Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Rob Harker Headteacher Carville Primary School The Avenue Wallsend Tyne and Wear NE28 6AX

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Serious weaknesses monitoring inspection of Carville Primary School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 18 March 2025, on behalf of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and was the second monitoring inspection since the school was judged to have serious weaknesses following the graded (section 5) inspection that took place in July 2023.

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Serious weaknesses monitoring inspection of Carville Primary School

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s key and (where applicable) provision judgements, but to identify and report on the school’s progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school’s previous graded inspection.

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Serious weaknesses monitoring inspection of Carville Primary School

During the inspection, I discussed with you and other senior leaders, staff, governors, representatives from the local authority and representatives from the multi-academy trust supporting the school, the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I also carried out activities, such as visits to lessons and social times, meetings with staff and pupils and scrutiny of pupils’ work and other documentation. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is

necessary for the school to no longer be judged as having serious weaknesses.

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designation

During this second monitoring visit inspection, I focused on the quality of education that the school provides, pupils’ behaviour and attitudes and leadership and management of the school.

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designation

Since the last inspection, the school continues to move forward with pace, focusing closely on the aspects of provision that were previously judged to be inadequate. You understand and acknowledge where quality of education needs further development across the school so that outcomes improve for pupils over time. The school’s new curriculum for this academic year continues to reflect these ambitions. Leaders have reviewed the implementation of the first term of the new curriculum. They have adapted some pedagogical choices to mirror success seen in some subjects. For example, the structure of mathematics lessons is now more consistent with other lesson structures across school. This helps pupils articulate how their lessons build their mathematical skills. They, in turn, get to practise and apply their learning more quickly. Pupils know what success looks like in mathematics and how they are achieving this.

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designation

The school has changed the way phonics is taught. As a result, the youngest children have made a stronger start to their reading journey. Due to the training staff receive, staff are more confident in the use of the school’s chosen phonics scheme. They track and monitor closely the progress pupils make in their early reading. This helps staff to intervene with pupils and their phonics learning more readily. However, there is still more work to do to ensure that pupils in Year 1 and 2 catch up with their phonics. You recognise that this success in the implementation of the phonics curriculum can be replicated in other aspects of the curriculum. The impact of wider curriculum subjects continues to be in the early stages of development. Pupils benefit from a broad curriculum that builds knowledge and skills sequentially. However, currently, some pupils do not recall their learning with detail or precision. The implementation of the curriculum continues to

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designation

be inconsistent. In early years, the curriculum makes clear what children will need to know and be able to do. There is careful consideration to ensure that important learning is used across the provision and through adult-led activities. However, children do not sufficiently sustain their focus well and engage with adult-led learning outdoors. This limits the impact of the newly developed curriculum.

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designation

There is a strengthened and improved understanding of how to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) across the school. Leaders carefully consider the barriers that pupils with SEND may face. Individual support plans reflect the needs of pupils with SEND. They are reviewed regularly and accurately. In classrooms, the support and adaptations for pupils with SEND and those who may be disadvantaged or vulnerable continue to evolve. Where there are inconsistencies in the support pupils receive, pupils are unable to successfully reach their potential as swiftly as they might.

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designation

Your continued drive to have consistently high expectations for pupils’ behaviour is clear. Pupils talk confidently that learning is less likely to be disrupted by the poor behaviour of

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OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE

others. Classrooms are calm places to learn. Rewards are celebrated and linked to pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning. Staff consistently use behaviour strategies to support pupils. Pupils appreciate this. When pupils struggle to focus, staff use a range of resources to support pupils and help them engage in learning. Staff know pupils well and understand the best ways to support pupils to get back to their learning. Pupils’ attitudes to learning have improved. They talk with pride about their written work that they have edited and developed.

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OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE

Leaders use a range of quality assurance activities to ensure that the school’s ambitions are realised. Governors have a more precise understanding of the school’s actions to improve and the impact each action is having on pupils’ learning. Governors use more precise and effective questioning to hold leaders to account. They also seek external validation of the school’s performance, so they have a well-rounded view. The school’s work informs a detailed development plan, which you use to track progress and improvements effectively over time. Along with the support from a multi-academy trust, leaders have more precision in what needs to happen next to continue the school’s improvement journey. You and other leaders, staff and governors share a clear understanding of the next steps for school improvement.

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OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE

You make the most of opportunities to network with the support of a multi-academy trust. Staff value these professional development opportunities. It allows them to see good practice and reflect on their own work more effectively. The relationship and support from a multi-academy trust has continued to strengthen. Leaders and staff work collaboratively to bring about change in school. The trust’s support with policies and procedures provides you with more clarity in relation to the structure of the curriculum, the tracking of behaviour, and the training and development for staff. Staff continue to recognise the positive impact of this ongoing support in supporting them and the school to move forward.

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OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of governors, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for North Tyneside. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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