Carville Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Paula Richardson Headteacher Carville Primary School The Avenue Wallsend Tyne and Wear NE28 6AX

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Short inspection of Carville Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 10 January 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in November 2011.

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Short inspection of Carville Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Other leaders, staff and governors share your passion and commitment to do the best for the pupils in Carville. This is an inclusive and harmonious school. A warm welcome awaits all who enter, including the many pupils who arrive at different times in the school year, from other schools or from overseas. Pupils and parents speak positively about the education and care provided, and the help they receive in times of need. Pupils usually make good progress in lessons, behave well and are proud to be part of the ‘Carville family’.

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Short inspection of Carville Primary School

You, senior leaders, middle leaders and governors have a crystal-clear understanding of the school’s strengths and the things that need to be better. Succinct action plans are being implemented to tackle identified weaknesses. The impact of actions taken is monitored robustly by yourself and the deputy headteacher and evaluated by the governing body. You have rightly identified the need to improve key stage 2 pupils’ achievements in mathematics this year and you are building on the successes evident in this subject in key stage 1. The areas for improvement identified at the last inspection have been tackled effectively. Information and communications technology is now embedded across the curriculum. The quality of teaching is usually good. Where weaknesses are identified, training and support plans are quickly put in place to ensure that all teaching is as good as the best in the school. You are aware that sometimes work is

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Short inspection of Carville Primary School

not challenging enough for the most able pupils. You are working with staff to make sure that more pupils achieve highly, especially in key stage 2, and particularly disadvantaged pupils in mathematics.

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Short inspection of Carville Primary School

The leadership of the school has been enhanced by the recent appointment of the deputy headteacher and the leader for the early years. They, other senior leaders and middle leaders value the opportunities you have afforded them to support you in your drive for improvement and in the increasingly robust way that you hold them to account for the impact of their work. You value the contribution they are making to the evident improvements in the early years and in the use of assessment information about pupils’ progress. This information is being used more effectively by teachers to plan activities in lessons that are matched more closely to pupils’ varying skills and abilities. It is also being used to identify any underachievement quickly, so that timely actions can be taken to ensure that pupils at risk of falling behind can catch up.

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Short inspection of Carville Primary School

You and the governing body have made sure that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of a high quality. Robust arrangements are in place for the recruitment and induction of new staff. Staff are trained well in recognising and responding to signs of concern, including neglect, domestic violence, extremism or going missing from school or home. Pupils experiencing difficulties in their lives are well supported. You and the deputy headteacher work closely with the local authority’s social workers and early-help teams, school nurses and child and adolescent mental health services to secure the right support for pupils and their families in times of great need.

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Short inspection of Carville Primary School

Pupils say, and parents report, that children are safe in Carville. Pupils are well informed about risks to their personal safety. They speak convincingly about how assemblies and lessons teach them about being safe and understanding and managing risks to their physical, emotional and mental health, including risks from social media. Good support from the local community police officer contributes to pupils’ understanding of risks in their local community. Pupils also have a good understanding of the different types of bullying. They feel incidents of bullying are rare. When incidents do occasionally happen, they are mainly in the form of name- calling. Pupils are confident that adults will deal with concerns quickly and well.

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Inspection findings

 Actions taken to improve the quality of provision in the early years are making their mark. Children get off to a good start. The vibrant, interesting indoor and outdoor areas entice children into learning and play successfully. Staff are vigilant in making sure no time is wasted. Staff model well the high expectations they have of the children’s behaviour, the development of their independence skills and their application to the interesting tasks on hand. A higher proportion of children are making more-than-expected progress in all areas of learning from their typically low starting points into school than at the same time last year.  Improvements in key stage 1 have resulted in pupils achieving well in their Year 1 phonics screening check and in their Year 2 teacher assessments in reading, writing and mathematics. This represents good progress from their often-low starting points into Year 1. You are working closely with other leaders and staff

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Inspection findings

to make sure that pupils in key stage 2 achieve as well as younger pupils. You are also working with staff to ensure that pupils, particularly the most able pupils, are challenged consistently in lessons to make the best possible progress.  Pupils’ personal development and well-being are strengths in the school. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils underpins all activities. Parents report that staff know each pupil well and that staff are approachable and supportive. Significant work is undertaken to help pupils when they are facing challenges in their lives, and to build the resilience and self-confidence of pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable. Pupils explain clearly the successful focus you have on healthy lifestyles and in keeping pupils safe. The well-attended breakfast club provides a healthy and safe start to the school day.  Pupils are polite, friendly and courteous to each other and adults. The ‘Carville

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Inspection findings

Promise’ and ‘Code of Respect’ are well understood and embraced by pupils. Consequently, a calm and caring atmosphere permeates the school. Pupils usually behave well in lessons and as they play with their friends at break and lunchtime. This is because teachers manage pupils’ behaviour well and apply the school’s ‘good to be green’ positive approach to managing behaviour consistently. Leaders use a range of strategies to support pupils whose behaviour is at times challenging. As a result, the proportion of pupils excluded for short periods is low and no pupils have been permanently excluded since the previous inspection.  While attendance rates are rising towards those found nationally, persistent absence rates are proving stubborn to improve, despite your tenacious efforts.  The broad and balanced curriculum is enriched well by many extra-curricular activities that pupils say contribute to their enjoyment of school and their health

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Inspection findings

and well-being. The curriculum is also enhanced by the school’s personal, social, health and citizenship curriculum. This work contributes to pupils’ good understanding of the qualities they need to be active citizens in modern Britain.  Governance is strong and governors are proactive in working in school and in challenging and supporting leaders. They are well informed and utilise their skills effectively to ensure that the school continues to improve. Governors have a good understanding of the progress pupils make because they receive regular reports about progress in each year group. Checks are also made regularly on the progress of disadvantaged pupils and on the impact of the additional funding for such pupils. There is evidence of good impact on the achievements of disadvantaged pupils in the early years and in key stage 1. Governors know more needs to be done to ensure that such pupils in key stage 2 achieve as well,

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Inspection findings

particularly in mathematics. They are keeping a close eye on this.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:  pupils, particularly the most able pupils, are challenged consistently in lessons to make the best possible progress  there is a continued focus on improving the quality of teaching in mathematics in key stage 2, so that more pupils achieve highly from their varied starting points  actions to reduce persistent absence rates are redoubled.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body and the director of children’s services for North Tyneside. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

 the extent to which leaders and governors have tackled areas that required improvement in the previous inspection, including improving the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning and progress  the actions being taken to improve the rates of progress pupils in key stage 2 make, particularly in mathematics and for the most able  understanding whether pupils’ personal development and well-being remained strengths in the school, as identified in the previous report  the effectiveness of the school’s safeguarding procedures.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection I met with you and your deputy headteacher and a group of middle leaders. I held discussions with five governors and held separate meetings with a representative from the local authority’s school improvement service and your school improvement partner. I visited three classes with you or the deputy headteacher and observed a small group intervention activity. We observed learning and looked at work in books. I listened to three pupils read. I took into account the three text responses I received from Ofsted’s parent survey, ‘Parent View’, and the views of 80 parents who responded to your own parental survey. I considered the responses of 16 members of staff to the staff survey and 89 responses to the pupil survey. I met with a number of parents on the school playground and considered their views alongside the views of pupils whom I spoke to in lessons and on the playground at breaktime. I reviewed a range of documents you provided, including

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Information about the inspection

the written evaluation of the school’s work, raising achievement plans, safeguarding documentation, a range of policies and pupils’ assessment information.

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