Hadrian Park Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Hadrian Park Primary School Addington Drive, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear NE28 9RT

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Outcome

Hadrian Park Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that the best thing about Hadrian Park Primary School is the staff who make school fun. Pupils are provided with a wide range of opportunities such as skiing in France and cycling the ‘Waggonways network’. Relationships between staff and pupils are respectful and trusting. This helps pupils to feel safe and cared for by staff who know them well. Pupils know that there is always a trusted adult to talk to if they need to.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well around school. There is lots to do during breaktimes such as riding scooters and walking on stilts. On the rare occasion that bullying occurs, staff are prompt to intervene and sort it out. Older pupils enjoy learning about different careers such as engineering and construction. Leaders plan visits to local businesses. This helps pupils to make links between the world of work and the curriculum they study.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils understand and live up to these expectations. They try hard in lessons. Pupils want to achieve well. They enjoy learning and take pride in their work.

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

Leaders have identified the knowledge that they want pupils to gain from Nursery to Year 6. This includes quality texts to help develop pupils’ vocabulary. For example, in a Year 4 reading lesson, pupils read together a text about the Anglo-Saxons. They learn to retrieve and record information from the non-fiction text. Staff make regular checks that pupils understand unfamiliar words in the text.

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

Teaching in reading and mathematics lessons is a strength of the school. Staff tailor learning to ensure pupils gain the knowledge they need to become successful. Teachers have a strong knowledge of the subjects they teach. This is because leaders ensure staff receive training and effective support. Subject leaders check how well pupils remember the content of lessons. This helps leaders to gain a clear picture of the strengths and areas for development in the curriculum. 10 and 11 May 2023

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This year, leaders have made changes to some foundation subject curriculums, including geography. The revised curriculum plans include the geographical skills, such as fieldwork, that pupils must learn. Teachers plan meaningful experiences for pupils, including visits to the local country park. This aspect of the curriculum is developing. Currently, pupils do not get enough opportunities to use and apply new knowledge and skills so it becomes fixed in their long-term memory.

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Children make a strong start in the early years. There is a busy, purposeful atmosphere, in early years, where children use the areas of learning with sustained focus and interest. This is because staff respond well to meet their needs. Staff repeat and model the language they want children to learn. For example, children count accurately as they play games. This helps pupils later when they count in fives to tell the time in Year 2.

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Children from Nursery to Year 6 treasure story time at the end of the school day. In Nursery, pupils learn to tell each other stories based on the stories they have heard. In Year 6, pupils sit in suspense as the teacher reads ‘The Last Bear’ by Hannah Gold. Phonics is taught every day, following the same, familiar routines. Accurate assessment ensures pupils work in groups that match their phonic knowledge. Pupils read books that match their phonic knowledge. This helps pupils to develop confidence and fluency. Pupils who need extra support receive immediate help from staff who have expert knowledge in early reading. This means that pupils develop a love of reading.

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Leaders are ambitious for every pupil to achieve well. In the early years, assessment is used well to identify needs. Leaders make effective use of external specialists such as speech and language therapists. This means that pupils receive swift and effective support to access the curriculum alongside their peers. For instance, some pupils use an electronic tablet to access aspects of the curriculum. This helps some pupils to maintain focus during lessons.

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Pupils know that staff expect them to show kindness to everyone and to respect the school environment. Staff with expertise in mental health work effectively with pupils. They learn how to understand and manage their feelings. Behaviour in lessons is calm and purposeful. This means that no learning time is lost.

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Leaders organise many events to enhance pupils’ wider development. Pupils benefit from a range of sports activities, musical performances and educational visits. Visits from the police help pupils to understand how to keep themselves safe in the local community. Pupils enjoy the responsibility of being a member of the school council, a prefect or a digital leader. Older pupils particularly enjoy reading to children in the early years.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. Leaders ensure staff have time and support to manage their workload. Governors check that the actions leaders take benefit all pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 10 and 11 May 2023

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Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding. They have ensured everyone who works in the school receives regular safeguarding training. Staff are vigilant. They know the pupils and families well. Staff report any concerns they have. Leaders keep thorough records of safeguarding incidents. They work effectively with parents, carers and external agencies to make sure pupils and families get the right support. Governors and leaders make comprehensive checks on the suitability of adults who work in the school.

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Pupils learn how to ride bicycles safely. They learn how to stay safe when online and how to report concerns.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few foundation subjects, including geography, pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise and apply their knowledge and skills. This means that some pupils struggle to remember some aspects of the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that teachers continue to receive support to implement the revised aspects of the curriculum so that pupils use and apply their knowledge to help embed learning in their long-term memory.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2017.

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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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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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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. 10 and 11 May 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 and 29 November 2017

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Information about this school

 A new chair of the governing body has been appointed since the last inspection.  The school does not currently use any alternative provisions.

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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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, senior leaders, including the special educational needs coordinator, the school’s school improvement partner and four members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector 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 inspector observed pupils read to familiar adults. 10 and 11 May 2023

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 The inspector also looked at curriculum documentation for other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector spoke to staff and pupils. The inspector met with two designated safeguarding leads to review their knowledge, records and actions. The inspector also checked the school’s single central record.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s parent, pupil and staff questionnaires. She spoke with parents as they dropped their children off at school.  The inspector met with staff to discuss their well-being and workload.

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Inspection team

Kathryn McDonald, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 10 and 11 May 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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