East Rainton Primary School

East Rainton Primary School School Road, East Rainton, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear. DH5 9RA

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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.  Children start school with skills that are below what is typical for their age. They get a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage, as they settle quickly into this caring school and make good progress.  Pupils continue to make good progress across the school. By the time they leave Year 6 they reach standards that are broadly average overall and above average in mathematics.  Teaching is good. Teachers are adept at questioning pupils and they plan well to meet their needs. Teachers have very good relationships with pupils. As a result, they respond well to teachers during lessons.  Support staff work well with pupils both in and out of lessons. They assist well pupils with specific needs. Support for the teaching of reading is particularly strong. It has had a positive impact on pupils’ reading skills.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils enjoy coming to school and attendance is improving. They

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

also take responsibility around the school and contribute well to its day-to-day running. Pupils have a good understanding of keeping safe in varying situations and of different types of bullying.  The headteacher has high expectations and is ambitious for the pupils in the school. She is well supported by all staff. The quality of teaching has improved and standards in mathematics have risen. Staff are keen to improve even further.  Governors have a wide range of skills. They manage the school’s finances well and are very knowledgeable about how the school is doing. They know its strengths and the areas where it needs to improve. They regularly check on the school’s work including the quality of teaching.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not yet outstanding as pupils are not given opportunities to work on tasks that enable them to develop independence. Pupils do not have enough occasions to check on their own learning and progress.  Standards in writing are not high enough. Pupils have weak handwriting skills and a lack of opportunities to write in other subjects. Marking does not always indicate to pupils the precise requirements for different types of writing.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 15 lessons or parts of lessons, of which one was observed jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors looked at groups of pupils working with teaching assistants and specifically listened to Year 2 pupils read, and other year groups in lessons.  Inspectors talked to a range of pupils, including the school council, about their work and play in school. They also looked at a range of pupils’ work across the school.  Meetings were held with six governors as well as teaching staff, including subject leaders and the senior leadership team.  Inspectors observed the overall work of the school and studied a number of documents including the school’s data about pupils’ current progress. They also examined documents relating to safeguarding, governance, behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors took account of 20 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). They also considered the school’s staff questionnaires.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked at a range of other evidence including school displays, its website and work representing the school’s wider achievements beyond the classroom.

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Inspection team

David Shearsmith, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Barbara Redhead Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller in size than an average-sized primary school.  An average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium. (This 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.)  A below-average proportion of pupils are supported at school action. An average proportion of pupils are supported at school action plus or have a statement of special educational needs.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The school has achieved the Healthy Schools, Basic Skills Quality Mark and International Dimension Silver Awards.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The Early Years Foundation Stage is currently taught in one class which includes Nursery and

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Information about this school

Reception children.  The school has before- and after-school care, managed by the governing body.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is outstanding by:  ensuring that all pupils know how to be successful in lessons so they can check on their own learning and progress  giving pupils more open-ended tasks that enable them to work independently in order that they can accelerate their own learning and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards in writing across the school by:  giving more opportunities for pupils to write for a purpose in other subjects  improving pupils’ handwriting skills so they write more efficiently  improving the marking of writing so that pupils are given clear points for improvement related to the type of writing they are learning about.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start school with skills that are below what is typical for their age. Some have particular weaknesses in their literacy skills. They settle well and make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The school provides a warm and friendly approach to ensuring pupils do well from the moment they arrive.  Pupils continue to make good progress across Key Stage 1. They reach standards that are broadly average at the end of Year 2. Standards are just above average in mathematics and close to average in reading. Despite some signs of improvement, attainment in writing is below average.  Pupils make good progress across the school. By the time pupils leave Year 6 standards in mathematics are above average. The school has been successful in improving teaching in this area. In reading, standards are broadly average. Small year groups and pupils’ different specific needs mean that standards vary markedly from year to year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards in writing are relatively weaker across the school as pupils have underdeveloped handwriting skills and insufficient opportunities to write in other subjects.  The teaching of mathematics has improved, with good attention given to developing pupils’ calculation skills and their ability to apply these skills. This accounts for the rising standards in this subject at both key stages.  The school has developed a good system for teaching phonics (sounds that letters make). A support teacher delivers specific help to ensure that pupils with weaker skills make good progress. Consequently, in the 2013 Year 1 reading check pupils’ results were above the national average, an improvement on 2012.  Pupils who are more-able make good progress overall. They reach standards that are above average, particularly in reading and mathematics, as teachers provide challenges for them in most lessons. These pupils, however, do not always reach higher levels in their writing, as

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The achievement of pupils is good

marking does not always help them achieve a higher standard.  Pupils known to be entitled to the pupil premium, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, make good progress as the school uses its funding well. By the time they leave Year 6, they are almost three terms ahead of similar pupils nationally. Attainment is well-above average and almost in line with their peers in reading, writing and mathematics. This demonstrates the school’s successful promotion of equality of opportunity.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress due to good teaching from support staff. They currently reach standards that are above average for similar pupils nationally, in reading and mathematics, and close to the national average in writing, by the time they leave Year 6.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is typically good in the Early Years Foundation Stage. For example, children developed their early reading skills well in one lesson because the teacher effectively met their individual needs, took them through a quick-fire rehearsal of known words and carefully showed them how to form the letters linked to newly learnt sounds. They were readily able to recognise words and pictures and the lesson proceeded at a good pace.  Throughout the school, effective planning and appropriate activities promote pupils’ good progress. In a Year 2 lesson, pupils made good progress in their understanding of how to write instructions. The teacher effectively questioned pupils to ensure they knew how to be successful in their learning and could check on their own progress. Consequently, learning moved at a good pace as pupils were able to see whether they had achieved as well as they could. This is not true

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The quality of teaching is good

in all lessons as pupils are seldom encouraged to check on their own success.  In a lesson in the Year 5/6 class, the teacher’s good subject knowledge and well-planned lesson enabled pupils to make good progress in their understanding of sentence structure. However, the task was prescriptive, providing pupils with no opportunity to investigate sentences for themselves. This inhibited their overall rate of progress. Sometimes in lessons, there is an over- reliance on the teacher which also slows the pace of learning.  Teachers have recently revised how they mark pupils’ work, which they do regularly. There has been insufficient time for the new procedures to impact on standards in writing throughout the school, although in some classes there are signs of increased progress. In general, points for improvement do not sufficiently focus on enhancing the type of writing that pupils are working on.  Highly skilled support staff provide good support to pupils both in and out of lessons. In a small-

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The quality of teaching is good

group teaching session pupils made good progress because they were given work appropriate to their needs. They received a high quality experience that enhanced their reading skills, due to the teacher’s excellent subject knowledge.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils love coming to school and attend well. The school has improved attendance and has good systems in place to ensure that pupils do not miss too much time out of school so they can make good or better progress in their learning.  The school provides a good range of opportunities for pupils to learn about safety. They have a good knowledge of how to keep safe in different situations, including fire and water safety. Pupils also know how to keep safe when using the internet.  Pupils say that there is very little bullying in school as the school gives them good information about what constitutes bullying and quickly deals with any potential problems. Some pupils are ‘anti-bullying champions’ as they have been given the opportunity to train in anti-bullying. They are proud to take on the role.  Pupils readily take on responsibility in and around the school. They run the ‘Fair Trade’ tuck shop and support younger pupils in the playground as part of a ‘Playground Squad’. The school

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

council works alongside the governing body and has taken part in staff appointments as well as improving playground facilities. This is part of the school’s commitment to developing pupils as citizens.  Pupils have good attitudes to learning and respond well to staff in lessons. They work well as individuals and sometimes as partners and in groups. Pupils do not have sufficient opportunities, however, to initiate their own learning or work independently.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, ably supported by the deputy headteacher, has enabled the school to improve standards in mathematics. They have also improved standards in reading and developed the school’s subject leaders, so they more effectively check on how well pupils are performing in different subject areas. This demonstrates the school’s capacity to improve further.  Regular meetings with staff to check on pupils’ progress challenge teachers to improve standards and have improved teaching. The school has an accurate view of how well it is doing and has already put actions in place to remedy the weaknesses in writing. However, these have not yet had sufficient time to improve results in national tests.  The school uses performance management well to improve teaching and standards. Teachers are helped to improve through training and support, particularly where teaching is identified as weaker. They are also rewarded appropriately for their classroom performance and any

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The leadership and management are good

leadership role they have in the school.  The local authority provides good support to this good and improving school.  The school has a developing group of partnerships that supports its further improvement. Links with two local schools ensure that staff have opportunities to engage with staff teaching similar age ranges in other schools. In this way staff benefit from sharing expertise.  The school places a high priority on safeguarding and ensures that its procedures, as a minimum, comply with statutory requirements.  The school engages well with parents by providing good before- and after-school care for pupils. The school also gives parents good knowledge of its curriculum through the website and an information booklet.  Personal development is given a high priority. Pupils have regular access to musical, artistic and cultural experiences. They work and play well together as the school has a clear commitment to

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The leadership and management are good

developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.  The school’s curriculum meets pupils’ needs well. Pupils’ work is enriched by good quality visits and visitors that develop their understanding of the world around them. Sporting activities are a great strength of the school. It uses the new sports funding well. Coaches develop pupils’ skills and improve staff skills in the teaching of sport.  The governance of the school:  Governors have a good range of skills and use them effectively to support and challenge the school to continue to improve. They have a very good understanding of the school’s and national data. They recognise the school’s data is sometimes affected by the small size of some year groups. They know their school well and appreciate that writing needs to improve across the school. They have a rigorous system for checking on the work of the school through regular visits to look at lessons and pupils’ work. Governors manage the school

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The leadership and management are good

budget well and use the sport funding and pupil premium funding to good effect by employing sports coaches to improve the quality of teaching and additional support for reading. They know that these are making a difference to how well pupils achieve. They value the quality of teaching and reward staff appropriately for their work.

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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 108794 Local authority Sunderland Inspection number 425787

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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 125 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Janet Meek Headteacher Sara Toole Date of previous school inspection 16 November 2011 Telephone number 0191 553 6505 Fax number 0191 553 6506 Email address east.rainton.primary@schools.sunderland.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

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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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