Central Primary School

Inspection of Central Primary School Milburn Road, Ashington, Northumberland NE63 0AX

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 10–11 October 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy school. They told us that this school has improved a lot over the past year. Pupils say teachers expect them to work hard and behave well so that they can succeed. Pupils rise to this challenge.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a calm atmosphere around the school. Pupils appreciate the strong support they receive within a nurturing environment. They say that they are taught how to keep themselves in a ‘calm place’. This helps them to manage their feelings and behaviour. Pupils show respect to one another and adults in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Warm and positive relationships exist within the school. Pupils talk with pride about the school values, for example resilience, teamwork & self-motivation. Pupils say that they enjoy socialising at the breakfast club. They can also attend a range of sporting activities after school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they learn how to stay safe, including on the internet. They say that bullying is not a problem. Teachers listen to concerns and take actions to resolve any behaviour issues.

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better?

A new head of school has joined Central Primary since the last inspection. She knows the school’s strengths and weaknesses well. Alongside the executive principal, she has appointed many new teachers and experienced leaders. Leaders have tackled the identified weaknesses with a sense of urgency. They have set the school on a direct course of improvement and created a climate where pupils can thrive. Pupils respect others, behave well and want to achieve. Whilst leaders’ intent is clear, it is too soon to see the impact of their work on pupils’ achievement. By the end of Year 6 too many pupils do not achieve well. Many enter secondary school without the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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better?

Children achieve well in the early years. Children are happy and confident because relationships with adults are strong. The leader of early years joined the school at the start of last academic year. She has made significant improvements to the early years curriculum. Children develop their knowledge and skills through purposeful activities. Staff plan ways for children to revisit the curriculum areas. This helps children to remember their learning. Children enter Year 1 with the skills that they need to be successful at key stage 1.

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better?

The leader of phonics has transformed the curriculum for phonics over the past year. Staff teach phonics well. Pupils read with confidence. They read books which have letters and sounds to match those they already know. Pupils’ outcomes in phonics have improved. They are above the national average now by the end of Years 1 and 2. Pupils’ outcomes in reading at the end of key stage 2 have been below average over time. This year, pupils who need to catch up have appropriate 10–11 October 2019

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extra sessions. It is too early to see the difference this is making to pupils’ reading outcomes.

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Leaders of English and mathematics have improved these subjects over the past year. They have identified where pupils have had historical underachievement. Pupils are now revisiting the curriculum to catch up when they have gaps in their knowledge. Focused teaching is ensuring that pupils who have fallen behind get extra support. However, attainment at the end of key stage 2 in 2019 remained below the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Leaders are ambitious for the curriculum beyond English and mathematics for all pupils. Recently appointed leaders have expertise in their subjects. Teachers now make sure that each session they plan fits into a whole series of lessons. However, pupils have not benefited from this approach to curriculum planning over time. As a result, pupils do not have detailed knowledge and skills across the curriculum.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive appropriate support. The leader of SEND joined the school in September 2018. He checks that teachers understand the barriers to learning for all pupils with SEND. He makes sure that pupils with SEND receive the targeted support they need. As a result, pupils with SEND can access learning within the classroom.

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The attendance officer works well with other leaders and parents. Pupils’ attendance has improved, including for pupils who are often absent from school. Attendance is now broadly in line with the national average. Some pupils miss too many days because they take holidays during term time. Leaders take a firm stance on tackling this matter, including issuing fines. As a result of absence, pupils find it difficult to build on what they remember from previous learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The designated safeguarding lead works with vulnerable pupils and their families. She liaises with external agencies to provide families with guidance and support. Staff training helps them to recognise any signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff are aware of their duty to record and report these concerns. Pupils are confident that there is always a member of staff that they can talk to if they have a concern. The curriculum includes ways for pupils to learn how to keep themselves safe. This includes when they use the internet.

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( Information for the school and appropriate authority )

 Leaders plan all curriculum subjects to build pupils’ knowledge and skills. However, leaders have only recently implemented this. Most pupils have not benefited from this approach to all curriculum subjects over time. Leaders and 10–11 October 2019

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teachers need to build on what they have started to ensure that the pupils in key stages 1 and 2 achieve the best possible outcomes in all areas of the curriculum.  Historical weaknesses in the school’s curriculum for English and mathematics have resulted in too few pupils starting secondary school at the expected and higher standard for their age. Leaders need to continue to address this legacy and ensure that pupils who need to catch up do so quickly.  Leaders, including governors, have worked hard to improve attendance since the last inspection, including for those pupils who are persistently absent from school. Leaders need to improve attendance further by continuing to tackle the number of holidays taken during term time. Pupils need to attend school more regularly to reduce the gaps in their knowledge over time.

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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 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. 10–11 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110580 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 6–7 July 2017

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Information about this school

 The school is a larger-than-average-sized primary school. It is federated with Bothal Primary school.  A new head of school was appointed in September 2018  There have been 21 changes to staffing since the previous inspection. This includes the appointment of new teachers and leaders.  The school has a Nursery provision and provides full- and part-time places. The school provides places for children who are two years old.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is below the national average. The proportion of pupils who receive support for their special educational needs is above average.

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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

 We met with the head of school, the executive principal, deputy and assistant headteachers, the special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders and 10–11 October 2019

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the attendance officer. I met with the school improvement officer, the primary commissioner for the local authority, the chair and members of the governing board.  We closely focused on reading, mathematics, science and history in this inspection. We visited lessons and talked to some of the pupils and teachers from the lessons. We met with senior and curriculum leaders and we looked at pupils’ work in books together.  We checked documents relating to safeguarding. These included training records. We looked at safeguarding policies and procedures. We talked to staff about their role in keeping pupils safe. I met with the designated safeguarding lead.  We checked recorded behaviour incidents, including leaders’ actions to resolve any issues. Attendance and exclusion rates were also considered.  We observed playtime and lunchtime. We talked to children about what it is like to be a pupil in this school.

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 We met with staff to discuss the training they have received, the support they have from leaders and how workload is managed.  We took account of the 43 responses to Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, including free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Alison Aitchison, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gill Wild Ofsted Inspector 10–11 October 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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