South Hylton Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: South Hylton Primary Academy Union Street, South Hylton, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear SR4 0LS

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 September 2021

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Outcome

South Hylton Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they love to learn and that adults have high expectations for them. Adults help them to do well in this vibrant and caring school. They like the enrichment curriculum, with activities such as outdoor learning, safety training, and educational visits. Adults promote the school values, including respect, tolerance and resilience. Pupils take pride in upholding these values.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults set clear expectations for behaviour and pupils behave well. Pupils learn how to recognise the signs and different types of bullying. They say bullying is not a problem. They are adamant that if it occurred, then adults would resolve it swiftly and efficiently. Pupils are clear on how to report a concern.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to use ‘mindfulness’ techniques. Pupils talk about how the welfare leader supports them, for example if they are anxious or feel angry. The nurture programme provides a calm space to share their concerns. This encourages pupils to find ways to manage their feelings and difficult situations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Some pupils develop their leadership skills through their roles such as school councillor, digital leaders or peer mediators. The breakfast club offers pupils a calm environment and healthy food choices. Pupils say they enjoy socialising with their friends. Leaders reviewed the focus of after-school clubs recently, to provide more educational activities. Adults listen to, and consider, pupils views and ideas. Recently, two pupils made suggestions, and helped to organise, an event to celebrate diversity and equality.

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

Leaders have created a climate where pupils want to learn. They have designed ambitious curriculum plans in all subjects, for all pupils. Leaders identify essential knowledge that they want pupils to know across every subject. Leaders consider the early years when compiling these plans. As a result, children get off to a strong start in early years and are ready for the national curriculum in Year 1. 14 and 15 September 2021

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Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong. They emphasise the important facts and ways to learn in lessons to help pupils remember. Teachers and teaching assistants help pupils to make links between previous learning and what they need to know next. Pupils could explain how their understanding of place value in previous year groups helps them to do ‘column addition’ in Year 4. Pupils’ books show that pupils practise what they learn in different ways. This helps them to solve mathematical problems and to explain their reasoning.

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Teachers and teaching assistants access specific training to teach phonics and early reading. Leaders check that staff teach the daily phonics sessions consistently. The books pupils read in school, and at home, match the phonics knowledge they have gained. Pupils get regular opportunities to practise their reading skills to become fluent readers and read for pleasure. These include story times, online reading programmes and e- books. Sometimes pupils’ understanding of what they read is hindered as they are unsure of some word meanings. Staff help pupils by explaining what each unknown word means. This also happens in story time and some lessons.

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Leaders’ curriculum plans for all subjects are consistent. In history, pupils learn about the past events in chronological order. For example, pupils in Year 6 are currently learning about the Titanic disaster. Pupils can explain how learning about Victorian life in Year 5 helps them to understand why events happened during that period. Pupils describe how this led to changes in the law. They also recognise the differences between history told through fiction and information from historical sources.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive timely support. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) ensures that teachers adjust work to help these pupils across the curriculum. Staff expectations of what pupils with SEND can achieve are high. Pupils benefit from specific resources or additional adult support. Pupils access professional programmes such as speech and language therapy.

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Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development within the curriculum. Leaders promote fundamental British values, which are woven through the curriculum. Leaders have launched the government’s recent ‘relationship education’ programme. Pupils regularly use the leaders’ systems to report friendship issues and say that they work very well. A small number of pupils have thought that a friendship matter is not important enough to report. They tried to deal with it through their strong friendships and high resilience. This means that, occasionally, a small number of pupils do not benefit fully from the effective systems in place.

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The executive principal works closely with the head of school. Together, they have high aspirations for the staff and pupils. Leaders appreciate the support and guidance they receive from the Laidlaw Trust. Governors hold leaders to account by asking pertinent questions in meetings.

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Staff say that leaders support them with their workload. Staff are proud to work at this school. They share leaders’ vision and commitment to provide high-quality teaching, curriculum and nurture, to help pupils succeed. 14 and 15 September 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. Leaders, staff and governors all know that safeguarding is the responsibility of everyone. The designated safeguarding lead (DSL) and deputy DSLs have created a culture of vigilance. They ensure that all staff receive regular training. They make sure that the most recent safeguarding messages are shared and understood. Staff use the knowledge they gain through training to be aware of signs of abuse and risk.

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Safeguarding

All staff deal with safeguarding concerns promptly. They record incidents and follow up actions appropriately. The DSL and deputy DSLs ensure early identification of the pupils and families who need support.

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Safeguarding

Pupils say this is a safe school. They understand how the visitor checking system and the fire safety procedures keep them safe. They understand the importance of staying safe and aware online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Across the curriculum, for example in reading, some pupils’ learning slows because they do not understand a wide range of vocabulary that they hear or read. Staff who have had specific training support pupils well. Leaders should ensure that staff revisit specific training on developing vocabulary.  Leaders have established very effective systems for pupils to report any issues. Some pupils do not report issues that they think are not important or they can resolve themselves. This means that sometimes pupils do not benefit from the effective systems in place to support pupils. Leaders should ensure that all staff are trained in the recently introduced relationships education so that they are able to teach pupils the knowledge they need in order to recognise and report any concerns no matter how small.

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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 outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately. 14 and 15 September 2021

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This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, South Hylton Primary School, to be good on 15 March 2017.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 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. 14 and 15 September 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200634 Type of school Primary

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School details

Headteacher Yvonne Moore (Head of School)

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School details

Website https://southhylton.laidlawschoolstrust.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 South Hylton Primary Academy is part of The Laidlaw Schools Trust.  Seven children attend the provision for two-year-old children, which is held every morning.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first inspection this school received since converting to academy status. It was also the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation.  The lead inspector met with leaders and staff to discuss the quality of education, pupils’ wider development, pupils’ behaviour and staff workload.  Deep dives were carried out in early reading and phonics, mathematics and history. The lead inspector met with senior leaders and curriculum leaders, looked at curriculum planning, viewed pupils’ work in books, visited lessons with leaders, and talked to teachers and pupils about their learning in these subjects.  The lead inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during breaktimes and lunchtime. Pupils give their views through formal and informal discussions. These

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discussions included the inspector meeting with single sex groups to discuss the new relationship education curriculum.  The lead inspector met with the SENCo to discuss the SEND policy and procedures. Together they visited lessons to see the support provided for pupils with SEND.  The inspector met with those responsible for governance, including the chair of the local governing board and the governor with a special interest in the curriculum. The school’s improvement partner discussed the school’s work with the inspector via a telephone conversation.  The schools safeguarding systems and arrangements were scrutinised by the lead inspector. This included reviewing the single central register, the safer recruitment procedures to appoint staff, policies and records. The inspector met with the DSL and deputy DSL to check their understanding of their legal responsibilities to keep children safe.  The inspector took into account 35 responses to the Ofsted survey, Parent view,

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including 15 free-text comments and views of parents gathered during the inspection. Staff gave their views through formal discussions during the inspection and via 25 responses to the Ofsted survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Alison Aitchison, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 14 and 15 September 2021

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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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