Rowlands Gill Community Primary School

Inspection of Rowlands Gill Community Primary School Dominines Close, Rowlands Gill, Tyne and Wear NE39 2PP

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 17–18 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school each day and feel safe. Attendance is good and improving. Pupils told us that teachers know them well and are kind and supportive. Pupils are not worried about bullying. They are sure that adults will listen to them if they have any concerns. Pupils feel confident that adults will look after them if they feel ill or get hurt. Leaders and staff make sure that the school is a happy, calm and safe place to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ new approach to managing pupils’ behaviour is starting to make a difference. Pupils like earning rewards for good behaviour. Everyone is clearer about what is expected of them. However, not all behaviour is good. At times pupils ignore adults’ requests or become distracted from their work. They do not always listen carefully to adults or each other. Some pupils avoid completing their work by swinging back on their chairs or chatting to friends. This sometimes happens when pupils’ work is too easy or too hard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take part in range of additional activities, including the breakfast club and after-school clubs. They like going on out-of-school visits and having visitors into school. The recent ‘Rowlands Gill: The Great War and the Great Peace’ project undertaken by Year 5 and Year 6 was especially memorable. Pupils reflected on moral issues presented by the project. They developed their knowledge and respect for different people’s feelings and views about the war.

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better?

The new headteacher and senior leadership team know that the education provided by the school needs to improve. They are committed to doing so and are wasting no time in getting started. They have provided good-quality training for staff. Teachers’ improved subject knowledge supports them to plan the small steps in learning that pupils need to take next. For example, in mathematics, pupils can remember and recall number facts more rapidly. This is helping them to calculate quickly and accurately.

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better?

There is still lots to do. While some subjects are now better planned and taught, too many are not. New leaders have not thought about most subjects in enough detail. They know what they want pupils to learn overall but have not broken this down into the smaller steps that pupils will need to secure to reach these goals. Leaders’ plans do not show how pupils will build on what they already know as they move through the school.

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better?

Pupils’ reading is beginning to improve. Training has improved the confidence of some staff. The library has been revamped. A range of carefully selected books are shared with pupils in each year group. Pupils are developing a greater love of reading. They are building a bank of stories and poems that they can use in their own story-telling and writing. But it is early days. Poor teaching in the past is stopping some pupils from learning to read confidently and accurately. Not all pupils 17–18 September 2019

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in the early years or Year 1 and Year 2 read books that are well matched to the sounds and letters they know. This means too many struggle to read fluently and with understanding.

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Children in the early years are well looked after by warm, caring adults. They have lots of opportunities to develop their physical skills. Most children can climb the steep, grassy hill outside, balancing and climbing with skill. Children are outgoing and confident. Children’s reading and writing do not get off to the same, prompt start reliably well.

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Leaders are sensitive to the views of parents and the community. They have developed better methods of communication. Parents told us that they are relieved to have permanent leaders in place. They find the headteacher and her new deputy headteacher approachable and willing to listen. Staff told us that the headteacher listens carefully to them too. They feel valued. Governors and senior leaders are mindful of staff workload.

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The headteacher expects the best for all pupils. She is already making a difference. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who attend the additionally resourced mainstream school provision (ARMS) are learning alongside their friends in the main school more often. They feel more included. Leaders understand that more needs to be done. Currently, not all pupils with SEND achieve as well as they should.

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Most curriculum leaders are new to post. The quality of their work varies. This means that in some subjects, such as science, modern foreign languages and history, pupils do not learn as well they should. Appropriate training is beginning to help some leaders to make improvements in their areas of the curriculum.

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Governors have worked well with the local authority during this period of significant turbulence. They have an accurate view of the school’s performance and know that further work is needed.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff understand their duties of care and protection. Their knowledge of risks and dangers to pupils, such as social media, are secure. Leaders ensure that staff have regular child protection updates. Leaders check safeguarding information and take prompt action when necessary. Important information is shared in a timely manner with other agencies where appropriate.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is broad and balanced. Pupils have access to all of the subjects of the national curriculum. However, the quality of what pupils receive, in too many 17–18 September 2019

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subjects, does not match the ambition or rigour of the national curriculum. Leaders need to make sure that the curriculum in all subjects, including reading, history, science and modern languages, is well structured and coherently planned so that pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  The approach to reading is not consistently effective, particularly in the early years and in key stage 1. Pupils’ reading books are not sufficiently well matched to their phonic knowledge. Children in Reception do not get off to a prompt start in their reading. Those pupils working below age-related expectations do not have enough opportunities to practise their reading with adults. Pupils need to learn to read with better fluency, accuracy and confidence.  Pupils with SEND in the ARMS unit are starting to experience greater inclusivity and access wider school activities. Nevertheless, not all pupils with SEND acquire

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knowledge according to their ability. Leaders need to make sure that the curriculum is better adapted by teachers to meet the needs of all pupils.  The behaviour of pupils in lessons requires close attention. Low-level disruption needs to be eliminated as it gets in the way of pupils’ learning. Some pupils’ behaviour deteriorates when they do not have work that matches their needs. Teachers need to ensure that sequences of lessons build upon pupils’ existing knowledge securely.  The curriculum in mathematics is supporting pupils to gain automatic recall of basic mathematical concepts. This positive picture is not consistent across all subjects. Leaders should make sure that curriculum plans show precisely what pupils should know and when they should know it. In this way, leaders need to assure themselves that pupils are acquiring the agreed knowledge and making strong gains in their learning across all subjects.

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 Most children in the early years bring confidence and a broad range of vocabulary to school. Leaders should ensure that all children build promptly on their existing knowledge and skills, getting off to a prompt start in their reading and writing.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government 17–18 September 2019

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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. 17–18 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110581 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16–17 May 2017

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Information about this school

 There has been significant staff turbulence since the previous inspection. Three senior leaders, including the headteacher, deputy headteacher and key stage 2 leader are new to the school from September 2019. The special educational needs coordinator is new to post from September 2019 and most curriculum leaders, including those for English, music, science, modern languages, computing and religious education, are also new to post. There have been several changes in teaching staff and teaching support staff across key stages.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors examined the quality of education by visiting lessons, meeting with a range of pupils and staff, including leaders, looking at pupils’ work and examining curriculum documentation.  Inspectors looked closely at reading, history, science, modern foreign languages, physical education and mathematics.  Inspectors considered the views of parents through face-to-face discussions and via the 72 free-text messages and 74 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View survey, 17–18 September 2019

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which were received.  Inspectors listened to pupils’ reading, observed their breaktimes, met with pupils formally to gather their opinions and held informal discussions across both days of the inspection. No pupils responded to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  A wide range of safeguarding information and documentation was scrutinised, including behaviour logs and attendance records.

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Inspection team

Fiona Manuel, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephen Fallon Ofsted Inspector 17–18 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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