High Clarence Primary School

High Clarence Primary School Port Clarence Road, Middlesbrough, Cleveland, TS2 1SY

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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 make good progress from very low starting points so that they reach the standards expected of them by the time they leave at the end of Year 6. This is particularly the case in reading and mathematics. Pupils make good progress in reading because they read frequently and are taught well. They enjoy mathematics and work hard to improve their skills.  Teaching is good because teachers plan activities that stimulate and interest pupils. Teachers explain new work carefully and ask questions to check pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Pupils who find learning more difficult receive good support from teachers and their assistants so that they too make good progress.  Pupils are proud of their school and their work. They are considerate towards adults and each other so that their behaviour in lessons and around the school is consistently good. Staff are fair, firm and positive so that pupils thrive

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

and grow in confidence. Pupils know how to stay safe, in particular they know that rare incidents of bullying will be dealt with quickly.  The school plays an important and active part in the local community. Parents find staff extremely approachable and have high levels of confidence in the headteacher.  Leaders regularly check the quality of teaching and the attainment of pupils to make sure pupils are making enough progress. As a result, the quality of teaching has improved and standards are rising.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils are not making rapid enough progress in writing in order to reach national standards by the end of Year 6.  Some teaching requires improvement and not enough is outstanding.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed nine lessons or parts of lessons taught by eight teachers, and looked at pupils’ work. Some of these observations also involved the headteacher.  The inspector talked to groups of pupils and heard others in Year 1, Year 2 and Year 6 read.  Not enough parents responded to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View), so the inspector spoke to individual parents at the start of the school day and a group of parents and the local Member of Parliament, who was visiting the school, during a short meeting.  The inspector met with senior and middle leaders, teachers, members of the governing body, and a school improvement professional who works with the school.  The school’s improvement plan and records of pupils’ achievement, records of the quality of teaching, pupils’ behaviour and safeguarding were examined.

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Inspection team

Christine Cottam, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 High Clarence Primary is smaller than the average sized primary school.  The vast majority of pupils is of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is much higher than the national average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are 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, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is higher than is usually seen.  There were few pupils in Year 6 in 2012 and so the government's measure of meeting floor standards does not apply.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is always good and a greater proportion is outstanding by:  ensuring that teachers have very high expectations so that all pupils are challenged to make more rapid progress in all parts of the lesson  making sure teachers take more account of the full ability range of pupils when teaching the whole class together, in particular the most able.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all pupils make more rapid progress in writing so that a greater proportion reaches and exceeds the standards expected nationally at the end of Year 6 by:  providing more opportunities for pupils to practise and use their writing skills in English and in other subjects  making sure pupils have regular opportunities to edit and improve their writing  making sure the action plan to improve writing has very precise targets and more urgent timescales.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start school in Nursery with skills and abilities that are much lower than those typically found for their age. Good teaching throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage helps children to make good progress, although the vast majority have still not achieved all the skills they need when they start school in Year 1.  Even though pupils make good progress in Year 1 and Year 2, standards remain below average in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Key Stage 1. Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 2 so that by the time they leave at the end of Year 6 the majority has reached the standards expected for their age, particularly in mathematics and reading. A growing proportion of the most-able pupils is now reaching higher levels in these subjects.  All pupils make the progress expected in mathematics and almost half are making even better progress than that. This is because they enjoy mathematics and always strive to do their best.

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The achievement of pupils is good

They have lots of opportunities to practise their number skills and have a good understanding of other areas of mathematics such as shape and measures.  Pupils are taught to read systematically and regularly from a young age. The school actively encourages pupils to read at home and rewards them when they do. The school is very focused on the improvement of reading and this is helping to ensure that most pupils read well by the time they leave the school at the end of Year 6.  Pupils make good progress in their writing skills from very low starting points. Their progress is not yet rapid enough to help more pupils reach or exceed the levels expected for their age. This is because pupils do not always have enough opportunities to practise their writing for themselves in English or in other subjects. They are not given sufficient opportunities to edit or improve their writing so that they can make even better progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The achievement of disabled pupils or those with special educational needs is good. This is because their needs are identified accurately and they have good support in lessons both from teachers and their assistants.  The small number of pupils in each year group, together with the very small proportion of pupils who are not eligible for pupil premium, make comparisons unreliable. Inspection evidence shows that pupils eligible for pupil premium make similarly good progress to that of their peers in both English and mathematics. This demonstrates the school’s commitment to promoting equality of opportunity and tackling discrimination.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is usually good with a small proportion that is outstanding and a similar amount that requires improvement. Teachers plan interesting lessons that motivate pupils to work hard. Teachers explain new work clearly and ask pupils questions in order to know how well they understand. They set work which is accurately matched to the different abilities of pupils so that they can practise their skills and develop their understanding.  Where teaching is outstanding it is because expectations are very high, for example, in an information and communication technology (ICT) lesson where pupils were expected to use their computer skills to produce a poster to illustrate everything they had learned about magnets in their science lessons. The work set by the teacher was challenging and imaginative. Pupils were expected to apply their computer skills from previous lessons to demonstrate their knowledge in

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The quality of teaching is good

science.  These very high expectations are not evident in the majority of lessons so that teaching is good rather than outstanding.  When teachers are teaching the whole class at the same time they do not always pitch the work accurately for different abilities so that the pace of learning is slower for some pupils, particularly those of higher ability.  Teachers have good subject knowledge in mathematics so that it is taught effectively. Pupils thrive within a competitive approach so that they want to do their best and achieve the next level. As a result, pupils are rapidly gaining the numeracy skills they need.  Reading is taught regularly and well throughout the school so that pupils have good opportunities to practise and improve their skills and understanding.  Teachers assess pupils’ progress accurately by regularly marking their work. This also helps pupils to know how to improve. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to return to previous

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The quality of teaching is good

work and edit or improve it so that they can reach even higher standards, particularly in their writing.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage thrive in a well-organised and vibrant atmosphere that is calm, friendly, firm and fair. Routines are established quickly and children learn to share and consider others. This nurtures their confidence and independence well.  This positive approach continues throughout the school so that all pupils feel valued and enjoy school. This skilled approach to behaviour management helps pupils to learn without disruption. As a result, behaviour is always good in lessons.  Pupils are proud of their school and their work. This is seen in the way they always try to present their work carefully and neatly.  The outdoor play areas are well-organised with lots for pupils to do so that they play well together.  Older pupils enjoy the additional responsibilities they are given and sometimes take the initiative for themselves. For example, Year 6 pupils organise a ‘bully-box’ where pupils can report

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

incidents and know they will be dealt with quickly and effectively. As a result, pupils say that bullying and name-calling are rare.  Pupils who need additional support for their behavioural needs are supported extremely well by teachers and their assistants so that they too behave well. As a result, there is little or no need for exclusion.  Pupils have frequent opportunities to learn to keep themselves safe, for example on the roads and on the Internet. They have a good understanding of different types of bullying and say they feel safe.  Attendance has improved over time and is average.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders, governors and staff share the headteacher’s strong commitment to ensuring that pupils are valued and achieve well. This strong caring ethos helps to promote good social skills so that behaviour is good.  All leaders are involved in regularly checking the quality of teaching by observing lessons and looking at pupils’ work. They also carefully track the progress pupils are making. Leaders use this information well to manage the performance of teachers. All teachers have high expectations of their own performance so that teaching is improving and pupils are making more rapid progress, particularly in reading and mathematics.  Leaders have an accurate picture of the school’s improvement priorities and have plans in place to address these. The actions within these plans are not always precise enough, nor do they have tight enough timescales in order to bring about even faster improvements, for example to

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The leadership and management are good

the quality of pupils’ writing. Leaders have a strong capacity to improve because they have already been successful in raising standards in mathematics and reading.  Links with parents and the local community are a particular strength of the school. Parents say that the school keeps them well-informed and is always welcoming so that rare issues can be dealt with quickly. Parents have no concerns about behaviour or bullying.  The curriculum is vibrant with good enrichment activities to broaden the horizons of pupils. However, there are not enough opportunities for pupils to use their writing skills in other subjects. Pupils say they enjoy physical education and have also had lots of opportunities to go to the theatre. The curriculum is effective in promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding so that there are high levels of mutual respect and no evidence of discrimination.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is a caring, safe environment where safeguarding practices meet statutory requirements.  The support of a local authority school improvement adviser has helped the school to improve the indoor and outdoor areas used by children in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The governance of the school:  The governing body knows how well the school is performing because it is kept well-informed by the headteacher and governors come into school to check for themselves. This means that governors have a detailed knowledge about the quality of teaching and of their performance management so that good teachers are rewarded appropriately. Governors ask challenging questions in meetings, for example, when they had expressed concerns that pupils were not attaining higher than average levels. This is now starting to happen particularly in mathematics. Resources, such as pupil premium funding and the new primary school sport

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The leadership and management are good

funding, are used well to ensure that all pupils make good progress. Sports coaches are coaching pupils alongside teachers to improve the skills of teachers and this is helping to make sure that pupils are more physically active.

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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 111523 Local authority Stockton-on-Tees Inspection number 426009

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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 93 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ann McCoy Headteacher Jean Orridge Date of previous school inspection 22 June 2011 Telephone number 01642 561237 Fax number 01642 566481 Email address highclarence.school@stockton.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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