Slaley First School

Inspection of a good school: Slaley First School Main Street, Slaley, Hexham, Northumberland NE47 0AA

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Outcome

Slaley First School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a small school where staff know the pupils well and everyone feels valued. Pupils enjoy being part of such a close and caring community. Staff and pupils abide by the school’s values. All have a positive approach to work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils demonstrate kindness and respect towards staff and each other. Bullying incidents are very rare. Staff are quick to investigate and resolve the very few cases that occur. Pupils are safe, happy and cared for well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have the highest of aspirations for their pupils. This includes children in early years and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff lay on many activities to promote pupils’ personal development. Pupils have the opportunity to take part in activities such as mindfulness, yoga, piano tuition and tennis.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils take on a wide range of leadership roles with diligence and pride. These include working as reading ambassadors, lunchtime support for younger pupils, pupil council members and playground buddies.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school supports pupils and their families well. Pupils are very well prepared for their next stage in education. The school is held in high regard by parents and carers.

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

Leaders and staff have developed an engaging curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND. In each subject, pupils are introduced to new learning in small, logical steps so that pupils build their knowledge progressively from early years to the end of Year 4. 28 February 2024

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Teachers use their strong subject knowledge to teach subjects with confidence. Leaders and staff provide pupils with helpful guidance and advice. Staff use assessment well to rapidly resolve any misconceptions and to shape and adapt future teaching.

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Reading is valued and celebrated. Staff spark and develop pupils’ love of reading and interest in a wide range of books and texts. The recently introduced phonics programme has had a positive impact on early reading at the school. Staff teach phonics consistently well. Early readers who are struggling receive effective and timely support. They read books that are well matched to their current phonics level. This helps them to gain confidence and fluency in their reading. Leaders and staff celebrate pupils’ reading success and praise them for reading widely and often. As a result, pupils develop very positive attitudes towards reading and read well. Pupils benefit from the enrichment activities that the school provides for reading. For example, they were enthused after working with a local author and taking part in a well-known stories theme day.

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Pupils with SEND flourish under the care and guidance of their teachers. Pupils’ needs are quickly and effectively identified. Staff provide skilful help and support. Pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their classmates. They enjoy all that the school has to offer, both academically and socially.

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Pupils benefit from a wide variety of opportunities to be active and responsible citizens. They make a strong contribution towards their local community. Pupils regularly devise creative and engaging ways to raise money for worthy causes. Pupils know the importance of having an active lifestyle, making healthy food choices and looking after their mental well-being. They participate in after-school clubs and activities enthusiastically, especially dance. Pupils also gain an awareness of fundamental British values through their roles as ambassadors for the school and their eco-warrior work. Pupils develop a strong understanding of equality. They speak maturely about the importance of the impact of leading historical figures who have promoted gender equality, such as Beatrix Potter.

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Pupils, including those in early years and those with SEND, get on well with each other. Incidents of ‘falling out’ are rare. Staff support pupils well to address any friendship issues. In some lessons, pupils do not meet the school’s high expectations around respect. In these lessons, some pupils do not listen to others’ views politely and talk over each other and the adults in the room. This low-level disruption has a detrimental impact on some pupils’ learning.

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Governors share leaders’ high ambition for the school and provide them with helpful support and challenge. Staff are proud to work at the school. Leaders have taken steps to reduce the workload of staff successfully.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 28 February 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, pupils talk over each other in lessons. This means that there is a loss of focus on learning, which may lead to pupils missing vital information. The school should ensure that its behaviour expectations are understood and met by pupils consistently.

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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 March 2015.

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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). 28 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.slaley.northumberland.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23 January 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher took up her post in September 2021.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school offers a before-school breakfast club.  The school offers a number of after-school clubs.

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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 had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, history and mathematics. For each deep dive, they met with leaders, discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, met with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and reviewed samples of 28 February 2024

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pupils’ work. Inspectors also observed pupils from Reception to Year 4 reading to a familiar adult.  The inspectors considered other subjects on the school’s curriculum.  Members of the team held discussions with the headteacher and other staff. Inspectors also met with governors and a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors spoke with different groups of pupils to gather their views of the school and to discuss pupils’ behaviour and learning.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at lunchtime and playtime.  The responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments, were considered. The responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and Ofsted’s online survey for pupils were taken into account.  The inspectors met with those responsible for safeguarding at the school and scrutinised a range of documentation in relation to safeguarding. Inspectors also spoke

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with governors, staff, parents and pupils about safeguarding.  Inspectors considered a range of documentation provided by school leaders and staff. This included the school development plan, headteacher reports and leaders’ self- evaluation document.

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Inspection team

Catherine Beard, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Belita Scott Ofsted Inspector 28 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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