Newdale Primary School & Nursery

Inspection of an outstanding school: Newdale Primary School & Nursery Marlborough Way, Rock Road, Newdale, Telford, Shropshire TF3 5HA

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Outcome

Newdale Primary School & Nursery continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Newdale Primary is an aspirational school. Leaders want the very best for every pupil. Pupils enjoy coming to school and love learning. They live by the school’s ‘BeSMART’ code and behave extremely well. Bullying is not tolerated at this school. Teachers act swiftly to resolve any issues or concerns so there is no disruption to learning. Leaders make sure that pupils who need to improve their behaviour do so.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ voice is powerful at this school. The school parliament is prominent and listened to. It meets regularly with pupils, leaders and governors and discusses issues of importance. For example, pupils made a decision to collect bottle tops to raise money for a water safety charity. One pupil said, ‘we are improving our whole world, not just our school’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), respond exceptionally well to the high expectations of leaders and staff for their academic achievement. They have a thirst for knowledge.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum is extremely well planned and is delivered consistently. Pupils remember important information because teachers make sure they regularly practise and recall it. Pupils’ learning is made interesting through the use of engaging resources and educational visits and visitors. Pupils flourish as inquisitive and knowledgeable learners.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school. They say that there is always a trusted adult to speak to. They said that they are heard and that their opinions count.

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

Leaders have carefully structured the curriculum to build up pupils’ knowledge and vocabulary over time. Staff have strong subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum really well across all subjects. Leaders have established effective teaching routines that allow pupils to know and remember more. Teachers have high expectations of all pupils. They check on pupils’ learning and provide strong additional support to those pupils who need 17 and 18 May 2023

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it. Pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils are well supported to access the same curriculum as other pupils. As a result, pupils achieve highly. Parents are happy with the school. One comment was typical of many, stating, ‘This is an exceptional school that really values children’s learning and improvement, creating an enjoyable place for them to do their best.’

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Children get off to a strong start in the early years. Staff quickly form positive and productive relationships with them. Staff know children well and understand their individual needs. They make sure that children’s early language skills are prioritised. Children are very well prepared for learning in key stage 1.

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Leaders focus on reading as a gateway to learning. They have made sure that Newdale is a community where staff and pupils share a love of reading. Leaders regularly update staff to ensure that staff are experts in the teaching of reading. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know. Leaders make sure that readers who need extra help are quickly identified and get effective support so that they can quickly catch up with their peers.

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Pupils with SEND are identified early. Teachers make adaptations so these pupils can learn in every subject and sometimes excel. The SEND coordinator regularly checks that pupils complete work which helps them to learn well.

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Leaders have high aspirations for pupils’ wider development. They make sure that all pupils can attend clubs such as football, dance, drama and forest school. The curriculum is enriched through carefully planned trips, visitors and the use of virtual reality headsets. One pupil recalled how he had learned about Mayan civilisation through the use of virtual reality. He felt that it had helped him to deepen his understanding of that period of time in a way he would not have experienced in a classroom.

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Governance is a strength of the school. Governors bring a wealth of experience and skill. They share leaders’ high ambitions and regularly visit school to talk to staff, pupils and parents to make sure these ambitions are realised. When needed, they make good use of support from outside of school. Governors work with leaders to make sure that staff’s workload is manageable. Staff appreciate this, with one member of staff commenting, ‘Newdale is a great place to work and I enjoy being part of the team.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that safeguarding is a high priority. They know the pupils, their families and the community very well. The ‘life learning’ curriculum helps pupils to know how to stay safe in and outside of school. This includes online safety. Pupil safeguarding champions play an active role in making sure all pupils are safe. They talk to pupils, leaders and governors regularly about safeguarding issues.

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Safeguarding

There are robust procedures in place for reporting concerns. All staff, including lunchtime supervisors, are equally well trained and vigilant. They use the agreed systems to report 17 and 18 May 2023

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concerns, which leaders swiftly follow up. Leaders engage external support, when needed. They challenge decisions made externally, when necessary, to ensure that pupils are safe.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. 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 outstanding in June 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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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. 17 and 18 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268008 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 6 and 7 June 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders make use of one registered alternative provider.

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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 school leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector held meetings with the headteacher and six members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector held a meeting with representatives from the local authority. He also spoke to parents and carers at the end of the school day.  The inspector viewed a range of safeguarding documentation. He examined checks on safer recruitment and spoke with members of staff to check their safeguarding knowledge.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. He met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and viewed examples of pupils’ work. The inspector also spoke with pupils about their learning.

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 The inspector observed children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 read to a trusted adult.  The inspector spoke with members of staff about their workload and well-being.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  The inspector considered the responses, including the free-text comments, to Ofsted Parent View. He also considered the responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Barry Yeardsley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 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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