Newsham Primary School

Inspection of Newsham Primary School Warwick Street, Blyth, Northumberland NE24 4NX

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 7 and 8 May 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Newsham Primary School is a welcoming and caring environment. Parents and carers comment on how supportive the school is. They appreciate the ‘positive family feel’ to the school. Relationships between adults and pupils are highly respectful. Adults are exemplary role models for pupils. Pupils trust staff to help them when they have concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The high-quality care in the school contributes to pupils’ positive behaviour. Pupils are well behaved and feel safe. The inclusive nature of the school is exemplified in the school’s strong provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for every pupil in the school to achieve highly. Recently, the school has introduced new initiatives and a precise focus on reading, writing and mathematics. These changes to the curriculum are supporting more pupils to achieve well as they progress through the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff alike identify strongly with ‘The Newsham way’. The values of ‘respectful, responsible and ready’ remind pupils of the high expectations for their behaviour. Pupils are supported effectively by staff at social times and play cordially with each other. Pupils enjoy the many physical activities on offer outdoors, such as ‘scooting’.

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

In the last 18 months, there have been several staffing changes, including at leadership level. The school has focused on ensuring the curriculum is ambitious and sequenced coherently from the early years to Year 6. Changes to curriculum organisation and oversight have resulted in pupils’ learning experiences improving significantly. While this is evident in the quality of education that pupils currently receive, it is not reflected in the outcomes of national tests. In the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, pupils remember much of what of they have been taught. Learning activities in these lessons are interesting and well matched to pupils’ starting points. Pupils enjoy lessons and work hard to improve.

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

The school is rightly proud of pupils’ achievement in science. Pupils remember subject- specific vocabulary to help them explain their learning. As in English and mathematics, teaching ensures that pupils remember previous learning well. Teachers check pupils’ understanding often. They address errors and misconceptions quickly. This helps pupils to develop a deep understanding in these subjects. However, in some foundation subjects and similar areas of learning in the early years, teaching approaches do not consistently help pupils remember important knowledge. This means that some pupils do not learn as well as they could across the whole curriculum.

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

The school prioritises reading. From the start of the Reception Year, children learn the letters and sounds they need to be able to read words. Staff with expert knowledge teach the school’s chosen phonics programme. They ensure that pupils are supported well to gain the knowledge that pupils need to read fluently. Through its ‘Newsham reading 7 and 8 May 2025

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spine’, the school has identified a rich selection of books that pupils in each year group enjoy reading.

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Recently, the school has strengthened its approach to teaching writing. In the early years, activities are designed to develop children’s fine and gross motor skills. This is preparing children for future writing. As pupils progress through the school, effective teaching ensures that pupils learn a range of strategies to help them to become successful writers.

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The needs of pupils with SEND are swiftly identified. Pupils receive individualised support. Staff adapt learning extremely well so pupils with SEND learn successfully. This is particularly evident for those with the highest level of need in the school’s own resource base. Pupils with SEND are included in all aspects of school life, including opportunities to develop interests, for example, in the school choir.

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The school manages the emotional and behavioural needs of pupils extremely well. Pupils learn strategies to manage strong emotions. This helps pupils to concentrate well in lessons. Systems used to monitor attendance are thorough. The school works diligently to remove barriers to attendance. This work has helped to reduce rates of persistent absence.

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Some aspects of pupils’ personal development are strong. Pupils know how to stay safe when online and in the local community. They understand how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. The school provides a range of visits and visitors to enrich the curriculum. The school recently introduced a wide range of books to support pupils’ understanding of diversity. This is helping to raise awareness of race, religious beliefs and characteristics that should not be discriminated against. However, this work is not fully embedded. Some pupils do not have a well-developed understanding of diversity and life in modern Britain, including an awareness of the significance of fundamental British values.

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Governors provide effective oversight and strategic direction of the school. The school’s support for families is strong. This includes the range of helpful resources via the ‘Lighthouse Community Hub’. Staff are proud to work in the school. They value leaders’ support to manage their work–life balance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects and similar areas of learning in the early years, teaching approaches are not as effective as they could be. Some pupils do not remember the important knowledge and skills they need to prepare them for future learning. The school should ensure that staff are able to use appropriate teaching strategies which 7 and 8 May 2025

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help pupils remember important knowledge as they progress through the curriculum.  The school’s work to promote pupils’ understanding of aspects of life in modern Britain is not as well developed as it could be. Some pupils have limited knowledge of fundamental British values, including the cultures and faiths of people living in Britain. The school should continue to strengthen pupils’ knowledge of diverse modern Britain, ensuring that pupils understand the relevance of fundamental British values.

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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). 7 and 8 May 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 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 There have many changes in staff, including leadership, in the last 18 months. The headteacher was appointed in February 2024.  The chair of governors is new to the post since the previous inspection.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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 and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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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 7 and 8 May 2025

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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 and other leaders, including both deputy headteachers and the special educational needs coordinator. The lead inspector also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The lead inspector held a telephone conversation with the local authority director for education and school improvement partner.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors 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.  Inspectors also looked at the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central

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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 took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments, as well as the online pupil and staff surveys. Inspectors also spoke to parents at the end of the school day.

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Inspection team

Kathryn McDonald, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sonia Fraser Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 May 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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