Hedworthfield Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Hedworthfield Primary School Linkway, Hedworth Estate, Jarrow, Tyne and Wear NE32 4QF

p.1

Outcome

Hedworthfield Primary School continues to be a good school. There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a section 5 inspection now. The school’s next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish at this school. They respond readily to staff’s high expectations. A number of parents and carers expressed the view that the school is ‘amazing’ and ‘values the whole family’, not just the pupils.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well. They listen attentively and interact well with adults and their peers. They move around the school calmly and sensibly. They play happily in the well-equipped outdoor areas. Pupils enjoy the extensive range of outdoor enrichment activities, such as looking after the animals in the school’s farm area.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. Bullying is rare. When it does occur, pupils are confident that adults will deal with bullying quickly.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school. Parents praised the remote learning and pastoral support provided during times when the school was not fully open due to COVID-19 restrictions.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. However, for some pupils with more complex special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), some aspects of the school’s curriculum is not adapted well enough to best meet their needs within the mainstream provision.

p.1

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

Leaders have ensured that the school’s curriculum makes it clear exactly what pupils must know, and be able to do, in all subjects. The curriculum clearly sets out the key knowledge and vocabulary pupils must remember in each subject. Leaders have thought carefully about the crucial knowledge that pupils need to learn and the order in which this should be taught. Leaders check that the school’s curriculum is being implemented well. 2 and 3 March 2022

p.1

2

Teachers check pupils’ understanding before moving on to new content. Pupils remember what they have been taught. Pupils achieve exceptionally well across the curriculum.

p.2

2

In mathematics, pupils remember long term what they have been taught. In mathematics lessons, pupils show confidence when tackling new concepts or revisiting what they have previously been taught. For instance, children in early years were engrossed in an activity to practise the numbers one to five. Pupils in Year 6 were using their developing understanding of working out areas of shapes to work out the area of triangles and parallelograms. They worked in pairs, cooperating well to complete the activities.

p.2

2

Reading is taught well. Staff promote a love of reading through class reading areas, story times and the presence of books in many areas around the school. Children in Reception and pupils in Years 1 and 2 receive daily phonics sessions. All staff are well trained to deliver the school’s phonics programme. Pupils read from books that match their phonics knowledge.

p.2

2

Staff are very aware that for many children, the pandemic meant that they missed vital in-person teaching. Pupils who need additional intervention are expertly supported to catch up quickly so that they become confident and fluent readers. Pupils make rapid progress with their reading skills.

p.2

2

Pupils with SEND receive strong support to access the full curriculum. Leaders and staff are ambitious for all pupils to achieve well, whatever their circumstances. However, there are times when teachers do not adapt the curriculum well enough for those with the most complex needs within the mainstream provision.

p.2

2

Leaders and staff promote pupils’ personal development well. Pupils benefit from a variety of activities to ensure that they gain experiences outside the immediate school community. Staff have been creative in continuing to provide these experiences for pupils during the pandemic. Pupils and staff thrive in a culture of mutual respect.

p.2

2

Staff are positive about the support they receive for their workload and well-being. Governors provide effective challenge and support to school leaders. This has continued during the pandemic.

p.2

2

In discussion with the headteacher, the inspector agreed that further adapting the curriculum for those pupils with the most complex needs may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.2

Safeguarding

Leaders and staff have undertaken extensive training to ensure that they can identify and respond to concerns that pupils may be at risk. Staff are vigilant and report concerns promptly. Leaders work with a wide range of external agencies to provide support for pupils and their families. Governors make regular visits to review the school’s safeguarding procedures. The school’s checks to ensure that adults are safe to work with 2 and 3 March 2022

p.2

3

pupils are robust. Parents value the help the school has given them, particularly during the pandemic.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 For some pupils with the most complex needs, the curriculum is not as well matched to their needs as it should be. This means that these pupils do not achieve well across the curriculum. Leaders need to ensure that teachers effectively adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of pupils with the most complex needs within the mainstream provision.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2016.

p.3

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.3

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 .

p.3

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 2 and 3 March 2022

p.3

4

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. 2 and 3 March 2022

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

Date of previous inspection

13 and 14 December 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school is federated with another local primary school.  The school uses one registered alternative education provider based at a nearby school.  The school has a speech and language unit. There are currently 24 pupils accessing support from the speech and language unit.

p.5

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 of the school.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 The inspector met with the executive headteacher, the headteacher and other senior leaders. The inspector also met with the chair of the governing body and members of the governors’ standards committee. 2 and 3 March 2022

p.5

6

 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and art. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils, and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector heard some pupils read.  The inspector held a telephone conversation with a member of staff from the alternative education provider that the school uses.  The inspector met with the school’s designated safeguarding lead and the special educational needs coordinator to discuss the actions they take to keep pupils safe. The inspector reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s single central record, which includes recruitment checks made on staff. The inspector looked at information about the school’s actions to protect the most vulnerable pupils.  The views of 24 members of staff who responded to Ofsted’s staff survey were

p.6

6

considered. The responses to Ofsted’s survey, Parent View, were also taken into account. No pupils responded to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

p.6

Inspection team

Catherine Beard, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 March 2022

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7