Village Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Village Primary School Windsor Road, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees TS17 8PW

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Outcome

Village Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They value learning highly because they say it is the route to a good career. Teachers expect pupils to try their best in whatever they do. Pupils engage in tasks positively without letting any fear of making a mistake get in the way. Pupils know that making a mistake can be part of the learning process.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils help to decide the school rules aimed at everyone ‘being the best they can be’. Pupils behave well and demonstrate good manners. Pupils report that bullying does not happen, but if it did, they are confident adults would deal with it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships are warm and caring. Pupils trust teachers and feel able to share any worries or concerns that they may have. Pupils feel safe. They can explain how school routines and the security of the school site help them to stay safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are motivated to ‘explore, dream and discover’. Staff celebrate pupils’ achievements in demonstrating a ‘Village value’ such as patience, problem-solving and resilience. Pupils care about the needs of others and celebrate diversity. Pupils are made aware of the importance of global goals, such as gender equality and eradicating poverty.

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

Leaders have designed an interesting and exciting curriculum. The essential knowledge that pupils need to learn is mapped out in most subjects in the curriculum. In some subjects, such as history and mathematics, knowledge is linked by key ideas that run through learning. This helps pupils to connect new learning to what they already know. These connections in learning help pupils to know and remember more over time. In a few subjects, such as geography, key ideas are less focused and links in learning are less explicit for teachers and pupils.

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

Teachers use assessment well to gauge pupils’ grasp of new learning and to check it has been remembered. Teachers use these checks to shape future teaching or give extra help to pupils who need it. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Their additional needs are spotted early, so appropriate support can 29 and 30 March 2023

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be given. All pupils access the same curriculum because teachers are skilled at making small adaptations in lessons for those pupils who need it. This includes the ways in which work is presented or recorded. Pupils have many opportunities to work in small groups or with a partner, supporting each other in their learning. This is an inclusive school.

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Leaders have a clear focus on reading to help pupils access all areas of the curriculum. Children in the two-year old provision love sharing a book and listening to stories every day. This continues through school all the way to Year 6, where pupils follow the daily class story in their own copy of the book. The consistent daily approach to teaching phonics starts in Reception. Pupils quickly learn how to blend sounds together to read unknown words. They have books to take home and practise their reading. These books match their phonic knowledge, so pupils quickly become confident, fluent readers.

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Children make a fast start in learning in the early years. Children in the two-year old provision play happily together or with each other. They sit and listen on the carpet and copy the language modelled by adults. This continues through Nursery and Reception as children continue to be inquisitive and excited about learning. Inviting and appropriate independent activities inside and outdoors prepare children well to start Year 1.

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Pupils enjoy being in school and love learning. Most are fully engaged in lessons so behave well. Any disruption in lessons is rare and dealt with quickly by teachers. Leaders develop positive attitudes in pupils to help them to be successful in their next steps in life. Pupils aspire to be voted to a position of responsibility, such as a school councillor, sports leader or eco-warrior. Student leaders support learning in each year group in every subject. Pupils also have a big say in the provision of after-school clubs, such as the new acting club. Visitors to school deepen pupils’ understanding of the world, such as the recent visit of a Holocaust survivor. Leaders arrange trips to local places of beauty or interest. Learning about other faiths promotes pupils’ understanding of tolerance and respect.

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The trust provides good support for leaders and teachers. Trust-wide network meetings allow teachers and subject leaders to share ideas with colleagues. Trustees receive good quality information from the local governing board. School leaders are kept on their toes while being well supported. Staff morale is high. Teachers talk of being in a ‘school you want to be at’. They say leaders are supportive, always open to listening and helping staff. Leaders treat staff with trust and respect.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make certain staff are well trained to spot any safeguarding concern. Systems to report and log concerns are clear. Leaders take swift, appropriate action to help pupils and families. The link local governor and the trust’s compliance officer provide extra layers of vigilance. Leaders and office staff carry out appropriate vetting checks on the suitability of staff. 29 and 30 March 2023

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The parent support advisor works with pupils and families to provide or signpost the way to external support from partner agencies. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe when not in school. They learn about road safety, being safe near water and online safety.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in some foundation subjects is not as well mapped out as it is in others. Leaders need to make sure that staff identify the most important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember, so that pupils learn well across all subjects.

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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 an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, the Village Primary to be good in November 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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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. 29 and 30 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255782 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school became part of the Prince Regent Street Trust in October 2018.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector carried out this graded inspection under section 8 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 inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, senior leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders and other school staff.  An inspector met four members of the local governing board, including the chair. He also met with three trustees, including the chair of the board of trustees.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons where available, spoke to 29 and 30 March 2023

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teachers and teaching assistants, spoke to pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector listened to a range of pupils read from different year groups.  The inspector looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about a range of curriculum subjects.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lesson visits, at breakfast club, at breaktime and at lunchtime. He spoke to pupils about their views of behaviour. A group of pupils gave the inspector a tour of the school.  The inspector looked at the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks. He looked at documents and records relating to safeguarding. The inspector spoke to a range of staff and pupils about safeguarding.  The views of parents who responded to Ofsted’s Parent View were considered, including all written comments.  The inspector met with staff to discuss their well-being and workload. He considered the responses and comments from Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Phil Scott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 March 2023

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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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