Waterville Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Waterville Primary School Waterville Road, North Shields, Tyne and Wear NE29 6SL

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Outcome

Waterville Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and pupils are proud to be part of this warm and welcoming school. Staff are aspirational and have high expectations for pupils. As a result, pupils achieve well by the time they leave the school at the end of key stage 2. This is particularly true for disadvantaged pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s RESPECT values are demonstrated by pupils and staff on a day-to-day basis. The school is calm and purposeful. Pupils strive to be chosen as one of the ‘Respectables’ in the weekly celebration assembly. They enjoy the sense of pride they feel when their efforts are recognised. Good attendance is prioritised. The school has robust procedures to check pupils’ rates of attendance. It acts swiftly to address any barriers to attendance.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are warm, kind and nurturing towards the pupils. In return, pupils show good manners and consideration to both adults and their peers. Pupils make positive choices and behave exceptionally well, both in lessons and when moving around the school. Some pupils take on additional responsibilities in the school. Roles such as the ‘mini police’ help pupils to develop their character and leadership skills.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers very much value the work of the school and the difference it makes to their child’s education. One parent represented the views of many by saying, ‘I can’t speak highly enough of Waterville Primary.’

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

For the most part, the curriculum is ambitious and sequenced well. In subjects such as reading and mathematics, staff have strong subject knowledge. They introduce new learning clearly. Children in the Nursery and Reception class build strong bonds with 4 and 5 February 2025

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attentive staff. These staff focus on early language development with carefully selected stories, rhymes and songs. The youngest children love early mathematics experiences. They count and order animals while re-enacting familiar stories with their teachers. This focus on language development helps to prepare pupils for key stage 1.

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Reading is a priority at Waterville Primary School. Pupils, including children in the early years, practise reading every day. Staff regularly and accurately check the sounds that pupils know. They use this information to ensure that books are well matched to pupils’ needs and interests. The school quickly identifies pupils who need additional support so they receive the help they need.

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In some subjects, the curriculum has only recently been reviewed. The school has not clearly identified what key knowledge pupils must learn in these subjects. This means that sometimes the teaching of the curriculum and the checks made on how well pupils are learning are not precise enough. As a result, pupils do not build new learning effectively so they know and remember more over time.

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Staff quickly identify when pupils have additional needs. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) follow the same curriculum as their peers where it is appropriate to do so. The curriculum is suitably adapted to meet individual needs when required. For example, in the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision), some pupils learn an adapted curriculum to ensure they learn with the same success as their peers. Through carefully balancing time spent on independent learning with staff-led activities, the school helps pupils with SEND to develop resilience and independence.

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The school’s personal, social and health education and wider curriculum prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils are taught about issues such as healthy relationships, consent and the consequences of their actions. Pupils benefit from a rich offer to develop their talents and passions.

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When children join the Nursery, teachers take their interests into account when devising learning activities. As pupils move through the school, there are opportunities to attend clubs, such as cross-stitch, Lego and Zumba. By making the most of charitable donations, the school has afforded pupils opportunities to visit exciting places such as farms and museums. Other pupils have tried paddle boarding or kayaking. These experiences enrich and enhance pupils’ learning and personal development. This all contributes to pupils’ development of character and resilience.

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The governors are a committed and knowledgeable group. They know the school well and hold it to account for the quality of education pupils receive. Staff are proud to work in the school. They appreciate the efforts the school makes to consider their well-being and reduce unnecessary workload.

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The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some wider curriculum subjects, the school has not yet clearly defined the key knowledge pupils need to learn. Where this is the case, teaching does not focus on key knowledge, and the school is less able to check how well pupils have learned important ideas. The school should work with staff so that important knowledge is prioritised across all subjects and to better check pupils build deep knowledge and skills across all areas of the curriculum.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in March 2020.

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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. 4 and 5 February 2025

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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). 4 and 5 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 March 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school operates a breakfast and after-school provision.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.  The school has a specially resourced provision to support pupils from across the local authority who need additional support with speech, language and communication.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector listened to a sample of pupils in Years 3 and 4 read to a familiar adult. 4 and 5 February 2025

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 The inspector met with groups of staff and pupils.  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 observed pupils’ behaviour in class and around the school.  The inspector met with leaders to discuss behaviour and attendance.  The inspector met with senior leaders, local authority representatives and members of the governing body.  The inspector took account of staff’s views during meetings with them and through their responses to Ofsted’s confidential staff survey.  The inspector gathered parents’ views by considering responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. She also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Jane Wilson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 February 2025

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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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