Greenfields Community Primary School

Greenfields Community Primary School Taylor Avenue, Wideopen, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE13 6NB

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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’ achievement is good. Standards are above average. Pupils make good progress from their starting points.  Teaching is good overall and occasionally outstanding. Teachers use questions well, make it very clear to pupils what they are to learn and ensure work is well-matched to pupils’ individual skills and abilities.  The curriculum offers pupils many interesting opportunities to see the links between subjects. Pupils enjoy history, science, information and communication technology and art and a range of sports and extra- curricular activities.  The school offers excellent care and support and provides very well for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They care very well for one another and say they feel extremely safe. The school council is involved in making the school better for all pupils. Attendance is average.  Subject leaders have introduced initiatives

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

which have improved teaching and speeded up pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The headteacher and the governing body have a very clear understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They have very detailed information about pupils’ skills and abilities and have acted to improve teaching. As a result, attainment has risen. This is an improving school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In some lessons, the pace of learning is too slow, teachers spend too long introducing work and pupils do not get down to group or independent work quickly enough.  In some instances, when teachers mark work, they do not make it clear to pupils how to make their work better next time or allow time for pupils to act upon advice given.  Opportunities are missed for pupils to apply their mathematical skills in real life problem- solving situations and to write at length in English and other subjects.  Subject leaders are not fully skilled in holding teachers to account for pupils’ progress in their areas of responsibility.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors had meetings with staff, groups of pupils and the vice-chair and another member of the governing body. The inspectors also spoke to the school’s local authority School Development Partner.  The inspectors looked at a range of evidence including: the school’s improvement plan; the school’s data relating to pupils’ progress; monitoring reports; the work in pupils’ books; and the school’s documentation relating to safeguarding.  The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 19 lessons taught by 15 teachers and listened to groups of pupils in Year 1, 2 and Year 6 read. In addition, the inspectors made a number of short visits to lessons.  Inspectors conducted three joint observations of lessons with the headteacher and the assistant headteacher. The inspectors also observed the leaders reporting back to teachers on their findings regarding the quality of learning and pupils’ achievement in lessons.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors took into account the 11 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View). Inspectors also spoke to parents and analysed the school’s own questionnaire of parents’ views.  Twenty eight staff completed questionnaires and the responses were analysed.

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Inspection team

Gordon Potter, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Peter Harrison Additional Inspector Jane Beckett Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment.  There are a breakfast club and many after-school clubs which are managed by the governing body.  The headteacher is leaving at the end of the summer term.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently outstanding, to further raise standards and rates of pupils’ progress, by:  ensuring all lessons have appropriate pace and a balance between teacher-led activities and opportunities for pupils to work independently or in groups  ensuring that all teachers mark work for pupils in a way that helps pupils to do better next time and allows them time to act upon their advice  offering pupils even more opportunities to apply their skills in real-life problem-solving activities that have more than one answer in mathematics and in writing imaginatively and at length in English and other subjects  improving the skills of subject leaders in holding staff to account for pupils’ progress in their areas of responsibility.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children start school with skills that are below those typically expected for their age. Pupils make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 1 as a result of teaching that is good and occasionally outstanding. There is effective teaching of how to link letters to the sounds they make, writing and calculation. As a result, standards at the end of Year 2 are average in reading, writing and mathematics.  In 2012, attainment the end of Year 6 was average. While pupils made good progress in writing, they only made the progress expected of them in reading and mathematics. However, the work of pupils currently in Year 6 is above average. They have made good progress from their varying starting points which overall were average at the end of Year 2.  In 2012, fewer of the pupils who were eligible for the pupil premium made expected progress in English and mathematics than other pupils in the school. In national tests at the end of Year 6 in

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The achievement of pupils is good

2012, the attainment of those known to be eligible for free school meals was one year and a half behind other pupils in the school in mathematics and in English.  The school recognised that this was an area that needed addressing. As a result, it now helps those pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium to make the same good progress as is now made by pupils who are not eligible for this additional funding. Accordingly, the gap between these pupils and other pupils in the school is closing. The school has done this through successfully targeted support and clear tracking of their progress.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are helped to make the same good progress as their class mates. This is as a result of the well-targeted support and teaching they receive from teaching assistants and their teachers. In Year 6, pupils have made excellent progress in improving their reading skills as a result of a consistent approach and focussed

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The achievement of pupils is good

teaching. This clearly shows the school’s commitment to promoting equality of opportunity and tackling discrimination.  Inspection evidence shows that progress in reading is good and improving rapidly. This is a result of a consistent focus on reading and the development of pupils’ knowledge of how letters are linked to sounds helps them to read words they are not used to. There is a very effective focus in all classes on helping pupils to understand and enjoy books and read more often in school and at home.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good overall. While there are some examples of excellent practice, there are not enough to result in outstanding progress for pupils. Teaching in a few lessons still requires improvement, particularly when teachers spend too long introducing work and the pace of learning drops. This is also occasionally true with some highly skilled teachers who, being confident in their own strong skills of explanation and questioning miss opportunities to let pupils get on with work on their own or group work quickly enough.  All lessons have interesting topics and a range of exciting activities that interest pupils and allow them to see the links between subjects. Teachers question pupils well and encourage them to talk through ideas and solve problems with their partners. Teachers skilfully explain what pupils are to learn and lead them through ways to do tasks. Teachers use information about pupils’

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The quality of teaching is good

skills and abilities effectively to plan work which stretches the most able pupils and gives them extra work that challenges them further during lessons.  All of these excellent approaches were seen in mathematics lessons for pupils in Year 2 and one of the classes for pupils in Year 5 and Year 6. Teachers made it extremely clear to pupils what they were to learn and involved them activities that were extremely well-matched to their individual abilities. They skilfully introduced more difficult concepts to the most able pupils who thrived on the challenge. In these lessons, all pupils made rapid progress.  Teaching assistants are very well-used, for example, by the Year 2 teacher in the lesson above who deployed the teaching assistant not only to support and teach the least-able pupils, but to help clarify some misunderstandings for an able pupil the teacher had recognised as needing help.  Despite this excellent teaching of mathematical skills, there are too few opportunities for pupils

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The quality of teaching is good

to practise these skills in solving challenging problems related to everyday life.  Teachers use pupils’ reading, visits and the many exciting topics they cover in a range of subjects as the starting point for writing activities and progress in writing is good. However, while pupils write regularly in English and in subjects across the curriculum, opportunities are missed for pupils to write at greater length or to pursue their own ideas and creativity.  Teachers use targets extremely well so that pupils know very clearly what they need to do to reach the next level in their work. Pupils’ work is regularly marked and while there is good practice in most classes, not all teachers make it clear to pupils how they can improve their work or give pupils time to act upon any advice that is given.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that behaviour is good in lessons and around the school and any minor misbehaviour is quickly dealt with by their teachers. Indeed, much good behaviour was evident in lessons during the inspection, especially when pupils were able to get on with work quickly. Pupils are also motivated to behave well by `golden time’ and the house system which offers points as a reward for excellent conduct and work.  The needs of a very small number of pupils who have significant behavioural problems are very well managed by the school. This is the result of a consistent approach to behaviour management across the school. There are clear expectations and a consistent system of sanctions and rewards which help pupils have a very clear understanding of how to behave well. As a result, there have been no exclusions in recent years.  As a result of clear initiatives introduced by the school to encourage pupils to attend regularly

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

and on time, attendance has improved and is average.  Pupils feel very safe and are aware of different forms of bullying, including cyber-bullying or racism. They are very clear that any form of bullying is rare and when it does happen they are confident that it will be quickly dealt with by `playground buddies’ or adults. They are very polite to adults, keen to talk about their school, respect one another and work and play well together.  They develop social skills well through involvement in the forest school, in the breakfast and after-school clubs and through the many responsibilities they have in school, including as classroom monitors. The school council offers ideas to improve the playground, supports charities and helps to organise the summer fare. It has been fully involved in interviews for the new head teacher.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has a very clear view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. She has acted determinedly since the last inspection to improve the accuracy of assessment of pupils’ skills and abilities and has an impressive understanding of how such data are used to drive school improvement. There are very clear and detailed plans for the school’s future development which are regularly monitored by school leaders, including the governing body. As a result, standards have risen.  The headteacher and senior leaders work very well together. On the headteacher’s departure at the end of term, the deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher are to act as joint headteachers to ensure a smooth transition until a new headteacher is appointed. They are very well-informed about all aspects of the school and have the skills to move the school forward.  The headteacher has the vision and confidence to develop other leaders in school and to allow

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The leadership and management are good

them to introduce new approaches based on clear research and appropriate training. As a result, recent initiatives to improve the quality of the teaching of reading and mathematics as well as teachers’ questioning skills have ensured that pupils make good progress in all subjects.  All leaders regularly assess the quality of teaching and look at pupils’ work so that a consistent approach to learning is evident across school. They offer clear advice about how to improve teaching and teachers welcome and act upon this advice, including some teachers who are new to teaching and are still improving their skills.  While this has ensured that teaching across school is typically good, some subject leaders are not fully confident or skilful in holding teachers to account for pupils’ progress in their areas of responsibility. Accordingly, progress is good rather than outstanding.  Performance management is clearly focussed on increasing the rates at which pupils make

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The leadership and management are good

progress, improving the quality of teaching and raising standards. The headteacher has set demanding targets for teachers which have had an impact on all these areas. Teachers are very clear that they will only be rewarded when their pupils have done as well as, or better than, they should have done.  The curriculum is exciting and contributes well to pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. It is clearly focused on developing pupils’ basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics while providing many opportunities for pupils to develop their enjoyment of history, art, science and geography. This is particularly true of the school’s use of its extensive grounds to develop pupils’ independence, curiosity and understanding of the natural world.  The local authority works very effectively with the school. It has offered helpful advice on appointment procedures as well as helping the school to analyse its effectiveness. This advice

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The leadership and management are good

that has led to improvements in the quality of the teaching of reading and mathematics across school.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has an extremely clear view of the strengths of the school, and has acted determinedly to tackle the areas identified for improvement in the last inspection report. The governors skilfully manage the budget so that there have been clear improvements to clubs that benefit all pupils and in the environment for outdoor learning. They have a clear understanding of school data and have ensured that the gap in achievement between pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding and other pupils in the school is closing. The Chair of the Governing Body and the vice-chair are very well informed about the school’s work. They offer clear leadership so that all governors carry out their allotted roles highly effectively. They monitor the performance of all staff and ensure that they have received

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The leadership and management are good

appropriate training, for example, to ensure that pupils are kept safe from harm through safeguarding systems which meet current guidelines. Arrangements to replace the headteacher when she leaves in the summer have been very well-planned. The governing body is determined to ensure that they appoint an excellent headteacher.

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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 108609 Local authority North Tyneside Inspection number 411984

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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 360 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Harry Corlett Head teacher Lynda Phillips Date of previous school inspection 10 May 2010 Telephone number 0191 2007919 Fax number 0191 2366116 Email address greenfieldscommunity.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 (Carcass), 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 Text phone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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