Redesdale Primary School

School report Redesdale Primary School Wiltshire Drive, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear , NE 28 8TS

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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 proportion of pupils making or exceeding the progress normally expected has been high for several years in English.  Achievement in mathematics has improved strongly; pupil progress has now caught up with English and exceeded it in some year groups.  Teaching has improved since the last inspection report and lessons capture the interest of pupils so they make better progress, especially in Key Stage 2.  In the best lessons the work is very well adapted to pupils’ abilities.  Behaviour is now good and pupils work well in the vast majority of lessons.  Pupils are polite and well mannered because of the high expectations of staff, who teach good behaviour and positive attitudes towards learning.  The headteacher is an excellent role model for the whole school. She is extremely well organised and a very good leader.  She has had a considerable influence on improving the school. There is a good team

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

spirit among senior leaders who are determined to improve the school further.  The governing body provides excellent support for the school. They are very knowledgeable about the school and like the headteacher are very ambitious for it to become outstanding.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There are not enough lessons that are judged outstanding.  In a small number of lessons the work is not as well adapted to meet pupils needs, compared to the very best lessons.  Some learning time for pupils is lost because lesson introductions and teacher explanations take too long.

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Information about this inspection

 This inspection was carried out with half a days’ notice.  Inspectors visited twenty-one lessons or parts of lessons taught by 13 different teachers.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and talked to them about how much reading they do as well as looking at their work in class.  Discussions took place with members of the governing body, staff, groups of pupils and a representative of the local authority.  Documents were examined, including those relating to safeguarding, the school’s improvement plan, and records of its checks on teaching and learning, as well as the school’s own assessment data.  The views of 23 parents who responded to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) were also taken into account, as well the school’s own questionnaires, which surveyed 138 parents.  Twenty-seven staff also completed questionnaires about their views of the school.

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Inspection team

Francis Cain, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Wendy Richardson Additional Inspector Anne Humble Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Redesdale is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of girls is below average.  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 pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average, but the proportion at school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs, is average.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  Government floor standards, which relate to pupils’ attainment and progress, were met in 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of lessons that are judged outstanding so that the achievement of all pupils improves, by:  allowing pupils more time in lessons to show what they can do, by teachers giving briefer introductions  making sure that all lessons are well adapted to match pupils’ needs  sharing the very best practice in teaching across the whole school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When pupils start the school they have skills which are below those typically expected, but when they leave at the end of Year 6 their attainment is broadly average. Pupils’ achievement is good because they have made good progress from their starting points.  Current school information strongly indicates that attainment is rising and that the present Year 6 will be above the national average. Inspection evidence supports this view.  Good teaching, with some highly original activities, is encouraging positive pupil attitudes and good progress. Boys’ achievement has improved significantly to match that of girls’ across the school because interesting activities are found in most lessons and teachers make learning fun.  Mathematics is improving because the school has made it a special focus, with professional development for staff and local authority support. In Reception children count confidently up to

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The achievement of pupils is good

ten and then down again.  Literacy skills are developed from when children begin school in the Early Years Foundation Stage. One small group were happily talking while sitting around their imitation bonfire, as one child was accurately writing out warning notices to ‘beware of the fire’.  Pupils eligible for the pupil premium are now making better progress. In some year groups the differences between pupils eligible for free school meals and other pupils have narrowed significantly, so that their attainment is almost equivalent to other pupils.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress overall, but some make outstanding improvements to their personal development. This is because pupils are closely monitored to see if they are making the improvements the school is expecting.  Pupils’ reading is improving, so that they are in line with pupils elsewhere in Year 2. By the time

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The achievement of pupils is good

pupils reach Year 6 most are confident and keen readers. They were able to name their favourite authors and recount books they had read and give reason why they enjoyed them.  Reading is encouraged across the school. In Reception the children sing out the sounds that groups of letters make and so quickly learn them. The teacher used pretend dinosaur eggs with words written inside them to capture the children’s imagination.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good because teachers make it clear at the start of every lesson what pupils are expected to learn. Lessons are well planned and good use is made of teaching assistants in most areas.  Imaginative activities in many lessons make learning fun. In a Year 4 mathematics lesson pairs of pupils played a multiplication game with their fingers. It was fast, competitive and fun and the pupils clearly enjoyed their learning.  Marking in pupils’ books is a strength of teaching, as pupils are not only given excellent tips on how to improve the previous lesson’s work, but also time to do it at the start of the following lesson. This means that pupils learn well and make better progress.  Learning logs are effectively used for pupils’ homework and learning journals in the Early Years Foundation Stage help to encourage home-school cooperation. Pupils develop not only good skills in numeracy and literacy, but in a very effective whole class music lesson they were

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The quality of teaching is good

learning quickly to play recorders and learn about musical notation.  The work done by teachers in small group situations is very good. When working with one or two pupils who might have special educational needs, or be gifted and talented, they make a significant difference to pupils’ progress.  Work is generally well adapted to the pupils’ abilities, with challenging work and opportunities for all to succeed. In a Year 2 mathematics lesson higher ability pupils were set a difficult task involving adding together high numbers, but with good support from their class teacher to enable them to succeed.  In a small number of lessons work is less well adapted to pupils’ needs. In a few lessons teachers spent too long in their explanations which cut down the time pupils had to show what they could do. In outstanding lessons teachers successfully broke down the learning into chunks to regularly assess how well pupils were learning as the lesson progressed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most parents think that their children are well taught and make good progress in school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour has improved since the previous inspection, because of the school’s initiatives to encourage a good attitude to learning and the high expectations of staff. In the majority of lessons pupils get down to work quickly and enthusiastically. Children are keen to participate and are keen to read aloud and show what they can do.  The school encourages good behaviour and the school’s ‘friendship wall’, asks pupils to think about what a friend is. Pupils are given rewards for good behaviour and the school uses a traffic light system to show them how well they are doing.  Peer mentors and anti-bullying ambassadors are on hand on the yard to help younger ones and pupils say ‘they look after each other’ and behaviour is well monitored by staff.  Pupils are well mannered and friendly. Attendance is broadly average and pupils say that the school is good, because lessons are fun.  A few parents and pupils did express some concerns about behaviour, but school information

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

shows that there are few recorded incidents, and the vast majority of pupils said that their learning was hardly ever affected by misbehaviour.  Behaviour is best when pupils are in lesson where they are given interesting and challenging things to do and when the teacher allows them plenty of opportunity to work on their own.  Pupils are confident that any issues concerning poor behaviour, including bullying, are dealt with quickly and effectively by the school. Pupils understand about different forms of bullying and say very little happens here.  Pupil feel safe in school as there are always staff around and they are particularly knowledgeable about how to stay safe when using computers, or what to do if they receive an unpleasant text message. Some said they would report it to ‘an adult that you can trust’.  The vast majority of parents said their children were happy and safe in school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has made a significant contribution to school improvement by strengthening the quality of teaching and learning so that they are now good.  The school has a strong team of leaders to share ideas and work together on further school development. The school’s capacity for improvement is good because they have successfully addressed the areas for improvement that were highlighted in the last inspection report so that boys’ achievement, achievement in mathematics and the quality of teaching have all improved.  Lessons are regularly observed and pupils’ work is monitored so that the school’s management has a good knowledge of the strengths of its teachers and areas where further development is needed to improve it further.  The school tackles discrimination very well and inspection evidence showed that it is having a particularly positive effect with pupils because they are taught to value and respect each other

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The leadership and management are good

as individuals. Equal opportunity is well promoted so that all groups of pupils make similar progress.  Staff are very supportive of the school and feel that the school responds well to their professional development to help them to improve. One staff member said that they couldn’t ask for any better support.  The school curriculum is well mapped and links between subjects are well thought out. A topic on literacy is linked to music and information technology. The children have to find appropriate music to match the mood of a story.  Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education by the time they leave. They have lots of opportunities to contribute to the community, such as helping the council to identify improvements needed on a local housing estate.  The pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is closely monitored by the governing body. Pupils are encouraged, on wall displays, to think about others and are given

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The leadership and management are good

time to consider their attitude to learning in assembly time. They are encouraged to work and play together so that they get on well and respect each other.  The local authority has provided very useful support in checking the school’s judgements on how well it is doing.  The governance of the school:  The governing body are exceptionally well informed about how well the school is doing, because they fully understand how they can use information the school collects to see how much progress pupils are making and how well teachers are performing. They ensure that safeguarding requirements are met. They are clear about the impact that the pupil premium funding is having on pupils’ performance. They also understand that a link needs to be made between teachers’ performance and their salary 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 108599 Local authority North Tyneside Inspection number 405181

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 261 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Peter Thorp Headteacher Alison Nicholson Date of previous school inspection 7 March 2011 Telephone number 0191 200 7326 Fax number 0191 200 5966 Email address redesdale.primary@northtyneside.gov.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

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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