The Glebe Primary School

The Glebe Primary School Pulford Road, Norton, Stockton-on-Tees TS20 1QY

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is a good school

 Senior leaders and governors have taken effective action to improve outcomes for pupils. After a dip in performance in mathematics in 2014, the rate at which pupils are making progress is now improving well. When pupils leave the school, the proportion achieving expectations that exceed those seen nationally in reading, writing and mathematics.  Measures taken by school leaders to ensure the safety of children and pupils are a strength of the school. Pupils say that they feel extremely safe. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe and what to do if they are worried.  Children achieve well in early years. This is because good teaching enables them to develop their skills in reading, writing and mathematics.  The teaching of letters and the sounds they make (phonics) is highly effective across the school. The proportion of pupils achieving the national standard is above that seen nationally.

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This is a good school

 Pupils behave well in and around the school. They are courteous and polite and show consideration for each other and adults.  This is an inclusive school and staff work tirelessly in promoting diversity and respect for each other and for different cultures. Pupils have a well- developed understanding of the rights of the child.  Governors have a good understanding of the standards reached by pupils across the school. Where good-quality information is available, governors provide a rigorous level of challenge.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The most-able pupils do not always make sufficiently speedy progress to reach higher standards as they are not challenged and stretched enough in deepening their understanding.  Pupils do not have enough opportunities to apply what they have learnt when investigating and problem solving in mathematics.  Senior leaders do not always ensure sufficiently precise and rigorous targets and monitoring processes to check whether improvements are rapid enough.  The attendance of some groups of pupils, although improving, is still below the national average.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure a greater consistency of high-quality teaching and thereby raise the outcomes for all pupils and in particular the most able by ensuring that: work in all classes is hard enough to push pupils to make rapid progress and reach higher standards, especially for girls in mathematics opportunities to use and apply mathematical knowledge and skills are planned into the whole curriculum, especially in Key Stage 1.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by: sharpening the focus of the information provided to governors so that they can better understand and challenge school leaders about the impact their actions are having in a timely manner ensuring recent improvements in attendance for key groups of pupils are sustained and built on.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Senior leaders and governors know their school well and have taken specific action to address weaknesses in teaching and raising pupils’ achievement. Where issues have arisen, such as in 2014 mathematics outcomes, they have responded with targeted actions that have resulted in recent improvements.  The inclusive nature of school leadership is apparent in many facets of the life of the school. For example, suggestion boxes in each classroom are regularly reviewed by senior leaders alongside the head-boy and head-girl. Pupils’ progress meetings include the views of the pupil, teaching assistants and teacher when reporting back to senior leaders. As a result, senior leaders have a comprehensive view of the day-to-day life of pupils in the school.  Leaders, including governors, have ensured that additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively to provide support and raise achievement. As a result, these pupils make good progress and,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

those that need to, catch up quickly.  Systems are in place to manage and monitor the performance of teaching and learning across the school. Senior leaders have a clear and accurate view of the strengths and areas for improvement of teachers’ classroom practice. There are well-focused plans and targets to support teachers to improve their practice further. Staff at all levels are overwhelmingly positive about the headteacher and how she challenges and supports their professional development.  Leaders at all levels are clear about their roles and responsibilities. They are fully engaged with identifying emerging issues and acting to address them. Where specific issues are stubborn, the leadership team is strengthened. For example, a mathematics leadership team includes staff from all phases to work on tackling underperformance.  Safeguarding is a strength of the school as a result of the commitment and drive of the designated senior

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

leader. The systems and processes used in the school are under constant review to ensure good practice is established and maintained. Links with the local safeguarding board and reviews of case files ensure that lessons learnt inform practice in the school. The school has systems in place to enable reflection and challenge from the designated governor.  The curriculum is well planned to ensure that pupils achieve well in a wide range of subjects. The school’s commitments as a ‘rights respecting’ school are woven through the broad and balanced curriculum. School leaders have ensured that democratic processes and an understanding of and respect for individual differences, different cultures and traditions within society, underpin the ethos of the school. This supports the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils and ensures that they are well equipped for life in modern Britain.  Additional funding for physical education and sport has been used well. In addition to using it for the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

provision of sports clubs and coaching, the school has ensured that teachers’ own skills have been enhanced through working alongside experts and outstanding practitioners.  The measures by which school improvement actions are checked are not always clearly thought through. They sometimes lack clarity about the intended impact on the outcomes for pupils and what this will look like at different points on the journey. As a result, emerging issues and successes are not always recognised quickly enough to allow for prompt action to be taken.  The governance of the school  Governors are dedicated to improving the school. They have a range of methods to help them understand the working of the school on a day-to-day basis. Focused visits, presentations by staff, pupil-led short visits to classrooms and a round robin of staff and governing body meetings have contributed to providing governors with a wide range of perspectives on life at the school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Action taken since the last inspection has ensured a high level of engagement and robust monitoring of safeguarding by the designated governor. Governors have a good picture of the standards reached by pupils across the school. They track the information about the impact of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and of the sports funding. Where good-quality information is provided, governors provide a rigorous level of challenge. For example, the latest set of national performance information was queried as to whether the school was ‘coasting’ or not. However, some of the information provided to governors about current priorities sometimes lacks precision and does not always provide sufficient rigour to allow governors to track the impact of current actions in a timely manner.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 School leaders have taken effective action to ensure that the quality of teaching has improved over time. As a result, the vast majority of teaching is at least good, enabling most pupils to make good progress and achieve high standards.  All adults ensure that they build positive relationships based on mutual respect and trust. Pupils feel confident and are secure in asking for help when needed and look forward to lessons. Consequently, pupils enjoy their learning, respond well to instructions from adults and settle quickly to their tasks.  The teaching of phonics is a strength of the school. Systematic, regular and accurate teaching supports pupils to quickly become effective readers and writers. In early years provision, every opportunity to use and apply these skills is identified and used. This focus is maintained in Key Stage 1. As a result, the proportion of pupils reaching expected standards in the national phonics checks at the end of Year 1 has

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

improved and is consistently above national averages.  Teachers use their assessments effectively to support their planning. They build on the interests and enthusiasm of pupils. As a result, pupils engage well with their work, and their attitudes and commitment to learning are strong.  Teaching is most effective where learning opportunities are well planned and matched to pupils’ needs. Opportunities to solve problems, think deeply and to apply learning and skills in a new context support rapid progress. The most-able pupils are challenged well and pupils of lower ability are well supported to develop their basic skills.  Some of this practice is not consistent across all classes. As a result, the progress pupils make in mathematics is not as strong as that seen for other subjects, especially for the most-able girls.  The school’s marking policy is followed consistently by all staff. The quality of advice given to pupils about

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

what steps they need to take to improve their work is more varied. Additional support and guidance are provided by teaching assistants through regular ‘drop-in surgeries’ available to pupils.  Teaching assistants provide effective support for learning and consequently have an impact on the progress of pupils. They contribute to the planning and evaluation of learning and have a clear understanding of what pupils need to do next to improve their work. In early years provision, they use effective questioning to challenge children to develop their communication and language skills and stretch their thinking.  Teaching is sometimes exciting and inspirational. For example, inspectors witnessed French and physical education lessons that were highly engaging, challenging and exciting and in which pupils were developing a real passion for the subject matter.  Pupils who read to inspectors selected their own books, which were well matched to their reading level,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

and were able to use a range of strategies to successfully tackle unfamiliar words. Pupils enjoy reading and talk enthusiastically about using the school’s electronic reading comprehension programme, which is supporting good progress in reading.  Homework is set and supports pupils’ learning. Parents and pupils recognise the value of homework. There is a high level of engagement between school and home to support reading, especially in Key Stage 1.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils feel safe in the school. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations, including when using the internet.  A strong curriculum focus on spiritual, social, moral and cultural development ensures that pupils are resilient and that they are confident about their next stage of education and their life beyond school. They are aware of and celebrate individual and cultural differences.  Pupils demonstrate a good understanding of how to keep healthy. For example, they can talk confidently about healthy eating and why it is important. In early years provision, children engage in regular tooth- brushing and discuss ways of keeping themselves healthy.  Parents who spoke with inspectors and those who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View) overwhelmingly agree that the school keeps their children safe, that bullying is rare and that their

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  The school’s ethos, underpinned by being a ‘rights respecting school’, is reflected in the good behaviour of pupils and the quality of relationships between pupils and adults.  Pupils move around the school in a calm and orderly fashion, making way for others and taking turns when necessary. Adults, including midday staff, say that pupils are polite and considerate to them and each other. Pupils generally self-regulate and support each other. For example, a pupil reminded another who had been overbearing with an adult about being ‘respectful’.  Pupils say bullying is rare and demonstrate a good understanding of different types of bullying. School records and discussions with pupils show that incidents of silly or inappropriate behaviour in and around the school are rare. Derogatory language is not tolerated and incidents are dealt with promptly.  In lessons, pupils concentrate well and work hard. Their work is rarely interrupted by others and they

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Behaviour

have good attitudes to their work, often working well together to tackle tasks.  The school has been proactive in recognising emerging issues in attendance and has introduced a range of actions to address this. School leaders, working with parents, have ensured a marked improvement in the attendance of disadvantaged pupils and those who were absent on a regular basis.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 From their various starting points, pupils make at least expected progress and most make better than expected progress across the school. By the time pupils leave the school, the proportion achieving age- related expectations exceeds that seen nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. Many go on to achieve at higher levels, especially in reading.  Where progress has dipped, school leaders have acted effectively to address this. For example, a dip in the progress pupils made in mathematics in 2014 saw rapid improvement in 2015. Currently, evidence seen in classrooms, pupils’ work and performance information held by the school demonstrate that this continues to improve and is now good.  By the end of Year 1, the proportion of pupils reaching the required standard in linking letters with the sounds they make is above that seen nationally. Most of those that have not met the required standard

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Outcomes for pupils are good

do so by the end of Year 2.  This contributes to raising standards in reading and writing, so that by the end of Key Stage 1, the proportion of pupils achieving at and beyond age-related expectations is higher than that seen nationally.  The progress pupils make in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Key Stage 2 is mostly above average. The picture is not as strong for the most-able girls in mathematics, but evidence seen by inspectors indicates this has largely been addressed.  The proportion who make better than expected progress in reading and writing matches that seen nationally. In mathematics, more pupils make accelerated progress than seen nationally.  The outcomes for disadvantaged pupils match and often exceed that of other pupils in the school and nationally.  Pupils with special educational needs and disability make good progress due to well-planned and targeted support which meets their needs.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils across the school are now making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Their social, moral and cultural awareness is well developed. As a consequence, pupils are well prepared for their next steps in their education.  School leaders and governors recognise that there is room for further improvement in all subjects. In mathematics, most specifically, the progress of the most-able pupils is not yet matching the strengths seen in reading or writing, despite recent improvements.

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Early years provision is good

 Children make good progress in the early years provision, whatever their starting points. Many start the Nursery with skills and abilities below that typical for their age, but most go on to achieve a good level of development.  Disadvantaged children make good progress that is often more rapid than for other children. As a result, those that need to catch up do so quickly and the vast majority achieve a good level of development.  By the end of Reception, children are well prepared for their transition to Year 1. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development is increasing over time and has consistently been better than that seen nationally. This is as a result of good-quality teaching and support for children, which match their academic, social and emotional needs.  Staff plan carefully to ensure that children can access all areas of learning and take account of their needs and interests. All adults are rightly focused on ensuring that children develop effective

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Early years provision is good

communication and language skills in a secure and stimulating learning environment.  Opportunities for children to develop their basic skills and abilities in reading, writing and mathematics are well planned and supported by effective teaching.  Adults provide a stimulating and exciting range of activities both inside and outside the classroom. Adults support children’s learning with well-directed questions and instructions. They successfully encourage children to work together to overcome challenges.  Behaviour of children in the early years provision is good. They are polite and well behaved. Children quickly develop an understanding of the high expectations, routines and behaviours that help them to be effective learners.  The early years provision is well led. The early years leader knows the strengths and points for improvement and takes effective actions to address them. This has ensured that the provision continues

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Early years provision is good

to improve. Formal monitoring of the quality of provision sometimes lacks sufficient detail. As a result, the impact of actions to improve early years provision further is not fully captured.  Arrangements to ensure that children are safe and remain safe are in place. All welfare requirements are met. Staff ensure that they know the children well, and individual needs are catered for. When issues arise, they are handled robustly but sensitively.  Partnership with parents is strong. Assessments and evaluations about how well children are doing are shared with parents and parental contributions are taken into account. As a result, parents are very happy with the early years provision and the progress their children are making.

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School details

Unique reference number 111550 Local authority Stockton-on-Tees Inspection number 10003542

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 346 and 52 part time in nursery Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Linda Gibson Headteacher Glenda Repton Telephone number 01642 360876 Website www.theglebeprimary.org.uk Email address theglebe@sbcschools.org.uk Date of previous inspection 9–10 June 2011

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Children attend part time in the Nursery and full time in the Reception classes.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the additional pupil premium funding is above average. This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils with special educational needs or disability is in line with the national average.  The school manages a breakfast club and offers a wide range of after-school activities.  The school has achieved a Unicef Rights Respecting School award at level 2.  The school exceeds the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classes. Joint observations were held with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher.  Pupils’ work was scrutinised.  The inspectors held meetings with pupils and listened to some pupils read.  Inspectors observed pupils around the school, in lessons and at playtimes.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, members of the governing body, other staff and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors met with some parents at the start of the school day and scrutinised the 34 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire for parents, Parent View.  Inspectors considered the views expressed in 31 questionnaires returned from staff and nine returned by pupils.  The inspection team reviewed a wide range of school documentation, including the school development plan, the school’s own self-evaluation, information on the performance of teachers and pupils, minutes

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Information about this inspection

of governing body meetings, information on safeguarding and other key policies.

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Inspection team

Jonathan Brown, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Christine Turner Ofsted Inspector Lesley Bowyer Ofsted Inspector Catherine Morgan Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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