Fellside Community Primary School

Fellside Community Primary School

Address: Fellside Road, Whickham, Fellside Community Primary School, Fellside Road, Newcastle-upon- Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE16 5AY Unique reference number (URN): 108378

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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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Early years Expected standard

Warm and purposeful interactions between adults and children typically support leaders' high expectations for children's learning and development in the early years. Staff mostly model high-quality vocabulary so that children develop their own confidence and speaking skills. Written language and effective transcription skills are prioritised through frequent handwriting opportunities and effective modelling from staff. Children develop a love of reading, as well as language, through their regular story times and precise phonics teaching. This supports children to learn to read quickly and fluently. Any pupils who fall behind are helped to catch up and become confident readers.

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Early years Expected standard

A carefully constructed curriculum, supplemented by well-chosen learning activities, helps children to make progress from their starting points. Children are well prepared for key stage 1. The learning environment and resources complement the early years curriculum well. Leaders have carefully considered the resources available to children and invested significantly in making them high quality for all. Provision for 3-year-olds in the school's nursery is very well tailored to their age and stage of education. Staff ensure their work around transition into the setting helps children to settle quickly. Working relationships with parents are constructive and supportive. Children make a positive start to their education at the school.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have worked tirelessly to create an inclusive culture at the school. Staff ensure that each pupil feels welcome and valued. Pupils who have barriers to their learning are prioritised for support. Over time, identification of special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has improved significantly. The progress of pupils with SEND, or those who might have other barriers to their learning, is carefully tracked. This helps leaders to identify the support strategies each pupil requires. Academic and pastoral support for disadvantaged pupils is well considered. Leaders work alongside parents and professionals to plan the support each pupil receives.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have high ambitions for all disadvantaged pupils. Adaptations in some lessons are more effective than in others. While staff have had training on inclusive practices, the impact of inclusion strategies is not fully embedded. Leaders carefully plan and implement interventions to support pupils with a range of needs. This support helps them overcome different barriers to learning. The school works effectively with external agencies and specialists to get pupils the help that they require. Increasingly, leaders are outward-looking and share best practice with other professionals to enhance their own work. The small amount of pupil premium funding the school receives is carefully spent to benefit disadvantaged pupils.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils' character development and understanding of British values are generally promoted well at the school. Pupils know the importance of commitment and collaboration. Leaders

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Needs attention

also expect pupils to demonstrate integrity, honesty and respect. Pupils can talk about democracy, for example, or the importance of our individual rights and laws. The taught curriculum helps pupils to understand individuality and diversity, such as different cultures and religions. Pupils have a clear understanding of right and wrong, and they know that being accepting of others is not only kind but morally important. However, pupils do not retain enough of what they have been taught. For example, they do not consistently remember what they have learned about different faiths and beliefs.

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Needs attention

Relationships education, including developing healthy relationships and enabling pupils to recognise online and offline risks, helps pupils to develop safe, respectful attitudes. Pupils understand the importance of online safety, for example, why not to share personal information or images. Pupils know how to stay safe in the local community and the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. Pupils enjoy a range of sports and activities at lunchtimes to keep them active. Pupils understand the importance of listening to and respecting others' views and being a good friend. Pupils benefit from a varied programme for personal development. A range of trips, educational visits, clubs and in-school activities enables pupils to broaden their understanding of the wider world. The school's work is adapted to its local context. Leaders make deliberate efforts to modify this programme for disadvantaged pupils. Leaders closely track participation in enrichment activities and follow

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Needs attention

The school actively enhances pupils' aspirations for their futures through a range of careers work. This includes visiting speakers, a careers fair and workshops. Governors and the local community also play an important part in this work. Leaders are ambitious for pupils' personal development, as well as their academic success. Pupils share leaders' high aspirations for their learning and future success.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils develop the skills and knowledge they need for the next stage of their education in core subjects such as English and mathematics. Outcomes in national tests and examinations have been high over time. Pupils secure strong foundations for later learning in reading and number from the early years onwards. However, pupils' achievement in wider curriculum subjects is not always as positive. Pupils' knowledge of geography, religious education and art and design is not secure, for example.

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Achievement Needs attention

Some pupils demonstrate a secure understanding, a wide vocabulary and the ability to write in depth about a range of topics. Other pupils find this harder because the support given to them has not been effective. This includes for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The tasks that teachers give to pupils sometimes do not help them to learn the intended curriculum as well as they might. This limits the progress that some pupils make.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Pupils attend school regularly, willingly and with minimal absence. Attendance has been high over time for all groups of pupils. Leaders' work to ensure pupils and families understand the importance of their education is very effective. Persistent absence is consistently low, including for the majority of disadvantaged pupils. Rewards for attendance help to encourage pupils to be at school on time and every day.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Leaders' approach to managing behaviour has been adapted more recently. The impact of this work is not embedded and more remains to be done to ensure the school is a calm and positive place to learn. Leaders and staff have high expectations of how pupils should conduct themselves. However, pupils' attitudes to their learning remain too variable. Agreed rules and routines are not consistently well embedded. While pupils' behaviour at social times is generally positive, pupils' behaviour for learning is often poor. Pupils do understand what is expected of them. However, some pupils are unable to maintain focus on learning. Pupils typically respect staff and one another. Bullying is rare and effectively dealt with when it does occur. However, despite recent changes to leaders' behavioural approach, the behaviour of a minority of pupils continues to give cause for concern among pupils, staff and parents.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have created a high-quality curriculum in subjects such as mathematics and reading. What pupils will learn and in what order have been carefully considered. However, the curriculum in several other subjects is under-developed. Pupils' educational experiences are not consistent across the school. Leaders recognise the need to check what pupils are learning and refine the curriculum accordingly. Some staff make very appropriate choices about what to teach and how to teach it. Adaptations for different pupils' needs are thoughtful and have a positive impact on their learning. However, this is not the case in all subjects and key stages. Some staff do not have a secure understanding of how to adapt lessons to meet pupils' needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Generally staff have a secure knowledge of the subjects they teach. However, they do not consistently use the most effective approaches to help pupils learn and

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Reading, writing and mathematics are prioritised at the school. Staff regularly read to pupils and highlight ambitious vocabulary. However, writing is less well modelled. Staff do not maintain consistently high expectations of pupils' written work. How staff check what pupils know and remember across the curriculum more widely is also inconsistent. Sometimes learning does not build effectively on what pupils can already do. This slows the progress they make.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have identified several important areas for improvement. These include the quality of the curriculum, inclusion, pupils' behaviour and relationships with different stakeholders. While some improvements have been made over time, for example, the early years environment has been enhanced with better resources, other aspects of school improvement work are at an earlier stage. While knowledge and training around special educational needs and/or disabilities has been enhanced, support for these pupils in the classroom is inconsistent.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Governors are committed to their roles. They are passionate about the school being the best it can be. However, several are new to their roles and lack a clear understanding of what is working well at the school and what is not. Opportunities for governors to visit the school, speak with leaders, staff and pupils are still developing. Governors' oversight of statutory matters, however, is clear and concise. Governors are beginning to hold leaders to account with more rigour. Governance of the school has become more effective over time.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

The professional learning and expertise programme at the school is appropriately linked to school improvement priorities. However, leaders' evaluation of its impact is limited. This has reduced how effective leaders' work has been over time. Leaders have engaged with staff and parents when making some changes. However, leaders' relationships with different stakeholders are not consistently positive. Some staff report a lack of support for workload matters. However, they state that wellbeing is a priority for leaders. The school is beginning to engage more effectively with different community partners to better inform their work.

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

Typically, pupils are happy, enjoy coming to school and attend well. Pupils feel safe and have an adult they would turn to if something worried them or they fell out with a friend. Bullying is rare. If it does occur, pupils are confident it would be resolved quickly by staff. Pupils are kind and supportive of one another in lessons and at social times. However, pupils' behaviour in lessons is sometimes less positive. Leaders have introduced a new behaviour policy. However, inconsistencies in its implementation mean that pupils do not always experience the same clear expectations for behaviour. Parents, carers and staff share concerns that some serious behaviour incidents have not been appropriately handled over time.

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

Pupils achieve well in national tests and assessments, which prepares them well for future learning in some subjects. Pupils state that they enjoy learning in several subjects and that staff help them to do their best. Parents agree. Leaders place a high priority on developing pupils' reading and literacy skills. However, pupils do not achieve consistently well across all subjects in the curriculum. Some pupils need additional support to help them learn what is intended, while others are ready for more demanding work but do not consistently receive it. As a result, some pupils do not achieve their potential.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are a priority at the school. Over time, the needs of pupils with SEND have become better understood. However, adaptations in classrooms to support pupils with different barriers to their learning are not always effective. Sometimes, opportunities are missed to help all pupils achieve their potential. However, pupils with SEND are more fully included in the wider life of the school. All pupils have opportunities to enrich their education, such as through cultural visits, a variety of extracurricular clubs and listening to visiting speakers.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is consistently taught well and that highly effective teaching is embedded across subjects and year groups. Leaders should ensure that any adjustments or adaptations made to the curriculum effectively remove barriers for all pupils, allowing them to achieve more highly. Leaders should ensure that pupils consistently develop the knowledge and skills intended across the curriculum, particularly in the foundation subjects. Leaders should ensure that expectations around pupils' behaviour and attitudes to learning are clear and consistently implemented, and that agreed rules and sanctions are applied effectively. Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that they have developed a precise approach to school improvement that supports them to accurately identify, monitor and act on priorities across the school. Leaders should further develop constructive relationships with a wide range of

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Next steps

stakeholders so that a variety of views and opinions are taken into account when making strategic decisions about the school.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Max Stephenson.

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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, the special educational needs coordinator and other senior leaders. The lead inspector spoke to members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.

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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

This inspection took place on 9 and 10 September 2026.

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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 currently uses no alternative provision.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 9 September 2026

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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 6 years. National average: 26.5%

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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 needs support 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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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

2023/24 (final) 77% 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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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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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

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

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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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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

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

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average

2022/23 (final) S 59% S ‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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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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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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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

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

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