Canning Street Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Canning Street Primary School Wellfield Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE4 8PA

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 September 2023

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Outcome

Canning Street Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy and safe school, which treasures diversity and respect. The school embraces its many different languages, faiths and cultures. Inclusivity is the norm here. Pupils accept each other and make friends quickly. This is important, as many new pupils arrive and leave each year. The one school rule is that ‘no one should ever be hurt, upset or frightened’. Pupils follow this rule. Everyone in the school is treated with respect.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s close-knit, family feel starts in the provision for two-year-olds. Children learn to play together, listen, and repeat words and phrases that are new to them. This continues into Nursery and Reception, where children explore, discover and gain basic skills in reading, writing and numeracy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school expects pupils to try hard, behave well and succeed. These expectations are realised. Behaviour is consistently good. Pupils’ aspirations are high. Pupils never give up, even when they are working on something they find difficult. Pupils take part in a wide range of exciting outdoor activities. These include an exercise trail and learning around a fire pit.

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

The school’s curriculum is well developed. Many pupils join the school with gaps in their learning. Nearly all pupils speak English as an additional language (EAL). When pupils join the school, staff quickly identify what they know and can do. The curriculum meets the needs of pupils well. It builds pupils’ confidence and supports their use, and understanding of, the English language.

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

In most subjects, staff explain key learning well. Pupils’ knowledge builds progressively through a sequence of lessons. What pupils need to remember is revisited at the end of each unit of work. In a small number of subjects in the wider curriculum, however, plans are not as well structured as they need to be. In these subjects, pupils do not make the progress that they should. 26 and 27 September 2023

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The school has successfully introduced a new approach to teaching phonics. Phonics is taught effectively by well-trained staff. Sounds and words are modelled for pupils to repeat. There is a laser-like focus on quality texts for pupils to read and listen to. The school’s approach to the teaching of reading provides strong support to pupils who speak EAL. This year, only a tiny proportion of older pupils still need to access phonics teaching. The impact of improvements on the teaching of phonics can be seen in the quality of pupils’ work in most subjects.

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The school assesses pupils’ learning in lessons, and over time, well. Pupils with additional needs, or those who may be at risk of falling behind, get the support they need. The school provides bespoke support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This includes teaching pupils in small groups and providing visual displays and vocabulary lists. The school supports pupils’ attendance well and supports families with any issue that is a barrier to pupils’ learning.

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Pupils are proud of behaving and attending well. They are keen to share how well they are doing on the school’s behaviour charts. Pupils value the ‘attendance shop’, which rewards good attendance. In lessons, pupils listen to staff carefully. Pupils follow instructions promptly. In early years, children are calm, curious, and eager to try new activities. Some are happy to work independently, while others share and work cooperatively. Pupils are keen to be successful, and they have positive attitudes to learning.

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The school’s provision for pupils’ wider development is rich and tailored to pupils’ needs. There are regular educational visits to places such as the theatre and the beach. All Year 6 pupils have the opportunity to go on a residential visit. Pupils learn about their local heritage through visits to museums, the city’s Victorian tunnels and local castles. The school celebrates faith festivals. The school’s diverse cultures are recognised through events that include learning about traditional dress and food. After-school clubs offer a range of opportunities such as cookery model making, and the use of school bikes. The school works closely with the local community. Pupils take part in many community events. These include litter picking alongside parents and team building through adventurous activities.

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The school has made sure that staff morale is strong. Staff are valued. There is an emphasis on teamwork. The school’s ethos among adults is sociable and friendly. No one feels left out, and any question can be asked, including by parents, who appreciate the support offered by the school to pupils and families.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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 The curriculum in a few foundation subjects is not as well structured as it is in others. In these subjects, the main ideas that link learning and the most important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember are unclear. This is limiting pupils’ progress in these subjects. The school needs to make sure that all curriculum subjects are equally well mapped out so that pupils can learn and remember equally 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 school to be good in November 2014.

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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’ 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). 26 and 27 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 April 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses no alternative provision.  The school has provision for up to 12 two-year-old children each afternoon.  The school works in partnership with seven other schools in the West End Schools’ Trust.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, both assistant headteachers, the early years leader, subject leaders and the leader for SEND. The inspector also met with teachers, teaching assistants and a range of other staff. 26 and 27 September 2023

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 The inspector met with five members of the governing body, including the chair. He also met with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, where available, spoke to pupils and teachers and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector looked at curriculum documents and spoke to leaders about a range of other curriculum subjects.  The inspector listened to a range of pupils read from different year groups.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lesson visits, 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.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single

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central register; 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 inspector considered the well-being and workload of staff. He took note of the responses and comments from Ofsted’s staff survey, including comments made by staff about their well-being. The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey for parents, including any free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Phil Scott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 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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