Belmont Cheveley Park Primary School

Belmont Cheverly Park Primary School Scarsdale Way, Belmont, Durham, DH1 2TX

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Over time, pupils’ achievement has been inconsistent across the school because not enough teaching has been good. In some lessons, teachers’ expectations are too low, the pace of teaching is too slow and questions do not require thoughtful answers.  Pupils are not always given sufficient opportunities to develop their basic skills through writing at length and using practical apparatus in mathematics.  The leadership and management of the school require improvement because systems to check on how well the school is improving are not rigorous enough.  Some subject leaders are not sufficiently involved in driving improvement in their subjects.  Performance management targets for teachers are not sufficiently challenging or measurable.

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The school has the following strengths

 There is an increasing amount of good or better teaching across the school; its overall quality is improving.  Teachers mark pupils’ work well, giving specific and helpful guidance on how to improve.  On nearly all occasions, pupils’ behaviour is at least good. They feel safe in school and willingly take on a range of responsibilities within the school community.  The headteacher has a good understanding of school improvement planning and specifically how to improve pupils’ achievement through improving the quality of teaching.  Actions already taken by the school’s leadership and governance have improved communication with parents, the rigour with which pupils’ attendance is monitored and the checking of pupils’ progress.  Pupils benefit from the school’s work with a wide range of partners.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 19 lessons or parts of lessons, of which two were joint observations with the headteacher.  Inspectors heard pupils from different year groups read, attended an assembly and undertook a scrutiny of pupils’ work.  Discussions were held with a range of pupils, senior and subject leaders, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of 16 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View). They also considered the school’s parent questionnaires, staff questionnaires and any written comments sent in by individual parents.  Inspectors observed the overall work of the school and scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s view of its own performance, improvement planning, policies, and data about the achievement of pupils in all year groups, minutes of meetings of the governing body and records of attendance, behaviour and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Belita Scott, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sonya Williamson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Belmont Cheverly Park Primary School is a smaller than average sized primary school.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is well below average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  The school has a specially resourced provision for 20 pupils with special educational needs in the form of speech, language or communication difficulties.  A well below average proportion of pupils is known to be eligible for the pupil premium.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The headteacher has been in post since the beginning of January 2013.  The school has a breakfast club which is managed by the governing body.  The school has achieved the Basic Skills Quality Mark, Artsmark and Intermediate International

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 By the end of the autumn term 2013, improve the quality of teaching across the school so that all teaching is good or better and pupils’ achievement is more rapid, particularly in writing and mathematics, by:  raising the expectations and aspirations of some teachers in relation to what their pupils can achieve, particularly for pupils of lower abilities and also, in mathematics, for more-able pupils  increasing the pace of teaching in lessons so that pupils produce more work and make quicker progress  training teachers to ask pupils questions which require well thought out and reasoned answers  reviewing the way the curriculum is planned so as to take full account in differences in previous learning activities for pupils in Key Stage 2, who are grouped by ability for English and mathematics lessons  ensuring teachers use the data from the school’s recently updated system for checking pupils’

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

progress to guide their planning and provision for all pupils  supporting teachers in their planning to ensure that the learning needs of pupils from the learning resource base are fully met when they are working in mainstream classrooms  providing teachers and pupils with opportunities to use a wider range of information and communication technology (ICT) resources.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the impact on school improvement of leadership at all levels, by:  ensuring that school improvement planning includes measurable targets for success, timescales for completion and specific arrangements for checking the effectiveness of actions taken  developing more robust performance management systems for teachers, which include demanding targets relating to pupils’ attainment and progress  increasing the regularity with which assessment data is collected, analysed and used to identify and provide additional support for those pupils who are failing to make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children enter the Reception class with knowledge and skills below those expected for their age. By the time they start Year 1, their attainment is still below nationally expected levels. While they achieve well in their mathematical and personal, social and emotional development during the Early Years Foundation Stage, their progress is slower overall in communication, language and literacy.  Progress across the school, and by different groups of pupils, is inconsistent. The needs of lower ability pupils are not always met sufficiently well in reading, writing and mathematics. The work that is set for them is not always well matched to their needs, expectations of their abilities are not always high enough and practical apparatus to support their learning in mathematics is not always readily available.  Attainment at the end of Year 6 is broadly average, although it is higher in reading than in

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils who attained age-related expectations in both English and mathematics increased in 2012, with a few attaining much higher standards than expected for age. The school’s current records show that pupils, including those taught in the learning resource base, are making broadly average progress in reading, writing and mathematics. However, progress is slower in mathematics and writing than in reading. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are beginning to make good progress, as a result of increasingly effective teaching.  Too few pupils achieve the higher Level 5 in mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2. Inspection evidence shows that the school is starting to address this underachievement by accurately identifying the more able pupils and setting work that challenges them to reach the higher levels.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, including those in the learning

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

resource base, generally make the progress that is expected of them.  Effective teaching that enables pupils to develop the skills of matching letters and the sounds they make (phonics) in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Year 1 resulted in a higher than average proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check.  The very small number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals make broadly average progress although they perform less well than other pupils in the school as evidenced in the points scores in national test results.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching is improving well but still has some inconsistencies. There are some good, and occasionally outstanding, lessons including in the Reception class but in some lessons, including in the learning resource base, the pace of teaching is too slow and results in pupils not making good progress over time.  In the best lessons, teachers use their knowledge of their pupils to plan and deliver work which is interesting, challenging and ensures good or better progress is made.  Teachers do not always use questioning effectively to encourage the pupils to think deeply about their learning and to apply their knowledge in the work they do in other subjects across the curriculum.  Pupils’ work is marked, successes are congratulated, areas for improvement are identified and time is given for advice to be acted upon. However, pupils told inspectors that they would like even more time to respond to their teachers’ marking.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There is excellent teaching of linking sounds and letters (phonics) in the Reception class; the ‘Squiggle while you Wiggle’ phonics sessions to music, in the school hall, are totally engaging and enable all children to make progress whilst having fun.  The extent to which teachers adapt their lessons to fully include the pupils from the learning resource base is variable. For example, some pupils returning to the mainstream classroom from a very quiet session in the learning resource base appeared to be unsure what to do.  Teachers do not always make full use of ICT to extend and challenge the pupils’ learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are happy in school; their attitudes to learning are positive and are exemplary when teaching is outstanding. For example, in an upper Key Stage 2 mathematics lesson, when pupils of differing abilities were paired as leaders and learners, they worked diligently and harmoniously, resulting in exceptional progress. Very occasional incidences of low level disruptive behaviour were seen in lessons which require improvement.  Inspectors analysed the school’s records of behaviour over time and agree with pupils that behaviour has improved recently, due to newly implemented policies and is typically good; pupils like the new expectations.  Pupils feel safe in school. E-safety training is regular and comprehensive. Pupils are aware of the different forms that bullying can take. They report that bullying is rare and, if it happens, it is dealt with promptly. Upper Key Stage 2 pupils are trained to act as mediators when there are

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

disagreements on the playground.  Pupils who attend the school’s breakfast club have a settled start to the school day in a warm, safe and caring environment.  Almost all pupils arrive on time for school. Attendance is broadly average overall. Pupils are proud to attend Belmont Cheveley Park Primary School and all wear their school uniform with pride.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher has shown strong leadership since taking up post at the beginning of January. Consistency of practice in teaching has improved following a scrutiny of work in literacy, which resulted in revised marking and feedback guidelines, revised presentation of work guidelines and pupils recording in identical books across the school. A new system to track the achievement of individual pupils and all groups of pupils has been implemented, staff have received training in data analysis and ambitious targets have been set for the pupils. Consequently, teachers’ knowledge of their pupils’ strengths and areas for development is improving, as are their expectations of what pupils can achieve.  Relationships between the school and parents have strengthened following the completion of a parental questionnaire and actions taken by the school. The school’s systems to monitor attendance have been streamlined, with the expectation that all pupils will have attendance in

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The leadership and management requires improvement

excess of 95%.  Although the new leadership has made some early improvements, it recognises that there is more to be done to extend and increase the pace of this work. Systems to check the appropriateness of the school’s priorities are not rigorous enough to drive rapid improvement. For example, there are few measurable targets in the school improvement plan and no mention of which leaders and/or managers will undertake the monitoring and evaluation duties.  Performance management for teachers is in place but documentation shows few measurable targets. Not all of the teaching staff have had their teaching observed during the current academic year.  Some subject leaders are not sufficiently involved in driving improvement in the subjects they coordinate; not all have a development plan for their subject and some do not have enough opportunities to carry out checks on the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum supports the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. There is an active school council and pupils learn to play a wide range of instruments, take part in multi-faith events, support local, national and international charities and visit local places of cultural and historical interest. However, current curriculum planning does not take full account of differences in previous learning activities when the pupils are organised into ability groups for English and mathematics.  The local authority is providing effective support for the new headteacher.  The governance of the school:  The governing body, following a check on the skills they have or need to develop, has shown increased rigour and vigour in its role as critical friend to the school over recent months. Governors, led by a very experienced Chair of the Governing Body, show great commitment to the school in terms of giving their time. The governing body understands the school’s data

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The leadership and management requires improvement

(including the progress of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium) and knows that the achievement of pupils and the standard of teaching must improve. The governors ensure that the school fulfils its statutory responsibilities as regards safeguarding. All staff have been vetted and have attended child protection training. The governing body has already set performance management targets for the new headteacher and understands the link between teachers’ performance and pay progression.

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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 114139 Local authority Durham Inspection number 405502

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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 Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 138 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Rymaszewski Headteacher Mark Dent Date of previous school inspection 11 April 2011 Telephone number 0191 3869494 Fax number 0191 3869494 Email address cheveleypark@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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