Newburn Manor Primary School

Newburn Manor Primary School 41 Townfield Gardens, Newburn, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE15 8PY

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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 Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. They leave the school as confident and rounded young people who are very well prepared for the next phase of learning.  All pupils make expected progress and many boys, for example, and those who are disabled or who need extra support often exceed this progress especially in mathematics.  Gaps in achievement between different groups of pupils have closed and pupils entitled to the pupil premium make more progress than all pupils nationally.  The quality of teaching and learning are consistently good across the school with examples of outstanding teaching for the older pupils.  Teachers have high expectation. Lessons are fun, exciting and enthuse pupils to do their best.  Pupils are safe in school and have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations within and outside of the school. They say that bullying in all of its

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

forms is not tolerated in this school and the mantra ‘want a friend be a friend’ was clearly observed in action by inspectors.  Senior leaders, including the governing body have a good track record of bringing about improvements over time. The drive and determination of the headteacher and her team was mentioned by staff and pupils around the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In Key Stages 1 and 2, not enough pupils reach higher levels in reading and writing.  Senior leaders insufficiently check up on the impact on pupils’ learning of their planned actions for improvement.

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Information about this inspection

 Meetings were held with senior leaders, three groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and a telephone conversation was held with a representative from Newcastle-upon-Tyne local authority. Inspectors also listened to four pupils read in Year 2 and talked to groups of pupils about behaviour and safety formally and informally around the school.  Inspectors observed seven teachers in 12 lessons, of which two were joint observations with senior leaders. In addition, they made a number of shorter visits to lessons to observe phonics (the teaching of letters and sounds) and ‘catch-up’ work for individuals and groups in writing.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s current data about pupils’ progress, documents relating to the safety of pupils, behaviour and attendance logs and evidence from the school’s own monitoring and evaluation of

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Information about this inspection

their work.  They also looked at the work in pupils’ writing and mathematics books with subject leaders.  Inspectors took account of the 16 parental responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and the school’s most recent parental questionnaire analysis.

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Inspection team

Joy Frost, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Geoffrey Seagrove Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Newburn Manor is smaller than the average-sized primary school but the numbers on roll are rising.  The pupil premium is an amount of money allocated to the school by the government to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, those that are in the care of the local authority and to the children of service families. The proportion of pupils at Newburn supported by this money is slightly higher than the national average.  The proportion of pupils who need extra support from the school because they are disabled or have special educational needs (school action) is slightly above the national average. The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or who require extra support from specialist teachers through ‘school action plus’ is lower than the national average.  The majority of pupils are from a White British heritage and the proportion who are from

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Information about this school

minority ethnic heritages is low.  The school meets the government’s floor standard, which is the minimum expected for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve standards in reading and writing, especially the number of pupils achieving the higher level 3 at Key Stage 1, and level 5 at Key Stage 2, by:  making sure that younger pupils have access to a wider range of reading material including story books by well-known authors, as well as published reading schemes  enabling younger pupils to choose some reading books for themselves  checking that pupils can spell common words correctly by the end of Year 2 and that common errors are not allowed to persist into Key Stage 2  making sure that, in writing lessons, pupils spend less time preparing and planning to write and more time actually writing  giving all pupils opportunities to respond to teachers’ helpful marking comments to edit and improve their writing.  Improve the impact of the school’s leaders on pupil achievement and the quality of teaching, by:  ensuring that when senior leaders observe teaching in classrooms and work in pupils’ books

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

they focus on how well different pupil groups are learning and use this information to plan further actions  revising the school action plan to include measurable smaller steps for improvement in pupils’ learning  simplifying the many systems teachers use to check how well pupils are learning in lessons.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in Newburn School. Year-on-year standards are rising for seven and eleven-year-olds and, from below average starting points in the Reception class, pupils are beginning to move ahead of other pupils across the country in mathematics.  By the time pupils leave the school, they are well prepared for the next phase of learning. They have developed good learning strategies which enable them to think, reason and solve problems independently. Most show perseverance and are well organised.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs or who are eligible for the pupil premium make good progress. Careful attention is paid to pupils’ individual needs and teachers know pupils well. The governors have approved the use of pupil premium funding to appoint extra teaching assistants to work with these pupils which has been successful.  There are no differences in the standards attained by different pupil groups. No child is left

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The achievement of pupils is good

behind because the school acts quickly to run catch-up programmes. These are greatly enjoyed by pupils and are run by highly- skilled teaching assistants.  All pupils spoken to knew what they were learning and what they needed to do to improve their work.  Careful attention is paid to developing pupils’ speaking and listening skills. From the youngest to the oldest, in most lessons pupils are encouraged and expected to communicate clearly and discuss their learning with each other and their teachers.  Newly-revised systems to teach a daily phonics session are having a favourable impact on younger pupils’ knowledge of letters and sounds and their ability to read unfamiliar words. The reading books they are given are not always challenging enough, especially for the more-able pupils. In addition, too many pupils are not able to spell common words when they enter Key Stage 2.  Pupils’ standards and progress in English still lags behind their achievement in mathematics. This

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The achievement of pupils is good

is because in some writing lessons teachers over plan for the writing and pupils spend more time thinking about what they are going to write than they do actually writing. Similarly, pupils rarely have opportunities to respond to the helpful comments that teachers make in their books to edit and improve their w ork.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ good subject knowledge, high expectations and their meticulous planning for different ability groups are strengths of this school. They know how well pupils are doing and use this information effectively to plan lessons which excite and challenge pupils of all levels. Pupils respond by engaging in everything the school has to offer.  The majority of teachers collect accurate data through marking and checking pupils’ understanding in lessons which is used well by the majority of teachers to move learning forwards. In some classes teachers are also using tests and a range of other systems to check pupils’ learning. This takes up too much time and is over complicated.  In Years 5 and 6 pupils have a regular diet of inspirational teaching which is a master class in how to motivate and engage pupils through skilful open-ended questions. Pupils say their learning is rarely easy and always makes them think hard and reason well. This level of skilled

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The quality of teaching is good

questioning was also observed in some other lessons mainly in mathematics.  Teachers are keen to improve their own practice and work very closely with subject leaders. This is particularly evident in the way teachers work together to check pupils’ writing levels across the school.  Teaching assistants are also knowledgeable about individual pupils and are very well deployed in classrooms to support learning and also to run catch-up programmes. The majority of these catch-up programmes are effective in improving pupils knowledge and skills but some are ‘stand-alone’ and are not linked closely enough to pupils’ individual targets.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils, parents, carers and staff are all proud to be part of this school. As one parent wrote ‘I knew I wanted my child to come to this school the minute I walked through the door’. This sentiment was repeated by other parents and the pupils themselves.  Pupils are well behaved and say they feel safe in school. The vast majority of respondents to Parent View and the school’s own questionnaire consider behaviour to be good. Older pupils say that behaviour management systems are fair and that they are mainly used for younger pupils because, ‘they don’t need them’. Inspectors also found this to be the case.  The pupils are organised into ‘family’ groups across the school which impacts very favourably on their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. These meet together regularly and this gives pupils a sense of belonging from the start of their education. Older pupils are keen to take on board extra responsibility and do jobs for teachers which they take very seriously.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are well aware of the dangers and can explain in detail how to keep themselves safe from cyber-bullying and chat rooms. The school works very closely with parents to keep them informed of the dangers of the internet and on-line social networking sites through their website and bi annual meetings.  Bullying is very rare in the school. Anti-bullying weeks and regular assemblies keep this high profile within the school. Pupils say they know exactly what to do if it did occur and that all forms of bullying, including prejudice-based bullying, are taken very seriously by all staff. Class behaviour logs show that incidents of low level disruption and minor silly behaviour are well managed.  Pupils’ high regard for the school is reflected in their above average attendance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, ably supported by her deputy headteacher and senior team know what is needed to move this school forward. They have been successful in raising standards across the school and in closing the gaps in the attainment of different pupil groups. This is because they work very closely together and share the headteacher’s belief that, ‘everyone can succeed’.  Subject leaders’ good knowledge and continuous drive to improve learning in their subjects is clear to see. They use a range of good strategies to work alongside teachers including coaching and modelling good practice. This has been effective in improving the quality of teaching so that it is all at least good with some that is outstanding.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher regularly monitor all aspects of the schools’ work. They give clear feedback to teachers to improve their practice. But they complete the same round of monitoring each term which often gives them the same information. They have not

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The leadership and management are good

tailored their monitoring to the improvements they are trying to make, therefore they cannot always judge the impact of management strategies on teaching and pupils’ achievement. The school’s action plan is insufficiently focused on checking how well pupils are learning, rather than ensuring actions have taken place.  A clear system which links teachers’ performance to their pay is in place. Teachers have targets for improvement that are linked to training and support, which often is provided by other teachers within the school. The good practice in the school is used well to help all teachers to improve.  The headteacher clearly articulates her high standards to staff, pupils and parents. Despite attendance that is above average, she continues to monitor the attendance of every child that falls below her expectations and works closely with the family liaison officer and individual families to discourage holidays in term time.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders ensure that systems to safeguard pupils are regularly reviewed and, along with the governing body, they ensure that discrimination is tackled.  The curriculum is lively and engaging and meets the needs of all pupils because it has pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development at its heart. There is a very good range of clubs, visitors and visits to museums and places of interest including three that are residential. These activities are linked to pupils’ learning, which motivate and excite pupils’ interests. The curriculum is well organised around ‘themes’ which link many subjects together.  Pupils’ creativity and multi-media skills are developing well through the recent purchase of innovative new technology. There are many opportunities for pupils to develop their information and communication technology skills both in lessons, clubs and during lunchtimes.  The local authority has a light-touch approach to this school. They know that senior leaders will

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The leadership and management are good

access support as and when they need it. The school accessed local authority support to improve phonics teaching across the school.  The governance of the school:  The appointment of a new Chair of the Governing Body, with previous educational experience, has strengthened the governing body. He is very clear about the role of the governing body in challenging senior leaders and holding them to account. Governors have a good overview of the quality of teaching. They make effective decisions about how money is spent to improve aspects of the school. This includes making decisions about teachers’ pay and performance. They have a good understanding about how the pupil premium is spent and they check the impact of this money on pupils’ achievement.

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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 108447 Local authority Newcastle-upon-Tyne Inspection number 403065

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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 All-through School category Community Age range of pupils 4-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 195 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr David Jones Headteacher Mrs Jane McFadyen Date of previous school inspection 12 June 2008 Telephone number 0191 2674533 Fax number 0191 2674533 Email address admin@newburnmanorprimary.newcastle.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, please

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School details

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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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