Greenhaugh Primary School

Greenhaugh First School Inspection report

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Age group 4–9 Inspection date(s) 16–17 May 2012 Inspection number 380429 Unique Reference Number 122226 Local authority Northumberland Inspection number 380429 Inspection dates 16–17 May 2012 Lead inspector David Shearsmith

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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 4–9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 43 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Darrell Jackson Headteacher Amanda Lewis Date of previous school inspection 6 March 2007 School address Greenhaugh Hexham NE48 1LX Telephone number 01434 240208 Fax number 01434 240208 Email address admin@greenhaugh.northumberland.sch.uk 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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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

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspector observed 11 lessons and parts of lessons including an overview of the school’s curriculum and short sessions dedicated to the teaching of letters and sounds across the school. The executive headteacher was involved with joint observations throughout the inspection. Meetings were held with the executive headteacher, teachers, pupils and three members of the governing body. The inspector observed the school’s work, looked at pupils’ records and talked to some pupils about their school. The inspector scrutinised the school’s development plan, safeguarding documents, the minutes of governing body meetings, planning documents and pupils’ books. There were 23 questionnaires returned by parents and carers and their responses were analysed. Staff and pupils also completed questionnaires and the inspector took account of the views expressed.

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Information about the school

This is much smaller than the average-sized first school. It serves its local community and a number of pupils travel to the school daily from further afield. All pupils are currently of White British heritage and speak English as their first language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The proportion of pupils supported at School Action Plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is average. Pupils are usually taught in mixed-age classes. Cohort sizes also vary significantly over time. The school has the Basic Skills Quality Mark, Healthy School status and the Silver Eco-Award.

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Information about the school

The headteacher’s role has changed since the last inspection and she is now an executive headteacher supporting another local first school. There is a pre-school provision that shares the school site, which is not managed by the school’s governing body and is subject to a separate inspection. 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

 This is a good school because pupils achieve well. The school is not yet outstanding because progress in mathematics is not as consistent as in other subjects and pupils’ progress in lessons is sometimes variable across the school.

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Key Findings

 All pupils generally make good progress. The school often has small cohorts which vary in terms of their basic skills and as a result their attainment on entry fluctuates, but is mainly typical for their ages. Pupils make good progress to attain above national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they leave the school in year 4. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs also make good progress due to the good support they receive and the way that teachers meet their needs.

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Key Findings

 Pupils are well taught, because teachers are successful in motivating pupils to work hard in the great majority of lessons. The school provides a wide range of experiences both in and out of school that has a positive impact on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Teachers, however, do not always ensure that pupils know how to be successful in their learning or give them time to respond to marking and feedback.

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Key Findings

 Pupils behave well in and around the school. The vast majority manage their own behaviour well and at times behaviour is outstanding, particularly at playtimes and during most lessons. They are very knowledgeable about keeping safe and are able to explain how to manage risk well. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning.

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Key Findings

 Leadership and management are good and there are some significant strengths, including the way in which staff help to drive improvement through the rigorous management of pupils’ and teachers’ performance. This comes from the determined leadership of the executive headteacher, and is transferred to all aspects of school life. There is good emphasis given to the successful improvement of teaching and learning. The governing body supports and challenges the school well and is very knowledgeable about its work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve achievement in mathematics so that progress is outstanding across the school by:  ensuring that there is a consistent approach to teaching calculations  providing more opportunities for pupils to carry out mathematical investigations to develop a better understanding of mathematical concepts.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning and progress by:  ensuring that teachers use targets more effectively in lessons to enable pupils to know what they have to do to improve and accelerate their progress  improving marking and feedback to pupils, so that it is focused on their next steps in learning, and making time for them to respond to the advice given  ensuring that pupils have opportunities to assess their own work and that of others so they become even more independent and increase the pace of their learning  improving pupils’ handwriting and presentation.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils enjoy learning in lessons and teachers plan work that enthuses and motivates them to learn. All groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, generally make good progress throughout the school. This is because teachers know their pupils well and plan for their individual needs. By the time pupils leave the school in Year 4, their attainment is above expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. In most of the lessons observed, progress was good and in some cases, better. In some mathematics lessons pupils do not make the same level of progress due to a lack of understanding of some calculations. There are also insufficient opportunities to develop their mathematical skills through investigations. Pupils have growing levels of confidence and independence, as was observed in a writing lesson in Years 1 and 2 where teaching was good. Pupils demonstrated a good use of vocabulary and fluency whilst writing about transport.

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Achievement of pupils

However, there are occasionally insufficient opportunities for pupils to assess their own work, and an unevenness in handwriting skills and occasional untidy presentation, sometimes limit their progress.

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Achievement of pupils

Children in the Reception Year settle quickly into school and make good progress in all areas of learning so that they are generally well prepared for moving into Year 1. Pupils’ attainment in reading at the end of Year 2 is above average and above national expectations in Year 4. Pupils really enjoy their reading both in and out of school, with one pupil commenting that many pupils are ‘addicted’ to reading. This is because the school provides regular daily short sessions that improve pupils’ understanding of the sounds that letters represent (phonics) and has good quality library provision.

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Achievement of pupils

An overwhelming number of parents and carers responded to the questionnaires and expressed the view, endorsed by inspection evidence, that their children were making good progress. They also said that the school supported their children’s learning and met their needs well.

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Quality of teaching

The majority of lessons have good pace and teachers make good use of the school’s creative curriculum to select imaginative activities that engage and enthuse pupils. They also match pupils’ work to their interests and abilities well, although staff do not always ensure that pupils know how to be successful in their lessons by setting clear enough targets. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 benefit from high quality, creative teaching. This was evident in an art lesson where they used different ways of using paint and pastels to create patterns following a suggestion from a pupil. The range of activities and the teacher’s enthusiastic teaching encouraged pupils to try new approaches and promoted their very original responses.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers are skilful in teaching phonics. This was clearly evident in the Reception class where the teacher helped children to focus carefully and successfully on sounds and effectively linked this to recording words. Assessment is thorough and now consistent in terms of tracking pupils’ progress. In lessons, however, pupils are not always sufficiently engaged in assessing their own learning.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching throughout the well planned curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. For example, a video clip of Hindu life was used very effectively in a Years 3 and 4 class. Pupils were very engaged and made good progress. Marking of books does not always give pupils sufficient guidance about how to improve their work or time to correct their misconceptions in mathematics or make improvements to their writing. Teachers ensure that they meet the needs of all pupils through accurate planning. They are well supported by teaching assistants who make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning and as a result, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good, and sometimes better, progress. Almost all of the parents and carers who responded to the inspection questionnaires were understandably positive about the quality of teaching.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Parents, carers and pupils report that behaviour in the school is typically good. This is a view that is borne out by inspection evidence. Pupils very much enjoy coming to school as they work and play well together. Behaviour in the school hall at lunchtime is exemplary as pupils eat good quality, healthy food and talk to each other sensibly. Pupils say that they really enjoy their food at school and the time they spend with their friends. The school makes good provision at playtimes with a range of activities and apparatus for pupils to enjoy, resulting in behaviour that is good and sometimes better. The large majority of pupils work hard to do their best. Behaviour in lessons is good and pupils are very proud of their work. Just occasionally, however, presentation is not always as neat as it could be.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils feel very safe and secure in school and parents and carers are rightly overwhelmingly positive about this aspect of the school’s provision. Pupils report that there is no bullying in school but they know what to do if there is and know about different types of bullying, such as name-calling and cyber-bullying. Pupils are very aware of how to keep safe, and show good care and attention when playing in the school playground. They are also aware of fire and water safety as well as how to keep safe on the Internet. Overall, attendance is above average and punctuality is good.

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Leadership and management

The good leadership and management of the executive headteacher and governing body have ensured that the school has continued to improve since the last inspection. Staff morale is high, which contributes well to the whole-school commitment to continuous improvement. As a result of effective action based on astute self-evaluation, pupils’ achievement in reading and writing has improved at a pace and mathematics has been identified as an area for improvement. Together with the improvements to the quality of teaching, this demonstrates the school’s strong capacity to improve further.

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Leadership and management

All leaders and managers work closely with the governing body to improve the school further. Members of the governing body help to monitor and evaluate the school’s work and challenge it to do even better. They analyse assessment data and leaders’ evaluations of teaching and learning. Staff professional development and performance management are linked closely to the pertinent school improvement plan. For example, all staff receive training to meet the school’s and their own needs. The impact of this can be seen in the improved quality and consistency of teaching and learning and in the improvements in reading and writing.

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Leadership and management

The governing body and all staff ensure that safeguarding arrangements meet requirements and are diligent in following the school’s procedures to keep pupils safe. The school is highly committed to ensuring that all pupils have an equality of opportunity and that there is no discrimination across the school. All pupils have access to teaching that meets their needs well, as it is informed by accurate assessment with all staff knowing every child as an individual. The organisation of the curriculum into themes provides a good framework that supports pupils’ enjoyment of learning and meets their needs well. This is enriched further by extensive opportunities for all pupils to experience a range of out-of-school clubs that are very well attended. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well through the curriculum. The richness of the school’s curriculum ensures that pupils experience a range of spiritual moments in lessons as they

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Leadership and management

discover things about the world around them. The school also works successfully to ensure that pupils understand life in modern democratic Britain and other cultures through links with Chernobyl and a school with pupils from a diverse range of cultures nearby. Strong links with local partnerships, including the school that the executive headteacher supports, enrich the life of the school. This sort of activity, together with links to local churches and visiting speakers, from a variety of professions, makes a good contribution to pupils’ learning and their overall personal and social development.

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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 up 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 Greenhaugh First School, Hexham, NE48 1LX

Thank you for making me so welcome when I inspected your school recently and thank you to those of you who completed the questionnaire. I especially enjoyed talking with you, seeing your work and hearing your views, particularly when you told me how much you enjoy coming to school. Greenhaugh is a good school which provides you with a good education. Here are some of its strengths.   You all make good progress with your work and work hard in most lessons.  You and your parents and carers told me that teaching is good and I agree.  You behave well and you told me that there is no bullying as everyone gets on really well together.  The headteacher and all the staff work hard to improve the teaching so you can make even better progress.  The governing body and all staff make sure you are kept safe and look after you well.  You are provided with a wide range of activities that promote your understanding of the world around you and further afield.

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Inspection of Greenhaugh First School, Hexham, NE48 1LX

Even good schools can improve further. For the school to become even better I have asked your headteacher and the staff to:

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Inspection of Greenhaugh First School, Hexham, NE48 1LX

 improve your learning and progress in mathematics so that you know how to do calculations well and take part in investigations to improve your understanding  improve your progress by ensuring that you know how to be successful in your lessons and by giving time for you to put your work right after it has been marked.

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Inspection of Greenhaugh First School, Hexham, NE48 1LX

I know that you will help your teachers and all staff improve your school by always trying your best and by some of you trying to improve your handwriting and presentation of your work.  Yours sincerely

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Inspection of Greenhaugh First School, Hexham, NE48 1LX

David Shearsmith Lead 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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