Stephenson Memorial Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Stephenson Memorial Primary School Martin Road, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear NE28 0AG

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Outcome

Stephenson Memorial Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are extremely proud to attend this happy and vibrant school. They talk with enthusiasm and interest about their learning. The school is a calm, inclusive and welcoming place to learn. Pupils behave consistently well, both in lessons and during social times. Pupils feel safe. They trust staff to look after them and enjoy coming to school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school recognises some of the additional challenges faced by pupils and their families. Pupils benefit from a broad and interesting curriculum that opens their eyes to the world around them. Pupils value these experiences and opportunities. They consistently strive to meet the high expectations set for them through their constructive behaviour and their positive attitudes to learning. This contributes to them achieving well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum for personal development is a strength of the school. Pupils develop their confidence, character and resilience through a range of opportunities, including digital learning and outdoor learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are wholly at the centre of the school’s work. This is evident in the school’s positive relationships with parents and carers. The school supports pupils’ emotional needs well. This directly benefits the pupils and their families.

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

The school provides an ambitious curriculum that is designed to meet the needs of all pupils. Leaders have identified the key knowledge that pupils need to learn. Pupils have many opportunities to revisit and build on their prior learning. Staff quickly identify and address any misunderstandings that pupils may have. Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning, contribute to them confidently recalling key knowledge. For example, in geography pupils in Year 5 could recall the differences in climate and landforms of 17 and 18 April 2024

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Australia compared to those in the United Kingdom. Pupils in Year 6 confidently debated the effect of climate change on different biomes across the world.

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Children get off to a flying start in the early years. The environment is welcoming. Adults create rich and varied learning opportunities that enable children to learn about the world around them. For example, children chalk out their route to school on the carpet. They walk the route using directional vocabulary, recognising photographs of local landmarks. Children in the early years benefit from positive relationships with adults. This enables them to flourish as they begin their educational journey.

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The school promotes a love of reading. Libraries and book areas around school are full of high-quality texts for pupils to enjoy. Trained staff implement the school’s phonics programme well. Books match the sounds pupils know. Pupils gain the knowledge and skills to become confident, fluent readers. The school provides effective, targeted support to those who need it. Pupils catch up quickly if they fall behind.

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Attendance is a high priority for the school. The school works with families to determine the causes of any absence. Strategies put in place to improve attendance are having a positive impact. However, pupils with consistent poor attendance miss out on learning important knowledge in the curriculum. This is restricting them from achieving well.

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The school supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to access the full curriculum. Staff use appropriate adaptations to meet pupils’ individual needs. The identification process for pupils with SEND is rigorous. The school consults with external professionals to ensure that the provision for these pupils is of the highest standard.

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The curriculum for pupils’ personal development is strong. It is rooted in the school’s vision. Safeguarding pupils is a priority. The school places an emphasis on pupil well- being through the pastoral support on offer. Pupils have access to lunchtime nurture groups and well-being sessions led by trained staff. The school offers a range of clubs and leadership opportunities, such as becoming digital leaders and school captains. The school enhances the curriculum offer by providing relevant trips and visits. Through assemblies and the school’s personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum, pupils learn about relationships, tolerance, equality and diversity. This supports pupils to learn how to be responsible, considerate citizens.

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There is a strong team spirit at Stephenson Memorial. Staff are committed to making a positive difference to the lives of the pupils. Governors hold school leaders to account effectively through support and challenge. Staff feel well-supported by leaders and governors. They appreciate the professional development opportunities they receive and leaders’ consideration for their workload and well-being. Staff are well-motivated and morale is high. The relationship between the school and the community is strong. Many parents speak highly of the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 17 and 18 April 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should. This means that they miss out on learning important knowledge in the curriculum. Leaders should continue to work with families to ensure that pupils’ attendance improves.

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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 November 2018.

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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 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). 17 and 18 April 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 20 and 21 November 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has provision for two-year-old children.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 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 this evaluation of the school.  The inspector met and spoke to the headteacher, senior leaders, curriculum leaders and other staff from the school. The inspector also met and spoke to governors and the school’s improvement partner.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, 17 and 18 April 2024

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visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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.  The inspector considered the views provided by parents and carers to Ofsted Parent View. The inspector gathered the views of pupils and staff through meetings and Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Lynn Chambers, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 April 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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