Oxbridge Lane Primary School

Oxbridge Lane Primary School Oxbridge Lane, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, TS18 4DA

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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.  The very effective headteacher, ably supported by an equally skilled senior leadership team, has guided the school through a period of staff change. Together, they have taken decisive action to improve the school and ensure that teaching and pupils’ achievement are good.  Pupils, including those who are disabled or who have special educational needs and for those pupils whose first language is not English, achieve well.  Teaching over time is good. Teachers are using the much improved assessment information well to make sure that work is set at the right level for most pupils.  Strong relationships and excellent care and support ensure pupils feel safe and are eager to learn.  Behaviour is good because the school has a consistent approach and the needs of potentially vulnerable children are well met through a support group.  The curriculum is stimulating and captures pupils’ interests and promotes their learning. It

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.  Partnerships with other schools and the local authority have contributed successfully to the improvements in the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The work set is not always sufficiently challenging for a minority of the most able pupils.  Occasionally, teaching assistants do not do enough to check pupils’ understanding and pupils do not always respond to teachers’ marking.  The governing body is not yet fully effective in monitoring the priorities for improvement identified by senior leaders.  School improvement priorities do not always focus on pupils making better than expected progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning and teaching in 18 sessions and reviewed the work in pupil’s books, spoke to children and listened to some read.  The headteacher conducted three joint lesson observations with inspectors.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, and six members of the governing body including the Chair of the Governing Body. Other meetings were held with members of staff and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors looked at a number of documents, including risk assessments and accident logs and children’s learning journals in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They also looked at the school’s data relating to pupils’ progress, school records of the quality of teaching, minutes from meetings of the governing body, the school’s views of its own effectiveness and its improvement plans, as well as records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.  Inspectors considered 42 responses to the online survey (Parent View). Inspectors spoke

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Information about this inspection

informally to a number of parents and considered a recent parent questionnaire undertaken by the school.  The inspectors considered responses to inspection questionnaires completed by 22 staff.

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Inspection team

Kevin Dodd, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Carol Gater Additional Inspector Jane Beckett Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is well above the national average.  The proportions of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are well above average.  The proportion of pupils whose first language is not English is above average, with many pupils from Pakistani backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is above average. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, and children that are looked after by the local authority.  Recently, there have been significant changes in staffing throughout the school.  In 2013, the school did not meet the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school has achieved the Healthy School Status, Eco-Schools and Basic Skills awards.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to outstanding in order to raise standards further by:  making sure more able pupils are always set work that makes them think hard  ensuring teaching assistants consistently check pupils’ understanding and do more to address any misconceptions  making certain that pupils act on opportunities given by teachers to respond to marking and feedback and therefore improving their work  Further improve leadership and management, including governance, by:  ensuring that the school improvement priorities are more clearly focused on the proportion of pupils exceeding expected progress across the school  enhancing the governors’ involvement in monitoring the school improvement priorities.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 in 2013 were lower than usual, and pupils’ progress slower. A number of factors contributed to this, including some disruptions to teaching which have now been resolved. Current school assessments and inspection evidence shows that there has been a marked improvement to the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress. It is clear that the achievement of current pupils matches the good achievement seen in the years before the one-off 2013 dip.  Children start school with skills and abilities well below those typically expected for their age. A significant minority of children enter the Nursery with language and communication difficulties. Effective support enables these children to achieve as well as their peers. Overall, children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and are well prepared for Year 1.  Much improved teaching in Key Stage 1 ensures pupils make good progress from their starting

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The achievement of pupils is good

points and develop their reading, writing and mathematical skills well.  In Key Stage 2, progress is good and has accelerated this year due to strong teaching, especially in Years 3 and 6. In most years, pupils typically attain broadly average standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  Pupils make good progress in writing; they write in a variety of styles and express their ideas confidently.  Inspection evidence shows that pupils make good progress in reading. This is a result of effective teaching of how to link sounds and letters to help pupils read words they are not familiar with, and a successful use of data to monitor and improve progress.  Greater participation in physical education and sport, due to the new primary school sport funding, is helping pupils develop healthy lifestyles and reach the performance levels they are capable of.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, along with pupils whose first language

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The achievement of pupils is good

is not English, make particularly good progress due to carefully targeted intervention programmes.  The progress of pupils supported by the pupil premium, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, is improving. The school’s data shows that they make the same good progress as other pupils in the school. At the end of 2013, pupils who were known to be entitled to free school meals were about a year behind their peers in reading, two terms behind in writing, and a term behind in mathematics. Current in-school data shows that this gap is narrowing and this is testimony to the school’s commitment to promoting equal opportunities for all.  While the most able pupils also do well, some of them do not always make such strong progress as others because, on occasions, they are given work that is not as challenging as it should be.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Inspection evidence, including scrutiny of pupils’ books combined with information from the school shows that teaching over time is good.  Teaching and routines in the Early Years Foundation Stage are based on a good understanding of children’s needs. Observations of children’s achievements are used well to inform the planning of activities. Teachers’ questioning extends children’s skills and understanding well.  Detailed knowledge of how well pupils have learned in English and mathematics is usually used to plan activities that are at the right level for most pupils. For example, when mathematics was being taught in Year 2, pupils of all abilities were completely absorbed in using a range of mathematical resources to solve word problems that provided just the right amount of challenge. This rapidly deepened their understanding of number. However, just occasionally, expectations for the most able pupils are not high enough and work could be harder.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Reading is taught well in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. Pupils are encouraged to develop positive attitudes to reading in Key Stage 2 by practising skills regularly. Pupils are keen to write, and often do so at length and for different audiences and purposes. In mathematics, teachers have good subject knowledge and ensure pupils use their mental recall skills to solve number problems effectively. Pupils’ books show that most have good opportunities to practise their writing and mathematical skills in range of subjects.  Books are regularly marked and 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 react to the marking but teachers do not always make sure pupils use these opportunities well to quicken the pace of their learning.  Disabled pupils, those with special educational needs within the school, and those whose first

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The quality of teaching is good

language is not English are given effective extra support. Teaching methods are especially well suited to the needs of these pupils and those who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, helping them to learn quickly.  Teaching assistants usually support pupils well. However occasionally, they do not do enough to check that all pupils fully understand the teachers’ explanations or to correct misunderstandings and this slows learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are keen to learn and are happy in school. They enjoy coming to school and take pride in their recently refurbished playground and ensure it is kept tidy and free from litter. Break times and lunch times are organised, resourced and supervised particularly well. This ensures pupils enjoy playing together and display good manners in the dining room.  Pupils respect one another and are polite to adults. Staff and parents are positive about behaviour within school and along with pupils believe behaviour is typically good, ‘because there isn’t much misbehaviour and teachers don’t let it stop learning ’.  Attitudes to learning are very positive and behaviour in lessons is good. Pupils get on with their work eagerly because of the excellent relationships and high expectations of staff. Pupils want to do well and please their teachers and the school has effective systems for encouraging good

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

behaviour.  Pupils say there is little bullying and that they know what to do if any occurs. They have a good understanding of the different types of bullying, especially cyber bullying.  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.  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 and improving and there have been no exclusions this year. The school is working hard to promote punctuality and good attendance and there is a relentless drive to improve attendance further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school is well led by a very effective headteacher, ably supported by a determined and equally competent senior leadership team. Together, they have successfully guided the school through a period of staff changes. Leaders’ swift actions have ensured that all teaching is good and pupils’ achievement is back up to the usual good standard.  Leaders, including middle leaders and an effective governing body, also play an important role in driving school improvement. Parents and staff are overwhelmingly supportive of the senior leadership team’s positive approach.  The leadership team has successfully improved pupils’ progress by strengthening the quality of teaching through a number of recent appointments and through forming effective partnerships with other organisations. These include partnerships with Heart Start, who provide support for health education, and the school’s cluster project which has supported the development of a

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The leadership and management are good

more creative curriculum. More outstanding teaching is emerging, although this is not always shared across the school.  Senior leaders carry out regular checks on teaching that provide an accurate view of its quality and astute comments on how to make it better. Where improvements are needed, teachers are able to improve their skills through effective professional development. The links between the management of the performance of teachers and their professional development are effective, and arrangements for pay and the promotion of staff are closely tied to pupils’ progress.  Good progress has been made in tackling areas identified for improvement in the previous inspection report. Successful actions, including implementing a curriculum that is better suited to the needs and interests of pupils have raised attainment in reading, writing and mathematics for all groups of pupils particularly those with special educational needs and whose first language is

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The leadership and management are good

not English.  An accurate and robust system, overseen by the recently appointed deputy headteacher, checks pupils’ progress and is used effectively to make sure pupils get help if it is needed to improve their achievement. This ensures good progress and promotes equal opportunities successfully.  The school has an accurate picture of its strengths and areas for development and produces plans with actions to address any relative weaknesses. However, the plans are not sufficiently focussed on boosting the progress of pupils capable of making better than expected progress.  Links between home and school are good. The school website provides helpful information and parents are involved appropriately in pupils’ learning.  The curriculum meets pupils’ needs. It adds interest to learning and pupils say they enjoy the topics and the visits to places of interest, such as the recent trip to London. It provides an

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The leadership and management are good

extensive programme of activities to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Several clubs exist to meet the interests of all pupils and these are well attended.  The new primary school sport funding is being used well by the sports leader to motivate pupils to be more active and to take part more frequently in a range of new activities such as dancing, judo, netball and athletics. In addition, the funding is being used to improve the teaching of physical education through the use of coaches to train staff and to access competitive sporting events with some notable successes, including coming second in a recent athletics event.  The local authority has a good understanding of the school’s needs and has been effective in providing support to help the school make the best use of assessments to help pupils learn effectively.  The governance of the school:  Governors know achievement and teaching have improved and are now good. They are

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The leadership and management are good

knowledgeable about the quality of teaching and check that teachers’ salary progression is linked to their appraisal outcomes and their stage of career development. Under the leadership of the headteacher, governors are playing a more central role in future planning. They have nominated a governor who ensures the pupil premium funding benefits pupils who are at risk of underachieving and improves their outcomes. They are involved in overseeing the spending of the primary school sport funding to improve pupils’ physical well-being. The governing body has been strengthened by the appointment of new governors, including a National Leader of Governance who has an excellent understanding of data about pupils’ progress. This is helping governors begin to monitor the impact of school improvement priorities more effectively. However, this work is at an early stage. The governing body ensures safeguarding procedures meet 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 111644 Local authority Stockton-on-Tees Inspection number 439849

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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 402 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Elizabeth Warren Headteacher Dianne Gage Date of previous school inspection 25 May 2010 Telephone number 01642 607421 Fax number 01642 605896 Email address dianne.gage@sbcschools.org.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 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

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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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