Belmont Cheveley Park Primary School

Belmont Cheveley Park Primary School Scardale Way, Belmont, Durham, DH1 2TX

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher have brought about improvement at a fast pace since the previous inspection. As a result, pupils are now making good and often better progress in both Key Stages 1 and 2.  The governing body has a very clear understanding of data relating to the performance of pupils. Its members are good at supporting senior leaders as well as holding them to account. This rigorous approach has contributed directly to the school’s accelerated rate of improvement.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding both inside and outside the classroom. ‘No one here is allowed to be lonely’ commented a pupil. This is indicative of the exceptionally caring attitudes pupils show to each other, staff and visitors to the school.  Pupils’ excellent attitudes to learning support their good progress and achievement in the classroom.  The very thorough internet safety policy and bike and road safety courses ensure pupils of all ages

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

become exceptionally proficient at learning how to keep safe both inside and outside school.  Teaching is nearly always good, with examples of outstanding practice. As a result, pupils enjoy learning and make good progress, as demonstrated by the good quality of work seen in their books .  Pupils’ achievement is good in both the main school and the enhanced mainstream provision (EMP). The vast majority make good progress, often from low starting points. Standards reached by pupils at the end of Year 6 last year were above the national average in mathematics and writing, and average in reading .  Parents feel children who join the school’s Reception class get off to a flying start. The exceptionally well-planned activities and skilled staff ensure the vast majority make excellent progress from a variety of different starting points.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Key Stage 2 pupils achieve less well in reading than writing and mathematics because current reading materials do not offer them sufficient opportunity to read for pleasure and develop a love of reading.  Teachers’ marking and feedback does not consistently give pupils sufficient guidance about how to improve the presentation of their work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 17 lessons and parts of lessons taught by teachers and support staff. Two lesson observations were undertaken jointly with the headteacher. The inspection team also listened to pupils from Year 1 read, and examined the quality of work in the books of pupils from across the school.  The inspection team held meetings and had discussions with pupils, the headteacher, middle leaders, members of the school’s staff and two members of the governing body. A discussion with a representative from the local authority was also held.  The inspection team took into account the views of 39 parents who responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View). They also took into account the views of six other parents who met informally with the inspection team at the school gate and a further five parents who wrote to the inspection team.  The inspection team studied health and safety documentation, teachers’ planning, documents relating to

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Information about this inspection

the procedures to check the performance of staff, pupils’ attendance data and the school’s system for checking pupils’ progress.

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Inspection team

Marian Thomas, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Derek Sleightholme Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The vast majority of pupils who attend come from families of White British heritage, with a small number from other ethnic groups.  A slightly lower than average proportion of pupils is disadvantaged (pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those in the care of the local authority who are supported by additional funding).  The school has a specialist resource base provision (EMP) which caters for the needs of 20 Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils who have a statement of special educational needs for speech, language and communication. Teachers and support staff who work within this base also work closely with two speech and language therapists. Pupils who attend the EMP are registered at the school and spend afternoon lessons in mainstream classrooms.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs supported through school action is lower than the

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Information about this school

national average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is higher than the national average.  Last year the school met the government’s current floor standards which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  A 48 place privately run nursery provision operates from a unit within the school’s building.  The school runs a breakfast club from 7.30am to 8.55am each morning for pupils attending the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve achievement in reading by increasing the range of reading materials offered to pupils in Year 6 so that they have more opportunities to read for pleasure and develop a love of reading.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that marking and feedback consistently give sufficient guidance to pupils on how to improve the presentation of their work.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has an exceptionally clearly focused vision of what is needed to take the school forward. In partnership with the deputy headteacher and governors, he has put in place a strong and detailed plan for continuous improvement which is focused on achieving excellence and is shared by all staff.  The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection, as evidenced by the continuous improvement in standards in English and mathematics in Key Stages 1 and 2 and in the EMP.  Provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage has improved at an exceptionally fast pace as evidenced by outstanding outcomes achieved by children last year, the vast majority of whom, including those for whom the school receives additional funding, achieved and exceeded the expected standard.  Middle leaders play a key role in monitoring the quality of teaching in their subjects making a direct

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The leadership and management are good

contribution to the achievement of all groups of pupils. For example, the physical education coordinator checks closely the impact of the allocation of sport funding monies by monitoring the improvement in the effectiveness of teaching in this subject.  The headteacher ensures performance targets for staff link directly to pupils’ achievement and targets within the school’s improvement plan. Checks on the performance of staff are undertaken regularly and this information has been used to make decisions on teachers’ pay.  In preparation for the planned changes to the primary curriculum this year, the school made a start at implementing some changes last year. As a result of this forward thinking approach, the current curriculum is well planned, subjects are clearly linked, and it meets all aspects of the new requirements, including preparing pupils for life in British society and helping them to develop an appreciation of

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The leadership and management are good

different views and cultures.  The curriculum is enriched with a myriad of different day trips and residential visits. For example, the whole school recently attended the Zambia fun run, a five kilometre fun run organised by Durham University to raise funds for projects in Zambia. This experience was described by a pupil as, ‘One of the most amazing things I have ever done. I didn’t think I would make it but I did.’ Experiences such as these contribute to well to pupils’ good levels of spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.  Parents spoken to during the inspection and those who made their views known by letter and through the online questionnaire (Parent View) were unanimous in their support for the school and spoke highly of all staff, including the headteacher. They particularly praised the improvement in pupils’ behaviour and the excellent communication they receive about the curriculum and how to support their children’s learning.

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The leadership and management are good

Many described the school as ‘at the heart of the community’. All felt welcomed and appreciated and all would recommend the school to others.  School clubs abound and are clearly appreciated by pupils because they offer opportunities to try new things and develop new skills, for example in athletics and football.  The school has used its allocation of sport funding monies effectively to increase pupils’ access to a diverse variety of different sports and improve their skills in, for example, rugby, football and infant agility. Further use of funds to employ trained coaches has enabled staff to improve their own skills and knowledge in teaching physical education. As a result of these initiatives, the number of pupils participating in sporting events has increased considerably, and this is indicative of the school’s work to promote healthy lifestyles.  The local authority has supported the school well over the last year offering a good range of support to

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The leadership and management are good

the new headteacher, whom they feel has made excellent progress towards achieving improved outcomes for the school.  The governance of the school: - The governing body has an excellent range of skills and experience which they regularly update by undertaking further training. The Chair of Governor’s role in supporting leaders in other schools has ensured governors have developed a clear understanding of pupils’ achievement through interpretation and understanding of national data. As a result, they are able to offer senior leaders good levels of support and challenge in their quest to bring about further improvement. They manage pupil premium funding prudently and this careful management has enabled them to support the small number of disadvantaged pupils well. As a result, last year this group made equally good progress as their peers in school and better progress than those nationally in writing and mathematics. In partnership with senior

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The leadership and management are good

leaders, governors have developed an effective system for checking the performance of all staff which rewards good teaching and addresses underperformance. Safeguarding procedures and policies are of good quality and meet current requirements. Governors undertake regular child-protection training and carry out regular checks on premises and buildings. The finance committee ensures that financial resources made available to the school are managed effectively as evidenced by the school’s current surplus budget.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Learning in classrooms is almost never interrupted by incidents of difficult behaviour and this excellent attitude to learning has contributed directly to the improvement in pupils’ achievement across the school.  An exceptionally caring approach to all is promoted throughout school, as demonstrated by the very close friendships between all pupils, including those with disabilities. The befriending role played by playground buddies ensures no one is left out at playtime.  All parents who completed the online questionnaire, Parent View, hold the view that behaviour in school is excellent and that their children are safe and happy at school. A comment made by one sums up the views of others, ‘My child just loves coming to this school and can’t wait to get here in the morning.’ Those spoken to at the school gate also echo this view.  School records show that, since the previous inspection, no pupils have been excluded. There are very few

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

incidents of difficult behaviour because of the effective way in which the behaviour policy is consistently applied across the school. As a pupil commented, ‘It’s not worth getting into trouble because you might miss something fun in lessons.’  Pupils clearly enjoy coming to school and are eager to attend and arrive on time. As a result, attendance is currently above the national average for similar schools and almost all pupils arrive punctually and well prepared for school.  ‘Playtimes are fun and exciting now’ commented a pupil. ‘There is just so much more to do, no one has time to argue anymore.’ This was clear evidence of the effectiveness of new playground facilities, including a climbing wall requested by pupils, which school records show have dramatically reduced incidents of difficult behaviour.  The strong focus school gives to the importance of attending school has contributed to the rise in

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

attendance since the previous inspection, as has the work of the parent support advisor who works hard at supporting families to improve the attendance and punctuality of their children.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  School leaders recognise that many road traffic accidents involve children and have, as a result, put in place excellent levels of road safety training in order to enable pupils to stay safe when crossing the road and when riding their bicycles.  The inspection team spoke to different groups of pupils, both formally and informally, from both the main school and the EMP unit. All were clear about the different forms bullying can take and felt incidents happen very infrequently because staff ensure pupils are made aware of how to keep safe and where to turn should an incident happen inside or outside school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good across the school including in the EMP unit. School records and evidence in pupils’ work support school leaders’ view that the quality of teaching is good over time. Mathematics and writing is taught well across the school, as evidenced by pupils’ good and better progress.  ‘I enjoy learning new things, particularly when teachers ask us difficult questions which we have to think a lot about’ commented one pupil, demonstrating the effectiveness with which teachers use questions to increase pupils’ learning.  Staff effectively use information about how well pupils are doing to plan future learning. As a result, work set accurately meets the needs of pupils enabling all groups, including the most able and those who are disadvantaged, to make good progress.  Teaching assistants share teachers’ high expectations for the progress of all pupils. Effective teamwork is apparent within all classrooms and results in pupils’ enjoyment of learning, which in turn reflects in their

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The quality of teaching is good

good attitudes and behaviour.  Homework is set regularly for pupils across the school, including for those pupils who attend the EMP unit. Pupils recognise the importance of completing it and this extension to their learning has played an important role in accelerating progress.  Last year pupils made good and sometimes better progress in reading in Key Stage 1 thanks to the carefully planned and consistent teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) across the school. However, pupils’ progress in reading in Key Stage 2 was less good.  Staff work closely together to ensure extra sessions planned for pupils who need extra help with their learning result in those pupils making the same good progress as others in the school.  Pupils’ work is mostly marked diligently. However, the school’s marking policy is not always fully adhered to and so it is not always made clear to pupils how they can improve the presentation of their work. When

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The quality of teaching is good

this happens progress slows and presentation becomes shoddy in some books.  Lessons in religious education, personal and social education, and art and design promote pupils’ good levels of spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ achievement is good. Current school data show that all groups, including disadvantaged pupils, are making good progress from a range of different starting points across the school.  The 2013 national data, which included pupils from the EMP unit, show standards in English and mathematics attained by the majority of pupils dipped at the end of Key Stage 1 and were broadly average for Key Stage 2 English, although a little better in mathematics. However, disadvantaged pupils did less well than their peers and were approximately four terms behind other pupils in school and three terms behind those nationally in Key Stage 1. At Key Stage 2, disadvantaged pupils were well over a year behind peers in school and approximately three terms behind those nationally. However, the majority of these children were within the school’s EMP and were seen to have made good progress .  The 2014 school data paints a much brighter picture. Pupils’ attainment in Year 6, and progress from a

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The achievement of pupils is good

range of different starting points, is higher than last year’s, particularly in writing and mathematics. Attainment in Key Stage 1 has also improved to above national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.  Progress last year for the very small numbers of disadvantaged pupils also improved in both Key Stages 1 and 2 with pupils who were not attending the school’s EMP unit making similar progress to peers in school and better gains than those nationally. Their success is due to the highly effective use of pupil premium funding which the school uses to provide extra support to boost pupils’ achievement through one-to-one and small group sessions.  Overall, progress in reading is slightly lower than in writing and mathematics in Key Stage 2. This is because pupils are not always offered a sufficiently exciting range of books in the classroom. As a result, some are more reluctant to read for pleasure and this slows progress. Discussions with a group of pupils

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The achievement of pupils is good

confirmed this with comments such as, ‘Some of our school reading books are boring and I just don’t enjoy reading them.’  The most able pupils in Year 6 are currently making good or better progress in English and mathematics. A small group are currently receiving extra support and tuition with the expectation that they will reach the highest standards of which they are capable at the end of this year. An analysis of school data shows that the most able pupils across the school are making good progress, particularly in mathematics.  Last year, standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1 were above the national average. Current school data shows pupils have got off to a good start and are set to make similar gains next year. Lesson observations, a scrutiny of pupils’ work and listening to pupils read during the inspection confirmed this finding.  The school is justifiably proud of the high standards achieved by Year 1 pupils in the phonics screening

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The achievement of pupils is good

check, which tests pupils’ ability to link letters to sounds.  Because of the well-targeted support, all groups, including disabled pupils, those with special educational needs, the most able and those from other ethnic backgrounds make equally good progress as their peers in English and mathematics. This shows the school’s continued commitment to ensuring equality of opportunity for all pupils.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Outcomes for children who join the Early Years Reception class are outstanding. Staff work exceptionally closely together to ensure activities set match the needs of all children. As a result, the majority make exceptionally good progress; socially, emotionally and academically.  Leadership and management are outstanding and children leave exceptionally well prepared for Year 1. The highly effective early years coordinator demonstrates an excellent understanding of the needs of children in her care. She plans, with the help of staff in the unit, activities which ensure children make excellent progress in areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum.  Most children arrive in the Reception class with skills and knowledge generally below and sometimes significantly below those typical for children of a similar age from a range of different nursery settings.  At the end of last year, the vast majority reached the expected standard of a good level of development

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The early years provision is outstanding

and more than 50% exceeded it in developing personal and social skills as well as reading and early writing skills. This represents excellent progress from low starting points for all groups of children.  Activities inside and outside the classroom enable children to become highly active and inquisitive learners. For example, the outdoor ‘mud kitchen’ allows children to play creatively with soil and mud. At the time of the inspection, children playing in the kitchen happily offered to share their mud-cakes and pies with the inspection team, illustrating how the activity was developing social skills as well as their creativity and imagination.  Teachers and teaching assistants have very high expectations of what children can achieve. They support and guide young learners exceptionally well and their excellent use of questions to promote learning and increase children’s curiosity ensure the majority make excellent progress during their time in the Reception

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The early years provision is outstanding

class.  Relationships between staff and children are excellent, as evidenced by the way children quickly settle within the setting and develop an early understanding of how to behave. A clear example of this could be seen by the calm and quiet way in which children very quickly lined up at lunchtime, demonstrating excellent behaviour. This was particularly impressive as, for a significant number, this was the first time they had stayed for lunch.  Parents spoken to during the inspection were unanimous in their praise of staff, commenting on the very friendly welcome and the high quality of information they had already received about their children’s progress.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 114139 Local authority Durham Inspection number 442238

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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 156 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Rymaszewski Headteacher Mark Dent Date of previous school inspection 30 January 2013 Telephone number 0191 386 9494 Fax number 0191 386 9494 Email address cheveleypark@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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