine Inkster Deborah Bailey Her Majesty's Inspector Additional Inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with one day’s notice. Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 13 lessons or part-lessons involving nine teachers and one observation was carried out jointly with the headteacher. Inspectors made short visits to lessons to observe the teaching of reading and basic skills and ‘learning walks’ were also conducted. In addition, inspectors listened to a number of pupils read. Meetings were held with the headteacher, members of the governing body, staff and pupils. Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at the school’s own evaluation of its performance, the school development plan, records of attendance and pupils’ attainment and progress, pupils’ work and arrangements to secure pupils’ health and safety. Inspectors also analysed the responses to the questionnaires received from 70 parents and carers and also from 128 pupils.

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Information about the school

Stanley Burnside is slightly smaller than the average-sized primary school. The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage. There are very few pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is high. The number of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is higher than the national average, including those at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes are taught together in an Early Years Foundation Stage Unit. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. The headteacher was appointed in May 2011 and the deputy headteacher took up her post in September 2011. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate

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Information about the school

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key Findings

 Stanley Burnside is a good school. Despite its many strengths, it is not yet outstanding because pupils are making good, rather than outstanding progress. While parents and carers have positive views about the quality of education provided for their children, few participate in opportunities provided to support their children’s learning in partnership with the school.

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Key Findings

 Achievement is good. Pupils’ attainment is broadly average and they make good progress across the school, from their low starting points on entry to the Nursery class. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs also make good progress because their work is targeted closely to meet their individual needs and they are given very good support. The high proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals achieve better than those nationally.

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Key Findings

 Teaching is good. There is some that is outstanding. Lessons are conducted at a brisk pace, pupils work well independently and work is set with just the right level of challenge. There are some examples of very effective marking and feedback to help pupils improve their work, but this is not consistent across the school. Work on helping pupils to improve their skills in identifying letters and the sounds they make (phonics) is not targeted quite precisely enough to meet pupils’ individual needs.

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Key Findings

 Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding, they have very positive attitudes to learning and they say they feel very safe. They show great respect and consideration towards each other and to adults. They develop harmonious relationships because of their strong spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Key Findings

 Leadership and management are good. The headteacher and leaders have a clear understanding of the strengths of the school and have taken prompt action to address any areas which need to be developed, including improving the quality of teaching. Attendance has rapidly improved, the quality of writing is improving and all staff are now held to account for the progress pupils make. As a result, the school’s capacity for sustained improvement is good.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Engage more parents and carers in helping to support their children’s learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching by: - improving the consistency of marking and feedback so that all pupils know what they have to do to improve their work - ensuring the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is targeted more precisely to meet the individual needs of pupils.

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Achievement of pupils

Most parents and carers believe their children are making good progress and this is confirmed by inspection evidence. Children enter the Nursery class with skills and abilities that are low compared to those typical for children of their age, especially in their language and communication skills and their personal, social and emotional development. They make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes because there are a wide range of exciting and stimulating activities which capture their interest and help them to learn. There are good opportunities to develop their speaking and listening skills and to do things for themselves, such as when they were preparing ingredients to make pizzas and were able to talk about what they needed to do. Several children experience difficulties in their physical coordination and activities such as ‘brain gym’ sessions and dancing to music with ribbons help the children to develop these skills. By the time pupils enter Year 1, although still below

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Achievement of pupils

the levels expected for their age, they have made good progress from their starting points.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils continue to make good progress throughout the school and by the end of Year 6 attainment is broadly average. In lessons, adults have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils’ reading skills have improved in Key Stage 1, particularly those of the current pupils in Year 2. Although attainment in reading is below average by the end of Key Stage 1, it is broadly average by the end of Year 6. The quality of writing is rapidly improving. This has been a high priority for the school. Pupils in Year 6 have a very clear understanding of how they can edit and improve their writing because of the high quality marking of their work and the feedback they receive. Pupils in Year 5 wrote very convincingly when promoting holiday destinations to others through persuasive writing. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are making similar progress to their peers. This is because work is targeted carefully to meet their needs and they receive very good support.

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Achievement of pupils

Although girls sometimes perform better than boys in reading and writing, the gap is narrowing because work is being provided which captures boys’ interests. Pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals make better progress than those nationally, and this has been acknowledged by the Department for Education.

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Quality of teaching

Almost all parents and carers believe their children are taught well and inspection evidence confirms this view. Teaching is consistently good and some is outstanding. Lessons are conducted at a brisk pace and the wide range of activities provided for pupils helps to keep them interested and motivated in their learning. The wide breadth of curriculum opportunities helps pupils to develop good spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. For example, they develop a good understanding of their own and others’ cultures through topics in history which are often focused on the local area and also learn about different religions and beliefs in religious education. Teachers have good subject knowledge and use questioning effectively to promote pupils’ thinking skills. Teachers and teaching assistants provide very good support to individual pupils, including those who are disabled or have special educational needs, enabling them to tackle work at an appropriate level for them.

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Quality of teaching

There is a good level of challenge for all pupils, but particularly for those who are more- able. There are excellent relationships between staff and pupils with mutual respect being very evident. Teachers use appropriate vocabulary which encourages pupils to use it. Teachers use assessment strategies well to identify the ‘next steps’ in learning for pupils and this is particularly effective in Years 2, 5 and 6 as individual needs are met more precisely. Pupils have individual and group targets and pupils are able to assess for themselves how well they have achieved. While teachers mark books regularly and conscientiously and there are examples of very effective marking and feedback, there are not always specific comments given to help pupils improve their work and pupils are sometimes not given time to respond to marking. Pupils who read to inspectors were enthusiastic, confident readers who showed good levels of comprehension. They used appropriate strategies to tackle

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Quality of teaching

unfamiliar words and read with expression and fluency. However, lessons observed where pupils were taught about letters and the sounds they make (phonics) showed that work was not always targeted closely enough to meet the precise needs of the pupils.

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Quality of teaching

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, staff work effectively as a team. They make detailed observations of the progress children make and these are recorded in very attractive and comprehensive ‘learning journals’ which also contain samples of children’s work. There is a good balance of adult-led activities and those that children choose for themselves both indoors and outdoors. Children work well independently and make sensible choices. They are keen to help one another and their behaviour is very good. Good attention is paid to developing their physical coordination and their fine motor skills and this is helping them to form their letters correctly at an early stage. They particularly enjoy participating in games such as ‘disco fish’ where they learn to recognise numbers or identify one more or one less than the number they choose.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Almost all parents and carers believe that behaviour is good within the school and all felt their children were kept safe. Inspectors judged behaviour and safety to be outstanding. Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning and participate in all that the school has to offer with great enthusiasm. The respect and consideration they show to adults and to each other is exemplary as shown by the ways in which they look after visitors and genuinely show delight about the achievements of others such as in the ‘golden assembly’. Pupils value the ‘golden rules’ and the ‘golden tickets’ and other rewards they receive. They told inspectors that behaviour is typically good or better in lessons and around the school. Pupils say they feel extremely safe and know staff look after them very well. They say that some pupils have been appointed as mediators and buddies and they know they can go to them for help. There is an anti-bullying club and pupils are very knowledgeable about the

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

different types of bullying, such as name-calling or cyber-bullying and know these will be promptly dealt with should they occur, although they are rare. Pupils have a very good understanding of ‘e’ safety and what to do if they have a concern. There has been a significant improvement in attendance, which has risen from below average to broadly average and pupils now arrive to school on time because of a ‘late gate’ strategy.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher consistently communicates high expectations and ambition for the school. She is well supported by the deputy headteacher and middle leaders and they work together effectively as a team. The areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection have been tackled successfully, showing a significant improvement in pupils’ attendance and also improvements in the quality of pupils’ writing. There has been a rise in attainment in all key stages because all teachers are now held to account for the progress pupils make and teaching assistants are deployed more effectively to support pupils’ learning. Self-evaluation is accurate and there are well-established procedures for senior and middle leaders to monitor and evaluate the work of the school. Appropriate areas for improvement are identified and these are included in an effective school improvement plan. Procedures for performance management are well-managed and staff have good opportunities for

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Leadership and management

professional development. All leaders are able to demonstrate the impact of their work in improving outcomes for pupils. This shows that the school’s capacity to improve further is good.

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Leadership and management

The governing body holds the school to account effectively. Several members of the governing body regularly visit school, helping in classrooms and carrying out monitoring visits and reporting back to the governing body on their findings. They fulfil their statutory duties well, including those relating to the health and safety of pupils and safeguarding and are proactive in dealing with any issues that may arise. Equal opportunities are promoted well with leaders and managers ensuring that all pupils are making similar progress in their learning and that any areas of underachievement are quickly tackled. Discrimination is rare and, if encountered, is dealt with well.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is good and is strongly focused on developing pupils’ basic skills. There are regular opportunities to provide pupils with first-hand experiences including a range of visits and visitors into school. The school recognises the need for pupils’ own cultural identity to be explored and topics have focused on local mining and places of interest such as Beamish museum. Pupils also have opportunities to learn about religions and cultures different to their own and have visited places of worship including a temple, mosque and gurdwara and celebrated a range of different festivals. This has done much to promote pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. There are a wide range of enrichment activities which offer stimulating experiences for pupils and they are very enthusiastic about participating in these such as creating a city with small construction equipment provided

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Leadership and management

through a science and technology workshop. There are a range of after-school clubs often led by parents and carers, including sewing, cookery, gardening, art and a film club. While most parents and carers attend parents’ meetings and events, such as performances, few attend the workshops and other activities provided to encourage parents and carers to support their children’s learning. Leaders acknowledge this is an area they would like to improve so that they can work in partnership with parents and carers for the benefit of their children.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September to 31 December 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

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Type of school 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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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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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

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school's efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils' punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and 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

Floor standards the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and 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.

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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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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils' freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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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 Stanley Burnside Primary School, Stanley, DH9 6QP

Thank you for the warm welcome you gave my colleague and me when we inspected your school recently. We were very impressed with your outstanding behaviour and the way in which you show consideration and respect to one another as well as to adults. You told us you enjoy coming to school, that learning is fun and that you feel very safe.

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Inspection of Stanley Burnside Primary School, Stanley, DH9 6QP

Stanley Burnside is a good school. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes get off to a good start in their learning and make good progress. This continues throughout the rest of the school so that by the time you leave at the end of Year 6 your attainment is broadly average. Pupils who find learning difficult or who have very specific needs also make good progress because work is targeted at just the right level and they receive very good support to help them learn. Teaching is good and some is outstanding. The teachers provide work which is challenging for you and you are keen to do your best. We were impressed with your persuasive writing and we hope you may be able to persuade your parents and carers to come into school so that they can find out how they can help you in your learning. We are sure you could convince them that learning is fun at Stanley Burnside Primary School. We are delighted to see that attendance has greatly improved and most of you are now

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Inspection of Stanley Burnside Primary School, Stanley, DH9 6QP

coming to school on time. This is very important and we hope that you keep this up.

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Inspection of Stanley Burnside Primary School, Stanley, DH9 6QP

All schools need to improve and we have asked the headteacher, staff and members of the governing body to improve teaching even further by making sure that marking in all classes is used better to help you to improve your work and that the teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is targeted at exactly the right level for each of you.

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Inspection of Stanley Burnside Primary School, Stanley, DH9 6QP

You can help by working hard and making sure you come to school every day so that you do not miss important learning. I wish you well in the future. Yours sincerely

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Inspection of Stanley Burnside Primary School, Stanley, DH9 6QP

Christine Inkster 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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