Balliol Primary School

Balliol Primary School Chesters Avenue, Longbenton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE12 8QP

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report:

At the most recent graded inspection, the following areas were identified as needing to improve:

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report:

 Pupils have significant gaps in their knowledge of phonics, reading and mathematics. This means that they are not prepared well enough for their next stage in education. The school should ensure that there is a clear understanding of the gaps in pupils’ learning. The school should take action to ensure that pupils make rapid progress in these subjects. The targets set for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not clear, and teachers receive insufficient guidance on how to meet pupils’ needs. The school should ensure that the plans for all pupils with SEND include clear targets that will enable them to make progress across the curriculum. The school should also provide staff with better guidance on how to support pupils with SEND.  The school does not manage behaviour consistently well. Learning is disrupted by the poor behaviour of some pupils, and this results in other pupils feeling anxious. The

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report:

school must ensure that staff are better trained to manage behaviour consistently well. The school should also track patterns of poor behaviour more closely.  In early years, the school does not use the learning environment and curriculum time effectively. As a result, children do not have opportunities to learn as much as they could. The school should support staff to deliver the curriculum well and use the learning environment better, providing a firm foundation for children’s subsequent learning.  The current curriculum, including the wider opportunities the school provides, does not develop pupils’ understanding of British values and other cultures, faiths and religions well. As a result, pupils are not well prepared for life in modern Britain. Leaders must ensure that this aspect of the school’s curriculum is developed effectively.  Some staff members were not included in the most recent safeguarding training. They

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report:

are not aware of the recent changes to ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’. Although inspectors were satisfied that this omission has not left pupils at risk of harm, leaders should ensure that all members of staff are consistently included in all relevant safeguarding training. Monitoring Inspection report: Balliol Primary School, 3 and 4 February 2026 2  Leaders, including the governing body, have not been rigorous enough in their appraisal of the curriculum, provision for pupils with SEND or the standards of behaviour. Improvements are not being made quickly enough. The school needs to support leaders and staff with the expertise and capacity needed to bring about rapid improvements needed in the quality of education.

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Leaders and governors are taking effective action to improve the school, but

continued work is needed to remove the special measures designation.

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The school may appoint early career teachers to any year group in the school

During the monitoring inspection, inspectors focused on the following evaluation areas:  Leadership and governance  Inclusion  Curriculum and teaching  Achievement  Attendance and behaviour  Early years

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Leadership and governance

Leaders continue to drive improvements despite some turbulence in staffing. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s current position and work strategically with the trust and interim executive board to target key areas for development. Their actions have led to a more consistent quality of education, particularly in English and mathematics. Pupils’ achievement in these subjects is showing signs of improvement. Leaders’ sharp focus on attendance and behaviour has created a calm, settled environment. Pupils feel happy and attend more regularly.

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Leadership and governance

Leaders know that further work is needed to ensure consistency across all subjects. Improvements in the core subjects are not yet fully reflected in the wider curriculum, such as geography and history. In these subjects, some pupils find it more difficult to recall learning. In the early years, the curriculum has been refined. Leaders prioritise children’s communication and language development. However, they acknowledge that staff require further support to ensure consistently high-quality interactions within the provision.

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Leadership and governance

Leaders continue to guide staff in adapting teaching for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This work, combined with some refinement of support plans, will help to ensure that these pupils achieve their full potential.

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Safeguarding

At the previous monitoring inspection, safeguarding was evaluated as being effective.

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Inclusion

Monitoring Inspection report: Balliol Primary School, 3 and 4 February 2026 3 Leaders are aware of pupils’ individual barriers to learning and/or wellbeing. They have implemented a comprehensive system for tracking pupils’ progress. This enables them to intervene swiftly when a pupil may need some additional academic or pastoral support.

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Inclusion

Pupils with SEND generally receive the support that they need to help them to access learning. Leaders can articulate the intended process for identifying and supporting pupils with additional needs. However, this process is not fully embedded. There is some variability in the quality of pupils’ individual support plans. While targets are generally precise, the way in which some targets are intended to be measured is often not helpful.

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Inclusion

Leaders carefully consider the use of alternative and specialist provision where this may be necessary. They carry out thorough checks to ensure pupils will be safe and receive appropriate education. Leaders consult with a wide range of external agencies and specialists. This ensures that pupils receive timely and tailored support.

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Inclusion

Leaders have developed an appropriate strategy for the use of pupil premium funding. While staff know that some pupils receive this funding, they cannot confidently articulate how it is being used to impact on achievement.

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Achievement

The most recent published outcomes show that pupils’ achievement is beginning to improve. A greater proportion of pupils achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics in 2025 than have done historically.

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Achievement

Most pupils achieve the required standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1. However, this positive achievement is not yet translating into high outcomes in reading at the end of key stage 2.

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Achievement

Pupils’ achievement in the wider curriculum subjects is improving. However, some pupils still struggle to recall their learning from subjects such as history and geography.

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Attendance and behaviour

Leaders focus relentlessly on attendance. Their systematic approach to tackling poor attendance is now bringing the school’s attendance data more in line with the national average. There has been a significant decrease in the number of pupils who are persistently absent.

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Attendance and behaviour

There is a clear, consistent approach to managing behaviour. Consequently, pupils behave well in lessons and at social times. Behaviour incidents are recorded appropriately. Pupils report that bullying is not a problem. They are confident that adults will act quickly to resolve any behaviour issues.

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Curriculum and teaching

Monitoring Inspection report: Balliol Primary School, 3 and 4 February 2026 4 Leaders have worked effectively with the trust to implement a clearly sequenced curriculum for all subjects. In English and mathematics, pupils benefit from a systematic approach to teaching. This helps them to access learning well and to remember more. The same approach is being implemented in the wider curriculum subjects. However, it is not yet embedded. The quality of curriculum delivery in these subjects is slightly more variable. Sometimes, pupils complete tasks that are not precisely matched to the learning intention for the lesson, or their work is not completed to the same standard as that in English and mathematics.

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Curriculum and teaching

At different points across the year, staff check what pupils know and remember. They use the information from these checks to plan additional support or interventions for pupils who need it. However, in lessons, staff do not consistently check for errors and misconceptions in pupils’ work. This means that, in some cases, errors persist over time and gaps in basic skills do not close quickly.

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Early years

Children in the early years benefit from warm relationships with adults. The curriculum is sequenced to ensure progression from the Nursery Year through to the end of the Reception Year and beyond. Staff understand children’s individual starting points. They know that developing children’s communication and language skills is a priority. However, there is some variability in the quality of interactions in the early years and how well staff teach new vocabulary. Staff do not consistently promote language and learning when they work with children. Leaders recognise that further training is required to address this. Many children make secure progress through the curriculum. However, leaders know that a greater proportion of children need to do this.

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Early years

Children play cooperatively in the setting. Through hearing carefully selected stories and experiencing consistent routines, they learn to manage their behaviour and emotions independently.

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Additional next steps

Leaders, including those responsible for governance, should continue to work to address the priorities for improvement identified in the last graded inspection report.

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About this inspection

The inspectors carried out this monitoring inspection under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005, and it was the third monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require special measures following the graded inspection that took place in October 2023.

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About this inspection

The school’s previous inspection and the first and second monitoring inspections were carried out under the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) at that time. The renewed EIF took effect from 10 November 2025. The areas for improvement identified at the school’s graded inspection and subsequent monitoring inspections have been cross-referenced to Monitoring Inspection report: Balliol Primary School, 3 and 4 February 2026 5 the relevant evaluation areas in the inspection toolkit for consideration on this monitoring inspection.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this monitoring inspection was not to determine grades for any of the evaluation areas set out in the school inspection toolkit. The purpose was to identify and report on the school’s progress in addressing priorities for improvement since the school’s previous inspection.

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About this inspection

During this inspection, meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders from the trust, the chair and other members of the interim executive board and the local authority to discuss the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection.

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Lead inspector

Philippa Kermotschuk His Majesty’s Inspector

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Team inspector

Deborah Ashcroft Ofsted Inspector Monitoring Inspection report: Balliol Primary School, 3 and 4 February 2026 6

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About this school

Resourced provision or SEND unit No Monitoring Inspection report: Balliol Primary School, 3 and 4 February 2026 7 and inspects to 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 looked- after-children, safeguarding and child protection.

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About this school

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About this school

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About this school

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About this school

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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