New Marske Primary School

New Marske Primary School Birkdale Road, New Marske, Redcar TS11 8BN

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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 Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The headteacher, senior leaders and governors have ensured that the areas for improvement from the previous inspection have been successfully tackled.  The local authority and teaching alliance have supported the school well in its drive to improve teaching and achieve better outcomes for pupils.  Good teaching ensures that pupils achieve well and make good progress from their starting points. In 2016, pupils’ achievement was above the national average in key stage 2.  The school’s approach to teaching phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is effective. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected level in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 continues to rise and is above average.  Governors have a detailed overview of where strengths and weaknesses lie and use this information to challenge leaders.  Gaps between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and others in the early years have closed

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This is a good school

by the time pupils reach the end of key stage 1.  Pupils are proud of their school. Their attendance is good and they value the support they receive.  Pupils’ behaviour around school is good and they show positive attitudes to learning. These good attitudes contribute well to their spiritual, moral, and social development.  Pupils say that they feel safe. Leaders have developed effective safeguarding practices and ensure that all staff follow them.  Good early years provision ensures that children are well prepared for Year 1.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Middle leaders are not sufficiently effective in evaluating and further improving the quality of teaching. As a result, there is variation in the level of challenge for higher attainers and some insecure use of mathematical vocabulary. The quality of marking offered to pupils is also variable.  The assessment of children on entry to the Nursery is not precise enough.  The expectations of the quality of children’s writing in the Reception class are not high enough; consequently children’s skills in this area are not as well developed as they should be.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership of the school and especially the impact of middle leaders on the quality of teaching by making sure they:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

ensure that the most able pupils in all classes are consistently challenged check that teachers consistently follow the school’s marking policy improve teachers’ use of mathematical vocabulary and terminology implement a system which provides a more accurate check on children’s skills when they enter the Nursery raise expectations regarding the quality of all children’s writing in the Reception class, particularly teachers’ expectations of children’s use of simple punctuation, spaces between words and the accuracy with which they spell common words.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The committed team of senior leaders (headteacher, deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher) are ambitious for the school’s future and have high expectations of themselves and those they work with.  Leaders have responded to the issues raised in the previous inspection report and their actions have improved the quality of teaching and raised academic standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Following the previous inspection, senior leaders showed determination to hold teachers to account. Inspection evidence confirms that the current staff are now a strong teaching team who work together well to deliver a good-quality education. Leaders have made good use of timely and effective local authority support and utilised the skills of staff from the Landmark Teaching Alliance to work with and challenge teachers to improve further.  The performance of teachers has been evaluated effectively by monitoring how well they enable pupils to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

make good progress over time. Teachers have been set suitably challenging targets that focus on delivering high standards. This approach to performance management has, with the exception of Reception classes, been successful because pupils now make faster progress than in previous years.  Every parent spoken to during the inspection, and every parent who expressed a view using the online parent questionnaire (Parent View), believed the teaching and progress made by children is good. Comments such as ‘the standard of teaching my children have received to date has been exceptional’ and ‘I have been delighted with my child’s progress throughout her six years at New Marske’ are typical.  Senior leaders have a clear view of the school’s current performance and articulate accurately its strengths and those areas that need further development. The school’s improvement plan sets out the current priorities and provides a purposeful agenda for change.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The special educational needs coordinator demonstrates an enthusiastic and determined approach in overseeing and managing the support programme for pupils who have special educational needs or disability so that they achieve well.  The school has successfully augmented the core English and mathematics curriculum with a topic-based approach that provides breadth and balance as well as the teaching of French.  Pupils told inspectors how much they enjoy their learning. One parent summed up her views when adding, ‘I am very impressed with the new curriculum the school has developed. It is broad and balanced and the topics excite and engage my children.’  The curriculum is enhanced by specialist teachers who deliver regular physical education, music and drama lessons, which offer pupils an additional opportunity to excel. Pupils also benefit from school visits and visitors that are organised to link with current topics. For example, when learning about the second

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

world war, pupils visited Eden Camp. On a recent careers day, aspirations of what they may wish to do in later life were raised as they met a vet, scientist, author and even an ex-England football manager.  Leaders have developed links with a local school with a more culturally diverse community than its own to effectively promote pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. Pupils benefit from the many opportunities to learn about living in Britain now and in the past and are encouraged to discuss topical issues that promote an understanding of British values, including the importance and value of living in a democratic country.  Pupil premium funding is having a positive impact on pupils’ engagement with school. For instance, the standards achieved by, and the attendance levels of, disadvantaged pupils are broadly in line with other pupils at the school and are above the national average for all pupils. Similarly, the physical education

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

and sport premium is used well. Pupils benefit from having good opportunities to participate in a growing range of sports and competitive events.  The work of middle leaders is having a limited impact on school improvement and much has been landed on the headteacher’s shoulders. The rigour of their evaluation and triangulation of evidence has not shown enough impact despite collaborative moderation and training with external consultants. The expectation of some subject leaders to drive improvement has not been robust enough.  The governance of the school Governors are very supportive of the school and are ambitious for further improvement. Since the previous inspection, they have strengthened their engagement with the school so that they now have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Governors have a good overview of the school’s current situation and the impact of recent

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

developments. They make use of information from a wide range of sources and do not simply accept what they are told. As a result, they are robust in monitoring the key priorities for improvement and holding leaders to account. Governors bring specific skills to enhance their support of the school.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff are appropriately trained and understand their responsibilities for ensuring pupils’ safety. The school’s effective use of an online monitoring system which records all issues related to child protection, safeguarding and behaviour is an embedded feature of the safeguarding practice. There is a clear approach within the school to implement the ‘Prevent’ duty to keep pupils safe from the dangers of radicalisation and extremism. Administrative staff monitor all visitors to the school and keep a detailed record of everyone on site. The school is maintained well and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

organised so that pupils are safe. All pupils and parents spoken to during the inspection and every pupil and parent who responded to the online questionnaires are confident that children are safe at school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection and is now consistently good.  Classrooms are organised well to support pupils’ development and teachers plan lessons that help pupils to learn and make good progress. They generally take good account of pupils’ different abilities and most pupils show resilience and perseverance and therefore complete their tasks successfully. One pupil explained to the inspector how much he enjoyed the challenging work and the satisfaction of successfully completing it.  There are times, however, when teachers do not provide consistent challenge for the most able pupils, particularly in key stage 1, and especially in writing. They do not always provide sufficient feedback to encourage pupils to improve their work through producing extended pieces of writing.  Teachers ask challenging questions to assess the level of pupils’ development and pupils rise to the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

challenge. During lessons, pupils behave well and remain focused on their work. They happily cooperate to discuss and share ideas. Those working independently, especially those in upper key stage 2, have good work habits and apply themselves diligently to the tasks in hand.  Teaching assistants make a good contribution to teaching and this is having a positive impact on pupils’ learning over time. Their contribution to the teaching of phonics is particularly strong. Pupils use their developing knowledge of phonics very well to support their early reading skills.  As a consequence of the school’s emphasis on promoting a love of books, reading standards at both key stage 1 and key stage 2 are higher than average. Pupils heard to read during the inspection spoke enthusiastically about the enjoyment they get from reading.  Since the previous inspection the school has focused on improving pupils’ writing. Teachers’ emphasis on

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

writing and the increased support provided to pupils ensures that pupils are increasingly developing their writing skills and improving their use of correct punctuation and grammar. Work in pupils’ books shows that good progress is being made over time. Standards are rising and are above average by the end of key stage 2 in 2016.  Although teachers generally possess good levels of subject knowledge, in some classes in lower key stage 2, teachers do not use subject-specific vocabulary accurately in mathematics. As a result, teachers do not enhance pupils’ knowledge and understanding as well as they could.  Despite the inaccuracies seen in the use of mathematical vocabulary, teachers have high expectations of pupils in mathematics and encourage them to become increasingly confident when working with numbers. Pupils are encouraged to discuss different strategies for solving mathematical problems, helping

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

them to consolidate and deepen their understanding. In turn, this helps teachers to assess pupils’ understanding and progress.  Most teachers, especially in key stage 2, mark pupils’ work carefully and provide very clear guidance about how it can be improved. However, a small number of teachers do not consistently follow the school’s assessment policy robustly enough and do not check that pupils respond to the marking. Consequently, pupils do not consistently improve their work rapidly enough.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils have a desire and determination to do well and have good attitudes towards learning, which helps them to make good progress. They spoke to the inspector with enthusiasm about their school and their lessons.  Pupils are polite, friendly and respectful of adults and each other. All pupils at a meeting with the inspector agreed that it is right to respect people from other backgrounds and to treat everyone equally.  Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They know how to stay safe using the internet and social media and say the school helps them to be aware of potential dangers outside of school. Almost all parents who responded to the online questionnaire agree that their children feel safe in school, are happy and well looked after.  Pupils understand that there are different types of bullying including cyber bullying. They told inspectors

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Personal development and welfare

that bullying in school is very rare, as it is not tolerated. They are confident that if a problem did occur, teachers would deal with it straight away.  Parents and pupils appreciate the breakfast club, which provides a safe and healthy start to the day.  Pupils in Year 6 in particular consistently display their work neatly. This demonstrates their good attitudes to their learning.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. School records confirm that behaviour is consistently good over time.  Pupils and almost all parents agree that the school ensures pupils are well behaved. Pupils have a good understanding of the school rules and the consequences of breaking them.  Good behaviour in lessons ensures that pupils learn well without interruptions or distractions.  Pupils also conduct themselves well around the school and when they are gathered together. For example, in a singing session, pupils participated with joy and gusto and many pupils were confident to take the lead in singing solos.  Pupils play well together in the playgrounds and come together as a very happy and calm community in the dining hall. They show responsible attitudes at lunchtime, which is a good social time for pupils.  All pupils start school and end their playtime in a quiet and sensible manner. As a result they settle down

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Behaviour

quickly to their learning.  Pupils speak with pride about their school and are keen to talk about how safe they feel and how much they appreciate their teachers. They enjoy their responsibilities as school councillors, monitors and play leaders who enjoy looking after younger pupils. They have no complaints about the way they are treated or their learning. All pupils spoken with were aware of healthy lifestyles and healthy eating.  Attendance has improved and is above the national average while persistent absence has reduced and is below average. The school actively promotes and rewards regular attendance and punctuality and always checks the reasons for absence.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Outcomes for pupils have improved since the previous inspection. Pupils currently in the school make good progress from their starting points and are well prepared for their secondary education.  In 2015, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development at the end of the early years was above the national average. This represented good progress from skill levels which are typical for their age on entry. Furthermore, the gap in attainment between girls and boys was much narrower at this school than it was nationally. In 2016, the proportion of pupils achieving a good level of development is a little lower than last year.  There has been a steady rise year-on-year since 2014 in the performance of Year 1 pupils in the national phonics check. The proportion of pupils passing the check continues to be above the national average. In 2016 the percentage was the highest achieved at the school. The school has made the teaching of

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Outcomes for pupils are good

phonics a priority in recent times. Current learning shows that the improved teaching is having a positive impact on reading standards throughout key stage 1.  Standards by the end of Year 2 were broadly in line with the national average in reading, writing and mathematics in 2015. Standards in reading and mathematics appear to be improved further in 2016 despite a raising of the bar. Standards in writing for current Year 2 pupils still lag a little behind standards in reading and mathematics.  Year 6 pupils have achieved standards in 2016 which exceed the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. This is a significant improvement since the last inspection. The progress from their starting points in Year 2 is good in all subjects and for all groups.  Compelling evidence for pupils’ good progress is seen in the work in pupils’ books, which show good and often rapid progress in English and mathematics.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Disadvantaged pupils attain as well as other pupils in the school because they make good progress. The gap between their attainment and that of other pupils nationally has closed and is very much less than typically seen.  Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities make good progress because they receive effective, well-targeted help. Their needs are accurately identified and appropriate support is provided.  The impact of good-quality teaching in grammar, punctuation, spelling and mathematics is evident in pupils’ increasingly good progress in these areas.  The most able pupils achieve well in almost all classes, but progress is less rapid in key stage 1. There are some good examples of challenge in the work for the most able pupils in key stage 2. Leaders have correctly identified that higher expectations should be more consistent in each class to ensure that the most able are encouraged to make more rapid progress.

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Early years provision is good

 The school has recently taken over the provision for two-year-olds on its site and this is proving to be very effective, including in engaging parents and supporting children with additional needs. It prepares children well for starting Nursery. The early years leader has a clear understanding of the needs of two- year-olds and has ensured that effective planning and detailed tracking of children’s progress are in place for this group of children. Staff are well trained and provide a bright and welcoming environment with high-quality resources both indoors and outdoors. Very positive relationships between staff, children and parents are providing an effective start to children’s education.  Children get the support they need from the moment they join the Nursery. Consequently, children make strides in their learning, behave well and develop positive relationships with adults and their peers. Close

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Early years provision is good

liaison with parents means that teachers and assistants have as much information as possible about children before they start Nursery.  There is impressive Nursery provision but children’s very well-developed language and personal development suggests that the school judgement of attainment on entry is much lower than the findings of inspectors. The baseline assessment on entry to the Nursery is not precise enough. Children are judged to be in a wide band of attainment which is below average for their age. However, too little account is taken of the children who are attaining better than this. Despite this, effective teaching enables children to make good progress and those who are behind catch up quickly in Nursery.  Children are given good opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge through formal well-planned phonics and numeracy sessions and by answering probing questions posed by teachers and assistants.

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Early years provision is good

Consequently, children make good progress from starting points in reading and mathematical development. Children particularly enjoyed working on the stories ‘Going on a Bear Hunt’ and ‘Where the Wild Things Are’, for example when writing a letter inviting the Wild Things to their party.  However, children’s writing skills are not as well developed as they should be in the Reception class. Feedback has not been precise enough, for example to ensure that children spell common words correctly or space their writing correctly using finger spaces. Similarly, the use of capital letters and full stops is not sufficiently emphasised. Consequently, all children, especially the most able, are not making as much progress in writing as they are in reading and mathematics.  The early years leader has ensured that the outside play area enhances children’s learning effectively. Teachers and assistants direct and guide children so they get the most from the equipment, which

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Early years provision is good

includes opportunities for reading and mark-making.  The topics covered engage and motivate children very well, and are carefully chosen to appeal to boys as well as girls. Topics such as ‘Percy the Park Keeper’ provide opportunities for children to learn about the world around them, through, for example, role play and visits.  The environment is safe and conducive to pupils discovering through play. There are rigorous procedures in place to ensure that children are looked after well, which the leader carefully monitors. Children’s behaviour is very good and they move between activities within the setting in a very orderly and calm manner.  Children are well prepared to continue their education in Year 1. There is very little difference between the attainment of boys and girls or between disadvantaged children and other children.  Parents speak very highly of the early years provision and value their involvement in their children’s

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Early years provision is good

learning through stay and play sessions and through their input into children’s learning journals.

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School details

Unique reference number 111665 Local authority Redcar and Cleveland Inspection number 10012045 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 Community Age range of pupils 2–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 268 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Yvonne Joy Headteacher John Dooris Telephone number 01642 486 392 Website www.newmarskeprimary.co.uk Email address office@newmarskeprimary.co.uk Date of previous inspection 14 May 2014

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is broadly in line with the national 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.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well below the national average. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is also well below the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disabilities is broadly in line with the national average. The proportion identified for additional support with an education, health and care plan is below average.  The school provides for children in the early years through part-time Nursery classes and two full-time

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Information about this school

Reception classes. The school also provides 24 places for two-year-olds in a purpose-built room.  In 2015 the school met the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  The school provides a daily breakfast club.

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Information about this inspection

 At the time of the inspection, pupils throughout school had joined their new teachers as part of their transition to the next year group. As part of their induction process, Year 6 pupils were attending their new secondary school.  Inspectors observed learning in all classes and some observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.  Inspectors talked to pupils about their work and took account of the work in pupils’ books. They also considered pupils’ behaviour around school, at playtimes and lunchtimes and asked them for their views on the school.  The results of the pupils’ online questionnaire were taken into account.  Inspectors also heard a selection of pupils from Reception, Year 2 and Year 5 read.  An inspector joined pupils and staff in a singing session and briefly visited the breakfast club.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and staff with key leadership responsibilities.

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Information about this inspection

 Discussions were held with governors, a representative from Redcar and Cleveland local authority, and the director of Landmark Teaching Alliance.  Inspectors took into account a wide range of documents including: those relating to the school’s own checks on its performance and the quality of teaching; the school development plan; governor documentation; information on pupils’ progress; and records relating to attendance, behaviour and safeguarding.  Inspectors looked at the 40 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, including all the written comments. They also spoke to parents at the start of the school day.  Additionally they considered 19 responses to the staff questionnaire and 54 pupils’ responses to their questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Steve Bywater, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Alison Aitchison Ofsted Inspector Lucie Stephenson 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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