Stocksfield Avenue Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Stocksfield Avenue Primary School St Cuthbert’s Road, Fenham, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE5 2DQ

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Outcome

Stocksfield Avenue Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is David Lynch. This school is part of the Smart Multi- Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. This trust is run by the chief executive officer, Colin Lofthouse, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Charles Christie.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an inclusive school. There is a rich multi-cultural diversity and everyone is made to feel welcome. Strong relationships between pupils, staff and parents provide the foundation of this school’s success.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum provides pupils with plentiful opportunities to develop their talents beyond purely academic subjects. Learning extends beyond the classroom. The music offer is particularly impressive. For example, the steel pan band recently performed at the Vertu Arena. Pupils enjoy regular visits and visitors in school. For example, pupils learn samba dancing as part of their geography topic about Brazil. Year 6 pupils enjoy an outdoor education residential visit to Lockerbie. These experiences widen pupils’ horizons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is a strength of the school. Pupils are happy and safe. They are polite and respectful. Classrooms are calm and purposeful. Pupils are inquisitive and eager to learn. No learning time is lost due to poor behaviour. There are high expectations for pupils’ achievement. Most pupils make good progression through the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a number of leadership roles and responsibilities in school, such as librarians, reading buddies and school councillors. The school provides an extensive range of clubs and activities, for example, chess, gardening and badminton. These help to build pupils’ interests. 11 and 12 June 2024

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

Leaders know the local community they serve. They have swiftly identified areas for improvement and brought about change, supported by the trust. There is a new and ambitious curriculum that is bespoke to the school. This is carefully sequenced. It sets out a clear progression of knowledge and skills. For example, in geography, children learn positional language and map journeys around school in the early years. This prepares them well for when they are introduced to atlases in key stage 1. In key stage 2, pupils learn about contour lines and by Year 6 they can identify tectonic plates on a world map.

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

A new phonics programme has been introduced. All staff have been trained and there is a consistent approach to this throughout the school. This is having a positive impact on the outcomes achieved by pupils. In the Nursery Year, children learn letter sounds through songs and rhymes so that they are prepared for a more formal programme from the beginning of Reception. New reading books have been purchased to match the sounds pupils are learning. Pupils use their phonics knowledge to read unfamiliar words. Adults support them effectively to improve fluency. Regular checks are made to ensure all pupils are on track. Pupils at risk of falling behind are quickly identified to ensure they get the extra help they need to catch up.

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

Pupils love to read. They talk enthusiastically about regular visits to the recently refurbished school library. Pupils enjoy story time with their class teacher. They talk knowledgably about their class novel. Leaders have selected a varied range of quality texts for pupils to experience throughout their time in school.

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

The school has undertaken a comprehensive review of its provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, systems for identifying needs are sharp. There has been a significant increase in the number of pupils accessing additional support. The school works effectively with external agencies so that these pupils get the extra help they need. This includes support from educational psychologists and the speech and language team. Staff have been trained to support pupils with SEND in the classroom so they can learn alongside their classmates. However, sometimes pupils cannot complete learning tasks because the reading level is too difficult or the task is too complex. For example, in mathematics, some pupils are unable to compare different units of measure because they do not have a firm understanding of millimetres and centimetres. Assessment does not consistently check pupils’ prior understanding to ensure

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

that they can complete subsequent learning tasks.

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

Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain. Pupils develop a secure knowledge of world religions and celebrate festivals such as Eid in school. They can talk about the different places of worship they have visited, for example a synagogue and a local mosque. The school is effective in teaching pupils to understand diversity and difference, with areas such as disability and gender included.

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

Staff appreciate strategies that the school has introduced to reduce their workload. One teacher expressed the view, shared by many, ‘We work as a team and look after each other.’ 11 and 12 June 2024

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Trustees and governors are strategic in their approach. They have a good overview of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Governors visit the school regularly to keep a check on school improvement priorities and hold leaders to account.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is some variation in how effectively assessment information is used to adapt the curriculum and to design learning tasks for some pupils, including pupils with SEND. Sometimes, these pupils do not make good progression through the curriculum because they do not have the prerequisite knowledge and skills needed. The school must ensure that assessment is used more effectively to inform curriculum adaptation.

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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 May 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. 11 and 12 June 2024

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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). 11 and 12 June 2024

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School details

Website https://www.stocksfield.smartacademies.net/

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School details

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

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Smart Multi Academy Trust.  There is a breakfast club that operates daily.  The school uses no alternative provision.

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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 his evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, he 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.  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 11 and 12 June 2024

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to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding and puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector met with the headteacher, senior leaders and special educational needs coordinator. He spoke with the chief executive officer of the Smart Multi Academy Trust, trustees, the chair of the local governing body and members of the governing body. Discussions were also held with some teachers and support staff.  The inspector gathered the views of parents informally in person and formally through responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The views of staff were considered through the staff survey and through meetings with them. Pupils’ views were considered through a pupil survey and through pupil meetings.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in classes, breakfast club, playtime and when moving around school.

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Inspection team

Andy Jones, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 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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