Grindon Infant School

Grindon Infant School Gleneagles Road, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear SR4 9QN

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The resolute and inspiring leadership of the headteacher and the hard work of the whole school team have transformed learning in Grindon Infant School.  The school has rapidly improved because senior leaders and governors have rigorously tackled previous weaknesses.  Leaders’ and governors’ ambition to eradicate underperformance is translated into action and this means that the school continues to improve.  Outcomes for pupils are now good and have improved since the last inspection. Pupils make good progress from their starting points, including the most able pupils and disadvantaged pupils.  As a result of good teaching, pupils learn quickly and can apply their skills across all subjects. Teachers assess pupils’ work carefully and give timely support and guidance so pupils know their next steps in learning.  Children in the early years make a good start in their reading, writing and understanding of number. They play and learn happily together.

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This is a good school

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They are polite and friendly and have good manners.  Pupils’ consideration of others and pride in their work ensure that their personal development and welfare are good.  Occasionally teachers set tasks that are not challenging enough or do not help pupils to explain their mathematical reasoning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Leaders should further develop the effectiveness of teaching, learning and assessment and its impact on outcomes for pupils by: ensuring that all pupils are consistently set challenging tasks to extend their learning, especially the most able pupils making sure that pupils are able to justify and explain their reasoning in mathematical problem solving checking that the pace of learning in lessons always allows pupils to be engaged and maintain their concentration making sure that questions asked by teachers challenge pupils’ thinking and stretch their understanding.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The headteacher has been unwavering in her determination to secure an excellent standard of education for pupils in the school. Alongside governors and senior leaders, she has worked tirelessly to eliminate underperformance, improve the quality of teaching and accelerate the pace of progress pupils make in their learning. She has been successful in this, transforming the school so that it is now good.  The quality of teaching has improved significantly and is now consistently good. Teachers work extremely well together and share leaders’ ambition to improve the quality of teaching still further to allow all pupils to excel. Leaders know that further refinements to particular elements of teaching are required in order to secure outstanding outcomes for pupils.  Leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of what the school does well and what it needs to do in order to become even more successful. Procedures to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

monitor and evaluate the quality of the school’s performance, including checking the quality of teaching, are incisive and detailed. A sense of drive and urgency to improve is evident in all that the school does.  The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced. Pupils’ good personal development is in part due to a curriculum that strongly contributes to their good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In lessons and in assemblies, the promotion of British values such as democracy and the rule of law prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.  Teachers work closely together to review the curriculum, ensuring that it meets pupils’ needs and interests. It is enhanced by a range of visits and visitors and supported by after-school clubs such as for art and gymnastics.  Leaders have carefully managed pupil premium funding to provide targeted support for pupils through additional members of staff, subsidising school visits and providing free

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

online registration for support programmes that can be accessed at home. The positive impact of these actions is clearly seen through the good progress made by disadvantaged pupils across school, including the most able disadvantaged pupils.  Links with parents are good. Many make positive comments through the online questionnaire, Parent View. Parents appreciate the many improvements seen and nearly all would recommend the school to another parent. They know that the school promotes equality of opportunity for all and does not tolerate discrimination of any kind.  The physical education and sport funding for schools has been used very well. Specialist staff, such as a gymnastics coach, have worked with teachers and pupils and teachers have benefited from professional development opportunities. Pupils are aware of how to eat healthily and lead a healthy lifestyle.  The school has benefited from good support from the local authority and from a local

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Governance of the school

 The governance of the school is good.  Governance has improved greatly since the previous inspection and some new governors have been appointed. Governors are passionate about school improvement and have appropriate professional skills that complement their role in school. They have an accurate and incisive understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses from first-hand experience in monitoring the school’s performance alongside school leaders. Their monitoring is enhanced by the excellent detailed, accurate information they receive from the headteacher.  Governors provide rigorous challenge to leaders alongside effective support. The school improvement committee meets regularly and leaders are held to account for the quality of teaching and learning, as well as the quality of outcomes for pupils seen in assessment data. They are adept at helping to set priorities for the school and are clear

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Governance of the school

about how they can develop their own effectiveness as a governing body.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  The school motto of ‘Enjoy, Learn, Be Proud’ encapsulates the school’s positive ethos that puts the welfare of each pupil at the centre of all that it does. This is clearly seen in the friendly, happy and confident manner of the children in Grindon Infant School.  All staff receive regular training, and teachers, teaching assistants and lunchtime staff were able to tell inspectors what they would do should they have any concerns about a child’s welfare.  All documentation meets requirements and is thorough, up to date and complete.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teaching has improved since the last inspection and is now consistently good. The impact of teaching on learning, including in reading, writing and mathematics, is reflected in the good rates of progress pupils now make in each year group. Rates of progress are continuing to accelerate.  Lessons are usually interesting and lively, capturing pupils’ interest and engagement. For example, pupils in Year 2 enthusiastically retold the story of ‘Pumpkin Soup’ by Helen Cooper using a story map made of symbols to represent words and phrases. They effectively used actions and dramatic expression.  Teachers use good subject knowledge and structure learning effectively. Resources are well prepared and engaging. Work is usually pitched well according to pupils’ abilities, providing the right amount of challenge to move learning forward. Occasionally, some tasks set by teachers are not challenging enough, especially for the most able pupils.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers have high expectations of pupils and usually ensure that the pace of learning allows all to succeed. Occasionally, the pace of learning in some lessons slows and pupils lose concentration and can become disengaged.  Questioning is used well to check pupils’ understanding, their answers usually being right or wrong. Sometimes questions asked by teachers do not allow pupils to answer at length, challenge their thinking or stretch their understanding.  In mathematics, basic skills are taught well and consolidated regularly. Work in books shows that a range of areas across the mathematics curriculum such as measurement, shape and space are taught regularly in addition to number and calculation. In a Year 2 lesson, pupils were successfully using mathematical equipment to prove whether the answer to a two-digit number added to another two-digit number was correct.  Although pupils regularly use and practise their number and calculation skills, they do

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

not yet have regular opportunities to justify and explain their reasoning or prove their theories when completing mathematical challenges.  Pupils write with imagination and enthusiasm, often because their writing is linked to the topic they are studying or a book they are reading. Pupils’ handwriting skills are improving and are practised regularly but some have not yet mastered a neat, legible style.  Reading and the teaching of phonics are carefully developed from the early years into key stage 1 and as a result pupils get off to a fast start in their reading. Pupils from Years 1 and 2 were keen to read to an inspector and most pupils read regularly at home.  Teaching assistants are highly skilled and are deployed very effectively to give timely and constructive support to individuals and groups of pupils. The quality of this support is high and is often immediately after a lesson in which a pupil has not grasped a new

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils show respect and care for others. They value their classmates’ opinions and work happily, cooperatively and enthusiastically in lessons. Attitudes to school and to learning are good.  Pupils thrive in the positive and caring school environment. The sporting and artistic opportunities mean that pupils’ physical and emotional well-being are very well promoted.  Pupils report that they feel very safe at all times. In response to the online questionnaire, all except one parent reported that their child was safe at school.  The school has worked hard to improve attendance at Grindon Infants and the rates of attendance have improved significantly since the last inspection. However, they still remain below average and a small number of pupils are persistently absent.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Staff set high standards, to which pupils respond well. Most pupils’ behaviour in the playground, in the dining hall and as they move around school is very good.  Pupils are polite and courteous and display excellent manners.  Pupils are keen to succeed and work hard in class. Occasionally, some pupils can lose concentration and unnecessary chatter distracts others.  The school is very well ordered and tidy with attractive displays of pupils’ work. Pupils are quite rightly proud of their school.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Progress and attainment have improved since the last inspection. Assessment information, the school’s highly informative tracking system and the quality of work seen in pupils’ books from the previous academic year clearly show that pupils are making consistently good progress in English and mathematics as well as other subjects across the curriculum.  Pupils start Year 1 with skills and knowledge that are broadly in line with those that can be expected for their age. Achievement has improved since the last inspection and pupils are making good progress in Years 1 and 2. Pupils have again achieved well in the national phonics check in Year 1, with the proportion meeting the expected standard being above average.  The progress of the most able pupils matches that of their classmates and is at least good or better. Currently, there is no available national data to compare their progress with that of all pupils with similar starting points. Most activities are carefully planned

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Outcomes for pupils Good

to provide appropriate challenge.  As a result of effective use of the pupil premium funding, disadvantaged pupils in each class make good progress in English and mathematics. This includes the most able disadvantaged pupils.  The school is quick to identify any pupils who are at risk of falling behind. Staff make effective provision for these pupils, either through a programme of support or by immediate same-day support following a lesson in which the pupil had some difficulty. This includes pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. These pupils all make good progress because teachers provide activities well matched to their needs and abilities.

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Early years provision Good

 Children are eager to learn and explore. They enjoy the opportunities given to investigate and learn happily together. Reception and Nursery children’s play is lively and imaginative.  The vast majority of children start the early years with skills and knowledge that are below those typical for their age. As a result of good teaching and provision, careful observation and good questioning, children make good progress and are well prepared to start Year 1. The proportion of children who leave Reception with a good level of development is improving year on year and is broadly average. Although children’s progress is good, children are not yet making consistently high rates of progress across the early years.  Children’s behaviour is consistently good as a result of the high expectations of adults. Children quickly learn essential social and emotional skills and are generally able to take turns, share and apply themselves to tasks. This is also true of children in Nursery

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Early years provision Good

after only a few weeks in school.  Adults observe children carefully and build on their interests, using questions well to stimulate their imagination and curiosity. Adults lead activities extremely well, and ably support and work alongside children during imaginative and creative play sessions. They carefully facilitate their learning through prompts, skilful questioning and by modelling rich language.  Accurate assessment of children’s learning is used well to design and plan lessons to capture children’s interests and build upon existing knowledge and skills.  Children’s physical development is promoted well through an online exercise programme which the children love to do, and by a developing and improving outdoor environment that includes a pirate ship.  Basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics are promoted effectively and children get off to a good start in their learning. Every opportunity is taken for children to write,

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Early years provision Good

make marks and count. Children’s listening skills are developed well in Nursery. During the inspection, a group of children, complete with giant ears, took part in a ‘listening walk’ around school. Children’s listening skills underpin the systematic and regular teaching of phonics, which ensures that their early reading skills flourish.  Leaders are vigilant in all aspects of safety and safeguarding children’s welfare. Judging by the confidence and fun with which the children play and learn, they clearly feel very safe and secure.  The experienced and skilful leader of the early years has accurately identified key areas for improvement, including the outdoor learning space. The early years team constantly refines its practice in order to drive forward the highest standards of teaching in Reception and Nursery. There is a discernible sense of drive and urgency to offer the best possible provision for the children and to see them thrive.

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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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address andrea.charlton@schools.sunderland.gov.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18–19 September 2014

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Information about this school

 The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  Grindon Infant School is smaller than the average primary school.  The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average.  The proportion of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium funding is above average. (This is additional government funding to support those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children looked after.)  The early years provision is full time in the Reception classes and part time in Nursery.  The school has experienced significant recent changes in staffing. Since the last inspection, the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and two teachers have been appointed.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in lessons, including two lessons observed jointly with the headteacher. In addition, an inspector listened to some pupils from Years 1 and 2 read, and inspectors reviewed a sample of pupils’ work alongside the headteacher.  The inspectors held meetings with governors, the headteacher and deputy headteacher, other members of the teaching staff and a representative of the local authority. They also held meetings with some pupils from the school council.  The inspectors viewed a range of documents, including information on pupils’ achievements over time, the school’s data on recent and current progress of pupils, and the school’s view on how well it is doing. Inspectors also reviewed the school development plan, documents relating to safeguarding and records of behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors took account of the 39 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent

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Information about this inspection

View, and comments made by parents online, as well as responses to the inspection questionnaire for staff. There were no responses to the online pupils’ questionnaire. The school’s website was also scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Phil Scott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Gillian Nimer 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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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.gov.uk/ofsted

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