West Boldon Primary School

Inspection of West Boldon Primary School Hindmarch Drive, West Boldon, East Boldon, Tyne and Wear NE36 0HX

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 September 2021

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected 12 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 28 and 29 September 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

West Boldon Primary is a very caring school. Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy attending. There is a welcoming breakfast club that provides healthy food at the start of the day. Pupils who attend enjoy reading to one another. Lots of pupils now get extra help before lessons start. This is helping them to catch up quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is calm and orderly. Pupils feel safe and trust the adults to look after them. Pupils behave well. If they occasionally misbehave, they have a chance to ‘stop and think’. This approach is helping pupils to manage their own behaviour. Bullying rarely happens. Pupils say the staff are quick to address it. The pupils know they can raise a concern by using the worry box in their classroom. There is a relaxed and friendly atmosphere at social times. Pupils enjoy drawing or reading with their friends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a strong sense of community. There are team-building activities each week and carefully planned days to celebrate diversity. For example, the school holds a Black History Month and children learn about different sexual orientations. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully integrated into the life of the school.

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better?

Leaders worked hard to provide education for all pupils across the COVID-19 pandemic. Last term, leaders planned carefully to help pupils catch up lost ground. However, leaders know there is more to do. They have extended the school day this year. Many pupils are getting extra teaching or tutoring in reading and mathematics at the start of the day, to get them fully back on track.

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better?

Leaders have also reviewed the wider curriculum. They have trained their staff to deliver new, more ambitious topics. Teachers started to deliver these plans this September. Leaders have made sure the full national curriculum is covered within subjects such as history, art, computing and religious education (RE). Teachers have sequenced subject knowledge carefully. Learning in these subjects starts in the Reception. Well-designed assessments are being used to check that pupils are remembering what they are taught.

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better?

Leaders give the teaching of reading a high priority. Phonics are taught across the Reception Year and key stage 1. The school’s phonics programme is well established. Teachers receive regular support and training to teach phonics effectively. Consequently, teachers are developing real expertise. Pupils work through books that are well matched to the sounds they know. Most pupils learn to read fluently by the end of key stage 1. There is plenty of extra help for pupils who need it. Story time is a regular feature at the end of each day. Leaders have selected stimulating books for pupils to study and read together. 28 and 29 September 2021

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School leaders and governors want to be as inclusive as possible. They are determined to provide the best possible education, irrespective of any barriers a pupil may face. They have a clear strategy to achieve this. Pupils with education, health and care plans receive one-to-one support from skilled adults. These adults adapt learning resources and guide pupils well. Teachers and other adults are patient and caring. Over time, pupils who once struggled to control their behaviour learn to do so.

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Behaviour in the school is good. Lessons are calm and orderly. There is a purposeful approach to learning. Pupils understand the school’s behaviour management system. They appreciate being able to make a fresh start if they have a bad day. Teachers are good at showing pupils what they expect. Children in the early years are taught clear routines and quickly rise to these expectations.

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There is much in place to support pupils’ personal development. Personal, social and health education (PSHE) is taught each week to all year groups. Early years teachers teach children safe routines and social skills, such as taking turns. Pupils are taught about safety, democracy and other cultures to their own. Pupils learn about healthy relationships in an age-appropriate way. Online safety has a high profile. The pastoral and well-being leader offers a range of therapies to support pupils’ mental health. Pupils are encouraged to give back to their community through the ‘Giving Project’. For example, Year 2 pupils run a community coffee morning.

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Together, senior leaders and governors are providing strong leadership. They are taking steps to help pupils address any remaining gaps in their knowledge. They are strengthening the curriculum. Some changes are at an early stage. Some subject leaders are new to their role. Although leaders have plans in place to check on the quality of education, their planned methods are too generalised. They do not focus sharply enough on how well curriculum plans are implemented or the impact of the curriculum on learning.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that the staff are well trained in safeguarding. Staff are trained to recognise the signs of abuse or neglect. Recent training has raised their awareness about sexual harassment between pupils. Staff are knowledgeable and are kept informed about any pupils who are potentially vulnerable. Leaders act quickly and report concerns to other professionals when warranted. Leaders keep detailed records of the actions they take to support pupils at risk. Leaders also ensure that vetting checks on adults who work in or visit the school are comprehensive. A wide range of safety topics, such as road safety, are taught in the PSHE lessons.

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 The school’s new approach to delivering the wider curriculum is at an early stage. Senior leaders are keen to find out how well it is working. However, they need to refine their planned approach to monitoring. They need to focus more on checking that teachers are implementing the curriculum fully and that pupils are remembering the essential knowledge needed for the next stage of their education.  There are some subject leaders who are new to their role. They have not had the training needed to be able to check on how well the revised curriculum is helping pupils learn. Subject leaders need the training and opportunities to check on the impact of the curriculum.

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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.

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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. 28 and 29 September 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10203858 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 9 February 2009, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher took up her post in September 2019. Most members of staff have joined the school since it was last inspected.  This year, the school has extended the school day to allow more time for pupils to catch up and address gaps in their knowledge.  The school uses one registered alternative education provider.  The school runs a breakfast club each morning.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

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.

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Information about this inspection

 The previous ‘outstanding’ judgement reflected the school’s overall effectiveness in February 2009 under the relevant inspection framework at that time. The new judgement of ‘good’ reflects the current inspection framework as well as any 28 and 29 September 2021

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changes at the school since the last inspection. The school has not been inspected for 12 years, which is longer than the normal interval between inspections under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Changes in school effectiveness may have happened at any point in that period. The long time between inspections is because the law changed in 2011; it made most outstanding schools exempt from routine inspection.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, and early years leader. Inspectors also met a representative of the local authority and members of the governing body, including the chair and vice-chair.  Inspectors undertook deep dives in early reading, mathematics, computing and RE. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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 Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to pupils about their learning in some other subjects.  An inspector met with the school special educational needs coordinator and checked the quality of support plans for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors considered the 23 responses to Ofsted’s parents’ survey, Parent View. There were no responses to the staff’s or pupils’ survey.  The inspection was carried out following a number of complaints made to Ofsted that raised serious concerns. Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector decided that an inspection of the school should take place to follow up the whole-school issues that were raised. Inspectors sought to establish whether leaders and governors were managing behaviour effectively and ensuring that the needs of pupils with SEND were being met effectively.

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Inspection team

Chris Smith, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Cathy Lee Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 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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