Monkhouse Primary School

Inspection of Monkhouse Primary School Wallington Avenue, North Shields, Tyne and Wear NE30 3SH

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 September 2023

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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 12 and 13 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Monkhouse Primary School enjoy learning. They are happy and safe. The school’s values are at the centre of school life. Values such as courage and resilience support pupils to take risks, to do more and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. The curriculum is ambitious and challenges pupils’ thinking. The curriculum design enables pupils to gain knowledge about their local area and wider community through educational visits. The curriculum also supports pupils to understand the importance of strong physical and mental health. For example, pupils learn about the importance of healthy eating and being physically active.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are clear expectations around behaviour. Pupils generally behave well in lessons and at breaktimes. Bullying rarely happens. If it does, teachers deal with this straight away. Pupils have trusted adults they can talk to if they have any concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of before- and after-school activities such as cookery, gardening and art. These activities are well attended. Pupils enjoy making a positive contribution to the life of the school by taking responsibility in a variety of roles, such as play leaders, eco-warriors, assembly monitors and playground buddies.

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better?

The school has a broad and interesting curriculum. In reading and mathematics, the curriculum is well organised. Teachers constantly check what pupils know and can do. Pupils have same-day intervention to support any misconceptions and prepare them for lessons the next day. However, in some subjects in the wider curriculum, the series of lessons is not clearly sequenced. This leads to assessments of pupils’ learning and follow-up lessons being less precise. Where this happens, some pupils cannot recall fully what they have been previously taught.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) follow the same curriculum as their peers. Staff carefully adapt activities and resources to meet the needs of most pupils with SEND. However, for some pupils with SEND, individual support plans do not accurately reflect the current needs of these pupils or describe how best to meet these needs. This is limiting how well staff are meeting the needs of some pupils with SEND.

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better?

From the moment children start school they are immersed in an exciting and engaging curriculum. In the early years, routines and expectations are quickly established to support children in their learning. Children are introduced to early reading and mathematics through a variety of songs and games. Interesting learning areas are set up around the early years learning environment. These areas promote children’s early mathematical and enquiry skills. Children have many opportunities to 12 and 13 September 2023

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develop their communication skills. Staff take every opportunity to make learning fun and purposeful.

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The school has developed a culture where pupils are excited to read. All pupils, including pupils with SEND, read regularly. Most pupils quickly become fluent readers.

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Pupils learn to be respectful of others. They understand, for example, that there are different types of families. Pupils learn about protected characteristics and how everyone should be treated fairly. Pupils know how to stay safe online. While pupils learn about respect and equality, their knowledge about world faiths and different cultures is limited.

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Governors know the school well. They provide challenge and support to the school to ensure that leaders are held to account. Leaders at all levels engage well with staff. They provide regular training and take into account workload and well-being. Staff say that they enjoy working at Monkhouse Primary School and feel well supported. Most parents speak highly of the school and feel their views are heard by the staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Plans to support some pupils with SEND are not specific enough and, sometimes, targets are unclear. This means pupils with SEND do not consistently get the precise support that they need. The school should ensure that plans for all pupils with SEND include specific targets so that staff are clear on how to enable them to access the same curriculum as their peers.  Some wider curriculum subjects are not planned and sequenced effectively. This means that, in these subjects, pupils have limited understanding, and this hampers their readiness for the next stages of their learning. The school should ensure that the content and sequencing of the curriculum in all subjects is implemented and embedded consistently across the school.  Pupils do not have a clear understanding of different cultures and religions. This does not prepare them sufficiently for life in modern Britain. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum includes essential knowledge that pupils need to learn

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

about the different world faiths and cultures. 12 and 13 September 2023

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 12 and 13 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of North Tyneside Learning Trust.  There is a morning provision and after-school provision run by the school.  The school does not use any 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

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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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 the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with leaders, staff, pupils, the school improvement partner and four members of the governing body. 12 and 13 September 2023

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 Deep dives were carried out in reading, mathematics, history, writing and personal, social and health education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed and considered a range of other curriculum subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school. Inspectors also met with groups of pupils, formally and informally, to seek their views about the school.  The inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and Ofsted

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Parent View. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Debra Murphy, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Scott Grason-Taylor Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 September 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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