New Hartley First School

Inspection of a good school: New Hartley First School New Hartley, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear NE25 0RD

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Outcome

New Hartley First School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At New Hartley First School everyone strives to foster within pupils a love of learning. Staff make learning fun through engaging and varied experiences. Leaders and staff encourage pupils to behave well and to be proud of their achievements. Pupils are encouraged never to give up and to keep trying. Pupils say that bullying is rare. When bullying very occasionally does happen, adults deal with it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ well-being and the care that they receive are key strengths of the school. Strong relationships are at the heart of the school. Staff know pupils exceptionally well and have high expectations for every child. This is leading to strong achievement in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The pupils spoken to said that they feel safe. They are happy to come to school. Pupils enjoy the subjects that they study and the opportunities school offers. They particularly enjoy the choir, STEM club and the residential trip to an outdoor activity centre.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are an important part of the school community. The responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, were overwhelmingly supportive of school. One parent commented, ‘New Hartley First School is an amazing school. All staff are brilliant and take the time to get to know every child. They help and support all children and encourage them to achieve their best.’

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils generally behave well in lessons. They achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. In these subjects, curriculum plans make it clear what pupils will learn in each subject. Teachers check pupils’ understanding so that learning builds on what pupils already know and can do. Leaders are aware that there is still work to be done to ensure that these plans are consistently delivered across all year groups. In the early years, the effective development of the children’s early reading and mathematics skills is a high priority. 26–27 February 2020

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The wider curriculum has been recently renewed. The three themes of aspirations, sustainability and equalities underpin all subjects. These themes help pupils make connections between subjects. The school’s progression documents for each subject map out the successive build-up of the knowledge and skills to be learned. The key knowledge for some subjects, such as science, history and geography, still needs to be precisely identified. Senior leaders are also aware that leaders of foundation subjects, new to their role, will need support to ensure that the planned curriculum is being taught effectively.

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Staff in school are very well supported by the special educational needs coordinator. This helps them to understand well the challenges faced by disadvantaged pupils and those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Consequently, there is tailored support in place to make sure that these vulnerable pupils achieve well.

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Pupils gain the knowledge and skills they need to become fluent readers. The teaching of phonics begins as soon as children enter the early years. Teachers make regular checks on the sounds that pupils know. They use this information to plan what to teach next. Pupils who fall behind receive effective support to help them to catch up. Reading books are well matched to the sounds that pupils are learning. This means that pupils achieve well in reading. Pupils across the school love to read and to share their views on the books that they have read.

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New Hartley First School develops pupils’ leadership responsibilities well. Pupils are keen to be involved and enjoy their roles in school. They spoke enthusiastically about raising funds and deciding which charities to help. Pupils are well supported to keep themselves healthy, both mentally and physically. There are very effective systems in place when pupils need support. This support is ever-present and is readily available.

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Lessons and assemblies develop pupils’ appreciation of different cultures and religions. Pupils discuss and reflect upon important issues, such as democracy. They relate these to their school experiences. Pupils understand the importance of tolerance.

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The staff team are highly motivated and dedicated and are very well cared for by leaders. The leadership team carefully considers the well-being and workload of staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff take safeguarding seriously. There is a culture of vigilance in school. Staff are well trained. They know how and when to report concerns. Policies and procedures are thorough and well established.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They understand the potential dangers of using the internet. They are aware of how they can get help if they are worried. When issues occur, the appropriate support is put in place to ensure pupils are safe. 26–27 February 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, such as science, history and geography, the key knowledge that leaders want pupils to know and remember has not been precisely identified. This has resulted in pupils’ knowledge not being as secure as it should be in these subjects. Leaders need to ensure that the key knowledge for each subject is mapped out across each year group.  Some subject leaders have not had the opportunity or support to monitor the effectiveness of their subject. This has resulted in the school’s planned curriculum not being consistently implemented in all subjects. Subject leaders need opportunities to ensure that the planned curriculum is being taught effectively.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 28 September 2010

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How can I feed back my views?

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 are the school and you are 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 26–27 February 2020

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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. 26–27 February 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121842 Type of school First

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.newhartley.northumberland.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15 June 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher is new to the school since the last inspection.  The chair of the governing body is new to the role.

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Information about this inspection

 As part of the inspection, I did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and science. This involved talking to subject leaders, visiting classrooms, looking at pupils’ work, hearing pupils read, and talking to pupils and teachers.  I met with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and the subject leaders for English, mathematics and science.  I met with the governing body, including the chair.  I scrutinised the single central record of checks made on adults working or volunteering in the school and other documents relating to safeguarding.  I talked to parents, staff and pupils. The responses to the online Ofsted questionnaires were also considered. 26–27 February 2020

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Inspection team

Lucie Stephenson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 26–27 February 2020

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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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