Tudhoe Colliery Primary School

Tudhoe Colliery Primary School Front Street, Spennymoor, County Durham, DL16 6TJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected 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

 Achievement across the school is variable and standards by the end of Key Stage 1 are lower than might be expected from where pupils leave Reception class.  The quality of teaching is not consistently good across the school. Teachers do not always set work at the correct levels for pupils.  The recording of actions taken to address the behaviour of pupils is not documented sufficiently well.  Middle leaders are not sufficiently involved in the observation of teaching and learning of pupils.

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The school has the following strengths

 Teaching and learning in the upper years of Key Stage 2 ensure at least good or better progress by pupils to achieve at above- average levels.  By the time pupils leave Year 6 their attainment in reading is high.  Pupils who are disabled, those who have special educational needs and those eligible for pupil premium funding progress equally as well as other groups in the school.  Pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is promoted very effectively. Pupils are encouraged to understand the world around them through a range of experiences.  Pupils feel very safe. They behave very well in class and around school. They work hard in lessons and are helpful and considerate to others.  Leaders and governors have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas of development. Effective training is improving the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.  There is a strong team approach in the school

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The school has the following strengths

and this is well linked to progressing teachers’ professional development, with two moving on to promoted posts recently.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 12 lessons taught by six different teachers. One was a joint observation with the headteacher. In addition, the inspection team made a number of other short visits to lessons and listened to reading.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, pupils, members of the governing body and staff, and a discussion was held with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 59 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) over the period of the inspection. In addition, they considered a letter from parents, had a telephone discussion with a parent and held discussions with parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors took account of 14 staff questionnaires.  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

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Information about this inspection

to behaviour and attendance, and information relating to safeguarding.  Inspectors observed pupils during morning playtime and attended two assemblies.

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Inspection team

Kate Pringle, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Mark Lovell Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This 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 pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those children in local authority care and those from service families, is average.  The greater majority of pupils are of White British background.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school exceeds the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school provides a breakfast and after-school club for pupils.  The school became an academy in December 2012 and is part of the Tudhoe Learning Trust, a group of four schools of which the headteacher of Tudhoe Colliery Primary is executive

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Information about this school

headteacher.  There have been a number of changes to staffing in the school over recent months mainly due to promotion of staff or to ill-health.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate progress and attainment at Key Stage 1 in English and mathematics, to be consistent with other stages of learning in the school, by ensuring that teachers set work at the correct levels for all pupils so that they are challenged to make good progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is consistently good or better by: - making sure lessons have good pace by reducing the time teachers take to introduce lessons so that pupils have more time to practise their skills and show what they can do - giving pupils the opportunity to return to marked work to correct or improve their skills in writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by: - making sure that all actions taken to support the safeguarding of pupils are fully recorded - extending the roles of middle managers to check that all lessons are good or better and teachers consistently evaluate and improve their own performance.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children enter the Reception class with skills below those expected for their age. Staff work well together to provide stimulating experiences and focus strongly upon developing children’s speaking and listening skills and their social and personal development. This helps children to be ready to learn and they make good progress in counting and reading, entering Year 1 with skills securely in line with others nationally.  Pupils leave Year 6 with overall achievement above average. There is accelerated progress over the upper years of Key Stage 2 and progress across these years is at least good and often better. Standards in reading are particularly high, with those in writing and mathematics being above average.  Pupils say that teachers help them to learn and they enjoy the challenges teachers provide to make them think. The majority of parents, from discussions and responses to the questionnaire,

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

believe that their children make good progress within the school. However, some raised concerns about the impact of recent staffing changes on the progress their children were making.  In some classes progress is largely at expected levels rather than the more rapid progress found elsewhere. This means that the average attainment achieved by pupils at the end of Reception is not improved upon in some year groups.  Across the school all groups, including pupils with disabilities and those with special educational needs, make similar progress to others overall in their year group because the school understands what pupils need in the way of support to enable them to succeed.  Pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding also make similar progress to their classmates. By Year 6 the impact of the quality of support for these pupils means that they outperform this group nationally.  Reading is a strength of the school. Year 1 pupils now achieve above national levels in the

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

screening test for pupils. They read with increasing confidence using their ‘sounding out’ strategies well to decode new words. Older pupils read with accuracy and fluency. They have good opportunities to read widely in school and enjoy reading at home.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Evidence from lesson observations, looking at pupils’ books and teachers’ planning indicates that the quality of teaching varies across the school. This is linked to the inconsistent progress pupils make across different classes.  Sometimes teachers spend too much time in explanation and this means that pupils have less time to be actively involved in their own learning and show what they can do. When teachers do not use information about pupils’ attainment as a starting point to plan the lesson, work is not well matched to pupils’ needs and progress slows.  Pupils enjoy learning. They have strong relationships with their teachers and very good attitudes to work. They take pride in what they do and are persistent even when they find work difficult. Their engagement in the best lessons, which provide opportunities for them to question and investigate, is particularly enthusiastic as they apply their learnt skills in literacy and number

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

through tasks which challenge at individual levels.  Where learning is good or better, teachers provide a range of successful opportunities for pupils to discuss and consider different strategies. This adds to their understanding of what they are learning. For example, Year 6 successfully used their skills to interpret the class reading book to argue a case for, or against, the exclusion of ‘Bradley’ from school. They showed considerable thought and reflection to interpret and infer a chosen passage. They used their understanding of acceptable behaviour within school and the consequences of disobeying rules.  There is regular marking of pupils’ books. Teachers who provide best feedback for pupils clearly indicate how well pupils have achieved against their individual targets and where they need to improve. There are good opportunities for pupils to return to past work and amend work in the light of teachers’ comments. This high quality is not yet consistent across the school.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants are well deployed across the school. Their work with pupils shows particular impact on the progress of those who are disabled, have special educational needs or who have fallen behind in their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are keen to come to school and respect their teachers and friends. They have good attitudes to learning and behave well in class. Successful work in understanding and respecting the rights of people has a positive effect. Older pupils are given a range of responsibilities in, for example, the school council and being ‘eco-warriors’. This increases their confidence and promotes the pupils’ thoughts and opinions of the school.  A small minority of parents expressed concerns about behaviour and bullying. Discussions with pupils and observations of them at work and play around the school showed that they are considerate of each other as they share and help each other around the school. There are no exclusions and racist incidents are rare.  Pupils recognise the different forms of bullying and say that when this does happen there are always staff to turn to who are quick to act and resolve their worries and concerns. Pupils say

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

they feel safe coming to school. They understand the ‘traffic light’ system which identifies unacceptable behaviour and the consequences of any such actions.  Attendance is around the national average. Good support and communication with parents have lowered the number of pupils who have extended periods of absence.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 A number of changes have taken place within the school recently with the change to academy status and membership of the Tudhoe Learning Trust. The recent promotion of two teachers within the school to promoted posts within the trust has led to changes in leadership roles where some are new to responsibilities. Since Easter there has been a reallocation of pupils across the school due to staff absence.  The headteacher and governors of the school recognise the rapidity of change. A small minority of parents are concerned at the pace of change within the school and feel that the consistency of provision has been affected. Governors and the headteacher recognise parents’ concerns and are working to secure the stability of the school.  The school has secure policies to support safeguarding within the school and overall safeguarding meets requirements. Actions to address poor behaviour are reported by pupils to

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The leadership and management require improvement

be rapid and effective. However, the recording of these actions is insufficiently well documented.  There is a strong team spirit within the school and staff create a positive atmosphere in which pupils work and play. The high expectations of the headteacher and purposeful approaches to support learning have been particularly successful in some areas, which are reflected in the overall achievement of pupils, and pupils are well placed to make best use of their future education.  Staff access a range of training identified through staff performance management targets in order to improve the quality of lessons, with appropriate awards for good performance.  Tracking systems to check pupils’ progress are robust and quickly identify pupils who make less than expected progress. Although this information is used effectively by a number of teachers to plan lessons, it is not consistently used well by all.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher have a good understanding of the quality of teaching in the school and recognise the variability between classes. Presently, middle leaders, some of whom are new to responsibility, are not fully part of the monitoring process to help teachers evaluate and improve their individual performance.  There is a clear sense of purpose as staff work hard to ensure that pupils have an equal opportunity to succeed. This includes those who are disabled, who have special educational needs or those in receipt of pupil premium funding. As a result, the gaps between these groups and others in the school are gradually narrowing.  The wide range of experiences for pupils provides good opportunities to develop a range of other interests, from gardening to sports. Older pupils increase their confidence and self-esteem by visiting an outdoor activity centre. A series of topics provides pupils with the opportunity to

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The leadership and management require improvement

learn about different times and places. Increasingly, lessons provide practical and lively activities through which pupils are encouraged to practise and develop their writing and number skills.  Spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is strong and underpins all aspects of school life. Successful use is made of the Rights Respecting initiative to model effective relationships.  The school is well thought of by the local authority, which instigated the move towards academy and trust status because of the school’s past performance. Over recent years it has provided light-touch support.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors are experienced and demonstrate many skills which they use effectively to manage the school. They work closely with staff and share the headteacher’s high expectations. They hold the school’s performance to account and are ready not only to support but also to challenge the school as they check the impact of funding on pupils’ performance. They recognise the concerns of parents over the numerous changes of the past months and are working hard to maintain strong and positive links with families. The work of the headteacher, staff and governors to provide an effective and caring school is central to the vision and ethos of this school.

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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 138557 Local authority Durham Inspection number 411380

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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 Academy converter School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 159 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ivan Whitfield Principal Jim Smith Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01388 814399 Fax number 01388 812639 Email address tudhoecolliery@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

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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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