Amberley Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Amberley Primary School East Bailey, Killingworth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE12 6SQ

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 February 2024

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Outcome

Amberley Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at Amberley Primary School. They are kind, polite and welcoming. Pupils develop positive relationships with each other and with adults. They enjoy coming to school which is a safe place to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of what pupils can achieve. It provides a highly ambitious curriculum that prepares pupils well for the next stage of their learning. Pupils have positive attitudes to school. They behave well in lessons and at playtimes. They are kind and considerate of others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils hold important leadership roles in school. School councillors contribute to decisions on how to improve the school. Sports leaders support their peers at playtime and eco warriors are ambassadors for sustainability. In these roles, pupils learn responsibility and are well prepared to be positive citizens of the future.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff live and breathe the school’s values of nurturing, innovation and aspiration in all that they do.

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

Pupils benefit from a well-planned and ambitious curriculum. The knowledge that they need to learn is set out in a clear sequence of learning that starts in the early years. The school has prioritised professional development and training for staff. Teachers base their practice on the latest educational research. They plan lessons that have a consistent structure. Lessons are designed to help pupils remember important knowledge. Pupils regularly revisit what they have learned before. They benefit from first-hand educational experiences. For example, as part of a topic on local history, a local historian visited school to talk to the pupils. Teachers make regular checks on whether pupils have gaps in their learning. When pupils fall behind, they are supported to keep up. The curriculum is just as ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The 14 and 15 February 2024

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school identifies pupils’ needs quickly. These pupils are supported well with additional resources and/or appropriate adaptations to the curriculum.

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The school has prioritised reading. Books are promoted and celebrated. Pupils demonstrate enthusiasm for reading. They eagerly discuss their favourite books and authors. The ‘reading shack’ in the school’s grounds is a cosy and accessible space for pupils to enjoy and share their love of books. Pupils, at the early stages of learning to read, receive daily lessons in phonics. In these lessons, they learn the sounds that letters make, blend them into words and develop their reading fluency. When pupils read aloud to adults, these techniques are not consistently applied. Sometimes, pupils read books that have sounds in them that they have not been taught. When this happens, they do not develop fluency in reading as well as they should.

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The school has developed a highly effective mathematics curriculum. This curriculum builds throughout the school from the very solid foundations laid in early years. Mathematics lessons are well structured. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to regularly revisit important mathematical concepts. Pupils use their existing knowledge to solve problems.

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Children in early years are well prepared for key stage 1. The early years environment has been carefully designed to support children’s learning. Children benefit from strong routines and positive relationships with each other and with adults. In Nursery, children learn skills, such as identifying rhymes in words, which prepare them well for formal phonics lessons in Reception.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and at less-structured times. They demonstrate positive attitudes to their school and to their learning. The school prioritises regular attendance and leaders act decisively when pupils’ attendance is poor.

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The schools’ curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE) ensures that pupils are prepared well to be happy, healthy and positive global citizens. They learn to care for themselves, others, the community and the planet. Pupils are highly inclusive and tolerant of differences. They provide a warm welcome to new pupils and adult visitors.

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The school provides extensive opportunities for pupils to develop their interests and talents. There is a broad extra-curricular offer. Pupils also benefit from learning in different, interesting contexts such as in the ‘invention shed’ or in the outdoor learning area.

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Governors share the school’s high ambitions for pupils. They fulfil their roles well in supporting the school and holding leaders to account. Many parents speak extremely positively about the school, and the education and support their children receive. Staff enjoy working at the school. They appreciate leaders’ concern for their workload and well- being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 14 and 15 February 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Support for pupils at the earliest stages of learning to read is variable. Early readers do not develop fluency consistently well. The school must ensure that all staff deliver the school’s phonics scheme consistently and that early reading books are well matched to the sounds that pupils know.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2019.

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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). 14 and 15 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 6 and 7 February 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school is part of the North Tyneside Learning 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.  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 and other leaders. He also met with members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector 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. 14 and 15 February 2024

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 The inspector examined a range of school documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation, improvement plans, records of governance, and documentation relating to attendance and pupils’ behaviour.  The inspector took account of responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, the pupils’ survey and the staff survey. The inspector spoke informally with parents at the end of the school day.  During the inspection, the inspector met with groups of pupils, both formally and during less structured parts of the day.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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.

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Inspection team

Dughall McCormick, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 14 and 15 February 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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