Fellgate Primary School

Inspection of Fellgate Primary School Oxford Way, Durham Drive, Fellgate Estate, Jarrow, Tyne and Wear NE32 4XA

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Inspection dates: 21 to 22 September 2021

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 21 to 22 September 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and courteous in this happy and inviting school. They behave well in lessons and at playtimes. The atmosphere around school is calm and friendly. Pupils’ positive behaviour contributes towards this throughout the school day.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a supportive, caring and nurturing ethos. This enables pupils to develop positive attitudes towards one another. They get along well with each other. This means that bullying is rare. Pupils are confident that staff will stop bullying should it happen.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are taught how to develop tolerance and respect. This supports them in valuing the differences between people. Pupils are very accepting of one another’s differences. One pupil commented, ‘Everyone is different in their own way’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and are kept safe in school. They attend well and show positive attitudes towards learning. Pupils say that they know staff care about them. They know who to turn to if they have worries or concerns. They trust staff to help them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have recently revised plans to teach subjects in the wider curriculum. These plans are at different stages of development. In some subjects, they do not identify the key knowledge and skills that should be taught and when.

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better?

The headteacher is unswerving in her resolve to improve the school. Her commitment and dedication are undoubted. Since her appointment, she has dealt with some difficult issues. She has managed this challenging period with calmness and resilience.

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better?

Leaders have made improvements to the school curriculum. In the wider curriculum, there are subject plans in place for the intended curriculum. These plans cover the scope of the national curriculum. However, the developing approach to planning does not provide enough emphasis on the key knowledge, understanding and skills that pupils need to learn in each subject. Lesson sequences do not enable pupils to build knowledge about the topics they study. Nor do they link knowledge between topics to build understanding of concepts. Middle leaders, despite being keen and committed, are in the very early stages of developing their roles.

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better?

The teaching of early reading is effective. Leaders have written a sequence for the teaching of phonics. This starts as soon as children join Reception class. Phonics is taught daily. Teachers are clear about which sounds and words children should be able to read by the end of each term. Leaders have clear systems in place to identify any pupil who is not keeping up with the pace of the programme. These pupils are provided with additional support at varying points throughout the school day to enable them to catch up quickly. Leaders ensure that the books pupils read are 21 to 22 September 2021

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matched to the sounds they know. Staff are well trained to deliver the planned programme in a consistent way. In key stage 2, pupils benefit from regular reading lessons. They say that they enjoy reading. Pupils and parents speak positively of the reading reward programme that the school has introduced. This incentive aims to develop a life-long love of reading for all pupils.

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The school aims to develop a mastery approach to the teaching of mathematics. This begins as soon as children start school. Children learn all aspects of number. Resources to reinforce this are available in the setting. In key stages 1 and 2, the sequencing for the teaching of mathematics is not yet sequenced well enough. As a result, pupils struggle to recall and build upon prior learning. In spite of this, pupils are very enthusiastic about mathematics.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Targets in plans identify the small steps that pupils need in order to make progress. However, the specialist provision on site is not always used effectively. There are minimal opportunities for pupils to access mainstream education alongside their peers. As a result, pupils are not prepared well enough for the next steps in their learning journey.

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Pupils understand how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. They learn about different religions and cultures. Pupils appreciate what it is that makes everyone unique. They know how to keep themselves safe online. Leaders ensure they develop an awareness of some of the risks within the locality.

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Pupils speak enthusiastically of the roles and responsibilities they have in school. These involve becoming buddies and members of the school council. Pupils also enjoy the wide variety of clubs they can take part in. These include cookery, dance and science club.

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Governors have a range of skills. They are committed to the school and share leaders’ ambition and aspiration for the pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is woven into all aspects of school life. Staff receive regular training and information-sharing. As a result, they are swift to act on any concerns they may have. They are vigilant and keep a close eye on the most vulnerable pupils. Staff and governors understand the risks pupils may face in the local community.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are proactive. They speak knowledgeably about safe recruitment and procedures are robust. The single central record is well managed. Leaders and governors ensure that all adults who work at school are eligible to do so. 21 to 22 September 2021

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Leaders ensure that pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. There is a well-planned programme of activities in place. These include keeping safe in the locality and how to use the internet safely.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have begun to revise curriculum plans. However, the content in the wider curriculum is not as well organised as it could be. Leaders need to identify the key knowledge and skills that pupils should learn and when so that they achieve well. Leaders should also ensure that there are strategies in place to check pupils’ learning.  The curriculum plans for subjects in the wider curriculum, such as computing and art, do not support teachers to build pupils’ knowledge sequentially. Learning is not ordered in enough detail to ensure that pupils learn the crucial content in a logical way. Leaders need to ensure that the content of all subject plans is carefully sequenced, with end points clearly identified, so that pupils will know and remember more over time.  Plans in subjects other than English and mathematics do not include what children will learn in the early years. Subject leaders do not always understand

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

how the early years curriculum informs what pupils will learn in later years. Leaders should ensure that the foundations of knowledge for the next stage of learning are established in the early years.  Several curriculum leaders are new to their roles and some lack experience. As a result, some curriculum leaders do not have sufficient knowledge of how to develop, review and evaluate the quality of their curriculum subjects. Senior leaders need to build curriculum leaders’ knowledge and understanding of subject and curriculum development. This will ensure that their curriculum subjects continue to evolve and develop.  The current provision for pupils with SEND who have access to the specialist provision does not afford opportunities for pupils to access mainstream learning alongside their peers when it is deemed suitable or appropriate. As a result, pupils are not prepared to access mainstream provision on transition. Leaders

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

should ensure that there are focused plans in place to support pupils at key points of transition so that they can access mainstream education and are supported to achieve well.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 21 to 22 September 2021

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

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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. 21 to 22 September 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200641 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 11 to 12 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed after the previous inspection.  The chair of governors has recently been appointed.  The school has additionally resourced provision, funded by the local authority, for pupils who have an education, health and care plan and who have a diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder. The number on roll has increased from 39 to 45 since the last inspection. This provision is referred to as The Base by leaders and staff. All pupils attending The Base are on the roll at Fellgate Primary School and access mainstream education.  The school runs its own breakfast and after-school clubs.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 21 to 22 September 2021

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, subject leaders, the family support worker, the special educational needs coordinator, the early years leader, representatives from the governing body and groups of staff. The inspector discussed with them the quality of education provided by the school, the pupils’ wider development, pupils’ behaviour and staff workload.  Inspectors listened to pupils from years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  Inspectors did deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and computing. This involved meeting with senior and curriculum leaders, scrutinising curriculum planning and visiting lessons where pupils were learning

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these subjects. Inspectors talked to pupils in lessons and met with them to look at their work. Inspectors also met with teachers to discuss the curriculum they were delivering.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school, including lunchtime. Inspectors also met with groups of pupils to discuss their views of the school.  In order to judge the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors read the relevant school policies, scrutinised the single central record, checked the school’s procedures for the safe recruitment of staff and interviewed the designated safeguarding lead. Inspectors also met with school staff to check their understanding of safeguarding and their training. Additionally, inspectors met with governors to check their understanding of their statutory responsibilities to keep pupils safe.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the 21 free-

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text responses, 31 responses to the online pupil survey and 28 responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Gill Wild, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Alex Thorp Her Majesty's Inspector 21 to 22 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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