Woodham Burn Community Primary School

School report Woodham Burn Community Primary School Humphrey Close, Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, DL5 4EX

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 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.  Pupils make good progress from their starting points and achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics.  By the end of Year 6 standards are at least average and are improving.  The Early Years Foundation Stage provides excellent opportunities for learning and good relationships are formed. As a result, children settle quickly into school life and make good progress.  Teaching is good overall; consistently strong teaching is seen in all key stages.  Pupils’ behaviour is good; their positive attitudes to learning contribute to the good progress being made in all areas of the school.  School leaders and staff work effectively to keep pupils safe and secure.  Achievement has improved since the last inspection as a result of the work done by school leaders and governors to improve the quality of teaching.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The good standard of work seen in literacy and mathematics books is not carried through to the work in other subjects.  The curriculum is not planned to provide pupils with enough opportunities to extend their good basic skills or deepen their knowledge and understanding in a range of subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 12 lessons or parts of lessons. All classes were seen at least once. Learning walks were also carried out.  Meetings were held with senior and subject leaders, representatives of the governing body, and groups of pupils. A telephone discussion was held with the representative from the local authority.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s website.  Inspectors looked at a range of the school’s documentation, including the school’s evaluation of its own performance, the school’s own data on pupils’ achievement, minutes of the governing body’s meetings, monitoring records and the records of how the school uses its funding, especially how pupil premium and sport funding are used.  Inspectors analysed 25 responses to the on-line parent questionnaire (Parent View) and took into account these views as well as responses from a recent parent survey carried out by the school.  There were 22 responses to the staff questionnaire and these were taken into account by

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Inspection team

Jane Salt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Gordon Potter Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is similar in size to an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported by pupil premium funding is above average.  Most of the pupils are White British and the proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils or pupils with special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is above average and rising.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is outstanding, in order to further raise standards by:  providing pupils with enough opportunities to extend their good basic literacy skills in a range of subjects across the curriculum  ensuring that pupils have more opportunities to apply mathematics skills in other areas of the curriculum and in situations where there may be more than one way of solving a problem.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Review and refine the curriculum so that it provides more opportunities to extend pupils’ basic skills and deepens knowledge and understanding in a range of subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start school in the Early Years Foundation Stage class with skills that are less well developed than those typical for their age. They make good progress and, by the end of Reception Year, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development is broadly average.  Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 have improved since the last inspection. Pupils’ work shows that they are making good progress from their starting points and are developing their reading, writing and mathematical skills well.  Pupils continue to make good progress from individual starting points in Key Stage 2 so that, by the end of Year 6, standards are at least in line with national averages overall.  The most able pupils in all year groups make good progress. They are given more difficult work in lessons and respond well to the challenges they are set. These pupils are achieving at levels higher than those indicated by their age so that, by the end of Year 6, many are reaching above

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The achievement of pupils is good

nationally expected standards in their work.  Standards in reading are good. Pupils have good reading skills, including a range of strategies to help them read unfamiliar words and make sense of more difficult texts. Older pupils choose books for themselves and are encouraged to read books of different types, both fiction and non- fiction.  Although standards in writing at the end of Year 6 in 2013 were lower than in reading and mathematics, school assessments now show that there has been improvement and a greater proportion of pupils are reaching above nationally expected standards than previously. Pupils’ literacy books show they can write well for different audiences and purposes, but these skills are less evident in their work in a range of subjects.  Pupils supported by the pupil premium make good progress from their starting points and most do as well as other groups of pupils. School data show that the attainment of pupils known to be

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The achievement of pupils is good

eligible for free school meals is similar to that of other pupils in reading, writing and mathematics.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs generally make good progress and are well supported through intervention programmes and extra support in small groups.  Achievement of pupils from a minority ethnic background is similar to that of other pupils.  The school promotes equality of opportunity well; school leaders ensure that appropriate support is given to all pupils, so they have an equal chance to succeed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good in all areas of the school. This is demonstrated by what can be seen in lessons and in pupils’ books. Pupils make good progress over time as a result of good guidance from teachers about how to improve. In a class for pupils in Years 3 and 4, when talking about the steps to success, the class was reminded, ‘You came up with these!’ and a pupil told the inspector, ‘and we’ve got our targets sheet and our non-negotiables’.  The Early Years Foundation Stage provides an excellent start for children of all abilities with many opportunities which make learning exciting. Children are able to access lots of different activities and are well supported by adults who encourage and guide their learning skilfully. Teachers plan lessons that make sure pupils build on previous learning.  Teachers and teaching assistants use good questioning to check what pupils already know and to challenge them further. Pupils are grouped by ability for literacy and mathematics lessons. In

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The quality of teaching is good

Key Stage 1, groups are broken down further to ensure that all pupils are working at the precise levels they need and, as a result, all groups make good progress.  Reading is taught well through a rigorous programme in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. Pupils have opportunities to read more widely, particularly in Key Stage 2. They also read for enjoyment and the most able readers choose challenging texts. For example, one girl chose Watership Down because ‘I want to know if there’s more in the book than in the film.’  Books are well presented and neat; there is a good amount of work in literacy and mathematics books. They are regularly and thoroughly marked; teachers’ comments help the pupils know what they have done well and what they need to do to improve further. There is also an expectation that pupils respond to the marking, either to correct or to improve their work and sometimes to attempt a further challenge. This focus on marking and feedback is helping pupils

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The quality of teaching is good

to move on more rapidly in their learning and pupils say that they find it helpful.  Pupils’ books show that they have opportunities to use their writing skills in subjects other than English, but also indicate that basic skills are not always further extended, resulting in work that is of a variable quality. There are examples of good quality writing in different subjects on displays around the school, but this standard is not always seen in pupils’ books.  There are limited opportunities for pupils to use their mathematics skills in other subjects or in different situations to solve problems.  Teaching assistants contribute well to pupils’ learning. They are effective in supporting small groups to develop reading and writing skills. They also provide good support in lessons, often noticing when pupils have not fully understood and so need reassurance or further explanation.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They are polite and sensible when moving around the school or on the playground. Pupils of all ages respond well to the high expectations of staff and this is reflected in the neat and tidy presentation of the school.  Attitudes to learning are very positive and behaviour in lessons is good. Pupils are keen to learn and take a pride in their work; they want to do well and please their teachers; for example, a pupil in Key Stage 1 was proud of her work, saying, ‘Look how much I’ve done already!’  Pupils have a good understanding and awareness of bullying in its different forms. A small number of incidents involve name-calling, but pupils say they are confident that teachers can sort out any problems that may arise.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. There are robust systems in place to follow up concerns and ensure that appropriate actions are taken.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are aware of how to keep themselves safe, including e-safety; they understand that the school has procedures in place to keep them safe.  Attendance is in line with the national average. There are a few pupils whose attendance is below average, but the school is working hard to promote punctuality and good attendance and, with the active support of governors, there is a relentless drive to improve attendance further.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders, including governors, are ambitious for the school and have high expectations and aspirations for all pupils. They promote a caring ethos, supporting pupils to achieve as well as they can.  The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection, as a result of focused actions by school leaders. Lessons are checked regularly; feedback from senior leaders is accurate and helps colleagues to improve further. As a result, the quality of teaching is now consistently good, although not yet outstanding, and pupils’ work is not always of the same good standard across the range of different subjects.  The progress of all groups of pupils is monitored carefully. The information is used to target support for groups and individuals of all abilities, so that good rates of progress are sustained.  The role of middle leaders has been developed since the last inspection and they are now

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The leadership and management are good

playing a larger part in ensuring that standards in the school continue to improve. Their work is helping to ensure that pupils receive the help they need to make good progress.  The performance of teachers is monitored and teachers know what is expected of them. The progress of pupils is used as a measure of their effectiveness as well as their contribution to the main improvement priorities for the school.  Training and professional development are provided to make sure teachers are well equipped to carry out their work to at least a good standard. The headteacher has developed links with a neighbouring school to provide opportunities for staff to work with a wider range of colleagues as part of the improvement work of the school.  The local authority has provided effective support and training which helped the school to plan the actions which have resulted in the improvement in standards since the last inspection. The

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The leadership and management are good

level of support has reduced appropriately as the school’s own capacity for improvement has increased.  Learning walks provide evidence of a curriculum that has some breadth and promotes spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, although pupils’ work does not yet reflect deeper learning in all subjects. For example, the quality of pupils’ writing on a display about World War 1 was of a better standard than other writing in ‘topic’ books. The provision for sport and physical education is a growing strength of the school. The primary school sport funding has increased the number of activities and has had a good impact on pupils’ confidence and well- being.  The governance of the school:  Governors share the ambition and aspirations of school leaders; they have an accurate view of standards and the quality of teaching. Minutes of governor meetings show that there is increasing challenge from the governing body and thorough discussion of the performance of

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The leadership and management are good

the school and comparison with national expectations.  Governors carry out their duties to ensure that the quality of teaching and the performance of all staff are evaluated regularly and financial incentives are used appropriately to reward good performance or tackle any weaknesses.  Governors are actively involved in initiatives to improve attendance and improve standards in reading; their work in this area is leading to lower levels of absence and increased reading opportunities for focus groups of pupils.  Governors are aware of their responsibilities regarding safeguarding and have ensured the school’s arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements.

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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 109302 Local authority Durham Inspection number 442206

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 232 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jason Steward Headteacher Riannon Rowe Date of previous school inspection 31 January 2013 Telephone number 01325 300230 Fax number 01325 318009 Email address r.rowe100@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 and 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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