Golden Flatts Primary School

Inspection of Golden Flatts Primary School Seaton Lane, Hartlepool TS25 1HN

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Inspection dates: 9 and 10 November 2022

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 9 and 10 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Nurturing relationships between staff and pupils at Golden Flatts Primary School ensure that pupils feel safe. Pupils know that adults take action to resolve rare incidents of bullying. Pupils know they can trust adults to help and support them. Many pupils describe school as ‘one big family’. Pupils follow the school’s code of conduct: ‘ready, respectful and safe’. They enjoy learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This year, there are mixed-age classes. Many new teachers have joined the school. Leaders are making changes to improve the curriculum. They are ambitious for all pupils to succeed. These ambitions are not fully reflected in the quality of education that pupils receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Some staff do not check that pupils remember the most important information well enough. Activities in some lessons do not help pupils learn new knowledge. Some pupils do not make connections in their learning. They do not remember the most important knowledge.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The youngest children in early years settle into school well. They enjoy activities such as singing songs and exploring the local area. Children learn about significant figures such as Guy Fawkes after visiting a local firework display with their families.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ knowledge of other faiths and cultures is not strong. Pupils have had few opportunities to study other faiths and cultures different to their own.

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better?

Leaders are taking purposeful action to improve many aspects of the school’s work. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been changes to leadership. New teachers have recently joined the school. Leaders have redesigned the school’s curriculum to begin to address the needs of mixed-age classes. Improvements are gaining momentum. However, over time, leaders’ actions have not secured pupils a good quality of education. The curriculum is still at the early stages of development.

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better?

Leaders have developed the curriculum across many subjects. In most subjects, including mathematics, English and physical education (PE), the curriculum outlines the knowledge and skills to be taught across the school. However, the revised curriculum for mathematics is at an early stage of implementation. In some subjects, such as science and history, the curriculum does not specify the subject- specific knowledge pupils need to learn. This means that some teachers do not focus on the most important knowledge that pupils must learn. As a result, pupils are not acquiring the knowledge that they need to be successful.

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better?

Leaders have ensured that reading is a priority across the school. Story times help pupils to develop a love of reading. Pupils like to choose from a range of new fiction and non-fiction books. Phonics is taught daily right from the start in Reception. Pupils read well from books that match the sounds they are learning. Regular 9 and 10 November 2022

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reading assessments help staff to make sure that pupils are given the right support. This is helping pupils develop their accuracy and fluency when reading.

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Some teachers do not consistently use assessment well to check pupils’ understanding. They do not check what pupils know in light of their different starting points. This means that some activities set for pupils are either too hard or too easy for them and this can limit their learning. Some pupils do not easily remember their learning, including in mathematics. Pupils can find it difficult to connect new learning to what they already know.

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The early years curriculum is well thought out in all areas of learning. The curriculum maps out the knowledge and skills to be taught in early years. Teachers follow this curriculum well. Teachers have strong knowledge of how young children develop. They use assessment to make changes to learning activities to get the most from children’s learning. This ensures that children’s knowledge builds over time. Staff model language well. They encourage children to practise and learn new words.

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Leaders responsible for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) work well with parents and carers and external agencies to assess pupils’ needs. Leaders’ expert knowledge ensures that classroom provision is well adapted to meet pupils’ needs. Nurture provision and the use of ‘safe spaces’ are helping pupils to manage their own behaviour, so they are well prepared for learning.

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Teachers help pupils to learn how to stay healthy. Pupils understand the importance of physical and mental health to their well-being. Pupils enjoy collecting food for those in the local community for Harvest Festival. Many enjoy taking responsibility of being school counsellors. The personal, social and health education curriculum is helping pupils to gain a strong knowledge of healthy relationships. Pupils know how to stay safe when they are online. However, some pupils do not know enough about cultural differences or British values. As a result, some pupils are not well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Leaders are working productively across the federation. The governing body shares leaders’ ambitions for the school. Leaders are working together well to build staff subject expertise to teach the revised curriculums.

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Leaders support all staff well. They make sure that everyone receives training. Staff feel that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being. Staff feel part of a team. Leaders have coped well to manage staff absences during the pandemic. Governors have a thorough understanding of what needs to be done to improve the school. All staff are excited about the changes to the school. 9 and 10 November 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders carry out appropriate checks on the suitability of staff who work in the school. Regular training and safeguarding updates ensure that all staff know what to do if they are concerned about a child’s welfare. The safeguarding team works well together to follow up concerns. Its members work effectively with external agencies to make sure that pupils are kept safe.

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Safeguarding

Through the curriculum and assemblies, pupils learn about the risks they may face as they grow older. Pupils have a good understanding of how to stay safe, particularly online. They know not to share personal information with others.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The revised curriculum is not securely in place across all foundation subjects and science. In some subjects, such as history, subject-specific knowledge is not explicit. This does not help teachers to build on what pupils have learned in the past and pupils do not gain a secure knowledge of the subject. Leaders should continue to develop the curriculum and set out the exact knowledge they want pupils to learn.  In some lessons, teachers do not use assessment well enough to check pupils’ understanding to inform teaching in subjects including mathematics and history. This means that some tasks are too easy or too hard for some pupils. Some pupils are not prepared to learn new knowledge. Leaders need to support teachers to adapt their teaching so that it meets the needs of all pupils in mixed- age classes.  Since the start of the pandemic, pupils have had few opportunities to study diversity of cultures and different faiths. They do not have a deep enough

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

understanding of cultural difference or British values. Leaders must ensure that pupils experience a curriculum that fully prepares them for life in modern Britain.

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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. 9 and 10 November 2022

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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. 9 and 10 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241566 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 12 July 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the school federated with Lynnfield Primary School. Lynnfield is a much larger primary school.  There has been a high staff turnover since the previous inspection. The current head of school took up post in September 2022.  There is a breakfast club for pupils who attend the school.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with a range of school leaders who work across the Federation of Golden Flatts and Lynnfield Primary Schools. The lead inspector met with three 9 and 10 November 2022

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governors, including the chair and vice-chair of the governing body. The lead inspector spoke with the school improvement partner and deputy director of education for the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dive in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and PE.  For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects, including science.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at other times around the school.  Inspectors evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding by reviewing the school’s record of pre-employment checks and holding discussions with leaders, staff and pupils.

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 The views of staff were considered from meetings with staff.  Inspectors met with parents and took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted’s Parent View.

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Inspection team

Kathryn McDonald, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Debra Murphy Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 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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