Acklam Whin Primary School

Acklam Whin Primary School Carlbury Avenue, Acklam, Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, TS5 8SQ

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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.  Over the past three years, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics has been high. By the end of Year 6, an above average proportion of pupils attain significantly higher than the national average in English and mathematics.  Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage and make good progress by the end of Year 6.  Teaching is good. There are some examples of outstanding teaching in the school.  Pupils behave well in and around school. They feel very safe and cared for well. Moreover, they say they enjoy their learning and like their teachers.  The school contributes well towards pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The achievement of pupils supported by the pupil premium at least matches that of other pupils in school.  The learning of groups of pupils, particularly those who are disabled or who have special educational needs, is generally good.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders and managers have a positive effect on improving teaching and achievement. The school is well placed to improve.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils do not yet make outstanding progress throughout all year groups, particularly in writing. A minority of most-able girls do not make as rapid progress as they should.  A minority of teaching requires improvement and not enough is outstanding.  Teachers do not always provide the most able pupils with activities which encourage them to be independent.  Leaders do not always effectively use the information from the checks made on teaching, especially to share best practice.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 19 lessons, a number of small group and one-to-one sessions and listened to pupils reading.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body, a local authority representative and school staff.  Inspectors took account of the 29 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and a number of staff questionnaires.  A range of documents were looked at, including the school’s analysis of how well it is doing and its improvement plan, information about pupils’ progress and the observations of the quality of teaching, minutes of the governing body meetings and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding. The inspectors also examined pupils’ work.

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Inspection team

Sue Eland, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Nora Waugh Additional Inspector Barbara Waugh Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Acklam Whin is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding (additional funding provided for children in local authority care, those from service families and children known to be eligible for free school meals) is below average.  The majority of pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is well below average.  The proportion of children starting and leaving school at times other than expected is slightly above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve progress in writing so that it matches that of reading and mathematics by: – ensuring that pupils have more opportunities to write independently – ensuring that the curriculum captures pupils’ interest so that they want to write.  Improve the quality of teaching to ensure it is consistently good and more is outstanding by: – ensuring that lessons meet the needs of all pupils from the outset, especially most-able girls – reducing the amount of time given over to previous learning, repetition and introduction to lessons and allocating more time for independent work.  Improve leadership and management by ensuring that the rigorous monitoring of teaching is used effectively to improve teaching and share best practice so that teachers know how to improve.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children start nursery with skills and knowledge that are in line, or in some cases below, those typically expected for their age. They make good progress across the Early Years Foundation Stage. Teaching is generally good and is outstanding in the Nursery class. Adults ensure opportunities for playing and exploring, active learning, creativity and critical thinking. Pupils are well prepared for learning in Year 1.  Attainment by the end of Year 2 is well above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics and pupils make good progress from their individual starting points across Key Stage 1.  Progress in Key Stage 2 is good overall, accelerating in Years 5 and 6 where teaching is stronger. High standards have been sustained and by the end of Year 6, they are well above average in English and mathematics.  Writing has improved over time and attainment is well above average, although not as high as in

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The achievement of pupils is good

reading and mathematics. Progress is not consistently strong across the school because the quality of teaching of writing is not yet as good as that in other subjects.  Pupils make good or better progress in reading across the school. Letters and sounds are taught effectively and these skills are used well to decode new words. Older pupils read fluently and talk enthusiastically about reading.  Attainment in mathematics is high because basic skills are taught in a consistent way across all classes. As a result, pupils know how to tackle problems selecting the system that they find the easiest.  The school provides good support for the small number of disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and pupils who speak English as an additional language. Individual needs are effectively assessed and these pupils make generally good progress across the school. New strategies put in place for these pupils have a positive impact on learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The small number of pupils supported by the pupil premium, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, achieve well. In Year 6, the attainment of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is high in reading and mathematics and broadly average in writing. These pupils make as good progress as other pupils in the school.  The progress of the most able pupils overall is good by the time they leave the school. However, there is some variability in classes and the most able girls, in particular, do not always make enough progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching, in particular the teaching of reading and mathematics, has remained consistently good since the previous inspection.  Teaching is now good overall with some examples of outstanding teaching.  The best teaching engages and motivates pupils well. In these lessons, teachers match work accurately to pupils’ different needs. As a result, tasks are sufficiently challenging for all groups, behaviour is good or better and teaching assistants are deployed well. These lessons move along at a good pace, questioning is effective, pupils’ responses are good and they know how to improve their work. In some lessons, pupils review their own learning and identify what they need to do to make it better.  A minority of lessons require improvement. This is because pupils do not have enough time to work things out for themselves. Most-able pupils are not always given the opportunity to be independent, especially in writing, and their thinking is not always fully challenged.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In writing, teachers do not always ensure that the focus for writing captures pupils’ interest. This slows their progress because pupils struggle to be imaginative in their writing.  A variety of teaching methods enable effective, targeted support and intervention and these are well matched to most pupils’ individual needs. However, in some lessons, teachers do not always use assessment information to set work that is challenging enough for the most able pupils.  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly. In most classes, pupils are given clear guidance on what to improve and some pupils respond to these comments. In some classes, pupils are given the opportunity to assess how well they are doing and to comment on the work of their friends. This helps them to think more carefully about how well they understand their learning.  Pupils talk enthusiastically about ‘pupil conferencing’, when they hold discussions that enable

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good and this helps them to make progress. Pupils who spoke to inspectors said, ‘teachers help us’, ‘we feel safe’. Pupils were enthusiastic to talk about school and the wide range of extended clubs and activities the school provides.  In general, pupils respond quickly to instructions and the majority of lessons flow smoothly, without any disruption.  There is a positive ethos across the school. Pupils are polite and courteous and behave well in classrooms, in the playground and at lunchtimes.  Pupils have a good awareness of the different forms of bullying, in particular cyber bullying. They consider this not to be a problem in the school and are confident that should bullying happen, it would be dealt with quickly.  Pupils feel safe in school and most parents agree that their children are cared for very well. Effective partnerships with parents and external agencies ensure that any pupils who give cause

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

for concern are identified early and appropriate support is provided.  Pupils’ behaviour is managed successfully and the school has very effective systems in place to ensure pupils’ safety. The school works very effectively with pupils whose circumstances have made them potentially vulnerable.  The school provides good opportunities for pupils to take responsibility. Pupils are keen to contribute to the school community, for example, as school councillors. They are proud of their contribution to fundraising efforts, such as Children in Need.  Attendance has remained consistent over time and is broadly average compared to other schools nationally. The school is taking effective action to reduce the number of pupils who take holidays during term time.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders and managers have built on pupils’ achievement since the previous inspection and, overall, pupils’ progress has improved over time. The school knows its strengths and what it needs to do to improve. Priorities are accurate and actions are in place to tackle areas needing attention. The school is well placed to improve.  Leaders monitor teaching regularly but the results of this are not always used effectively to share the best practice seen in school. As a result, although teaching has many strengths, some weaker aspects remain, especially in the teaching of writing.  The monitoring of pupils’ progress is overall effective and generally used well to support help where it is most needed, although it does not always identify when the most able could make better progress. On the other hand, the school has taken effective action to ensure that the achievement of pupils supported by the pupil premium in English and mathematics at least

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The leadership and management are good

matches that of their peers. Overall, equality of opportunity is promoted successfully.  The arrangements for teachers’ performance management are improving and are increasingly linked to the quality of their teaching in class and the progress pupils make. However, the link between pupils’ performance in writing and the quality of teaching in the subject is not as clearly defined.  The school’s curriculum is good and covers a range of subjects. It contributes particularly well to pupils’ well-being and physical development. Not enough attention is given to ensuring writing activities capture pupils’ imagination.  The school works well with parents; the majority of parents are happy with the school and the progress that their children are making.  The school’s arrangements for keeping pupils safe meet statutory requirements.  Links with the local authority are effective. Leadership is contributing towards school

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The leadership and management are good

improvement in the wider area through collaboration and exchange partnership with another local school.  The governance of the school: – Governors review data on attainment and are aware of the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievements. They challenge the school effectively. As a result, the quality of teaching has been consolidated and pupils’ achievement has improved over time. Governors ensure the efficient management of financial resources. This leads to effective deployment of staff and resources. They check that the pupil premium benefits eligible pupils. Governors also use the Primary School Sport funding to enrich pupils’ experiences as well as improve teachers’ skills. Governors receive regular updates from the school and are given sufficient information to carry out their roles and responsibilities successfully.

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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 111586 Local authority Middlesbrough Inspection number 425936

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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 409 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Janice Brunton Headteacher John Lees Date of previous school inspection 11 December 2008 Telephone number 01642 813938 Fax number 01642 813443 Email address acklamwhin@middlesbrough.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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