Ponteland Community Primary School

Inspection of Ponteland Community Primary School Callerton Lane, Ponteland, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE20 9EY

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Carl Johnson. This school is part of Ponteland Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Carl Johnson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Phil Affleck.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Ponteland Community Primary School as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. 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 of the predecessor school. 8 and 9 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school are polite, friendly and supportive of each other. They build strong friendships, characterised by kindness and respect. Pupils also form positive relationships with staff. This is a caring and inclusive school. The school works with parents and carers to meet pupils’ needs. It prepares pupils well for their transition to secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for what pupils can achieve. The school’s ambitious curriculum reflects these high expectations. Pupils benefit from subject specialist teaching. They work hard in lessons and build on what they have learned before. Pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exceptional. The school has established a clear set of routines and expectations. Pupils respond well to staff instructions. This is a calm and orderly school. Moreover, from an early age pupils take responsibility for their own behaviour. This contributes to a positive culture in which pupils work and play happily with each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with a wide range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests. Pupils take part in clubs and activities including sports, dance, choir and art. They also contribute to school life in roles such as eco representatives, ambassadors and house captains. Pupils enjoy school.

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better?

The school has established a broad and ambitious curriculum. The curriculum is well sequenced. It builds pupils’ knowledge and skills in a logical and progressive way. In the early years, children enjoy a purposeful learning environment. This promotes their development. Children get the foundational knowledge and understanding they need. They are well prepared for the more structured learning they experience in Year 1. As pupils move through the school, they get more specialist subject teaching. They learn how to work and think like subject specialists such as designers, musicians and historians.

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better?

The school meets pupils' needs well. Two-year-old children receive appropriate care and support. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same curriculum as their peers. The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND promptly. It ensures that teachers have the training they need to meet pupils’ specific needs. This helps pupils with SEND to achieve well.

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better?

The school prioritises reading. In the early years, the school has selected engaging texts that are central to children’s learning. From the start of Reception, pupils learn to read using phonics. Those pupils who need extra support with their reading get it. This helps them to become confident and fluent readers. Extra support for reading 8 and 9 November 2023

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continues into key stage 2 for those children who need it. As pupils move through the school, they develop their reading comprehension skills. They enjoy reading class texts from a wide range of authors. They also enjoy events and activities such as a Roald Dahl day, library visits and World Book Day. Pupils read often at school.

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Teachers have a secure subject knowledge. They use activities at the start of les- sons to help pupils to recall their prior learning. They then build on this learning. This helps pupils to know and remember more. In some subjects such as history, pupils are developing a deep and secure knowledge and understanding. However, sometimes teachers do not consolidate or extend pupils’ learning with enough rigour. Some pupils do not secure the essential knowledge they need as quickly as they could. Other pupils do not deepen that knowledge to enable them to reach higher levels of attainment.

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Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. The school does not tolerate any disruption in lessons. Teachers are quick to check any behaviour that does not meet the school’s high expectations. The school has created a positive learning environment where pupils can learn free from disruption.

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The school has developed a comprehensive and age-appropriate personal development programme. Pupils learn about relationships, equality and diversity, and physical and mental health. They are taught how to keep themselves safe, including online. The school’s 'rights respecting' philosophy is central to its work in developing pupils’ character. Pupils know right from wrong and what it means to be a good citizen. They also enjoy educational visits to places of cultural interest such as a Sikh temple and Hadrian’s Wall. These first-hand activities enrich their education.

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The school is providing pupils with a good quality of education. Trustees perform their statutory duties well. They hold the school to account. Leaders share a commitment to provide an academic education that prepares pupils for future success. The school actively involves parents in support of pupils’ education. Staff enjoy working at the school. The school ensures that staff workload is manageable.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Sometimes in lessons, teachers do not adapt their teaching enough to consolidate or extend pupils’ learning. This means that some pupils do not secure the essential knowledge and understanding they need before progressing onto the next stage of learning. Other pupils do not get sufficient opportunity to deepen their learning and 8 and 9 November 2023

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reach higher levels of attainment. The school should ensure that it provides teachers with the training and development in pedagogy and pedagogical content knowledge that they need. It should ensure that such training and development form a significant aspect of the school’s professional development programme for teachers.

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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). 8 and 9 November 2023

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CEO of the trust

Phil Affleck Carl Johnson Headteacher Carl Johnson

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CEO of the trust

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school opened on 1 September 2017. On 17 November 2020 the school changed from a middle deemed secondary school to a primary school. Its age range changed from 9-13 to 3-11.  The school is part of Ponteland Academy Trust. This is a single academy trust.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.  The school uses no 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. 8 and 9 November 2023

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 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 met with the headteacher, other school leaders and staff, members of the board of trustees and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history, and design and technology. For each deep dive, the 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.  The inspectors also discussed the curriculum in languages and in music. They looked at samples of pupils’ work in these subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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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 considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils and staff, and to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Ian Rawstorne, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Moira Banks Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 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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