Easington Colliery Primary School

Easington Colliery Primary School Whickham Street, Easington Colliery, Peterlee, County Durham, SR8 3DJ

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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 Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ achievement is good and overall they make good progress. Pupils with special educational needs make excellent progress. Standards have risen in the Reception Year, Year 2 and Year 6.  Teaching is good. It has improved rapidly and continues to do so. It is outstanding for pupils with special educational needs and occasionally in phonics and writing.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They care extremely well for one another and say they feel very safe.  Attendance has improved and is average.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Procedures to ensure that this is the case are exceptionally well managed.  The school offers exceptionally sensitive care and support and provides extremely well for pupils’ well- developed spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness and their understanding of British values.  The headteacher and the governing body have ensured the school has improved rapidly. They have

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

a very clear understanding of the school’s strengths and relative weaknesses. They have clear systems to check how well the school is doing.  Leaders have put plans in place which have resulted in improved behaviour and teaching and ensured pupils make good progress.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The gap between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in the school remains wide.  The school does not make the most of opportunities to share the outstanding practice that exists in school.  There is not enough focus on ensuring pupils use spelling, punctuation and grammar accurately in their writing.  Occasionally, work in mathematics is not well planned to meet the needs of all groups of pupils and misunderstandings are not picked up quickly enough.  Targets for pupils’ progress in the school’s plan for the future and for teachers’ performance are not rigorous enough to ensure pupils make outstanding progress.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors held meetings with staff, groups of pupils and the Chair and other members of the governing body. The inspectors also spoke to a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors looked at a range of evidence including: the school’s improvement plan; the school’s data relating to pupils’ progress; the work in pupils’ books; and the school’s documentation relating to safeguarding. The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lunchtimes and breaktimes.  The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 22 lessons taught by 18 teachers, a higher level teaching assistant and a sports coach. They listened to groups of pupils in Years 1 and 2 read.  The inspectors conducted three lesson observations jointly with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the leader of the early years provision. They also observed these leaders reporting back to the teachers on their findings regarding the quality of teaching, learning and pupils’ achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors took into account the 33 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and the school’s own canvassing of parental opinion. The inspectors also spoke to groups of parents.  Forty-three staff completed questionnaires and the responses were analysed.

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Inspection team

Gordon Potter, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is very much larger than the average-sized primary school.  Almost all pupils are White British.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium is well-above average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportions of pupils supported at school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs are well-above average.  There are breakfast, lunch-time and after-school clubs run by school staff and external coaches.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in English and mathematics.  The school’s Guidance & Learning Centre provides short-term provision for pupils from 13 local primary schools who may be at risk of permanent exclusion, or where serious incidents have occurred. In

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Information about this school

Easington Colliery Primary School, it is used to offer those pupils who find good behaviour difficult, respite and advice on how to behave well.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the quality of teaching to further close the gap between disadvantaged and other pupils, raise standards and rates of pupils’ progress, by:  sharing the outstanding practice that exists in school  improving pupils’ punctuation, spelling and grammar in their writing  ensuring work for mathematics is planned at the correct level of challenge for all groups of pupils and misunderstandings are quickly addressed.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure targets for pupils’ progress in the school's plan for the future and teachers’ performance are rigorous enough to ensure pupils are helped to make outstanding progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has an extremely clear view of the school’s strengths and the areas where it needs to improve further. His thoughtful and determined leadership has brought about a significant improvement in school effectiveness. He has improved the quality of teaching and raised pupils’ achievement through improving teachers’ understanding of how pupils learn best and through highly effective ongoing training for all teachers. He has also brought about improvement in pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  As a result the school is an extremely caring, safe and calm environment which allows good learning to take place and which enables teachers and pupils to thrive and give of their best.  The headteacher has established strong teamwork and high morale and all teachers welcome taking on responsibilities and accountability for areas of the curriculum and their own classes. He has been extremely well-supported in this by other senior leaders. Indeed, the leader responsible for all aspects of

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The leadership and management are good

the care of pupils offers outstanding leadership.  The school’s plans for the future have appropriate areas for development and clear procedures to check their impact regularly. Salary progression has been used well to improve teaching and raise standards because teachers are very clear that they will only be rewarded when their pupils have done as well as, or better than, they should have done.  Targets for pupils’ progress and attainment in these plans and in teachers’ performance are specific and have helped all groups of pupils make good progress in mathematics and English. However, they are not yet rigorous enough to ensure that pupils make outstanding progress.  The headteacher regularly checks the quality of teaching. He understands what constitutes good teaching and judges it accurately. He is extremely clear in his feedback to teachers, who respect and welcome his advice. He is well supported in this by other senior and middle leaders who regularly monitor the quality of

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The leadership and management are good

teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning through observing lessons and looking at pupils’ work. All staff have a clear understanding of how to use data to measure pupils’ progress and accurately assess their attainment.  However, teaching remains good rather than outstanding because the school has not yet fully shared with all teachers the outstanding practice that exists in school.  The primary school sports funding has been used effectively to develop links with other schools and to support the school’s excellence in competitive team sports. Indeed, the school won the ‘Primary School Contribution to PE and School Sports, 2014’ award for local schools. The funding has been used to employ coaches who have introduced new sports such as climbing and fencing. Coaches have also helped develop teachers’ own expertise in teaching physical education. Pupils say they enjoy their lessons. These are contributing well to pupils’ physical development and well-being.

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The leadership and management are good

 While the school focuses on developing pupils’ basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics, it also provides many interesting opportunities for pupils to broaden their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness and their understanding of British values through, for example, the study of art, history and science, and through a range of educational visits.  The school welcomes the support and advice it receives from the local authority and from its education partner. This has helped to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.  The governance of the school:  Governors have rigorously reviewed their impact and now offer robust challenge and strong support to the school. The Chair of the Governing Body is very knowledgeable and is well supported by other governors who understand the school because they have clear areas of responsibility which they regularly check through a programme of school visits. They have clear systems to closely check plans

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The leadership and management are good

for the future, the quality of teaching, the achievement of pupils and the curriculum.  They understand the arrangements to check on teachers’ performance and any rewards for good teaching and take great care over appointing staff. The budget is extremely well managed. They keep a close eye on the way in which the pupil premium funding and primary physical education and sports funding are spent. They ensure that they have a good impact on the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and all pupils’ health and well-being. They ensure that the school fulfils its statutory responsibilities for safeguarding. All staff have been cleared as suitable to work with children and are trained appropriately to keep pupils safe and free from harm.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Inspection evidence shows that behaviour is good in lessons, around school and in the dinner hall. Indeed, when pupils are fully engaged in their learning their behaviour is excellent. Pupils say that behaviour has improved and is typically good, although occasionally some pupils can be silly in their lessons. Attention in lessons also wanes when they have to wait to get started on activities.  The school’s records show that instances of poor behaviour are extremely rare and have decreased significantly, as a result of pupils understanding the consequences of poor behaviour on their learning and involvement in making school and class rules. There is also excellent support, advice and teaching offered in the Guidance and Learning Centre to the very few pupils in school who find good behaviour difficult. As a result there have been no permanent exclusions in the past three years.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils show clear respect for one another, are extremely polite to adults and keen to talk about their school and their work. Pupils show maturity and enjoy taking on responsibilities as school councillors and playground friends, helping others play safely and enjoyable together. The school council has developed the playground equipment, been involved in appointing teachers and raised funds for charities.  Pupils develop social skills through the many opportunities to learn together in the classroom and school clubs. They particularly enjoy learning together in the outdoor classrooms where they develop their understanding of how to stay safe.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Parents and pupils are certain that pupils are exceptionally safe and happy in school. There are rigorous procedures to ensure that this is indeed the case with all adults offering highly effective and sensitive care to pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel extremely safe. They are very aware of different forms of bullying, including cyber-bullying and homophobic name-calling. They say that there is very little bullying and this is quickly dealt with. They look after one another very well and are able to solve any problems between themselves or by asking their friends or adults to help them.  Attendance has improved significantly and is average. The school has clear systems to check attendance and encourage pupils and parents to see the importance of coming to school. Attendance has also improved because pupils enjoy their learning and as a result of the encouragement they receive to do well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good over time in reading, writing and mathematics in all classes and for all groups of pupils. Activities are often exciting and engage pupils well. For example, pupils are engaged by their visits to the school’s woodland classroom and the sensory room, where they are encouraged to explore and collect ideas for their writing. They are eager to answer questions about what they have learned through their senses. They are helped to develop their poetry and descriptive writing and make rapid progress.  Work in pupils’ books shows their ability to write well at length in English and other subjects. However, their progress in writing is good rather than outstanding because it is held back by a lack of accuracy in spelling, punctuation and grammar. While the school’s marking policy is used consistently to help pupils understand how successful they have been in their work and how to improve it in the ideas and structure

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The quality of teaching is good

of writing, there is a less clear focus on helping pupils to correct their spelling of key words and punctuate accurately.  Pupils’ love of reading is well used to inspire their writing. For example, all groups of pupils in Year 2 make very rapid progress in reading and writing as a result of their engagement with the book called Where the Wild Things Are.  In mathematics, marking is done well and there is a clear focus on developing pupils’ skills in number and calculation. Work is planned so that all groups of pupils are engaged with activities which help them to practise and apply their mathematical skills.  However, pupils’ progress in mathematics is good rather than outstanding. Occasionally, work is not well planned to ensure that all groups of pupils are engaged in challenging activities all the time. While pupils are questioned well and make good progress when they are learning alongside their teachers, some

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The quality of teaching is good

misunderstandings are not addressed quickly enough when pupils are working independently or with their friends.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards at the end of Year 2 have improved in the past three years and are now typically average in reading and mathematics. In 2013 they were below average in writing. Unpublished data indicate that standards at the end of Year 2 in 2014 are now average in mathematics, reading and writing. This represents good progress for these pupils whose attainment was below the expectation for their age when they entered Year 1.  Standards at the end of Year 6 are average in mathematics, reading and writing. In 2013, too few pupils in Year 6 made the progress expected of them in mathematics. Too few pupils made more than the progress expected of them in writing and reading.  The school has addressed this issue. Teaching has improved and pupils have responded to the targets set for them. Unpublished data indicate that in 2014, Year 6 pupils achieved the standards expected for their age overall and made good progress from their starting points at the end of Year 2. More pupils than in

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The achievement of pupils is good

recent years attained standards which were above expectations.  Evidence in pupils’ books and the school’s data about pupils’ progress show that pupils currently in Year 6 are on track to attain standards that are in line with those expected for their age. They are making good progress from starting points at the end of Year 2, which were below average.  The school has introduced plans which have been highly successful in ensuring that pupils across the school are now making good progress in their reading, writing and mathematics. The teaching of phonics (letters and their sounds) is typically good. As a result, almost all pupils have a clear awareness of letters and the sounds they make and understand how this helps them to read words which are new to them.  In 2013, the most able pupils in Year 6 made the progress expected of them and attained above-average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. However, no pupil made more than the progress expected

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The achievement of pupils is good

of them in reading and writing and only a few did so in mathematics.  Unpublished data indicate that in 2014 more of the most able pupils than in the past achieved standards that were above and well above the expectations for their age and made more than the progress expected of them. The most able pupils currently in Year 6 and across the school have been clearly identified and work is targeted to help them attain standards that are above or well above the expectations for their age.  In 2013, disadvantaged pupils made the progress expected of them. However, too few of them did better than this. The cohort of disadvantaged pupils both currently and in the past is high. Test results show their attainment was half a year behind all pupils across the country and one year behind other pupils in the school in 2013 in reading, writing and mathematics.  Unpublished data indicate that in 2014 more disadvantaged pupils than in the past made the progress

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The achievement of pupils is good

expected of them and achieved the standards expected of them. However, too few did better than this. They were two terms behind all pupils nationally in reading and mathematics and in line with all pupils in writing. They were five terms behind other pupils in the school in mathematics, four terms behind in reading and one year behind in writing. While the gap had widened in school this is because other pupils are also accelerating their progress because the school had introduced successful plans to raise attainment for all groups of pupils. Disadvantaged pupils had found it more difficult to overcome a legacy of underachievement.  The school has recognised that the gap between disadvantaged pupils and others in the school remains too wide and has clear plans to improve the learning and check the progress of this group of pupils. Pupil premium funding has been spent on programmes to develop reading, writing and mathematics and to

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The achievement of pupils is good

provide extra support, where this is necessary. As a result, disadvantaged pupils currently make similar good progress overall as other pupils in school in English and mathematics. This ensures that the gap between those pupils and other pupils in the school is now narrowing across school.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make excellent progress because of the highly effective teaching and support they receive from teachers and highly skilled teaching assistants.  The school is very clearly focused on identifying any pupils who are at risk of falling behind and concentrates on ensuring that all pupils make at least good progress. This demonstrates that the school spends the pupil premium funding effectively and clearly shows the school’s commitment to promoting equal opportunities and tackling discrimination.

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The early years provision is good

 While children have a wide range of skills and abilities in the early years provision, most start school with skills and knowledge that are below those typically expected for their age. Good teaching helps pupils make good progress in the early years provision. As a result more pupils than in the past are in line with the expectations for their age and have a good level of development when they enter Year 1.  Progress in the early years is not yet outstanding because the improvements brought about by the new early years leader in teaching and the quality of provision have not yet had time to have a full impact.  Children make good progress when they are learning with their teacher or teaching assistant and in the many exciting activities they are engaged in both indoors and out, including learning to count in the school’s woodland classroom. They are questioned well and receive clear explanations about their

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The early years provision is good

learning, for example when acting the story of The Three Little Pigs or learning new sounds and letters. There is good teaching of phonics and there are many opportunities for children to write.  Children settle quickly into the Reception class because there are clear and improved procedures to involve them and their parents before they start school. They quickly learn the routines of the Reception setting, feel very safe very quickly and are ready to learn. A wide range of activities in all areas of learning contributes to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness and understanding of how to stay healthy. Adults ensure that requirements regarding children’s safety are met.  The leadership and management of the early years provision have improved and are now good. There are clear procedures to assess children’s skills and progress and to involve parents in their children’s learning.

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The early years provision is good

Typically, work is well planned by the teachers and teaching assistants to meet the learning needs of all groups of children. This is especially the case in developing skills in mathematics, reading and writing.

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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 114210 Local authority Durham Inspection number 442239

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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 467 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jakki Colwill Headteacher David Loomes Date of previous school inspection 27 September 2012 Telephone number 0191 527 0293 Fax number 0191 527 3563 Email address p.2746@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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