Delves Lane Primary School

Delves Lane Junior School Delves Lane, Consett, County Durham, DH8 7ES

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The headteacher, governors and other leaders and managers have a firm focus on improving the school. They have identified and successfully tackled weaknesses in teaching and in pupils’ literacy and consequently standards have risen.  Pupils’ behaviour is good because it is well managed by staff and pupils are clear about what is expected of them. They say they feel safe in school.  In the last two years pupils’ attainment has risen and standards are now broadly average. The progress that pupils make during their time in the school has accelerated and is now good.  Teaching has improved because it is now more carefully monitored and staff receive the right training to help them improve their teaching. They are beginning to share their best ideas for good lessons but this is not yet fully developed.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 A few lessons are in need of improvement. In some lessons teachers’ questioning is not detailed enough and sometimes teachers take answers only from those who put up their hands.  Pupils are not challenged to achieve their very best in all lessons and work is sometimes too easy for the highest-attaining pupils.  Pupils do not make quite as good progress in mathematics as they do in English because they are not set such clear targets for improvement. Marking of their work and the feedback they are given in mathematics does not always tell them exactly how well they are doing.  Some parents are concerned at the lack of communication with the school about concerns they may have. The school website is not up- to-date and lacks required information for parents.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed ten lessons and part lessons. She also listened to pupils read and observed the teaching of literacy and numeracy to small groups of pupils.  Discussions were held with pupils, staff, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at pupils’ books, progress data, safeguarding information and other documentation.  Eighteen responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) were considered as well as those from school staff.

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Inspection team

Ann Ashdown, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority and for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is well above average.  A well below average proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, and an average proportion speaks English as an additional language.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported at school action, school action plus and with a statement of special educational needs are all well above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  The school is federated with the adjoining infant school and they share the same headteacher and governing body. Both schools were inspected at the same time and will receive separate

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Information about this school

reports published on the Ofsted website.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that all lessons are good or better by:  asking questions which challenge pupils to think deeply and improve their answers  asking questions of all pupils, not just those who put their hands up, so the whole class is attentive  making sure that work in all lessons is hard enough to provide a challenge for all pupils including those who can reach the higher standards  further sharing teachers’ expertise and their best ideas for good lessons across the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards and help pupils to make even faster progress, particularly in mathematics by:  setting clear numeracy targets for all pupils so they know what to do to reach the next level in their learning  making sure that the marking of work in mathematics and the feedback given to pupils on how well they are doing is always of high quality.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the sharing of information with parents so that they better understand the work of the school and ensure that the website is up-to-date and contains the required information.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In lessons most pupils concentrate on the task in hand and are keen to learn so they achieve well. In an English lesson pupils were seen making good progress as they confidently talked about using a thesaurus to find the best words to write a myth.  In most years pupils come into the school with standards which are significantly below average. They make good progress as they move through Key Stage 2. Results in tests and assessments at the end of Year 6 have been in line with the national average for the last two years.  The percentage of pupils making the progress expected of them compares favourably with that of pupils nationally. More pupils make better than expected progress in English than in mathematics.  Pupils have very clear targets for improvement in English but not in mathematics, so they are not always clear how to improve their work in mathematics to reach the higher levels.  Work in pupils’ books, that displayed on classroom walls and the school’s information on pupils’

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The achievement of pupils is good

progress all confirm the good progress that pupils are now making.  The difference in attainment between pupils who are supported by extra funding (the pupil premium) and other pupils has reduced significantly in the last two years. This money has been spent wisely on training for teachers and teaching assistants and on providing small-group and individual teaching for pupils who need extra help.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language make the same progress as their classmates. This is because they receive the right help at the time they need it from both teachers and teaching assistants.  Pupils read confidently to the inspector and are proud of the good progress they are making in their reading. Reading journals allow parents to be involved in listening to their children read and in supporting their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In most lessons teaching is good. Teachers manage their pupils well and use a range of activities and resources to keep them interested. Lessons are briskly paced and pupils move sensibly from one activity to the next.  Teachers check regularly that pupils understand the work they are doing. Explanations are clear and both teachers and teaching assistants give good individual help to pupils when they are stuck with their work.  Teachers are beginning to share their good ideas for lessons and their best teaching skills across the school. However, this helpful way of improving teaching in all classes is not yet fully developed.  In some lessons the pace of learning, although satisfactory, is slower. This is because the tasks teachers set are not hard enough to challenge all pupils to achieve their best, especially those capable of reaching the highest standards.  In some lessons the questions teachers ask do not make pupils think deeply enough and

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The quality of teaching is good

improve their answers. Also, responses to questions are only asked of pupils who put their hands up so not all pupils are fully involved.  Books are marked regularly and pupils are often given good pointers for improvement, particularly in English. However, in mathematics pupils are not as sure how well they are doing, what their targets are and how to reach them.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, those who speak English as an additional language and those in receipt of the pupil premium all make good progress in lessons. In a Year 4/5 class pupils who needed extra help in their learning were particularly well managed and the skills of teaching assistants were applied very well so that all pupils thoroughly enjoyed learning, behaved well and made good progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 All school staff have very clear expectations of pupils' behaviour. Consequently, pupils know what is expected of them and, typically, most behave well. In lessons and around the school pupils show respect for each other and for school staff.  Pupils enjoy taking responsibility and those in Year 6 were keen to tell the inspector about all the ‘jobs’ they do. These range from helping in the school office to giving out equipment in the playground.  Pupils spoke knowledgeably about how to keep themselves safe, had a sensible attitude to taking risks and understood there were different types of bullying. A very clear display in the computer room informed pupils about how to keep themselves safe while using the Internet.  Pupils say they feel safe in school and that any bullying is quickly sorted out. The large majority of the parents who put their views on the ‘Parent View’ website also said that their children felt

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

safe in school.  School assemblies contribute to pupils’ good social and moral development. For example, a well- led assembly made pupils very clearly aware of the different ways in which they could deal with emotional and physical hurt.  The school follows up any pupil’s absences rigorously so attendance has risen and is average. The recently appointed parent support worker is already having an impact in helping to ensure that all children attend school and arrive punctually. Children whose circumstances make them vulnerable are well supported by all school staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has improved because the headteacher and other leaders and managers have tackled weaknesses in teaching and successfully raised standards, particularly in English. They know the school’s strengths and weaknesses and have correctly identified areas, such as mathematics, where standards can be raised further.  Teaching is led effectively and lessons are monitored carefully. The quality of the work that staff do is managed well and teachers and teaching assistants receive good training to help them improve their skills further.  Pupil premium monies are used well so that all pupils have good equal opportunities to succeed. Differences between the achievement of different groups of pupils have narrowed and all now make good progress.  The range of activities and opportunities that the school provides is well matched to pupils’ needs and provides good support for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management are good

Pupils value one another and have an appreciation of the diversity of cultures in Britain and the wider world. A range of trips and visits adds to pupils’ enjoyment of learning. Pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 spoke enthusiastically about a visit to Beamish Museum and were looking forward to a lesson in a Victorian classroom as part of their study of the Victorian era.  All safeguarding requirements are met. Staff are well trained and aware of child protection and risk assessment issues.  The local authority has provided a lot of support for the school in the past but this has lessened as the school has improved. Recently, the local authority has provided expertise and support for teachers on marking and assessment, has observed lessons with the headteacher and assisted with data analysis and target setting. This has helped the school to secure improvements.  The school’s federation with the adjoining infant school allows the expertise of senior staff and

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The leadership and management are good

governors to be shared across both schools and provides additional funding for pupils as both schools have separate budgets.  The school communicates with most parents well. However, some parents indicated that they are not sufficiently well informed about the progress their children make and that the school does not respond as well as it could to concerns raised.  School documentation and the website, which provide information for parents, lack some required information and are not fully up-to-date.  The governance of the school:  Governors know the school well, are committed to its improvement and provide support and challenge for the headteacher. They have a good understanding of staff management, salary progression and the quality of teaching.

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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 pupils’ 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 pupils’ 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 is

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Grade Judgement Description

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 114047 Local authority Durham Inspection number 401403

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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 Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 139 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andrea McGuigan Headteacher Karen Holden Date of previous school inspection 27 April 2010 Telephone number 01207 503984 Fax number 01207 588880 Email address k.holden100@durhamlearning.net 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, please

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School details

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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