Marlborough Primary School

Inspection of Marlborough Primary School Marlborough Road, Sulgrave Village, Washington, Tyne and Wear NE37 3BG

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 25 and 26 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Marlborough Primary School has a strong sense of community. It welcomes visitors warmly. Those new to the school, including pupils who arrive from overseas, quickly become part of this nurturing school family. The school ensures that new pupils are supported and feel included from their first visit.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The high-quality pastoral care for pupils is a key feature of the school’s work. Pupils are happy, they feel safe and know that adults care about them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils behave well in lessons and on the playground. They are polite and friendly. Good manners are the norm. Older pupils are excellent role models for younger pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. Pupils live up to these. They enjoy their work and the wealth of opportunities that the school provides. Pupils in Year 6 leave school well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take on roles of responsibility willingly. Older pupils enjoy their role as educational visit leads, supporting younger children out of school. Pupils greatly contribute to their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the extensive range of clubs and experiences that are available. Opportunities such as collecting food for the local foodbank, helps pupils to value their community.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum to engage and inspire pupils. In most subjects, the school has precisely identified the important skills and knowledge that pupils should learn. However, in some subjects, the precise knowledge and skills are not clearly defined. This makes it difficult for teachers to select the most appropriate learning activities. As a result, in some subjects, a few pupils do not develop detailed knowledge, and they struggle to recall their learning over time.

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

Reading is a priority. The library is well resourced. Staff share a range of texts with pupils daily. Pupils’ enthusiasm and love of reading is evident across the school.

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

The school’s approach to teaching early reading is highly effective and consistent in the early years. Staff identify those children who fall behind. These children are given timely support to help them keep up. Children read books that closely match their stage of reading. However, this approach is not consistent across the school. While some teaching supports pupils to learn to read well, this is not always the case. At times, the delivery of the phonics programme is not as the school intends. In addition, some pupils read books that do not closely match their stage of reading. As a result, some pupils do not become confident, fluent readers quickly enough. 25 and 26 March 2025

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Staff have good subject knowledge. When the curriculum is clearly defined, staff present new information successfully. They carefully check what pupils have learned and adjust the tasks effectively to address any misunderstandings. Pupils receive clear feedback. They use this to improve their work.

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Children get off to a rapid start in the early years. The school has an exceptional understanding of the children’s needs. Adults sensitively guide children through their learning and play. Adults model language extremely well. As a result, children are very well prepared for life in Year 1.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are carefully identified. Pupils with SEND receive effective support. Effective adaptations support pupils in their learning. This helps pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as other pupils and achieve well.

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Pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive. Disruptions to learning are rare. The school is calm and orderly. Some pupils appreciate spending time in the ‘Nurture Room’, where staff help them learn how to manage their emotions. There are positive relationships across the school. The school maintains a sharp focus on pupils’ attendance. The effective work with families helps to reduce pupils’ absence.

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Pupils learn in an environment where there is respect for all. They develop a keen awareness of the importance of fundamental British values. Pupils learn about and celebrate diversity. They have a very strong sense of equality.

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The school places pupils’ wider development at the heart of everything it does. This work is highly effective. Pupils talk confidently about the need for healthy lifestyles. They know how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. Pupils have a deep awareness of how to stay safe when online. The school’s work helps pupils to become prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Staff feel well supported. They are proud to be part of a strong team. Leaders are considerate of staff well-being and workload. Governors are very supportive. They effectively hold leaders to account for the achievement of pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Curriculum thinking in some foundation subjects is not precise enough. Sometimes, staff do not have sufficient detail to implement the curriculum well. Consequently, 25 and 26 March 2025

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some pupils do not develop secure subject knowledge. The school should review how and what pupils will study to ensure that precise subject knowledge is accurately identified and delivered.  Some pupils at the early stages of learning to read are not supported well enough to grasp the basics in reading. Consequently, these pupils are not becoming confident, fluent readers quickly enough. The school must ensure that all pupils get the support they need to learn to read successfully, including matching reading books to the sounds that pupils know.

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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). 25 and 26 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Vanessa Winspear

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School details

Website www.marlboroughprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 March 2023, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school makes use of one registered alternative provision.

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Information about this school

 The school has provision for two-year-olds.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 25 and 26 March 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders and staff.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body and spoke to a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to pupils read with a familiar member of staff.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum and reviewed pupils’ work in some other

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subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: 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.  Inspectors considered pupils’ behaviour at various times of day, including in lessons, around the school site and at lunchtime. They scrutinised the school’s records for attendance and behaviour.  Inspectors took account of the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. An inspector spoke informally with parents outside the school.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils and staff. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for pupils and staff.  Inspectors talked to staff about their workload and well-being.

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Inspection team

Alison Stephenson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jenny Parker Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 March 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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