Stranton Primary School

Inspection of Stranton Primary School Southburn Terrace, Hartlepool TS25 1SQ

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Inspection dates: 30 and 31 January 2024

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The Head of School is Karla Grant. The school is part of Eden 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, Neil Nottingham, who also acts as the executive headteacher of the school, and overseen by the board of trustees, chaired by Peter Ingham.

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since June 2012. 30 and 31 January 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school vision ‘Only the best is good enough’ runs through every aspect of Stranton Primary School. High ambitions for all pupils, regardless of their individual starting points, mean that pupils thrive in this highly inclusive school. The exceptional quality of education pupils receive means they get the best possible start in life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations of all pupils are very high. Pupils try their best in lessons and around school. Behaviour is exemplary. Pupils are proud of this. When they need support, pupils say that ‘warm conversations’ with teachers help them. Pupils say they are happy and safe in school and that bullying does not happen. Inspection evidence confirms this.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between pupils and staff are positive. Pupils show respect for each other. They enjoy taking on roles such as playground leader. Individual responsibilities help to develop pupils’ leadership skills and support others. These roles prepare them well for life in modern Britain.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Stranton Primary sits at the heart of the community. The school is proud to serve this supportive, diverse and changing community. Staff are passionate in their approach to making sure every child gets the best and succeeds. They are unwavering in this commitment and do not give up. When pupils face challenges in their lives, the school provides exceptional support.

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better?

The school has created a well-planned and sequenced curriculum that is highly ambitious. The school has identified the precise knowledge and skills pupils should learn and remember. This helps pupils to build on what they already know. Through the use of the school’s curriculum ‘road maps’, pupils understand this learning journey too. They say that they know what they need to do in each lesson. Pupils talk about their learning and knowledge with confidence.

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better?

Staff are subject experts. They regularly reflect on curriculum plans and the way they teach. Staff present new information well. This supports pupils to develop deep connections in their learning. This includes building on subjects or topics taught previously. For example, in physical education (PE), pupils know how to perform skills and apply these effectively as a tactic in a game. In geography, pupils talk with confidence when comparing different types of climate zones. Pupils’ work is of a high quality.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from exceptional support. Staff access appropriate training to provide bespoke support for pupils’ varying needs at the school. Pupils with SEND make rapid progress and make strong progress across the school, achieving well in many different subjects. 30 and 31 January 2024

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Reading is a priority for the school. Staff are experts in supporting all pupils to become fluent readers. Teachers use the well-embedded phonics programme to check what pupils already know. Teachers adjust learning activities to support pupils who need additional support. Staff across school support pupils to practise and read sounds through highly effective modelling. Pupils enjoy reading and hearing their teachers read to them every day.

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Children in the early years make strong progress from the very start. In part, this is due to the school’s highly effective curriculum in the early years. Staff identify, and use effectively, appropriate resources to help children learn well. This helps to ensure all children are ready for the demands of Year 1.

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Many pupils join the school at different points across the year. New pupils quickly settle and make new friends. Staff make highly effective adaptions to their plans to help pupils who may have gaps in their learning quickly catch up with their peers.

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Pupils say that their ‘teachers are kind’ and that they enjoy coming to school. The school uses a range of strategies to support pupils to attend school regularly. This work is having a very positive impact. All groups of pupils attend well.

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The school’s high-quality personal development programme is at the centre of the school’s provision. It extends beyond the expected and provides many purposeful opportunities for pupils, including pupils with SEND. Opportunities include taking part in sport competitions, visiting local galleries or being part of the school council. Through careful tracking and analysis of pupils’ attendance and engagement, the school regularly reviews their work in this area. The school extends and targets opportunities available for children. As a result, there is a high take up from pupils for these opportunities. The well-considered curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education prepares children for life in modern Britain. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They have a detailed understanding of diversity, and they respect equality. The school’s work to develop all pupils’ character is exemplary.

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Leaders, at all levels, are highly effective. Staff speak with overwhelming positivity about the school. Leaders have established a well-being group to monitor staff workload. Staff value this support. Trustees and governors know the school well and carry out their roles effectively. They check the information they receive to monitor the impact of decisions on pupils’ learning and well-being. Parents speak highly about the work of the school. There is overwhelming support for the work the school does.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 30 and 31 January 2024

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Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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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). 30 and 31 January 2024

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Academy sponsor-led

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School details

Headteacher Karla Grant (Head of School) Neil Nottingham (Executive Headteacher) Website www.strantonschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school opened on 1 July 2013.  The school is part of the Eden Academy Trust.  The school provides a breakfast club.  The school has 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

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a graded (section 5) inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s 30 and 31 January 2024

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education provision.  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.  Inspectors spoke to senior leaders, including members of the local governing body, representatives from the board of trustees and the school improvement partner.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art, geography and PE. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record and looked at behaviour and attendance logs and safeguarding records. Inspectors also spoke to pupils, staff and governors about safeguarding

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and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors listened to a range of pupils read from different year groups.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator, spoke to pupils with SEND and reviewed the plans in place to support these pupils. They visited lessons to see how well pupils with SEND are supported.  Inspectors visited the early years provision to discuss the learning with children and leaders. Inspectors also checked safeguarding arrangements.  Inspectors observed behaviour at the start of the day, at playtimes, at lunchtimes and in lessons.  To gather parents’ views, inspectors took account of the views from Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, including free-text comments. The lead inspector also talked to parents at the start of the school day.  To gather the views of staff and pupils, inspectors reviewed the responses to the

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Inspection team

Scott Grason-Taylor, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Martin Featherstone Ofsted Inspector 30 and 31 January 2024

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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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