Stanley Burnside Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Stanley Burnside Primary School Mendip Terrace, South Stanley, County Durham DH9 6QP

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Outcome

Stanley Burnside Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being part of this caring school community. They happily arrive at school, eager to start the day. Pupils are enthusiastic learners. They share the leaders’ high expectations. Everyone works hard because they want to do well. Pupils enjoy receiving rewards for their positive attitudes and good work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that pupils learn about important values through the ‘Burnside Bunch’. Pupils show these values through their work and play. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good. Pupils move around the school in an orderly way and show respect for one another. In lessons, pupils are attentive, and disruption is very rare. Pupils get on well together. They say that bullying does not happen in school. Pupils are confident that if bullying did occur, then adults would quickly and effectively deal with it. There is support and nurture for pupils who need extra help to behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have created a culture where everyone cares for each other. This school is at the heart of the community. Staff know their families well. The supportive staff team members work successfully together in providing valuable, well-timed help to families and pupils.

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

Mathematics is a strength of the school. The mathematics curriculum is clearly sequenced. Vocabulary is well developed and used appropriately. Teachers have good subject knowledge. In mathematics lessons, teachers revisit previous learning and check pupils’ understanding carefully. Teachers adapt the learning to help pupils to remember more. Problem-solving and reasoning tasks are used effectively to encourage pupils to think hard. Pupils achieve well in mathematics.

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

The reading curriculum includes high-quality texts selected to suit each year group. These books have been chosen to broaden pupils’ literary experiences. All staff read regularly with pupils and promote a love of reading. Pupils read for pleasure at school and at home. 1 and 2 February 2022

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Leaders know that some pupils find it difficult to use their phonics knowledge to read unknown words. A new programme for teaching early reading and phonics has recently been introduced. Leaders have resourced this programme well. Staff accurately match books to pupils’ phonics knowledge. Some staff have received only basic training in the programme. They lack the expertise to deliver phonics teaching well.

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The wider curriculum has been revised. Leaders have constructed an ambitious, well- designed curriculum to help pupils build knowledge across a broad range of subjects. Leaders have successfully planned key knowledge, skills and vocabulary for each subject. Teachers present learning in ways that excite pupils’ interest and encourage them to think. Teachers use informal and formal assessment to identify pupils who need additional support or challenge. They adjust their lesson planning accordingly. Where teachers have strong knowledge, they implement these new plans well. However, in some subjects, teachers do not have strong subject knowledge. They struggle to successfully implement some of these new curriculum plans.

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Early years staff create a positive, caring environment for the youngest children. Children settle into school quickly and play well together. The children appear very happy and settled in school.

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This is a highly inclusive school. Leaders are ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders ensure that these pupils have access to the full curriculum and are well supported in school. Staff have a very good understanding of the pupils’ needs. Support plans are sharply focused. Staff use these plans well to help pupils make good progress.

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Teachers have worked successfully to identify emerging gaps in some pupils’ basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics caused by the disruption of COVID-19. Funding is being used effectively to help pupils catch up with their learning.

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The pupils’ personal development is at the heart of the school curriculum. The curriculum has been carefully planned to ensure equal opportunities are promoted. Leaders celebrate differences and tackle stereotypes. Pupils have a good understanding of rights and responsibilities. They display very good manners and are polite. Leaders are keen to provide pupils with a wide range of experiences through their ‘experience passports’. Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils listen carefully to instructions and engage well with their teachers and each other.

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The headteacher and deputy headteacher are relatively new to their roles. They work successfully together to strengthen the school. They have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and have acted promptly to implement improvements. Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s priorities. Governors provide valuable support and challenge to the new leaders. Staff say that they feel well supported by school leaders. They are proud to work at the school and say that leaders consider their well- being. 1 and 2 February 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide staff with regular safeguarding training. Staff know how to identify any pupils who may be at risk. Where pupils need help, the leaders work well with families and other agencies to keep pupils safe.

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Safeguarding

The designated safeguarding leads are tenacious in following up referrals. Leaders are determined to ensure that the right professional support is provided to help families who need it.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have robust systems for managing safer recruitment and allegations or safeguarding concerns about staff.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum includes teaching pupils about risks at school and at home, including when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some staff have not received sufficient training to implement the new early reading scheme. Therefore, pupils are not learning to read as quickly or as successfully as they could. Leaders should ensure that training is provided for all staff, so they have the necessary expertise to teach early reading successfully.  Some teachers lack the depth of knowledge to implement plans well in the wider curriculum. Therefore, these teachers are unable to provide pupils with the same level of support to help them learn the important knowledge and skills in some areas of the foundation curriculum. Leaders must ensure that staff are provided with the necessary guidance and training to help them to strengthen their subject knowledge across the wider curriculum.

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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 a section 5 inspection immediately. 1 and 2 February 2022

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This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2012.

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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. 1 and 2 February 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority Board of governors

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Date of previous inspection

7 October 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there have been changes to leadership and governance. The headteacher and deputy headteacher are new to their roles. The chair of the governing body has changed.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.  The school runs its own breakfast club.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and has taken that into account in her evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, early years leader, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, representatives from the governing body and groups of staff. The inspector discussed with them the quality of education provided by the school, pupils’ wider development, pupils’ behaviour and staff workload. 1 and 2 February 2022

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 A range of documentation was scrutinised, including leaders’ plans to improve the school, curriculum plans and the school’s website.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector 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.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour around school, outdoors at lunchtime and during lessons.  The inspector considered the views of parents and carers through the responses to Ofsted’s Parent View survey.  A wide range of safeguarding information and documentation was scrutinised, including referrals and attendance and punctuality records.

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Inspection team

Alison Stephenson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 February 2022

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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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