Newstead Primary and Nursery School

Newstead Primary and Nursery School

Address: Hucknall Road, Newstead Village, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG15 0BB Unique reference number (URN): 122658

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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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Achievement Expected standard

Over time, and from their respective starting points, pupils achieve well. This is reflected in the typically positive outcomes of national assessments. Overall, pupils’ outcomes do not differ significantly from national figures. The proportion of pupils who reach the standards expected of them in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2 has been consistently in line with national figures for the last three years. This includes disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, the school effectively addresses gaps in pupils’ basic knowledge so that they can access the curriculum and achieve well over time. This is done especially well in writing, handwriting and reading. However, the proportion of pupils who meet the expected standard in the Year 4 multiplication tables check has remained consistently lower than national figures over the last three years. Leaders are aware of this and are in the process of addressing it.

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Achievement Expected standard

Taking into account their starting points, pupils are prepared well for the next stage of their education.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The school’s curriculum is well planned. It makes clear, at all stages of pupils’ education, what they are expected to know and remember. The curriculum takes good account of the different ages of pupils. Leaders ensure that the curriculum is typically taught well. They carry out regular checks and know where teaching is strong and where further improvements can be secured.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers demonstrate secure subject knowledge. They are aware of the different needs of pupils within their classes, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All pupils receive the support they need to learn the curriculum.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Pupils are helped to develop the basic knowledge they need to access the rest of the curriculum. The school accurately identifies any gaps in pupils’ writing and addresses these quickly. Pupils in the early stages of learning to read are taught phonics and typically achieve well. Similarly, pupils develop the basic mathematical knowledge they need. However, this is less secure in relation to multiplication tables knowledge.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Recent changes to the way that the school teaches writing have been successful. Teaching is consistent and provides pupils with the knowledge needed to write well. The school’s recently reviewed handwriting policy is working equally as well. As a result, pupils go on to become successful writers who can produce thoughtful and creative pieces of written work.

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Early years Expected standard

Children get off to a positive start in the early years. The setting is well led. It is a happy and busy environment where children learn to play and work cooperatively. Children are happy and safe. Over time, they grow in confidence and develop the independence that they need for the next stage of their education.

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Early years Expected standard

The early years curriculum is well organised. It sets out the milestones that children are expected to achieve at each stage of their time in the Nursery and Reception Years. The curriculum is taught well. All of the activities on offer help children to learn and revisit the curriculum. Children typically remember what they have learned. They make impressive links between different parts of their learning. For example, they make connections between bridges through their work on ‘The Great Fire of London’ and ‘The Billy Goats Gruff’. Children recall stories and books that they have read impressively.

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Early years Expected standard

Phonics is taught well. Children know and remember the sounds that they have learned. Children in the Nursery Year are well prepared for the more formal phonics teaching that they will go on to in the Reception Year.

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Early years Expected standard

Although there is some variability from year to year, the proportion of children who reach the standards expected of them by the end of the Reception Year is broadly in line with national figures.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school is inclusive. It takes the time needed to get to know pupils well. It uses this understanding to remove barriers and to ensure that all groups of pupils achieve well over time.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school has a systematic approach to identifying the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff are trained in a broad range of SEND needs and provide well-tailored support in class. However, there are some inconsistencies in the targets that are set for these pupils. In a small number of cases, targets are not specific enough. They do not clearly identify the small steps of progress pupils are expected to make. This is limiting their achievement. Leaders have recognised this and have begun to strengthen practice, although this work is ongoing.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The barriers faced by disadvantaged pupils are identified and addressed effectively. The school closely monitors their achievement and acts quickly when concerns arise. The school's pupil premium strategy focuses on the right priorities. At the end of key stage 2, disadvantaged pupils typically achieve as well as disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school works proactively with a wide range of professionals and ensures that parents are involved in planning and reviewing the support provided. This includes pupils who are known to, or have previously been known to, children’s social care. Staff know these pupils well and provide a broad range of support for them and, where appropriate, their families.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear and ambitious vision to support pupils to ‘Aim High’, both academically and personally. This vision is widely understood and shared across the school. Leaders have an accurate view of their school. They know what is working well and where improvements are needed. They have secured significant improvements in behaviour and achievement. Leaders recognise that there is more to do to tackle the stubbornly low rates of attendance and outcomes in the Year 4 multiplication tables check. They have already begun work to address these areas.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have the backing and commitment of the staff team. Staff are united in their support of the school and its leaders. They are consistently positive about the quality of leadership and the attention paid to their workload and well-being. They share leaders' ambition and ensure that pupils' interests are always put first. Like pupils, they are proud of their school.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have robust quality assurance processes in place. They have a systematic and well-organised approach to providing all staff with the training needed to carry out their duties effectively.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The work of the governing body is systematic and well organised. Governors provide leaders with an effective balance of challenge and support. They skilfully triangulate the information that leaders provide, ensuring that they have a fully rounded view of how well the school is performing.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have ensured that the school is not isolated. Leaders and staff benefit from a strong network of mutual support through the school's work within the ‘Together as One’ collaboration.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school expects and supports pupils to aim high. Pupils understand the different elements that enable this, for example, having high expectations of themselves and showing integrity and independence. The promotion and recognition of these characteristics are central to the school’s behaviour policy.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Sitting at the heart of the school's personal development offer are well-planned and sequenced curriculums for personal, social and health education (PSHE) and relationships and sex education (RSE). These set out precisely what pupils will learn at each stage of their education. Content builds cumulatively over time. Pupils learn about life in modern Britain. They learn about a wide range of cultures and communities, the protected characteristics, and fundamental British values. This work is reinforced through the wider curriculum, assemblies and the texts that pupils study.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils are proud of the contribution they make to their school. The pupil parliament ministers take a lead role in the school, for example, leading activities in ‘Children's Mental Health Day’. Pupils are taught how to stay safe in the community and online. This content is revisited regularly. Leaders adapt the curriculum swiftly to address any concerns that arise.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

There is a well-organised programme of enrichment and extra-curricular activities. Pupils look forward to the regular residential visits. They are proud to represent the school in a wide range of sporting activities, including football, gymnastics, basketball and multi-sports. Pupils take a lead role in the daily 'Take Five' sessions that help them to understand and regulate their feelings and emotions.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Through the school’s collaborative work, pupils work with pupils from several other schools. Pupils explain that this helps them meet new people who they might go to secondary school

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Needs attention

with. This helps them to feel more confident.

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Needs attention

The school provides a robust level of pastoral support for all pupils. Those who need additional help to manage their emotions and feelings receive well-tailored support. Pupils know who to turn to if they need help.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Rates of attendance are low and have been consistently so for the last three years. The attendance of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is on a downward trend. While the school has processes in place to tackle poor attendance, these have not secured the necessary improvements. Leaders have begun to address this issue with a renewed and more rigorous approach. Additional staff time has been allocated to support families and, where appropriate, provide challenge. However, leaders’ revised actions are at a very early stage of implementation.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Behaviour is impressive. Pupils do their best to be ‘Ready, Respectful and Safe.’ They show positive attitudes towards their learning. They respond swiftly to teachers’ requests and instructions. They report that bullying is rare. School records support this.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

The school’s recently reviewed behaviour policy has brought about significant improvements. Pupils and staff confirm that behaviour has improved. The school’s policy is applied consistently well. It helps pupils to develop self-discipline, integrity and resilience. Poor behaviour is addressed discreetly and pupils are helped to put things right. Positive behaviour is recognised and celebrated.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Staff confidently know how best to support pupils who may have experienced traumatic situations.

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

Newstead Primary and Nursery is a happy and nurturing school that sits at the heart of the community that it serves. Relationships between pupils and staff are highly positive. The ambition of ‘Aim High’ runs consistently throughout the school. Pupils know what this means. As one pupil summed up: ‘It’s about knowing that we can do anything that we put our minds to.’

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

Pupils behave impressively. They know that they are expected to be ready, respectful and safe. They demonstrate this in their interactions with each other, both in the classroom and around the school site. They value being recognised for doing the right things. Being placed on the recognition board is a moment of shared celebration. When pupils find things challenging, staff skilfully help them to put things right and to learn what to do next time. As a result, the school is calm and purposeful. Pupils are happy, are kept safe and feel safe. Bullying is rare and pupils have confidence in adults to deal with it should it occur. However, pupils’ enjoyment of school is not reflected in attendance rates, which do not compare favourably with national figures.

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

Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning during lessons. They work hard and try their best, even when things get tough. They achieve well. This is reflected in the positive outcomes of national assessments. These show that the achievement of pupils at the school broadly matches that of all pupils nationally by the end of key stage 2.

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

The school has a broad and varied enrichment offer. Pupils look forward to their residential visits. They relish trips in the school's minibus to visit nearby places and events. They benefit from joint activities, including a broad range of sporting opportunities, with pupils from other schools in the ‘Together as One’ collaboration of schools, in which they play a key role.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that their revised attendance strategy secures sustained improvements in attendance for all pupils. Leaders should ensure that the targets set for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) consistently set out the precise goals that pupils are expected to achieve. The school should improve outcomes in the Year 4 multiplication check so that they are closer to the national figure.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors is Andrew Raynor.

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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 (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, a senior leader, governors and representatives of the local authority.

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About this inspection

The school uses no alternative provisions.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

There have been no significant changes since the last inspection.

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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

2022/23 (final) 58% 60% 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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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 (final) 79% 72% 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

2024/25 (final) 79% 74% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 68% 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

2022/23 (final) 43% 44% 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

2024/25 (final) 67% 63% 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

2024/25 (final) 67% 59% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 57% 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

2024/25 (final) 67% 61% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 57% 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

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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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