Backworth Park Primary School

Backworth Park Primary School

Address: Hotspur North, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE27 0FZ Unique reference number (URN): 108580

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders work effectively to ensure that pupils attend school regularly. They follow up on any absence and work closely with families to identify emerging concerns quickly. This means that attendance is consistently above national figures for all groups, including for disadvantaged pupils. Pupils are motivated by meaningful rewards, and they understand the importance of attending school each day. Where attendance dips, leaders intervene swiftly.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Pupils’ behaviour across the school is calm, respectful and purposeful. Leaders have established clear routines and high expectations from the moment pupils enter the school. Staff apply behaviour policies consistently and fairly. Pupils know what is expected of them and respond positively. Leaders provide appropriate adjustments for pupils who need them, such as personalised support to manage their own emotions and behaviour. Bullying is not tolerated, and no forms of discrimination, harassment or abuse are accepted. Pupils trust adults to address any such concerns promptly. They feel safe as a result.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Pupils demonstrate very positive attitudes to learning. Lessons are calm and productive. Pupils are polite, well mannered and considerate, including during social times. Leaders have created a culture where staff care for pupils and provide the support they need to thrive.

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Early years Strong standard

The early years provides children with a super start to school. Staff introduce and model language skilfully. They use high-quality interactions to extend children’s vocabulary and communication skills. The curriculum is ambitious and carefully designed to support children’s progress across all areas of learning. Indoor and outdoor learning is purposeful. Staff provide children with rich opportunities to develop their physical strength, early writing and number skills.

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Early years Strong standard

Children are introduced to stories from the start. In the Reception Year, children secure their phonics knowledge through well ‑ structured teaching and targeted support for those who need help to keep up. Daily exposure to stories further strengthens children’s vocabulary and their understanding of familiar stories.

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Early years Strong standard

Nursery provision is nurturing and well matched to children’s starting points. Children settle quickly because routines are clear, environments are calm and staff know the children exceptionally well. Leaders work extremely well with parents and carers to identify any additional needs. This ensures that children are well supported from the start.

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Early years Strong standard

Partnerships with parents are highly effective. Leaders use home visits and ongoing communication to ensure that parents are fully engaged in their children’s learning and can support them at home. Children are exceptionally well prepared for their move to Year 1.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Inclusion is a well ‑ established strength of the school, underpinned by vigilant leadership and clear systems that ensure pupils' needs are quickly identified and met effectively. Leaders work with parents to build an accurate understanding of each pupil as soon as they start at school.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Classrooms are highly welcoming environments. Leaders provide resources, such as visual aids and individual workspaces, to greatly reduce any barriers to pupils’ learning and wellbeing. Staff consistently make thoughtful adaptations to teaching. This enables pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities to follow the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have expertise in supporting pupils well. They model effective practice and provide staff with tailored professional development to improve their confidence. External agency advice, such as from speech and language professionals, routinely informs pupils' precise targets and intervention plans. Leaders work tenaciously to support those who are known (or previously known) to children’s social care. They have high expectations for what pupils can achieve and make precise checks on their progress. Interventions, including for reading, are carefully targeted and reviewed regularly so provision evolves as pupils’ needs change.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders use additional funding efficiently so that pupils are extremely well supported in their learning and wellbeing. This enables pupils to have a highly positive experience at school.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leadership across the school is highly effective. Leaders have a clear, ambitious vision that prioritises the best possible outcomes for all pupils. They have an accurate and well ‑ evidenced understanding of the school’s strengths. Leaders have identified the right priorities for further improvement. For example, they responded thoughtfully to redesign the curriculum in response to increasing numbers of pupils on roll.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Governors carry out their statutory duties diligently. They provide rigorous and constructive challenge to leaders, particularly in relation to safeguarding, curriculum development and the effective management of resources. Governors understand the school extremely well and hold leaders to account, while offering effective support. This has contributed to significant and sustained improvements across the school.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders and governors consistently make decisions in the best interests of pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This is also the case for pupils who have been known to social care or may face additional barriers. Leaders act quickly to ensure that pupils’ additional needs are accurately identified and met with appropriate, high-quality support.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have established a coherent and sustained professional development programme that builds expertise at all levels, from early career teachers to experienced staff. High ‑ quality internal and external training, and work with partner schools, has strengthened

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Expected standard

curriculum leadership and improved teaching practice. Leaders’ commitment to staff’s wellbeing and workload is evident in the well ‑ considered systems that support staff to thrive.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders’ work to develop pupils' character and foster their wellbeing is a strength of the school. Leaders have constructed a well ‑ ordered and age ‑ appropriate personal development programme, which includes relationships and sex education. The curriculum helps pupils to understand healthy relationships and manage their feelings. Pupils understand personal safety, physical and mental health. Staff teach pupils about online and offline risks, including water safety and metro ‑ line awareness. These experiences help pupils learn how to stay safe in their local community.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils are encouraged to reflect on their beliefs. They respect the views of others and engage thoughtfully with moral and ethical issues. Assemblies promote right and wrong, fairness and empathy. Staff reinforce the school’s values of respect, responsibility and resilience. Pupils learn how to resolve conflicts. They have a deep understanding of diversity and learn about different cultures, beliefs and lifestyles through curriculum content and enrichment experiences.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The personal development programme meets the needs of disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities exceptionally well. For example, psychology ‑ informed practice, nurture provision, mental ‑ health ‑ trained staff and close work with external agencies support pupils who face additional barriers, such as bereavement and anxiety.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils develop their confidence and social skills through leadership opportunities, including their roles in the ‘Board of Backworth’, eco ‑ committee and as sports leaders. Pupils contribute actively to their community through charity work, such as fundraising for a regional cancer charity. Fundamental British values are embedded in daily school life. Pupils talk about equality, fairness and respect with maturity.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Through a broad range of enrichment opportunities, clubs and educational visits, pupils achieve well socially, emotionally and academically. They leave the school as confident, compassionate and well ‑ prepared young citizens.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils make secure progress through the curriculum. Leaders use precise assessment to identify gaps and adapt teaching accordingly. Outcomes in phonics are above national figures. Staff provide additional support for pupils who need to catch up with their reading knowledge. In mathematics, pupils make sustained progress from their starting points, with lower prior attainers benefiting from targeted teaching that enables them to keep up. Pupils are ready for their next steps in learning. Reading attainment at the higher standard is improving. Leaders’ analysis of pupils’ achievement identified weaknesses in pupils’ exposure to a broad range of texts. Leaders have adapted the curriculum to improve pupils’ fluency and accuracy in reading. Writing outcomes remain broadly in line with national expectations. Leaders address any inconsistencies, such as in pupils’ handwriting, through curriculum changes and by

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who are disadvantaged, achieve particularly well because staff identify any barriers early so that they can put in place effective support when it is needed.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teaching is effective and continuing to improve through leaders’ deliberate and well- informed actions. A teamwork approach has helped to strengthen consistency in curriculum design and delivery. Leaders have developed a well ‑ ordered and ambitious curriculum. This helps pupils to build their knowledge securely across a range of subjects over time.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching. They use their observations to ensure that teachers develop their curriculum expertise. This includes how staff support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff make sure that they put the right support in place for these pupils, so that they learn well alongside their peers.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers implement the curriculum well, for example by providing clear explanations of new learning. Teachers regularly check how well pupils secure important knowledge. This enables them to identify any gaps quickly and adapt teaching when needed so that pupils catch up quickly. Reading is prioritised. Teachers deliver the phonics programme effectively. Pupils practise their reading often and become fluent and accurate readers. Regular opportunities to revisit prior learning help pupils to build secure subject knowledge and progress through the curriculum well. However, in handwriting, teaching does not build on what pupils have learned previously as well as it could.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils thrive in this welcoming school community. They feel valued and appreciate the opportunities to make their school an even better place to learn.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils achieve well at this school. They enjoy their learning and speak knowledgeably about the subjects they study. Typically, teaching supports pupils to improve, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders have made changes to some aspects of the English curriculum to improve pupils' handwriting. Teachers provide clear guidance during lessons. This helps pupils to remember their prior learning before staff introduce new curriculum content. Pupils' success is generally reflected in national tests, including for disadvantaged pupils, who achieve well. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Pupils attend school regularly and are included in all aspects of school life. They talk positively about the friendships they build. Pupils value the fairness and kindness shown by staff. Pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment, including clubs, sports, residentials

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

and charity projects, which broaden their experiences beyond the academic. Leadership opportunities, such as the ‘Board of Backworth’, enable pupils to make a positive contribution to the school and to the wider community. This helps pupils to feel like they belong.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils behave extremely well, follow routines and show respect towards adults and each other. Pupils feel safe and understand how to keep themselves safe, including when online. Staff deal effectively with pupils’ concerns straight away. Any form of bullying or unkindness is not tolerated. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain; they understand equality, democracy and social responsibility. This is demonstrated through pupils’ charity work and community projects. Pupils follow the school’s values of respect, resilience and responsibility.

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Next steps

• Leaders should ensure that pupils have more opportunities to develop their handwriting skills further. • Leaders should continue to ensure that approaches to teaching the revised reading curriculum support more pupils to achieve highly.

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About this inspection

The co-chairs of the board of governors in this school are David Simpson and Gillian Tawse.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator, staff members, a local authority representative and governors during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school makes use of one registered alternative provision.

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Lead inspector:

Kathryn McDonald, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Ailsa Taylor, Ofsted Inspector Sharon Common, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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average

2023/24 (final) 69% 61% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 78% 75% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 72% 74% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 78% 72% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 72% 72% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 76% 71% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2023/24 (final) 72% 73% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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national average

2023/24 (final) 46% 46% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 54% 62% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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average

2023/24 (final) 54% 58% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 67% 58% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2023/24 (final) 54% 59% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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