The Drive Community Primary School

Inspection of The Drive Community Primary School The Drive, Felling, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE10 0PY

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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 Good 8 and 9 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and teachers help pupils to aspire to great things. Some pupils want to become a scientist, a computer technician or engineer. Pupils’ happiness in school is clear. Teachers work with pupils to make sure that they are in control of their feelings. There is a common language of ‘red cap and blue cap’ thinking. Pupils recognise how to stay calm rather than losing control. They learn how to stay safe in and out of school, including online.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is good because relationships are strong. Pupils enjoy each other’s company. They share equipment at breaktime and play sensibly. Bullying is exceptionally rare. Pupils show good manners by holding open doors or saying ‘please’, ‘thank you’ or ‘you’re welcome’. Pupils are proud of their school and the local area. Pupils speak knowledgeably about local history, such as the Felling pit disaster, and significant local people.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have made sure the school has close links to the local community. Some older pupils act as ‘Drive Ministers’ and lead the school council to raise money for good causes, such as homelessness charities. Leaders have prioritised pupils’ well- being after the impact of the pandemic. This is a focus on ‘well-being Wednesday’. Pupils know the importance of recycling for the environment. They collect litter and recycle food waste.

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better?

Leaders have improved many aspects of the school. Governors and leaders have focused on improving the quality of education by developing the curriculum. Pupils are making good progress in their understanding in subjects like mathematics. Teachers use assessment well to check what pupils know and can do. In most subjects, the essential knowledge pupils need is clear. This is sequenced well and builds learning progressively. Pupils make connections in learning and build on what they already know.

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better?

Leaders have adopted a clear and consistent approach to teaching that is well understood by staff. Pupils’ engagement and motivation in learning has improved as a result. In a few subjects, such as science and geography, leaders have not clearly planned out the key knowledge that pupils need. Teachers cannot make accurate checks that the essential learning has been acquired and remembered by pupils. Leaders are working to address this.

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better?

Leaders have adopted a systematic approach to the teaching of phonics. Children in Reception learn new sounds and can spot them in a word. Their knowledge of sounds helps them to read simple words such as ‘big’ and ‘fat’. Learning new sounds helps younger children with their writing and spelling. Pupils know the routines in phonics lessons well and so get on with their reading with confidence. In Year 1, pupils can read a short sentence to their partner. Teachers help pupils to develop a 8 and 9 November 2022

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love of books and reading. The library team helps their classmates pick books, create author displays and collects pupils’ views. Younger pupils have a library card to use in any local library. Pupils are quickly becoming fluent readers.

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Leaders’ and governors’ promotion of inclusion means no pupil misses out on the educational offer in the school. This includes those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Teachers spot pupils’ needs early and make sure that pupils have the right help to be successful. Close working relationships with a range of professionals enable pupils to have good-quality support. Teachers are equally ambitious for all pupils.

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Children make a strong start in the early years. The atmosphere in nursery is calm. Children use different areas with confidence and interest. Adults repeat and model language to support children’s speech and communication. Children in Reception work together to investigate parts of mathematics, such as number. For example, they use different systems and patterns to make six objects.

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Pupils behave well in school because they want to learn. They have positive attitudes to learning, which means there is little off-task behaviour. Pupils aspire to hold a position of responsibility in school. These include attendance leaders, librarians and sports leaders. Pupils learn about other faiths and beliefs. They speak of the need for tolerance and respect. Pupils enjoy a range of school clubs. These vary from multi-sports to the ‘chicken club’, in which some pupils look after school chickens. Pupils learn how to stay physically healthy through exercise and diet.

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Leaders have put in place systems to make sure all staff feel valued. Staff enjoy a well-being day and a termly well-being staff meeting. Leaders have reduced unnecessary tasks. There is a strong team spirit across adults in the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Well-trained staff are alert to any minor changes that they see in a pupil. A detailed recording system means that all small ‘niggles’ are linked together to give a bigger picture for each pupil. Leaders provide extra help if necessary. This can be from other agencies or the school counsellor. The school business manager maintains detailed records of vetting checks for staff and volunteers. Safeguarding is part of induction systems for new staff so that they know what to do. Staff know how to raise concerns about a colleague if ever necessary. Pupils learn how to stay safe online, when walking home or riding a bike.

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Safeguarding

Governors check on the arrangements for safeguarding. They use information from external audits and meetings to ensure the policies and processes are being carried out as they should. 8 and 9 November 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, leaders have not planned out the essential knowledge pupils need to acquire and remember at the end of each unit of work. Pupils find it difficult to make connections in their learning in these subjects. Leaders need to clarify the essential knowledge pupils need so that they develop detailed knowledge and skills across the curriculum.  Teachers are unable to systematically assess and check what pupils have learned and remembered over time because the required knowledge in some subjects has not been defined. Leaders need to specify this knowledge and how it is assessed so that teachers can give more support to pupils where it is needed.

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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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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. 8 and 9 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241917 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 14 September 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, assistant headteachers, the special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders, early years leader and teachers. An inspector met members of the local governing body, including the chair. An inspector also met the school improvement partner from Gateshead local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, history, science, geography and mathematics. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons 8 and 9 November 2022

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where available, spoke to teachers and teaching assistants, spoke to pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened to a range of pupils read from different year groups.  Inspectors looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about other curriculum subjects.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lesson visits, at breaktime, during breakfast club and at lunchtime. They spoke to pupils about their views of behaviour. A group of pupils gave an inspector a tour of the school.  An inspector looked at the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks. The inspectors spoke to leaders, teachers, governors and pupils about safeguarding.  The views of parents who responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View, were considered. Inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  The inspectors met with staff to discuss their well-being and workload. The

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inspectors considered the responses and comments from Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Phil Scott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephen Fallon Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 November 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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