Gillas Lane Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Gillas Lane Primary Academy Seaton Avenue, Houghton le Spring, Tyne and Wear DH5 8EH

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Outcome

Gillas Lane Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Emma Monaghan. This school is part of Aim High 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, Graham Stephenson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Pat Dutton.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff at Gillas Lane Primary Academy have high expectations of the pupils in their care. Pupils behave extremely well, demonstrating excellent manners. They listen attentively in class and participate enthusiastically in learning activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from an ambitious curriculum. Carefully planned teaching from well-trained staff typically helps them to achieve well in a range of subjects. Pupils read regularly due to the school’s simple but clear expectation of ‘everybody, every night’. The school is rich in high-quality books that pupils enjoy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Opportunities for pupils beyond the academic curriculum are wide-ranging. The programme of outdoor learning has been carefully constructed by leaders. Pupils learn to play collaboratively and imaginatively. Older pupils enjoy their roles as play leaders and buddies. Pupils are proud of their ‘edible’ playground and the outdoor classroom, which they helped to develop.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Instances of bullying are rare. Most pupils are confident that staff would be on hand to help them if they had concerns. Staff know pupils and their families well and are proud to serve them as part of Team Gillas.

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

Over time, the school has developed the curriculum on offer to pupils. In most subjects, leaders have set out very clearly their expectations of the knowledge that pupils will acquire. These clear expectations help teachers to plan well-chosen activities which 26 June 2024

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support pupils to learn the curriculum. An increasing number of pupils are well prepared for their secondary education as a result.

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In a small number of foundation subjects, such as art, the school is still in the process of refining the curriculum. Leaders have identified what they want pupils to be able to do over time. In some topics, the small steps of learning need to be sharpened so that teachers can plan tasks which are more precisely focused on the most important knowledge. Leaders are aware of this and already have plans in place to undertake this work.

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Staff have accessed a wide range of coaching and training to develop their subject expertise. This includes in early reading and phonics. Pupils benefit from high-quality teaching of phonics. They read regularly and have books which are carefully matched to their reading ability. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), quickly get support if they need help to keep up with the curriculum. As a result, most pupils learn to read with fluency and confidence. The proportion of pupils meeting the national expectations for phonics by the end of Year 1, as well as those meeting the expected standard in reading by the end of Year 6, has improved over time.

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Pupils enjoy a well-planned mathematics curriculum which begins in the early years. Staff challenge pupils routinely to explain their mathematical thinking. This helps teachers to assess whether pupils fully understand the concepts they are being taught. More pupils are achieving well in the subject as a result of effective teaching. However, some pupils are not able to rapidly recall important number facts, such as multiplication tables. This hampers their ability to quickly solve more complex problems.

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The curriculum is carefully adapted so that pupils with SEND can access the same broad range of subjects as their peers. Pupils with SEND have support plans with a range of strategies which are regularly reviewed to help them to achieve well. Leaders work proactively with external agencies, such as mental health professionals, to access extra help for pupils.

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Pupils are explicitly taught the routines and behaviour standards that are expected around school. This begins in the early years, where children learn how to take turns and how to build their relationships with others. Across the school, most pupils conduct themselves with decorum, actively encouraging others to do the same.

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Leaders keep a close check on pupils’ attendance and follow up quickly when concerns arise. Staff work with families to remove barriers to pupils’ attendance. While there have been some improvements in pupils’ attendance over time, the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent, particularly disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, remains high. Leaders correctly identify this as a continuing priority for the school.

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Pupils have access to many opportunities beyond the academic curriculum, including vocal tuition, sporting activities and a wide range of well-attended lunchtime clubs. Visits and visitors, typically funded through external sponsorship, complement the academic curriculum. Leaders carefully target opportunities to build on pupils’ individual talents, 26 June 2024

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such as bespoke tuition for a very able musician and facilitating access to prestigious scholarships for pupils.

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Staff feel highly valued and supported by leaders in school and within the trust. Leaders, staff, governors and trustees work together effectively to ensure that school priorities are addressed. This has contributed to the improving standards for pupils over time.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The current approach to teaching multiplication facts is not enabling pupils to recall these rapidly. As a result, when pupils try to tackle mathematical problems which require quick calculations, pupils find this more challenging. Leaders should ensure that pupils are supported to develop age-appropriate number fluency.  While the attendance of some pupils has improved over time, this is not the case for some groups of pupils. Rates of persistent absence, particularly for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, remain high. The school should continue its work to help pupils, parents and carers to recognise the value of good attendance.  In a small number of foundation subjects, the knowledge that pupils should learn is not identified sharply enough. This makes it more difficult for staff to be clear about what they should teach. The school should continue the planned work to refine the curriculums in these subject areas so that teachers know precisely the most important

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

knowledge that pupils should learn over time.

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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 predecessor school, Gillas Lane Primary School, to be good in December 2013. 26 June 2024

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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). 26 June 2024

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School details

Chair of trust Pat Dutton CEO of trust Graham Stephenson

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School details

Website www.gillaslaneprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 July 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has been part of the Aim High Academy Trust since October 2016.  The school makes use of one registered provider to support a pupil with an alternative placement.

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Information about this inspection

 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 met with the headteacher, assistant headteacher and other leaders responsible for subjects.  Inspectors held discussions with the chair of the trust board, a number of governors, including the chair of the local governing committee, and the chief executive officer of the trust. 26 June 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and art. Inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with pupils and teachers and looked at samples of pupils’ work. This included in the early years.  Inspectors reviewed the safeguarding checks on adults working at the school and met with leaders, staff and pupils to discuss the safeguarding arrangements in place. Inspectors reviewed samples of safeguarding and behaviour records and support plans for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors met with teaching and non-teaching staff and with groups of pupils to consider their views of the school. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online inspection questionnaires and other correspondence from pupils, parents and staff.

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Inspection team

Claire Brown, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Zoe Westley Ofsted Inspector 26 June 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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