Grange Park Primary School

Inspection of Grange Park Primary School Swan Street, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear SR5 1EA

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 12 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 1 and 2 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

The four key values of ‘community, inclusion, ambition and mindfulness’ are tangible at Grange Park Primary School. They are evident in relationships between pupils, the knowledge pupils learn in lessons and the experiences that leaders provide. Pupils are fiercely proud of their school community and enjoy attending here. They feel happy, valued and safe. Staff have the highest expectations of what pupils can achieve.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have placed a strong focus on well-being and mental health. Pupils of all ages apply to be happiness heroes and help their peers who might be anxious or worried. Pupils have personal reflection journals and value using these. Pupils are taught how to manage and recognise their emotions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ determination to raise aspirations and show pupils what they could achieve in life is inspirational. The school has created a curriculum around careers that means pupils have high ambitions for their future. Through a range of additional experiences, including a careers fair and a university graduation, pupils are encouraged to aim high. The school has ensured that these aspirations for pupils’ futures are underpinned by a secure and ambitious curriculum.

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better?

New leadership has made sensible decisions about how to develop the school’s curriculum. The impact of the leaders’ work is clearly evident in the areas that they have prioritised. Pupils learn to read well and their mathematical understanding is secure. The school has created a culture where reading is valued. The teaching of phonics is effective and pupils who find reading more difficult are well supported to keep up with their peers. Pupils of all ages enjoy daily story time and undertaking the role of reading ambassadors. They discuss with enthusiasm the lessons they learn about equality and discrimination from the stories that adults read to them. The youngest children listen to stories with rapt attention.

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better?

The curriculum in some subjects, notably science, is exceptionally strong. Leaders have thought carefully about how to create and enthuse young scientists. This passion for learning is created through what pupils learn in lessons and the experiences they have outside the classroom. The school uses a range of trips and visits to make learning relatable for children. Pupils explain visiting the source and then the end of the river and how it linked to what they had learned in geography and mathematics. The curriculum in some wider foundation subjects is not as well developed as science. Leaders are in the process of continuing their curriculum development across these foundation subjects.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are sensitively supported to learn alongside their peers. Adults are skilled at ensuring that pupils with SEND are supported to achieve their potential. This school is an inclusive 1 and 2 November 2023

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community. The ‘hive’ and ‘nurture’ provisions mean that pupils who require additional support are able to succeed here.

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Children in the early years benefit from an engaging and well-designed environment. Adults focus on developing children’s language through effective questions and strong modelling of ambitious vocabulary. Children are well prepared for the next stages of their school journey through the use of strong routines.

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Pupils’ behaviour is exceptional. In classrooms, they are engaged and keen to learn. Even the youngest children treat each other with kindness and maturity because they are taught to respect each other’s differences. Pupils are passionate about equality and explain that ‘we all have the same rights as each other’. They live out these values every day. Pupils have a strong understanding of difference and respect for diversity. They explain that bullying is not a problem in their school. If it did happen, they are confident that adults would deal with it quickly.

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One of the key strengths of the school is the integral role it plays in the local community. Families are grateful for the ambition and confidence that the school instils in pupils. Parents also appreciate the range of support the school provides them with. Leaders are relentless in removing any barriers to attendance and achievement.

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Governors and school leaders have absolute clarity about their vision for this school. They are ensuring that pupils in this community are kept safe and enabled to thrive. All staff are proud to work here. They feel extremely well supported by leadership and that their opinions are valued. Staff describe feeling ‘blessed’ to work at this school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Curriculum thinking is more strongly developed in some subjects than others. In some subject areas, the school is still in the process of mapping out precisely what they want pupils to know. The school should ensure that the curriculum thinking for all subject areas is as robust as that in the strongest subjects.

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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. 1 and 2 November 2023

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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). 1 and 2 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Michael Hartnack

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 October 2011

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Information about this school

 The school has nursery provision for two-year-olds.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.

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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.  This is the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. They met with representatives from the governing body including the chair and the vice- chair. They also spoke with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and art. As part of the deep dives, the inspectors held discussions about 1 and 2 November 2023

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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 visited the hive and nurture provisions in school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors observed the behaviour of pupils during lessons and at social times.  Inspectors spoke to pupils and parents during the inspection.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation including minutes of local governing body meetings, the school’s self-evaluation and development plan.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online staff questionnaire. They also considered the responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Katie Spurr, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Diane Buckle Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 November 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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