East Boldon Junior School

East Boldon Junior School North Lane, East Boldon, NE36 0DL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. ■ The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding. Pupils behave very well. They feel very safe and know that staff will quickly and effectively address concerns. Attendance is high and there have been no exclusions. ■ Attainment in English and mathematics is consistently high over time. Attainment in reading is very high. ■ The great majority of pupils learn well and make good or better progress in all subjects by the time they leave Year 6. ■ Teaching is largely good with some that is outstanding. Teachers know their pupils well and provide a range of activities which engage pupils’ interest. ■ Pupils enjoy school and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They work very well together because of the very good relationships with their teachers and friends. ■ Leadership is of good quality with evident strengths in the abilities of the most senior leaders and of the governing body. A

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

strategic focus is having a clear impact upon the improvements to the school and especially to the quality of teaching over time and of pupils’ progress.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

■ Progress is variable across the school, especially in writing. In some lessons, not all pupils are fully challenged and marking of their books does not always provide good feedback for improvement. ■ A proportion of parents have concerns about the level of communication from the school. ■ Newly appointed middle leaders lack experience in their roles of monitoring and evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

■ Inspectors observed 12 lessons, of which two were joint observations with senior leaders. In addition, the inspection team made a number of other short visits to lessons and listened to reading. ■ Meetings were held with groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body, staff and a representative from the local authority. ■ Inspectors took account of the 31 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. ■ They observed the school’s work and took into account the work in pupils’ books, the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress, planning and monitoring documentation, records relating to behaviour and attendance and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Kate Pringle, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Diane Coleman, Team inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

■ This is an average-sized junior school, in which the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is lower than the national average. ■ There are a few pupils on roll from minority ethnic groups or who speak English as an additional language. ■ The proportion of pupils identified as disabled or with special educational needs is lower than national levels for those at school action, school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs. ■ The school has been awarded the BECTA award for information and communication technology and holds Healthy School status. ■ The school currently meets the government’s floor standards which set the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress. ■ Two new leaders for literacy and numeracy took up their responsibilities in September 2012. ■ The Nursery on the school site is maintained by the local authority and is subject to a separate

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

■ Improve the consistency of progress across each year group, especially in writing, by: - ensuring all teaching is at least good and increasing the proportion of outstanding teaching - checking that activities challenge the abilities of all pupils especially the more able - ensuring that marking consistently provides pupils with an understanding of their success against their individual targets and indicates clearly how to improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

■ Improve aspects of leadership and management by: - supporting and developing new middle leaders in their roles of monitoring and evaluation - improving communication with parents in order to enhance their access to school personnel and information, especially with regard to their children’s learning and progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

■ Pupils enter Year 3 with standards that are above average. From the schools’ own baseline, pupils make at least good progress overall and leave Year 6 with consistently high attainment. There is little difference between the performance of boys and girls, and between other groups, over time. ■ Attainment in reading and mathematics is higher than in writing by the end of Year 6, but all are well above the national average. The proportion of pupils making the expected progress is high in reading, writing and mathematics; however, the proportion of pupils making more than expected progress is lower in writing than in the other subjects. The expectations for pupils’ writing can be too broad, with insufficient expectation and feedback to pupils regarding individual learning targets to improve their work. ■ School tracking data indicates that although pupils’ progress is good it is inconsistent across year groups. This is linked to teachers setting individual targets in writing and mathematics

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The achievement of pupils is good

that do not always have a precise focus. Feedback lacks sufficient detail to help pupils improve more rapidly. ■ The use of booster classes for Year 6 has shown a positive impact with most recent tests indicating a greater proportion of pupils achieving at the higher levels for reading and mathematics. ■ Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs progress equally as well as other pupils because the school provides specific and focused support where additional intervention is required.

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The quality of teaching is good

■ The overall quality of teaching over time is good and has a positive impact on the progress of pupils. A real strength of teaching is in the high-quality relationships between pupils and their teachers, which result in pupils’ extremely positive attitudes to learning. ■ Pupils enjoy school. They listen carefully and demonstrate high levels of interest and motivation, especially when the tasks provided enable them to participate in practical and creative activities. ■ Teachers draw upon a range of strategies to review past learning and to share new learning. Best practice was evident where teachers adapted their plans in response to pupils’ needs as the lesson progressed. Teaching assistants are well trained and support teachers effectively in order to address pupils’ learning needs at all levels. ■ In lessons where teaching was observed to be good or better, the abilities of pupils were reflected in their group tasks, resulting in good levels of challenge and, as a result, the majority

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The quality of teaching is good

achieved well. The few lessons where the differing expectations of pupils were less well addressed resulted in some groups of pupils not being fully challenged and, therefore, progress was not as good as it could have been. ■ The quality of marking varies across the school and across subjects. In the best practice seen, marking showed clear reference to individual learning targets. Pupils were informed of their successes and of how to improve further through prescriptive next steps in learning. Where this was the case, pupils demonstrated accelerated progress. At present, there are too few opportunities for pupils to return to the work marked by teachers to correct identified areas for improvement. ■ Teachers have good levels of knowledge and understanding and provide pupils with tasks which stimulate their interest and engagement. For example, pupils extended their understanding and use of emotive language when they considered the effect of bombings

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The quality of teaching is good

during the Second World War and empathised with thoughts and feelings of families and evacuees. Discussions were highly focused and pupils drew well upon their past learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

■ The atmosphere is highly positive, both in lessons and in more informal situations. Pupils respect themselves, each other and adults. They are extremely polite, well-mannered and talk happily and enthusiastically about their learning and friendships. Pupils enjoy school and this is reflected in their high attendance. ■ Parents’ views reflect pupils’ feelings and indicate that they believe the school provides exceptionally well for their children’s welfare. ■ Pupils feel extremely safe and have a good understanding of what constitutes safe and unsafe situations. They talk knowledgeably about different aspects of bullying and what to do should bullying occur. Pupils were adamant that bullying was rare and felt that, on the very few occasions that it occurred, their concerns were rapidly and effectively addressed by staff. ■ Behaviour is exemplary. Pupils noted there were occasional episodes of less-than-good

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

behaviour by individual pupils and talked knowledgeably about their particular needs. They reflected maturely upon how individual support helped those who were encountering problems and how they could support their friends by setting a good example. Pupils are well aware that teachers’ handling of any behaviour issues is immediate. ■ Pupils’ spiritual, moral social and cultural development has a strong impact upon pupils’ management of their own behaviour. A wide range of additional activities encourages pupils to interact through creative and physical opportunities. They learn to set their own personal boundaries as they take on differing roles through group activities in sport, music and other creative pursuits. ■ Pupils are encouraged to take responsibility for their own actions and engage in a variety of roles about the school to support others through, for example, the school council and buddies.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

Year 3 pupils talked very positively of the Year 6 buddies who have helped them in their move to the junior school and who make sure they have a friend at playtime. ■ Pupils transfer without difficulties across different stages of their education because of the well- established and developing relationships between schools.

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The leadership and management are good

■ The headteacher is very well supported by the deputy headteacher in their work with staff to identify and address the priorities of the school and to drive it forward. Morale is high and staff share high aspirations for pupils to achieve well. ■ Leaders and governors provide a challenging vision, which is reflected in high targets and collaboration with other schools to secure joint understanding of standards. Pupils’ progress is effectively tracked and teachers use this to identify pupils not making rapid enough progress and to provide appropriate interventions. The result of such interventions and booster classes over the past year demonstrate particular impact upon the needs of pupils in Year 6. ■ Close attention to targeted areas has contributed to a number of improvements since the last inspection. The proportion of higher-achieving pupils is increasing especially in reading and mathematics. Governors are increasingly proactive in the observations of teaching and their

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The leadership and management are good

expectations of pupils’ outcomes. They actively promote equality of opportunity which is reflected in the good progress that all groups make. The curriculum is richer with pupils now learning two modern foreign languages; a number of them access a range of instrument lessons, including samba drumming, violin and brass. There is increased after-school provision and the use of information and communication technology (ICT) is a strong and integral part of learning. Attendance and attainment continue to be maintained at high levels. ■ Developing good and outstanding teaching is high on the agenda and there is an embedded monitoring system to support teachers and develop skills which is reflected through their performance management system linked to professional development. ■ Leaders and managers have a clear understanding of the strengths of the school. Self- evaluation is secure with actions for further improvement already underway. Those new to role

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The leadership and management are good

as leaders for literacy and numeracy have a good understanding of their roles but at present lack the experience of monitoring and evaluating their subject areas. ■ The school provides an excellent range of enrichment activities through visits, visitors, after- school provision and residential opportunities. Inclusion is actively promoted and pupils have every opportunity to participate. Pupils are articulate and are confident participants. They have high self-esteem and demonstrate social conscience in their understanding of right and wrong. ■ Responses to Parent View and the school’s most recent questionnaire indicate that the vast majority of parents believe that care for their children and the quality of teaching are good or better. However, a minority of parents identified some concerns in the quality of communication concerning information about their children generally, and in the progress they

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The leadership and management are good

make. Inspectors and the school agree that this could be sharper. A group to address such issues has been established recently and is currently working to further develop communication and address parental concerns. ■ The school buys into the local authority support package. Termly visits, focused on school self- evaluation, and a focused review of the school’s work, have contributed effectively to school improvement. ■ The governance of the school: - Governors have a good understanding of achievement and progress data which they use to challenge the school towards improving outcomes for pupils. - They ensure that safeguarding of pupils meets statutory requirements. - They work in close liaison with teaching staff and use their professional expertise and experience to support and challenge the school at every point.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupil’s needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupil’s needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 108692 Local authority South Tyneside Inspection number 403071

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Junior School category Maintained Age range of pupils 7-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 232 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Paul Donnelly Headteacher Mrs Margaret Parker Date of previous school inspection 6-7 May 2008 Telephone number 01915362030 Fax number 01915196601 Email address office@eastboldon-jun.s-tyneside.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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. 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille,

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School details

please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

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

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