Reid Street Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Reid Street Primary School Reid Street, Darlington, County Durham DL3 6EX

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Outcome

Reid Street Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Reid Street Primary School’s values of ‘respect, equality, independence and diversity’ thread through pupils’ daily experiences. Pupils understand why these values are vital to helping everyone. They enjoy choosing charities to raise money to help others. Pupils understand and value ‘walking in the shoes of others’. This is a happy and safe school, where pupils develop independence and respect.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff know pupils well and have high ambitions for all, from Reception through to Year 6. Leaders ensure staff receive high-quality training. Teachers provide effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, all pupils show positive attitudes to learning. They behave well in lessons and around the school. The school day is calm and orderly. Pupils, including those who attend breakfast club, start each morning positively. Bullying is rare because adults are quick to deal with it. Teachers help pupils to reflect on any incidents of bullying. This helps to ensure that they are not repeated.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a curriculum that provides for all. Teachers adapt lessons well to match the needs of each pupil. As a result, gaps in pupils’ learning caused by COVID-19 are addressed quickly.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum to fit the needs of all pupils in the school, including those with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language. The curriculum sets out clearly what pupils must know and by when. Leaders’ vision to create a culture that enables pupils and staff to excel is a motivating force for improvement. COVID-19 has not prevented leaders from making necessary changes to the curriculum. However, the restrictions have limited the opportunities that subject leaders have had to monitor their subjects. This means they have a limited understanding of how effectively teachers are delivering the curriculum plans. 6 and 7 April 2022

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Governors have made key changes to the leadership structure. This is helping to ensure that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is being addressed. The new role of a dedicated phonics subject leader ensures children in Reception get off to a strong start when learning to read. All staff are well trained in delivering phonics. Staff quickly identify those children who need extra support and ensure they get the help they need. Pupils read books that help them practise the sounds they learn in lessons. Pupils are proud of the special books teachers have made for them to help them practise the letters and sounds they need to read well.

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Leaders promote reading well. Pupils read regularly and enjoy the wide range of books available to them in the ‘care and share baskets’. They understand the importance of reading and enjoy the incentives on offer, such as reading to earn stamps to win books. In dedicated reading lessons, pupils are increasing their vocabulary by learning words that are new to them in the books they read. They know and understand the stories well, remembering what they have read.

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The teaching of reading and mathematics is strong. Teachers think carefully about what they want pupils to know. They check pupils’ understanding of the curriculum and correct misunderstandings quickly. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to practise what they have been taught, such as in Reception where children quickly practise adding numbers to make 10. This helps pupils to remember what they have been taught. Assessment is used well to identify and plan for pupils who need additional help. Teachers plan opportunities for pupils to practise and become fluent in the essential knowledge and vocabulary of mathematics. However, some pupils struggle to use this vocabulary to reason mathematically. This is also true in science.

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Leaders have invested in specialist sports coaches to ensure the revised curriculum for physical education is taught well. Teachers say that working alongside a physical education specialist has increased their knowledge and confidence in teaching the subject. Pupils show ability in a range of physical activities, such as gymnastics. For example, in Reception, children demonstrate control and balance using a variety of apparatus.

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Leaders develop pupils beyond the academic very well. There are a range of activities and events designed to teach pupils to show respect and become independent. For example, teachers ensure pupils with SEND develop the skills they need for moving to secondary school. Members of the pastoral team work closely with teachers and other staff to help pupils cope with challenging personal situations. As a result, pupils are confident and resilient. Pupils enjoy developing leadership skills and being positive role models by being sports ambassadors and participating in charity work for RotaKids.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the coaching, training and support they receive from leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 6 and 7 April 2022

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Staff have strong relationships with pupils and their families. The knowledgeable safeguarding team is quick to identify pupils who need early help or are at risk. Staff refer to safeguarding partners and other agencies as appropriate. Leaders ensure that all staff receive a wide range of safeguarding training regularly. This ensures staff have the knowledge they need to take the correct actions to help.

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Leaders adapt the curriculum to give pupils the knowledge they need to make them aware of safeguarding risks and to know where to get help if they need it.

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Leaders make sure the appropriate recruitment checks have been carried out on all adults who work in the school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, such as science and mathematics, teachers have not ensured that pupils are developing key subject vocabulary. This means that some pupils are not able to articulate the knowledge that they have acquired as successfully as they should. Leaders should ensure that teachers have effective strategies for vocabulary development, to enable pupils to articulate and reason about what they have learned.  The impact of COVID-19 has limited the opportunities for some subject leaders to monitor the implementation of the curriculum. This means that in subjects other than mathematics, English and science, leaders have not fully checked that teachers are delivering the curriculum as it was planned. Leaders should make sure that monitoring across the whole curriculum ensures pupils develop detailed knowledge and skills and, as a result, achieve well.

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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.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2012. 6 and 7 April 2022

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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. 6 and 7 April 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211315 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.reidstreet.darlington.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 31 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.  The school runs a breakfast club.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school 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.  The inspector met with representatives from the trust and governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector met with the leaders in the school, including the principal, two vice- principals and the school’s director of business.  The inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector met with groups of pupils and spoke with pupils during breakfast club and lunchtimes. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. 6 and 7 April 2022

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, and physical education. This included meeting with subject leaders, visiting lessons and speaking with teachers. The inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult, considered curriculum plans and scrutinised samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector spoke with parents at the start of the school day. The inspector took into consideration the 46 free-text responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey. The inspector considered the 39 responses to the staff survey.  The inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead to discuss actions taken to keep children safe. She reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s single central record.

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Inspection team

Kathryn McDonald, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 April 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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