Grasmere Academy

Grasmere Academy Grasmere Court, Killingworth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE12 6TS

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Inspection dates 30 September–1 October 2015

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Outcomes require improvement because from their starting points, pupils are not making good enough progress across Years 1 to 6 in a range of subjects, including mathematics and writing.  Teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement. Feedback from marking is not consistently following the academy’s assessment policy. The feedback given is not used consistently by pupils to improve their learning.  Teachers do not use pupils’ responses to questions consistently well in order to deepen pupils’ understanding of what is being learned.  Typically, work set does not challenge pupils well enough to do better than they should, especially the most-able pupils.  Plans for improvement do not show clearly how the changes to be made will improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils make good progress in reading throughout the academy. They are keen and eager to read and the academy promotes reading well.  The provision in early years is good. Teachers plan work that matches children’s abilities and parents make a strong contribution to their children’s learning. Consequently, children make good progress.  Personal development, behaviour and welfare are each good. Pupils say they are safe and enjoy their time at the academy. They treat each other and all adults with respect and consideration.  Leaders and governors have high aspirations for pupils and have developed a strong sense of purpose among all staff to drive forward improvement. As a result, their work has improved the overall effectiveness of the academy.  Parents have high levels of confidence in the work of this improving academy.

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (5) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires significant improvement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching throughout Year 1 to 6 so that it is at least good to raise achievement across subjects, especially writing and mathematics, by ensuring that: – expectations of what pupils can achieve are high, and the work that is set challenges pupils of all abilities, especially the most-able – pupils’ responses to questions are used effectively to check learning and to deepen pupils’ understanding – the academy’s spelling policy is rigorously followed and applied – incisive subject feedback is given and pupils use it consistently well – pupils have opportunities to write at length across a wide range of subjects – pupils have opportunities to use their wide range of reading to strengthen writing – pupils use their mathematical skills in a wide range of subjects to become proficient in the use of number and applying mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of the work of leaders and managers by ensuring that: – leaders are crystal clear about how planned actions will contribute to improvements in teaching and pupil progress – subject leaders check that the school’s assessment and spelling policies are applied consistently by all staff to improve the achievement of pupils.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders, including governors, are passionate about pupils’ achievement and personal development. They have developed a strong sense of purpose among all of the staff to improve outcomes for pupils.  Since the previous inspection, changes made by leaders and governors have improved the overall effectiveness of the academy and there is good capacity for further improvement. There have been improvements to teaching and achievement over time, particularly in reading, and improvements to pupils’ positive contributions to learning.  Senior leaders have an accurate view of the academy and what is working well. Plans for improvement correctly indicate the main priorities for the academy, and actions are clear. However, the plans lack clear criteria by which success can be measured in terms of improving the quality of teaching and outcomes for pupils.  Senior leaders check the quality of teaching regularly and accurately using a wide range of strategies.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

They take action should it fall short of what is required. They have trained subject leaders to take on this responsibility in their subject areas. Subject leaders have developed good skills in analysing teaching and pupil progress and, as a result, teaching and achievement are improving. However, subject leaders need to ensure that all staff apply academy policies consistently.  The system to check the performance of teachers is thorough and identifies the skills that teachers and leaders need to improve. There is a system of performance review for all staff in the academy. Professional development for teachers and all other staff is arranged to strengthen their skills. This is a good example of the academy’s commitment to equality of opportunity for all. Good training and support is helping the academy to improve its teaching and the progress of its pupils.  The headteacher has sought judicious support from the local authority from the North Tyneside Learning

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Trust and local Teaching School Alliances to train staff and members of the leadership team as well as taking an external view on what might make the academy better. The support of the local authority and the work of schools from the North Tyneside Learning Trust has supported improvements in teaching, leadership and outcomes.  The curriculum provides a wide range of subjects and a wealth of opportunities to visit places of interest such as Northumberland castles and a local car manufacturer. Children enjoy their experiences and are making more progress in literacy and mathematics than in the past. There is careers education for Years 5 and 6 through the engagement of local business and commerce. Topics in the curriculum are designed to answer a series of interesting questions which engage children well. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural experiences are integrated well into the curriculum, with specific focus days throughout the year. There

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

are already strong links with schools abroad and these are to be extended through a successful bid for European Union funding. The curriculum prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.  The impact of additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils is good. It enables disadvantaged pupils to participate in all aspects of academy life and is supporting their progress well.  The Primary Sports funding is spent highly effectively to provide coaching for teachers in a range of different sports as well as to increase the numbers of pupils participating in competitive sport. Pupils enthused about the sporting opportunities available to them both during and after the academy day.  There are good arrangements for safeguarding and child protection. Staff are vigilant and leaders follow up concerns tenaciously. Leaders work well with other agencies and parents to ensure that the most vulnerable pupils are well cared for and supported. Governors check the effectiveness of the procedures

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

within the academy.  The governance of the school  Governors have a wide range of skills that contribute to their impressive understanding of the academy’s work and ‘first-hand’ knowledge of the quality of teaching. They are very clear about how pupils are achieving in comparison to other schools nationally. Governors have approved the effective use of the additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils and know its impact. Governors have a very clear understanding of and commitment to the personal development of all pupils and check that they are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Governors make a strong contribution to determining the academy’s priorities. They are supportive as well as being challenging. They link the performance management system for teachers rigorously to pay and take action should performance fall short of what is required. They have thorough procedures for checking the finances of the academy.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement as, over time, there has been too much variation in its quality across Years 1 to 6. Recent changes made by leaders are resulting in signs of improvement and pupils’ work is becoming more consistent, particularly in its presentation and the quality of writing. However, teaching is not yet leading to consistently good progress for pupils.  Expectations are not consistently high for all groups of pupils. Work set is varied in an attempt to meet the different needs and abilities of pupils. However, it is not consistently challenging for groups of pupils, especially the most-able. As a result, pupils are not making good progress in their subjects, especially in mathematics.  An analysis of pupils’ books showed that marking is regular and addresses the academy policy. However, feedback from marking is not following the academy’s assessment policy as it is not consistently sharp

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

and subject-related. Pupils’ response to the feedback given is variable and occasionally they do not respond to improve their work. This slows their learning.  In particular, the analysis of work showed that the academy’s spelling policy is not being thoroughly applied and this is leading to pupils misspelling words and not correcting mistakes.  Teachers plan work that is interesting and captures pupils’ interest and there are high expectations of behaviour. As a consequence, pupils are keen to learn, they behave well and lessons run smoothly.  There are good opportunities for pupils to write at length in English and to use their good reading skills across a range of subjects. Although writing is improving, there are too few opportunities for pupils to write at length in subjects other than English, and for pupils to use their wide interest in reading to support good writing. Pupils’ mathematical skills are not applied regularly across other subjects.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 Questioning is used well to seek out the knowledge of individual pupils, with pupils providing full answers whenever possible. However, pupils’ responses to questions are not used to check and deepen the learning of other pupils, leaving some pupils’ learning not being enhanced enough to be good.  Leaders’ focus on improving teaching is reaping benefits, with clear improvements since the last inspection and improvements over the past year. They have trained teachers and teaching assistants to support learning better and, as a result, reading is good and writing is improving. Support in class and outside class is improving in mathematics, although a greater range of strategies is required to enable pupils to strengthen their number work and their application of mathematical skills.  Good relationships and mutual respect are strong and are helping to support improvements in learning. As a result, there are good opportunities for pupils to work together and share their learning.

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Personal development and welfare

 The academy’s work to promote pupil’s personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are polite, courteous and welcoming to visitors. The inspector found pupils to be confident in engaging in discussions with adults and giving their opinions about the academy. They say they enjoy being in the academy and are well looked after. Even the very youngest in the academy are keen to talk about their work and greet adults very politely.  Pupils are smart in their uniform and are proud of their academy. They get on well together at lunchtimes, breaktimes and in class. They have good sports equipment to play together and ‘playground buddies’ make sure that no one is left out.  Pupils enjoy the responsibilities given to them. There are good opportunities for them to take up posts of responsibility such as ‘reading buddies’, school councillors and house captains.  Pupils vote for their school council and this is a good introduction to democracy. They told the inspector

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Personal development and welfare

that everyone takes part in the wide range of sporting activities and how important it is for them to keep fit and eat healthily. The school council has sought the opinions of everyone in the academy about their plans for a healthy eating tuck shop.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and learn about internet safety. ‘Teachers are always there for us and we feel safe,’ said pupils. Visits from the police and the fire service give them a good understanding of ‘stranger danger’ and what to do if they have a problem.  Pupils are clear about what constitutes bullying and they say it doesn’t occur often. Academy records show that bullying is very rare. Pupils and parents are clear that staff are quick to tackle bullying and do so effectively should it occur.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are well aware of how they are expected to conduct themselves in class and around the academy.  In class, they are keen to work in pairs and groups, share ideas with each other and follow their teachers’ instructions. They listen carefully to the views of others, persist well with their tasks and do not interrupt learning.  The academy is a calm and welcoming place in which children manage their conduct well, both inside and outside the classroom. The academy’s environment is well-cared for and is litter-free.  A scrutiny of pupils’ work showed that the quality of presentation is improving and pupils are proud of their work. However, it also showed that pupils do not consistently respond to the advice their teachers give them to improve their work, and this slows their progress.  Attendance is improving. Pupils and parents are responding well to the academy’s reward system for

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Behaviour

regular attendance. Since the beginning of September overall attendance is average and there are very few pupils who are regularly absent.  Parents and staff are overwhelmingly confident that children are safe and happy at the academy.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Variations in the quality of teaching over time have led to pupils’ outcomes in writing, mathematics and a range of subjects requiring improvement.  Across Years 1 to 6, not enough pupils are making the progress they should in mathematics and too few are doing better than they should in writing. This impacts on pupils’ ability to make good progress across a range of subjects.  Senior leaders have rightly focused on improving the quality of writing and mathematics and their efforts are beginning to show impact. An analysis of current pupils’ work showed that improvements are being made in writing, although output is not yet good. In mathematics, improvements are not as strong as in writing and more has to be done to ensure that more pupils make expected progress.  The analysis of pupils’ work showed inconsistent progress across a range of subjects in Years 1 to 6. It also showed that the most-able pupils are not challenged well enough to reach the highest levels of

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

attainment.  From below average starting points, overall standards by the end of Year 6 are still below average. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs reach average standards in reading and writing but below average in mathematics.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are making similar progress to others. The few pupils who attend the additional resourced provision in the academy make good progress because of skilled teaching and the specialist support they receive.  Disadvantaged pupils make similar progress to other pupils across the academy. Their progress is improving in relation to other pupils nationally. Senior leaders have organised training for teaching assistants to strengthen the support for disadvantaged pupils and this is helping pupils well.  Reading is a strength of the academy and is promoted well. Pupils make good progress throughout the

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

academy in reading because of the good opportunities they have to read in class and at home. They read widely and enjoy reading. There is a good range of books in the academy library and pupils are keen to read them. The pupil librarians and ‘reading buddies’ listen to other pupils reading. Pupils enjoy this support and it generates a strong desire to read. In the recent screening check for reading at the end of Year 1, the very large majority of pupils achieved the expected standard.

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Early years provision is good

 Children settle well into the early years. Before children start in Nursery, academy staff visit pre-school provision and visit parents at home to find out about the needs of the children. The setting is well- organised and relationships are warm and welcoming.  Children are safe and happy because of the secure procedures that exist in the early years. Adults know the needs of the children well and give them good care and attention. Children listen and concentrate well on what they are asked to do or choose to do for themselves. They are confident in discussing their work with adults.  Most children enter Nursery with skills that are below those typical for their age, with a few children whose skills are significantly below. Overall, the most well-developed skills are ‘moving and handling’, social skills and being imaginative. The skills that are least well developed are communication and language, along with mathematics.

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Early years provision is good

 Teachers and teaching assistants make good use of the children’s strongest skills to improve communication and language through role play, good questioning and the use of the ‘home corner’, where children can talk about what they are doing. There is a good focus on number work in outdoor play. Work set for the children matches their abilities well and they make good progress. Children enjoy their work and talked to the inspector about what they were doing to learn about science in the outdoor provision.  Children make good progress because of good teaching. By the end of Reception they are well prepared for their next stage of education in Year 1. The small number of disabled children and children with special educational needs make similar progress to others, as do disadvantaged children. The funding to support these children is used well.  Children develop skills to work together and are respectful to each other and to adults. They listen well to

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Early years provision is good

stories and the instructions given to them, and have good opportunities to talk about what they might decide to write. A wide range of activities make a strong contribution to children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. Children’s personal development, their behaviour and welfare are good.  The leader of the Early Years provision ensures that parents are involved well in the process of assessing the needs of these children. Using computer technology and the internet, each parent has access to the work in their child’s ‘learning journal’ which shows the activities their child has been undertaking and how the child is progressing. Parents can add their comments, and photographs of activities their child is doing at home or on holiday, to the ‘learning journal’. This powerful link between the academy and parents is helping to provide regular and accurate assessment of what children can do and their next steps for

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Early years provision is good

learning.  Leadership of the provision is good. Due to good leadership, parents are highly involved in their children’s learning. Children’s skills are assessed accurately and adults are well deployed to support all children. The good progress children are making, their enjoyment of learning and their readiness for the next stage of their education is a result of good leadership.

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School details

Unique reference number 138576 Local authority North Tyneside Inspection number 10001633 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 Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 99 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lynn Goossens Headteacher Kerry Lilico Telephone number 0191 2008343 Website www.grasmereacademy.org.uk Email address info@grasmereacademy.org.uk Date of previous inspection 23–24 April 2015

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Information about this school

 The academy is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for support through 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 those children who are looked after by the local authority.  Most pupils are White British. The vast majority of pupils speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs is well above average.  Children in the early years receive part-time education in the Nursery. Children spend the morning in Nursery. In Reception, they receive full-time education.  The academy provides additional resourced provision, commissioned by the local authority, to provide six places for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. At present, there are five pupils educated in the

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Information about this school

resource provision in the morning. Those pupils join mainstream classes in the afternoon.  Grasmere is sponsored by the North Tyneside Academy Foundation.  At the time of the previous inspection, the headteacher was acting as interim headteacher. She was appointed as substantive headteacher from 1 December 2014.  The academy meets the current government floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The academy is receiving support from schools in the North Tyneside Learning Trust, a large group of schools within the locality, who support the North Tyneside Academy Foundation.  Since the previous inspection, there have been significant changes to staffing in the academy.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed a range of teaching and learning in parts of lessons. An observation was undertaken jointly with the headteacher. He also visited some small group learning at the start of the school day and observed learning in the additional resourced provision.  The inspector spoke with a group of pupils about their learning in lessons and their safety in the academy. He listened to some pupils reading.  Inspectors held meetings with the Chair of the Governing Body and four other governors. He also held meetings with senior leaders and other staff.  The inspector looked at the academy’s review of its own performance, its development and improvement plan, academy policies and the minutes of the governing body meetings. He considered a range of documentation in relation to child protection, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  The inspector reviewed pupils’ work in lessons and analysed samples of pupils’ books.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector evaluated 11 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and spoke to parents at the beginning of the academy day.  The inspector analysed 13 questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

James McGrath, Lead Inspector 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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