Newport Primary School

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

p.1

Ms Deborah O’Connell Headteacher Newport Primary School Main Road Newport Brough HU15 2PP

p.1

Short inspection of Newport Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 7 June 2018, 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 September 2014.

p.1

Short inspection of Newport Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. The previous inspection asked you to improve the quality of teaching so that a greater proportion of pupils reach higher standards, especially in reading and writing. Since the last inspection, you have developed the skills of middle leaders so that they play a full part in checking on and improving the quality of teaching. Despite the school’s small village location, you and your leadership team travel widely to seek out good practice nationally. This, and the impressive commitment from your staff, has led to rising standards and morale being high. In reading and writing, standards have risen significantly since the previous inspection. For example, the proportion of Year 6 pupils, in 2017, reaching at a higher standard of learning in reading and writing was well above the national average. Exemplary leadership and teachers’ strong subject knowledge have

p.1

Short inspection of Newport Primary School

underpinned these successes, in addition to the strong culture of reading in the school. For example, there is a regular book club at lunchtime where staff, including governors and non-teaching staff, discuss literature with each other and with pupils. Parents and carers describe the school as ‘amazing’ and the staff as ‘nurturing and caring’. One pupil told me that it is a ‘happy school with a happy atmosphere’. This caring, nurturing ethos is one of the reasons why your school is growing rapidly as its reputation in the community improves. Pupils have a good understanding of life in multicultural Britain despite the majority being of White British heritage. However, you agree that their understanding of other areas of British values, such as the democratic process, the rule of law and individual liberty, is patchy. Safeguarding is effective.

p.1

Short inspection of Newport Primary School

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Records are detailed and of a high quality. You have a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. All staff, including lunchtime supervisors, are well aware of what they should do if they have any concerns. The records I saw were meticulous in their detail. You work well with a range of outside agencies to ensure that pupils are safe and secure. The pupils I spoke to had a good understanding of how to stay safe when using the internet. They also said bullying was rare and that if they felt unsafe, there was always a caring adult to turn to. Your records of incidents of bullying confirm that there are very few in school. When checked, there were some omissions in your procedures for vetting new members of staff, but these were put right by the end of the inspection.

p.2

Inspection findings

 I was interested to see whether pupils were making strong progress in subjects other than reading, writing and mathematics. You have invested a lot of time in developing the curriculum in science. This includes inviting university researchers to talk to pupils and ensuring that practical experiments are the backbone of the school’s curriculum in science. This has led to high standards in both key stages and the school being used as a beacon of good practice in the local authority. You agreed that while there are good examples of work in history and geography, this is inconsistent and, as a result, some gaps are evident in pupils’ skills and knowledge.  Next, I wanted to check whether leaders, including governors, were driving improvements well. This was because your website, when checked, did not contain some statutory information. This was largely due to technical issues and was rectified on the day of the inspection. Governors appreciate the much-

p.2

Inspection findings

improved information you provide them with. This gives them the information they need to support and challenge school leaders well. Middle leaders exude enthusiasm. Their subject knowledge, particularly in reading and writing, is impressive. As a result, they provide first-class support to teachers.  Finally, I was curious to find out whether there was sufficient challenge for pupils in lessons. I found that pupils improve their writing well, using increasingly complex vocabulary and sentences. In key stage 1, pupils read well and their good phonics skills give them the ability to read unfamiliar words. As they progress through the school they develop a love of literature. In mathematics, pupils make good progress. The new curriculum in mathematics is helping pupils gain a deeper understanding of mathematics. It also provides more opportunities for them to use their mathematics skills to solve increasingly complex problems.

p.2

Inspection findings

However, you agreed that more challenge is needed for the most able pupils in mathematics.

p.2

Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

p.3

Next steps for the school

 most-able pupils are given more challenging work to complete in mathematics  in all classes, pupils improve their knowledge and skills in geography and history and gain a fuller understanding of life in a modern, democratic Britain.

p.3

Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for East Riding of Yorkshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.3

Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you, your assistant headteacher and three subject leaders. I met with four members, including the chair, of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. I spoke to seven pupils from Year 6 over lunchtime and listened to two Year 3 pupils read. While in classrooms, I observed teaching and looked through the work in pupils’ books. I also visited an assembly. I considered a range of documentation, including the 40 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, the school development plan, the summary of the school’s self-evaluation, records relating to pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities and safeguarding documents.

p.3