Colegate Community Primary School

COLEGATE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Dates of inspection: 8 th to 11 th March 2004

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COLEGATE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Inspection carried out under section 10 of the School Inspections Act 1996 Colegate Community Primary School This report may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that all extracts quoted are reproduced verbatim without adaptation and on condition that the source and date thereof are stated. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the School Inspections Act 1996, the school must provide a copy of this report and/or its summary free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. Colegate Community Primary School

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Type of school: Primary School category: Community Age range of pupils: 3 to 11 Gender of pupils: Mixed Number on roll: 378 full-time equivalent

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

School address: Colegate West Leam Lane Estate Gateshead Tyne and Wear Postcode: NE10 9AH

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Telephone number: 0191 4206626 Fax number: 0191 4206616

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Appropriate authority: Governing body Name of chair of governors: Cllr David Napier

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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Date of previous inspection: 19 th October 1998

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

This larger than average primary school is situated in Felling, an urban area just to the east of Gateshead. The school serves an area with a wide social mix. Although a number of pupils live in private housing, a larger proportion lives in rented accommodation. There are 357 pupils on the full- time roll and a further 42 children attend part-time in the nursery. Attainment on entry to the school includes the full range of attainment but a large proportion has poor language and social skills. Thirty- two per cent of pupils are entitled to free school meals, almost twice the national average. The school lies within an area of high unemployment and deprivation. There are very few pupils from ethnic minority groups and no pupils speak English as an additional language. At the time of the inspection, there were 92 pupils with special educational needs - a proportion of pupils which is broadly in line with that found in most schools. The majority of these pupils have learning difficulties

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL

and a small number have physical and other needs. There are three pupils with Statements of Special Educational Need; this is below the usual figure in this size of school. The school holds Investor in People, Activemark, Healthy Schools, Basic Skills Quality Mark and International Schools’ awards. It is also part of an Education Action Zone. Colegate Community Primary School

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

18463 Steve Bywater Lead inspector Science, information and communication technology and personal, social, health education and citizenship 09652 Colin Herbert Lay inspector 20301 Peter Isherwood Team inspector Mathematics, art and design, design and technology, music, physical education and special educational needs 19709 Jean Fisher Team inspector Foundation Stage, geography and history 20368 Susan Macintosh Team inspector English and religious education

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Altecq Education Ltd 102 Bath Road Cheltenham GL53 7JX

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Members of the inspection team Subject responsibilities

Any concerns or complaints about the inspection or the report should be made initially to the inspection contractor. The procedures are set out in the leaflet ‘Complaining about Ofsted Inspections’ , which is available from Ofsted Publications Centre (telephone 07002 637833) or Ofsted’s website ( www.ofsted.gov.uk ). Colegate Community Primary School

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS

Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED BY PUPILS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL 11

Teaching and learning The curriculum Care, guidance and support Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

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OVERALL EVALUATION

This good school has a number of very good features and provides good value for money. Teaching is consistently good and as a result pupils achieve well. Standards in most subjects meet nationally expected standards and this represents good achievement from a low starting point. Children have good attitudes to school and behave well. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has a very clear vision and high aspirations for the school. She is supported well by the deputy headteacher and other key staff, an effective team of teachers and a strong governing body.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

The school’s main strengths and weaknesses are: • Teaching and learning is good and as a result pupils achieve well. • Standards in mathematics are above average by the end of Year 6. • The school provides very well for pupils with special educational needs. • Provision for science in Year 4 and Year 5 is unsatisfactory. • The curriculum provided is good and enriched by a very good range of visits, visitors and extra- curricular activities. • The school is led well by the headteacher and key staff. Governors support the school well. • Curriculum co-ordinators in many subjects do not fully understand what is happening outside their own classes. • Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils have a good attitude to learning, relationships are good and pupils behave well. The quality of care is good.

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OVERALL EVALUATION

Overall, the school has improved well since the last inspection. Some improvements, for example in the provision for pupils with special educational needs, the planning for pupils in nursery and reception classes and improvements in mathematics and ICT (information and communication technology) have been very good.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

In the 2003 national tests for eleven-year-olds, pupils’ performance in English and science was below the national average whilst standards in mathematics were above the national average. In comparison with results in similar schools, standards were well below average in English, below average in science and well above average in mathematics.

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

all schools similar schools Results in National Curriculum tests at the end of Year 6, compared with: 2001 2002 2003 2003 English D C D E mathematics D B B A science D D D D Key: A - well above average; B - above average; C - average; D - below average; E - well below average Similar schools are those whose pupils attained similarly at the end of Year 2

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

Achievement is good overall. Children enter the school with abilities ranging from well above average to poor, although the significant majority have poor language and social skills and this best fits their overall description. Children achieve well in the Foundation Stage and continue to achieve well in Years 1 to 6. Throughout the school, pupils mainly achieve well, although achievement in science is unsatisfactory in Year 4 and Year 5. By the beginning of Year 1, most pupils are below the expected levels in communication, language and literacy, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. They meet expectations in personal and social development, physical and creative development. By the end of Year 2, standards in Colegate Community Primary School English, mathematics and science meet the nationally expected levels. By the end of Year 6, standards are currently in line with national expectations in English and science but they are above

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STANDARDS ACHIEVED

expectations in mathematics. Standards in ICT are in line with expectations at the end of Year 2 and Year 6.

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Pupils’ personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural

development, is good . Pupils have a very good attitude towards school and their behaviour and relationships are also good. A number of school initiatives, such as the school council and buddy system, positively promote pupils’ sense of responsibility very well. The attendance rate is in line with the national average and most pupils are punctual.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The quality of education is good and a very positive ethos underpins all the work of the school. The curriculum is good with a good range of activities to enrich it. The quality of teaching and learning is good . In the nursery and reception classes, teachers and staff organise a good range of well organised activities. Throughout the school, lessons capture children’s interest and ensure that children with special educational needs and those who are higher attaining are sufficiently challenged and supported. The exception to this is in science in Years 4 and 5 where work is unsatisfactory. The teaching of literacy and numeracy skills is good. The school utilises teachers' talents well through setting the pupils in groups by ability and by a little specialist teaching. The school benefits greatly from good quality support staff who help pupils in small groups and enable teachers to target work more effectively at pupils’ individual needs. A good range of assessment strategies gives

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

teachers a suitable overview of pupils’ attainment in English, mathematics and the pupils’ skills in science and ICT.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION

The curriculum is well planned and offers a richness of appropriate experiences to meet the children’s needs. There is a very good range of activities after school and at lunchtime, and visits and visitors enhance the curriculum. The school provides a high level of care for the emotional and physical needs of its pupils. Information to parents is good and there are positive links with the community. Relationships with other schools are good.

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The leadership and management of the school are good. The leadership of the headteacher and other key staff is good. The overall management of the school is good but there are weaknesses in the work of some curriculum co-ordinators. The work of the governing body is good . The governors are fully involved in the strategic planning of the school and are fully committed to supporting the school. They act as critical friends in challenging it in its decisions.

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PARENTS’ AND PUPILS’ VIEWS OF THE SCHOOL

Parents who responded to the inspection questionnaire or who attended the meeting expressed positive views about the school. Pupils also know that the school will listen to their concerns and this was reflected in their very positive responses when a group of them met with inspectors.

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IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED

The most important things the school should do to improve are: • improve the standards achieved by pupils in Year 4 and Year 5 in science; • further improve the roles of curriculum co-ordinators so that they have a secure understanding of what is happening outside their own classes. Colegate Community Primary School

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Standards achieved in areas of learning, subjects and courses

Children enter the school with low levels of attainment and the significant majority achieve well as they progress through the school. Standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science are

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in line with national expectations at the end of Year 6 and standards in mathematics are

above expectations. Overall, pupils achieve well throughout the school.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Overall, pupils achieve well throughout the school. • Standards are above average in mathematics at the end of Year 6. • Pupils with special educational needs make good progress in their learning and achieve well throughout school. • In science, pupils achieve well in Year 2 and Year 6. • Pupils’ achievement in science is unsatisfactory in Year 4 and Year 5.

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Commentary

1. Children in the Foundation Stage 1 are given work that is stimulating and interesting. All children, including those with special educational needs, achieve well due to good teaching in all areas of learning. However, by the end of reception, most children will still not have reached the Early Learning Goals 2 apart from in personal and social development, physical and creative development. This is due to children’s low levels of attainment in most areas of learning on entry to nursery.

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Commentary

2. In reading and writing, pupils’ standards are in line with national expectations by the end of Year 2. In Year 6, standards in English are in line with national expectations. Pupils make good progress in lessons and over time through the school. Virtually all pupils achieve well in relation to their starting points. Pupils who have special educational needs receive particularly good support which enables them to make very good progress. Teachers encourage pupils to use and extend their speaking and listening skills in many lessons. Highly successful initiatives such as a ‘Readathon’ give a big boost to pupils’ reading in the infants. Improving the standards of pupils’ writing, particularly of the higher achieving pupils, has been and remains a focus for teaching. For some pupils, however, their knowledge of spelling of common words is underdeveloped and this hampers their progress.

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Commentary

3. Teachers provide a range of good opportunities in other subjects for pupils to develop their language and literacy skills effectively. For example, pupils retell stories and events applying well the skills they learn in literacy lessons. Older pupils make notes using bullet points and prepare questions well for visitors.

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Commentary

4. In mathematics, all pupils achieve well from a low starting point on entry to the school. By the end of Year 2, inspection evidence shows that standards of attainment are in line with national expectations. This is an improvement on the most recent national test results. The number of

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Commentary

1 The Foundation Stage begins when children reach the age of three and ends at the end of the reception class. It is a distinct stage in preparing children for later schooling and is based on six areas of learning. These mainly refer to: communication, language and literacy; mathematical development; and personal, social and emotional development, but also include: knowledge and understanding of the world; and physical and creative development. 2 Early Learning Goals - these are expectations for most children to reach by the end of the Foundation Stage. They mainly refer to achievements children make in connection with the six areas of learning. There are many goals for each area of learning; for example, in language and literacy pupils should be able to write their own name and other things such as labels and begin to write simple sentences. Colegate Community Primary School pupils reaching the higher level has increased but is still not as high as the majority of schools.

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Commentary

By the end of Year 6, pupils attain standards which exceed national expectations. This reflects the national test results of last year. There is no significant difference between the achievement of boys and girls. There are good opportunities for pupils to develop their mathematical skills in design and technology and science.

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Commentary

5. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6, pupils are on target to meet national expectations. Pupils normally achieve well due to good quality teaching and the provision of experimental and investigation work. However, in Year 4 and Year 5 this is not the case because work lacks depth, breadth and balance and there is little recording . In ICT, pupils throughout the school achieve well and reach the nationally expected standards. Teachers use a satisfactory range of applications to enable pupils to apply their ICT skills in other subjects.

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Commentary

6. Standards in religious education are in line with those expected of seven- and eleven-year-olds in the Gateshead Agreed Syllabus.

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Commentary

7. Pupils with special educational needs achieve well because teachers set work which meets their needs and ensure they receive good support. Good progress is made towards targets on individual educational plans.

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Commentary

8. When compared with all schools nationally, pupils’ results in the national tests for 2003 showed that overall standards by the end of Year 2 were below average in reading, writing and mathematics. When compared with schools with a similar number of free school meals, standards were above average in reading and average in writing and mathematics. This represented good achievement when compared with the low levels of attainment on entry to the school.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 2 – average point scores in 2003

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results reading 15.4 (15.8) 15.7 (15.8) writing 14.3 (14.1) 14.6 (14.4) mathematics 15.5 (16.4) 16.3 (16.5) There were 51 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year

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Commentary

9. The table below shows the results achieved in 2003 national tests for pupils in Year 6. It shows that overall standards in English and science were below the national average, whilst in mathematics, standards were above the national average. Considering their attainment when they were in Year 2, pupils’ performance was well below average in English, below average in science and well above average in mathematics.

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Commentary

Standards in national tests at the end of Year 6 – average point scores in 2003

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Commentary

Standards in: School results National results English 25.7 (27.3) 26.8 (27.0) Mathematics 28.2 (27.9) 26.8 (26.7) Science 28.2 (28.2) 28.6 (28.3) There were 60 pupils in the year group. Figures in brackets are for the previous year Colegate Community Primary School

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Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities

The behaviour and attitudes of pupils to school and to their learning are good overall. The provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils’ attendance is satisfactory and their punctuality is good. The school has maintained the quality of all these aspects since the last inspection.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils are very keen to take responsibility. • All pupils, including those with special educational needs, are valued by the school and show good attitudes to learning. • Relationships within the school community are good. • Punctuality is good. • There is no evidence of bullying, racism or harassment in school. • The school provides good opportunities for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Commentary

10. Pupils are enthusiastic about school. In the playground each morning, they are keen to talk to their friends or visitors. They are polite, well mannered and confident to tell visitors that ‘lessons are interesting and that they enjoy learning new things’. Pupils with special educational needs show positive attitudes to learning because they are valued by members of staff. They receive good quality support and, as a result, gain confidence in their learning. The pupils’ behaviour is good overall in the classroom and often very good when they are moving around the school, at the breakfast club or at dinner. In an assembly, which was led by representatives of Jesmond Church, their behaviour was exemplary. There was no indication of any racist behaviour or harassment during the inspection. There have been no recent exclusions.

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Commentary

11. Relationships between all members of the school community are good. For example, older children look after younger ones through the buddy system and in the breakfast club pupils get on well with other as they talk together over their cereal and toast. These strong relationships between all members of the school community are the result of the very trusting atmosphere that permeates the whole of school life. The impact of these high quality relationships is that all pupils are totally included in all school activities. Parental responses to the inspection questionnaire and at the meeting were positive about this aspect of school life. The vast majority agrees that the behaviour of their children in school is good, with good routines being established early in school life.

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Commentary

12. The provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. All pupils have a good idea of right and wrong and they are encouraged to become mature and responsible members of the school and local community. They are very keen to take responsibility in the school council or by being monitors. The spiritual development of pupils provides opportunities for them to reflect on such things as the role of forgiveness or the importance of the Cross in the Easter story. Pupils are keen to raise money for those who are not as fortunate as themselves. Good opportunities are provided for social development through such activities as the breakfast club, ‘Circle Time’ 3 , acting as librarians or selling tuck at breaktimes. The provision for cultural development is enhanced by the many visits into the community and visitors to school. Additionally, the school has hosted teacher placements from China and

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Commentary

groups of headteachers from Egypt and these visitors have given pupils a good opportunity to meet people from other countries. The provision of all these aspects within school life has a positive impact on the personal development of all pupils in school.

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Commentary

3 During Circle Time pupils discuss a wide range of personal and general issues. It is agreed by all pupils that no interruptions should occur and only one person at a time will speak. Respect for other pupils’ views will occur at all times and therefore pupils feel confident that they can talk with ease and free from any form of interference of interruption from other children. Colegate Community Primary School 13. The attendance rate is satisfactory and similar to the average for other local schools. The rate of unauthorised absence is below the national average. Punctuality is good.

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Commentary

Attendance in the latest complete reporting year (%)

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Commentary

Authorised absence Unauthorised absence School data: 5.3 School data: 0.0 National data: 5.4 National data: 0.4 The table gives the percentage of half days (sessions) missed through absence for the latest complete reporting year.

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QUALITY OF EDUCATION PROVIDED BY THE SCHOOL

The quality of education is good. Good teaching and learning is supported by good assessment of pupils' work. The learning opportunities are good and there is a very good range of activities to enhance the curriculum.

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Teaching and learning

The quality of teaching and learning is good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is good teaching in the Foundation Stage and in Years 1 to 6. • Pupils with special educational needs learn well. Individual education plans are of a very high quality and used effectively as working documents. Teachers use adult support very effectively. • Teachers’ subject knowledge is secure and the teaching of literacy, numeracy and ICT skills are taught well and used to support learning in other subjects. • Science teaching in Year 4 and Year 5 is unsatisfactory. • Teachers have positive relationships with their pupils and manage them well. • Assessment is good.

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Commentary

Summary of teaching observed during the inspection in 51 lessons

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Commentary

Excellent Very good Good Satisfactory Unsatisfactory Poor Very poor

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Commentary

0 (0%) 19 (37.5%) 19 (37.5%) 13 (25%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%) 0 (0%)

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Commentary

The table gives the number of lessons observed in each of the seven categories used to make judgements about lessons; figures in brackets show percentages where 30 or more lessons are seen.

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Commentary

14. Teaching has improved since the last inspection: it is good overall, with some significant strengths.

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Commentary

15. Teaching is consistently of a high standard in the nursery and reception classes and this promotes good learning and good achievement. It shows that the teachers and nursery nurses have a thorough understanding of the learning needs of young children. They use this to organise the classroom and the outdoor area into a stimulating environment that, rightly, encourages play, investigation and the development of children’s independence as central features. Staff work very hard to engage children in conversation. There is an appropriate balance between the activities children choose for themselves and those organised and supervised by the many adults who work in the Foundation Stage. Colegate Community Primary School 16. Another strength lies in the teaching of pupils with special educational needs. Teachers identify their needs early and plan work effectively by producing very good quality individual education

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Commentary

plans. Targets in the plans are linked very closely to the requirements of the English and mathematics aspects of the National Curriculum. As a result of these procedures and regular very good quality assessment, pupils make good progress in their learning. These pupils are fully included in class lessons and make good progress. All adults in school are dedicated and highly committed to the school, its work and its pupils. They work well together, sharing values and a common sense of purpose and thus making significant contributions to the achievements of pupils. Gifted and talented pupils are supported by being given extension work and provided with challenging and independent learning opportunities.

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Commentary

17. A good feature in many lessons is the teaching of the whole class which always includes good explanations and questioning to promote thinking. Pupils respond enthusiastically and know that their contributions are valued. Teachers have secure subject knowledge and the teaching of literacy and numeracy skills is good. The placing of pupils into groups by ability is having a positive impact by enabling teachers to plan work more efficiently to meet the needs of similarly talented pupils. Teachers use the final sessions of the lessons effectively to reinforce the learning objectives and evaluate pupils’ progress.

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Commentary

18. Teachers effectively find links between subjects. Pupils are given opportunities to apply their knowledge, skills and understanding, and to realise that learning is not an isolated experience. Literacy skills are promoted very well through subjects, such as history and religious education. There is good evidence of ICT being used for research and to enhance the work in mathematics and science as pupils draw graphs and charts. Pupils use CD ROMs and the Internet to find information in their history and geography work and use the computer in their art work.

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Commentary

19. Teachers have sensitive and caring relationships with their pupils and work hard to raise pupils' self-esteem and pride in their achievements. They use praise and encouragement regularly to enthuse and motivate pupils and all teachers manage and control pupils very well.

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Commentary

20. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils and set challenging targets for them. In most lessons, teachers share the objectives with the class at the beginning of the lesson so that pupils clearly understand what they have to do. Teachers work conscientiously to provide interesting starting points; for example, visits and visitors motivate and engage pupils in their learning.

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Commentary

21. Teachers successfully balance teaching the whole class with opportunities for enquiry, and for pupils to work independently and co-operatively. The different strategies for the organisation of groups and classes provide good opportunities for pupils to demonstrate their progress and to refine and enhance their work. Pupils are often given good opportunities to solve problems, handle materials and use and enhance their skills and knowledge. However, the noticeable weakness in the teaching seen is in science in Years 4 and 5 where this does not happen enough. Here, the work is unsatisfactory. Teachers are not providing sufficient experimental work and investigational work. The recording of this work is very untidy and at times it is clear that pupils have limited understanding.

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Commentary

22. Assessment in the nursery and reception classes is good and helps to create individual profiles for all areas of learning. In Years 1 to 6, teachers use the information about pupils’ performance and achievement in English and mathematics from regular assessments and statutory and optional end-of-year tests to track pupils’ progress and to intervene and help pupils to achieve even more. Teachers assess how well pupils’ are achieving in their science and ICT skills, although this is at an early stage of development. Colegate Community Primary School

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The curriculum

The curriculum is good . It successfully meets the pupils’ interests, aptitudes and learning needs. There are very good opportunities for enrichment, for example through extra-curricular activities in sport and in the arts. Accommodation and the quantity and quality of resources are good and meet the needs of the curriculum well.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils’ work is successfully planned to meet the needs of all pupils, irrespective of gender, background, ethnicity or prior attainment. • The provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good. • The very wide range of extra-curricular activities, particularly sport and the arts, and inspirational visitors and relevant visits enrich the curriculum. • There is good provision for pupils’ personal, social and health education. • Accommodation and resources are good.

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Commentary

23. The curriculum provides a broad, balanced and relevant range of worthwhile activities and complies fully with the statutory requirements of the National Curriculum and national guidance for the Foundation Stage. Planning has improved and is now good. In each subject it offers step-by-step progression, with due attention given to the needs of all pupils. In the nursery and the two reception classes – the Foundation Stage – the curriculum is well planned, offering a richness of appropriate experiences to meet the children’s specific needs at the start of their education. It is focused, offering a mixture of adult-directed and supported work, and ensures that all areas of learning, including the investigative and practical experiments, help children to understand their work as well as to enjoy it. Support staff makes a significant contribution to the success of the curriculum and pupils’ achievements. The curriculum is very well resourced in

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Commentary

terms of staffing, accommodation and learning resources, but the lack of ongoing access to the well-furnished outside play area curtails the young children’s opportunities to engage in spontaneous physical activity. With six members of staff, plus parental and student help, learning is practically orientated and adults can quickly intervene to move children on.

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Commentary

24. There has been very good improvement in the provision for pupils with special educational needs since the previous inspection. The school has fully addressed the key issues raised. All pupils are fully included in all aspects of the curriculum. The provision for pupils with special educational needs is very good and there are good opportunities for gifted and talented pupils to be challenged. Pupils have clear targets in their individual education plans, mainly aimed at improving literacy, numeracy and social skills. They are given very good support in class so that they can work alongside their classmates at their own level and have full access to the curriculum. In their literacy groups, work concentrates on improving their basic skills of reading and writing so that they make good progress towards their targets. The school provides very well for their inclusion in the full curriculum and all events and activities outside lessons.

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Commentary

25. Provision for personal, social, health and citizenship education (PSHCE) is good. All relevant topics, such as sex education and awareness of the dangers of drugs, are taught at appropriate times. Specific lessons on citizenship are now a regular feature and the policy is integrated effectively across the curriculum. Pupils are offered many opportunities to learn to become good citizens, either in formal lessons or by taking responsibility within the school. In these lessons, pupils are given opportunities to listen, think and speak as they explore a variety of issues. They consider how to develop ideas about themselves and deal with difficult situations that might arise in their own lives, such as social justice and the consequences of aggressive behaviour.

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Commentary

26. The range of educational visits to enrich the curriculum and enhance pupils’ learning opportunities is very good. Pupils have opportunities to take part in the recently formed French club and lessons taken by a music specialist. Inspirational visitors are a regular feature of the Colegate Community Primary School school curriculum, offering first-hand insight into aspects of the curriculum, such as the Second World War, Japanese culture and the American school system. A strength of the provision is the number of rich experiences that cannot be offered within classrooms. Visits to working museums, art galleries, historic houses and sites feature regularly in the curriculum, such as the Beamish, Hancock and Shipley Art Museums, Hall Hill Farm and a Hindu temple. Pupils in Year 6 have good opportunities to take part in a residential visit to an outdoor pursuits centre to develop their personal and social skills. The curriculum is very well enhanced by a

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Commentary

range of outdoor activities, including good opportunities to participate in local sporting tournaments and to take part in after school clubs, such as football and badminton as well as external competitions and tournaments. The extra-curricular activities make a significant contribution to pupils’ moral and social development and raise their self-esteem and confidence.

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Commentary

27. There are a good number of teachers to meet the demands of the curriculum. The strength of the staff team can be seen in the positive relationships that exist, and the way all adults are committed to providing a varied and stimulating adapted curriculum for all pupils. As a result, all pupils achieve well. Accommodation is good and presents a bright, attractively presented learning environment. The new school library enhances the provision. Displays are attractive and reflect the work planned and undertaken. The school is provided well with learning resources and teaching materials in all subjects. The school provides all its pupils with a good range of learning opportunities, very successfully meeting their interests, aptitudes and learning needs, both inside and outside the school day. Because of the skilful adaptation of the curriculum in teaching by committed staff, all pupils achieve well.

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Care, guidance and support

The school now provides a good level of care for the needs of its pupils and there has been an improvement in this aspect of school life since the last inspection. The school provides good support, advice and guidance to its pupils and good opportunities for pupils to be involved in school life by seeking, valuing and acting on their views.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The school provides a high level of care for its pupils. • Effective procedures are in place for health, safety and child protection. • Good procedures are in place to support, advise and guide pupils. • There is very good support for pupils with special educational needs. • There are good opportunities within school for the views of pupils to be heard and valued.

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Commentary

28. Colegate Primary School looks after its pupils well. This high level of care is underpinned by the good relationships that exist within the school community and the knowledge that all staff have of the pupils. This begins with the very good induction procedures, such as home visits, which are very effective in enabling nursery children to settle happily and confidently into their early years of school life. Parents consider that the school is caring towards their children and that it looks after them well. The school takes its responsibility for health, safety and child protection seriously. Appropriate records are maintained for risk assessments, first aid, fire drills and accident recording. Additionally, the school ensures that its midday assistants and breakfast club supervisors are well briefed for the safety of pupils. The procedures for child protection are effective and understood by all staff.

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Commentary

29. There is a good level of provision for the support, advice and guidance of all pupils. This is based on the very high quality of trusting relationships that exist between children and adults within the school community. Pupils know that the school will listen to their concerns and this was reflected in their very positive responses when a group of them met with inspectors. They were aware of the ‘worry box’ and how it should be used and they knew that teachers ‘looked Colegate Community Primary School after them’ if they were upset. Additionally, the school council provides good opportunities for pupils to make their views known about aspects of school life.

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Commentary

30. There are very good systems in place to identify pupils with special educational needs. This is very good improvement since the previous inspection when identification of need was a problem. There is regular monitoring of progress and outside support is used very effectively to develop learning.

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Partnership with parents, other schools and the community

The school has developed a good partnership with parents and the community. The quality of information provided to parents is good and these areas have improved since the last inspection. Links with other schools are good.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There is a good partnership with parents and the community. • Parents of children with special educational needs are given very good opportunities to help in the development of learning. • The school provides good quality information for parents. • There are good links with local schools and colleges.

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Commentary

31. Although only a few parents are able to help out in school on a regular basis, there is no shortage of support for class visits into the community. Additionally, parents are very supportive of class assemblies and such initiatives as the ‘Readathon’ project when well over a hundred parents heard their children read at home and visit school to support them. There is a hard working and committed Friends Association which is responsible for raising funds at two major events each year for additional school resources and activities. The school values the contribution that all its parents make to school life. Parents who responded to the inspection questionnaire or who attended the meeting expressed positive views about the school.

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Commentary

32. The school has developed good links with the local community and it has a strong belief that visits are an important part of the development of pupils. Pupils benefit from visits to interesting places such as country parks and farms, the Roman wall, a Hindu temple and the immediate community where they carry out traffic surveys. They also play an active part in the Gateshead Bulb Festival. Additionally, the school benefits from the support of a number of visitors such as a storyteller, African drummers, drama groups, local community policemen and a countryside ranger. Overseas links have also been developed with China and Egypt. All these community and international links have a major impact on the understanding that pupils have of their own and other cultures.

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Commentary

33. The quality of information that the school provides for its parents is good. The regular newsletters are informative and the annual reports on progress are appropriately personalised and include useful targets for improvement. The school has recently developed its own website and this will allow parents and prospective parents to gain access to useful school information. Additionally, the school provides workshops for parents to attend such as ‘family numeracy’. Good links exist with a local secondary school and these ensure that pupils in Year 6 are able to make the move into the next stage of their education without any concerns. Good links have also been established with regional universities, and these are mutually beneficial to both organisations.

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Commentary

34. Parents are informed at an early stage if their child has special educational needs. They are informed regularly how their child is progressing. Targets are discussed at least three times a year. Parents, and where appropriate pupils, are able to contribute to the target setting process. All individual education plans include a section on how parents can help their child at home. Colegate Community Primary School

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LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT

The quality of leadership and management is good . The governance of the school is good . The quality of the leadership of the headteacher is good with some very good features. The quality of leadership of key staff and other staff with responsibilities is good and very good in mathematics and special educational needs. Overall effectiveness of management is good . There has been good progress since the previous report, particularly in developing the role of the governing body.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The headteacher shows a clear vision and sense of purpose. She has high aspirations for the school. • Leadership in mathematics and special educational needs is very good. • Monitoring of teaching and learning is very good in English and mathematics but it is not developed sufficiently in all subjects. • There is a very strong commitment to ensure that all pupils are treated equally and included in all aspects of school life. • Planning for the future is good. • There is a very strong commitment to the professional development of staff. • The governors give the school good support and have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

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Commentary

35. The governing body give the school good support. They meet all statutory requirements. They are very aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They carry out their role as ‘critical friend’ effectively. Governors are involved fully in the school improvement plan and strategic planning for the future. They consider and address difficult issues, such as falling roles effectively.

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Commentary

36. The headteacher provides good leadership. She has a clear vision and sense of purpose. She and the very able, recently appointed deputy headteacher have high aspirations. There is a clear intention to raise standards and improve achievement. This has happened in mathematics and English with very focused input from a very good assessment co-ordinator. Progress in science has not been as good as it might have been. The headteacher is a good role model for staff and pupils. She works very hard to ensure that pupils receive a good quality education. Parents feel that the school is well led and managed by the headteacher.

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Commentary

37. All staff work hard to ensure that the school runs smoothly. The very efficient school secretary is a key player. The headteacher and senior management team work well together to identify and prioritise the areas for development. Subject leadership is good overall but there are too few opportunities in subjects including religious education, geography and history for teachers to visit classrooms to monitor teaching and learning to identify strengths and areas for development.

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Commentary

38. Leadership and management are particularly strong in mathematics and this is one of the reasons for the improvement in standards. Leadership and management in special educational needs are very good and have a positive effect on the very good provision. All subject leaders check planning and pupils’ work to ensure that all work is being covered and there is improvement in performance.

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Commentary

39. There is a very strong emphasis on equality of opportunity and inclusion in school. The school is pro-active in ensuring that all pupils access all areas of school life. Additional support and when necessary additional resources are used. The school monitors different groups to ensure that they are making similar progress to other pupils.

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Commentary

40. The professional development of staff is very well organised and is closely linked to the needs of the individual and the school. Performance management systems are well established and Colegate Community Primary School monitored to ensure they impact on school improvement. The procedures for new teachers and students are good and ensure they become familiar with routines. Support for newly qualified teachers is good and ensures that their needs are fully met. Planning for the future is good. All members of staff and governors are involved in the school improvement plan. The plan is effectively evaluated to ensure that the school is achieving its educational priorities and applying the principles of best value at all times.

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Commentary

41. The commitment of all staff is a significant aid to raising achievement and overcoming barriers to learning. Funding from a wide variety of sources, linked with visits out and visitors in to school expand the pupils’ knowledge and help them overcome barriers to learning.

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Financial information

Financial information for the year April 2002 to March 2003

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Financial information

Income and expenditure (£) Balances (£) Total income 941,024 Balance from previous year 95,145 Total expenditure 957,763 Balance carried forward to the next 78,407 Expenditure per pupil 2,171

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Financial information

42. The larger than expected carry forward was planned to cover additional staffing costs and provide additional books and equipment in the new library area. Colegate Community Primary School

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

The provision for children in the Foundation Stage is good .

p.18

AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

43. Children’s attainment is well below that of others of their age when they start in the nursery class. In both the nursery and the two reception classes, good provision for children of all capabilities and backgrounds supports their good achievement. Teaching is good and support staff contribute very effectively to the well-planned learning activities. Parents happily and confidently bring their children into school and there is good co-operative leadership and effective management. All these positive factors have a positive impact on developing learning and raising standards. Major strengths in the provision are the way in which the generous number of teachers and the support staff work as a highly effective team in both the stimulating nursery and reception classes, the newly introduced scheme of work and associated detailed planning, the resources to support children’s learning and the detailed assessment records

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

kept of individual children. This is very good improvement since the previous inspection when planning and assessment were identified as being weaknesses and provision for children with special educational needs was unsatisfactory. Leadership and management of the Foundation Stage are good.

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AREAS OF LEARNING IN THE FOUNDATION STAGE

44. By the time the children reach Year 1, most children are on course to meet the expected levels in all areas of learning, with the exception of communication and language, mathematical development and knowledge and understanding of the world which, despite the good teaching, are likely to be below, because of the very low starting point in the nursery.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in personal, social and emotional development is good .

p.18

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Very good relationships have been established so that nursery and reception children feel confident and happy. • Children achieve well, particularly in their social skills, because of the good teaching and the high expectations set by staff. • Provision for children with special educational needs promotes self-esteem effectively. • Planning across the year groups allows children to experience, confidently, step-by-step experiences in all areas of the curriculum. • Resources are very good and support the curriculum well. • Induction procedures are very good. • Relationships with parents are good.

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Commentary

45. The sharp focus on personal, social and emotional development is very effective in enabling nursery children to settle happily and confidently into their early years of school life. There is a very wide range of attainment in social skills when children enter the nursery. Staff clearly explain the need for behaviour, courtesy and collaboration and require children to demonstrate these qualities at all times. In the nursery, children respond positively and consequently the reception children settle to tasks with a minimum of fuss and behave sensibly as they already know the class routines well. A Thinking Tree not only reminds children of the required qualities for good behaviour but also displays the special awards given, thus promoting self–esteem. All children are supported very well in a safe, secure environment where they gain increasing confidence in exploring new and challenging activities. In all classes, this positive ethos

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Commentary

supports all children who demonstrate good self-esteem and confidence. Colegate Community Primary School 46. Children and staff clearly enjoy one another’s company and good teaching leads to good achievement in emotional development, independence and behaviour. Children are on course to reach the expected goals by the end of the Foundation Stage.

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COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Provision in communication, language and literacy is good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children achieve well throughout the Foundation Stage. • Teachers and support staff take every opportunity to develop the children’s language skills and teaching is good in the nursery and the reception class. • From the nursery onwards, there are many good and varied opportunities for independent writing. • The majority of children in the reception class write their name clearly. • Regular practice helps children to recognise letters and sounds.

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Commentary

47. Children enter the nursery at a very early stage in terms of their language development and many require considerable adult support to communicate. Although they start school with difficulties in using and understanding language, their achievement is good because of good teaching and learning. Adults are skilled at encouraging all children to speak by skilful questioning, encouragement and sensitive listening. This promotes good expression of ideas and widens their vocabulary. Children in the nursery are learning to enjoy books, when they listen well, enthralled by the teacher’s delivery of Rosie’s Walk and the adventures experienced on the way. Their knowledge of books develops further in the reception classes when they point out the cover, the title and the illustrations, and recall well the sequence of events . Staff place considerable emphasis on the recognition of sounds to help children learn to read and write.

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Commentary

Most children in reception recognise a few words, confidently and accurately but the majority rely on initial sounds and pictorial clues. They are beginning to blend sounds together. Children are encouraged to experiment, develop and practise their writing skills from entry into the nursery. In the nursery, six children write their names recognisably and write initial sounds or mark making to convey meaning. In the reception classes all children write their names. Higher attaining children are beginning to write short sentences with spaces between the words, while other children attempt to convey their words to print by individual letters or mark making.

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Commentary

48. The small number of higher attaining children in the reception class is on course to exceed the expectations in this area of learning by the end of the Foundation Stage. However, the majority of children will not achieve the expected levels in their communication and language skills by the time they enter Year 1, despite the good teaching, because of the low level at which they start school.

p.19

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in mathematical development is very good .

p.19

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children achieve well throughout the Foundation Stage. • Adults provide a wide range of activities to support learning which ensures children achieve well. • Good equipment, activities and displays of numbers help children to learn.

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Commentary

49. Teaching and learning are good in the nursery and the reception classes and children achieve well. Children are taught and encouraged to count and use mathematical language in all their activities. Staff make learning fun by using jingles, such as ‘ 5 currant buns’, to reinforce and consolidate the understanding of numbers. In the nursery, a good variety of practical activities Colegate Community Primary School reinforces understanding. Good teaching and the use of lively games help children to put numbers, such as 1 to 6 in order, ensuring that the correct value is attached to each digit, and that they also develop their visual memory. Sand and water are used effectively to help develop children’s understanding of capacity, but at times the lack of adult intervention inhibits the progress made. Children in the reception classes are beginning to understand, with adult support, the meaning of heavier than and lighter than and use the vocabulary as they work

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Commentary

cooperatively in groups, balancing and comparing objects of different shape, size and weight.

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Commentary

50. Higher attaining children in the nursery class count to 10 with adult support and others to five confidently. In the reception class, many can count to 10 confidently and the very small number of higher attaining children count to ten and beyond. However, the majority of children will not achieve the expected levels by the time they enter Year 1, despite the good teaching, because of the low level at which they start school.

p.20

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Provision in knowledge and understanding of the world is good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children achieve well throughout the Foundation Stage. • Teachers plan a wide range of interesting activities to stimulate children’s curiosity and enhance their understanding. • Teachers and support staff make good use of the outdoor area to enhance the children’s knowledge and understanding of the world around them. • Visits and visitors are used effectively to enhance children’s’ learning.

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Commentary

51. Teaching and learning are good in the nursery and in the reception class and children achieve well. Children are constantly encouraged to describe their experiences and observations, which means teachers can check if children understand what they are doing. Teachers plan many interesting activities that help to develop children’s understanding of the world around them. Nursery children make containers in which they plant grass seeds and water them to observe their growth. The outside environment is used well to enhance and extend children’s learning beyond the classroom, such as when planting bulbs. All children have good opportunities to complete a simple literacy, mathematical or art program on the computer. Nursery children are encouraged to remember and talk about changes in their lives. Scientific and geographical skills are developed effectively by the use of experiments, such as blowing air through a plastic

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Commentary

tube to make bubbles in water and following an imaginary story route. Reception children use topics, such as Healthy Eating, Change and Growth and link successfully to mathematical skills when they compile graphs of the colours of their favourite jellies. Children acknowledge the existence of a Christian higher being through simple prayers at the end of the day, and learn about festivals in the major world religions, such as the Chinese New Year.

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Commentary

52. The majority of children will not attain the expected levels by the time they enter Year 1 because many have too few opportunities away from school to broaden their experiences.

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PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Provision in physical development is good .

p.20

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children achieve well throughout the Foundation Stage. • Nursery children have access to a wide range of outdoor large play equipment, which means they have good opportunities to develop their physical skills. • The children are timetabled to use the outside area, which restricts their opportunities to move from one activity to another spontaneously and independently. Colegate Community Primary School • Children regularly use the large space in the school hall for physical education lessons. • Children’s movements are well co-ordinated and controlled.

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Commentary

53. Teaching and learning in the lessons seen were good. No nursery physical education lesson was seen, but from observations in the designated outdoor play area, children achieve well. They were encouraged by the three adults to explore the different layouts of the large play equipment and ride, pedal, steer, run and climb confidently. However, there is no timetable for the nursery and reception children to have on-going access to the outside area. Consequently, all children have few opportunities to spontaneously experience challenge and develop balance and co-ordination on the wide range of equipment provided. In a physical education lesson, reception children achieved well. They moved with good control and developing co-ordination on the apparatus and used the large hall space well, with due regard for adults and other children. In all classes, teachers provide many good opportunities for all children to develop

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Commentary

better control and manipulative skills. Their insistence on the frequent and correct use of scissors, pencils, crayons and paintbrushes helps these skills to develop correctly and accurately.

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Commentary

54. The majority of children are on course to attain the expected levels by the time they enter Year 1.

p.21

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

Provision in creative development is good .

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Children achieve well throughout the Foundation Stage. • Good opportunities are provided for children to express ideas using a variety of materials, media and colours. • Children have regular lessons with the specialist music teacher. • Role-play areas encourage real-life and imaginative activities and extend language development.

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Commentary

55. Jingles, such as Down in the Jungle where Nobody Goes , used to enhance literacy, are sung tunefully and with verve. Well-displayed artwork brightens the classes and corridors and reflects the planning and the topics being studied. Children use a range of media, enthusiastically and confidently. In reception, they mix shades of paint to create vivid colours of paint. Observational drawings of friends and animals show a developing eye for simple detail. In a link with literacy, they recreated the grub in the apple from the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar in appropriate colours of paint. Planning shows that children have good opportunities to sing and use a wide range of percussion instruments, both in the classroom and with the visiting specialist teacher. The richly resourced, role-play areas are used very well for real life and imaginative play. Reception children enjoy scenarios, such as the Post Office , the Toyshop

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Commentary

and the Baby Clinic, and language and social skills are extended because of the very good support of the adults.

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Commentary

56. The majority of children are on course to attain the expected levels by the time they enter Year 1.

p.21

ENGLISH

Provision in English is good . Colegate Community Primary School

p.21

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Improvements in standards of speaking and listening by the end of Years 2 and 6 and reading and writing by the end of Year 6. • Pupils achieve well throughout their time in the school due to the good teaching. • Marking is consistently good and helpful and pupils are set individual targets for writing. • Assessment is thorough, informative and innovative. • The subject is well led and managed. • Relationships are good and pupils work well together. • Support for pupils with special educational needs is good. • Though improving, numbers of pupils achieving at the higher levels in writing is still below average by the end of Year 2.

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Commentary

57. Pupils enter the school often with standards well below average. With the improved good learning opportunities, particularly in the juniors, since the last inspection, pupils achieve well in their time at the school. Standards in speaking and listening are now average at the end of Years 2 and 6, average in reading and close to average in writing. This is good improvement, particularly at the end of Year 6 where standards were judged to be below average in all three aspects of English in the last inspection. The numbers of pupils achieving standards above average in writing, though improving, are still below the national average for Year 2 pupils, although most pupils achieve the average level for Year 2 in writing. There is no obvious difference between the achievement of girls and boys.

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Commentary

58. The results for Year 2 pupils in 2003 national tests showed that standards were below the national average in reading and writing. However, when judged against schools with a similar number of free school meals, standards were above average in reading and average in writing. The results of the English tests in Year 6 were lower than usual but should be treated with some caution since half the papers were sent to be remarked, of which all but four were upgraded. Remarked papers showed results were below the national average and well below the average of schools that had similar achievement when pupils were in Year 2.

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Commentary

59. Throughout the school, pupils listen attentively to their teachers, other adults and each other which helps them to learn effectively. Teachers give pupils frequent opportunities to discuss in pairs which improve the quality of their contributions and lead to greater participation in whole class discussions. Visitors such as storytellers have pupils in rapt attention which teachers build on well, using pupils’ good recall of the stories as a stimulus for their writing. In Year 6, pupils work well in pairs, rehearsing their arguments with points for and against, using their research. As a class, they listen to others well and help them to develop different points to strengthen their arguments. With the teacher’s very effective support, they develop a good understanding of the language they need to use, and use it.

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Commentary

60. Highly successful initiatives such as a ‘Readathon’ give a big boost to pupils’ reading in the infants. It improves the range and quantity of what they read and involves support and participation from home and is very effective in motivating pupils to read. As a result, many pupils’ reading record books show they are reading a good amount at home as well as the reading they do at school. They talk enthusiastically about their favourite book and write a review of it. By Year 6, pupils develop a mature attitude to reading and good strategies to help them, such as, ‘read on and see if there are any clues’. They observe, ‘J.K. Rowling refers back to unfamiliar words and tells you what the word means’. Of her ‘Harry Potter’ series of books, they discuss the merits of seeing the film or reading the book first. ‘You get a totally different picture of the character’, quoting instances, when they read the book before seeing the film.

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Commentary

61. Younger pupils build up their knowledge of letters and sounds effectively through planned regular short activities. Opportunities to punctuate extracts from stories on the computer help pupils improve their punctuation and word processing skills. For many pupils, their knowledge of spelling of common words is underdeveloped. This is evident in these pupils’ reading too, Colegate Community Primary School when they sound out a word such as ‘her’ rather than recognising it. This hampers their progress. Pupils cover a good range of writing, including stories, poems, instructions and accounts. Teachers’ comments in their books help them to improve, particularly aspects of their story writing. For example, where a teacher writes, ‘Use time words’, the pupil adds ‘Meanwhile’.

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Commentary

62. Improving the standards of pupils’ writing, particularly of the higher achieving pupils, has been and remains a focus for teaching. Successful features of this good effective teaching include: • teachers emphasise improving the range of pupils’ vocabulary and structure in their writing and provide good and varied opportunities for pupils to write at length; • consistently good marking which includes establishing a dialogue between pupils and teachers in their books about how to improve their writing. Pupils follow up teachers’ suggestions for improvement in their books and add their own comments; • teachers share with the class at the beginning several objectives for success in the lesson. They review these during the lesson and at the end, to discuss how successful they have been in achieving them. This helps pupils to know exactly what they are learning and why and what they still need to learn;

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Commentary

• teachers use homework effectively to reinforce and extend what pupils learn in lessons; • they use a range of strategies and maintain a brisk pace which keeps pupils interested and involved; • the work that teachers set is challenging but matched closely to pupils’ different abilities, including pupils with special educational needs;

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Commentary

63. In most lessons, pupils with special educational needs have additional support in class so, with tasks geared to their needs, they meet the same objectives as their peers and achieve as well. They receive effective additional support out of the class as they work towards goals set for them in their individual education plans. In a few lessons where teachers’ explanations are not as clear and the pace is not as brisk, pupils understand less and so achieve less well. Pupils appreciate the individual support and comments teachers make in their books and know their teachers want them to work hard and achieve well. This is indicative of the good relationships between adults and pupils which are a strong feature throughout, so pupils work hard to please their teachers.

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Commentary

64. The good systems and initiatives in place contribute very effectively to the good teaching and learning in the subject and the good progress pupils make. These include the analysis of pupils’ performance in tests, half-termly assessment of pupils’ writing to monitor their progress and the tracking of pupils’ progress as they move through the school. There is effective monitoring of teaching and planning and a variety of innovations which lead to improvements. These include initiatives such as the ‘Readathon’, now in the infants and planned for the juniors next term, and visitors such as storytellers and poets and improved resources. There are new reading books for reading in groups with the teacher and pupils’ own reading, and a new well- stocked library where all classes will have time-tabled access and a lending system.

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Commentary

65. A good overview by the experienced co-ordinator means the results of the monitoring of teaching and learning and analysis of pupils’ performance lead to improved provision for pupils. The consistency of this good provision throughout the school means that pupils are now well on course to reach average and above average levels by the time they reach Year 6.

p.23

Language and literacy across the curriculum

66. Teachers provide a range of good opportunities in other subjects for pupils to develop their language and literacy skills effectively. For example, in religious education, a pupil in Year 1 describes a cross effectively: ’It’s longer downwards than across’. Pupils retell stories and events from the Bible in their own words, applying well the skills they learn in literacy lessons. Older pupils make notes using bullet points and prepare questions to ask the vicar about their role. Colegate Community Primary School

p.23

Modern foreign languages: French

67. A short weekly lesson in Year 6 provides pupils with a taster of the French language and culture which they respond to with enthusiasm. Pupils enjoy the brisk pace and the participation, for example when they work in pairs practising the language being taught in the lesson. The teacher makes good use of festivals such as Christmas and Easter to teach how these are celebrated in France.

p.24

Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils achieve well because there is good teaching and assessment systems are very good. • Standards at the end of Year 6 are above average. • Pupils have positive attitudes in mathematics. • There is very good leadership and management in the subject. • There is good use of mathematics across the curriculum.

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Commentary

68. All pupils achieve well from a low starting point on entry to the school. By the end of Year 2, inspection evidence shows that standards of attainment are average. This is an improvement on the most recent national test results. The number of pupils reaching the higher level has increased but is still not as high as the majority of schools. By the end of Year 6, pupils attain above average standards. This reflects the national test results. Pupil with special educational needs achieve well because the mathematical targets on their individual educational plans are very well matched to their needs. There is no significant difference between the achievement of boys and girls.

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Commentary

69. By the end of Year 2, most pupils work with numbers up to 100 and above. They add and subtract two digit numbers. The higher attainers carry out simple multiplication and division. Most pupils identify and explain the properties of two- and three-dimensional shapes. Pupils have good measuring skills. By the end of Year 6, most pupils work confidently with the four rules of number. The average attaining pupils work with five- and six-figure numbers. Many plot co-ordinates in all four quadrants. They show good understanding of different types of angles and measure them accurately. They collect information and record it using a variety of methods, including straight-line graphs. Pupils use the data to extract information.

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Commentary

70. The quality of teaching and learning is good and, as a result, pupils achieve well. Teaching is particularly good in Year 6. The school has organised pupils in Years 3 to 6 in to groups based both on age and prior mathematical attainment. This works very well because assessment is very good and teachers set work which meets the needs of each pupil. The use of an additional group in Year 6 allows lower attaining and special educational needs pupils to receive additional very good quality support. This ensures that they make good progress.

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Commentary

71. Lessons are planned effectively. They are based on the three-part lesson in the National Numeracy Strategy. All teachers plan work at different levels to meet the needs of different groups of pupils. In most classes, the oral or mental mathematics sessions are very good but occasionally they are overlong and, as a result, pupils become restless. In all lessons, pupils are encouraged to explain their answers and this helps pupils to understand what they are doing. Teachers use support very effectively in group work. There is regular questioning to ensure that pupils understand what they are doing. Systems of assessment are very good. They identify areas for development and are used very effectively to set group and individual targets. Targets set in mathematics are known and understood by pupils and allow them to see how they are progressing. Marking is positive but teachers often miss opportunities to inform

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Commentary

pupils how to improve their work. All teachers relate very well to the pupils and have good class Colegate Community Primary School control. Pupils respond well, showing good attitudes. They collaborate with each other when working with their ‘partner’ or in groups.

p.24

Commentary

72. Leadership and management are very good. The co-ordinator has worked very hard to improve standards. She has monitored work and observed teaching and learning in the classrooms. As a result, areas of strength and weakness have been identified and successfully addressed. There has been very good improvement since the previous inspection. The school has successfully addressed the key issues raised in the report. Standards have risen and there has been an improvement in the quality of teaching.

p.25

Mathematics across the curriculum

73. The use of mathematics across the curriculum is good. There are effective, planned opportunities in all areas for pupils to develop mathematical skills. Pupils see the link between mathematics and other subjects when they weigh and measure in design and technology. They record using graphs in science and use ICT to record data.

p.25

Main strengths and weaknesses

• In most classes there is a high level of focus on first-hand experiences and opportunities to carry out investigations. • The keen interest in the subject shown by pupils. • Provision in Years 4 and 5 is unsatisfactory.

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Commentary

74. Pupils’ standards in science are in line with national expectations at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Pupils achieve satisfactorily overall. Analysis of pupils’ work shows that pupils achieve well in Years 2 and 6, satisfactorily in Years 1 and 3, but unsatisfactorily in Years 4 and 5. The unsatisfactory achievement in these year groups is due to work which lacks depth, breadth and balance and little recording. The current judgements about standards and achievement help to explain the results of national tests and assessments of last year. In 2003, teacher assessments in Year 2 showed pupils were above the national average. In the national tests in 2003, pupils in Year 6 achieved standards which were below the national average and also below average when compared with similar schools. Pupils with special educational needs make the same progress as others in their year group. No significant difference was seen in

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Commentary

the performance of boys and girls. The school has maintained the standards found in the last inspection.

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Commentary

75. In Year 2, pupils are provided with a wide range of work and they have detailed first-hand knowledge of science. In a very good lesson in Year 2, pupils listened very carefully, showed a very keen interest and responded very well to a lesson examining electrical circuits. Pupils demonstrated good organisational, investigational and observational skills. There are good examples of pupils working out what to do and how to do it and making predictions. By the time pupils are seven, they show a very good understanding of how different foods provide for the functions of the human body. They use their senses well to find information and sort materials by their properties, using words such as ‘rigid’, ‘transparent’ and ‘opaque’.

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Commentary

76. In Year 6, investigations are plentiful and carried out effectively. Pupils predict what will happen and higher attaining pupils use their scientific knowledge to make generalisations to explain why things happen as they do or how an experiment could be improved in the future. The weaknesses in Years 4 and 5 are partly due to the teachers’ low expectations and not providing opportunities for pupils to work independently, and this affects the progress they make. Sometimes the work is directed too much by the teacher and pupils do not choose how to record their work. Colegate Community Primary School 77. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. Teachers’ subject knowledge is secure and there is a good emphasis placed on developing vocabulary. In the best lessons in Years 2 and 6, pupils of all capabilities achieve well because teachers recognise their particular learning needs and plan interesting activities to motivate and involve them. In these classes, teachers’

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Commentary

expectations are usually high and are based on good knowledge of how pupils learn. Teachers give pupils opportunities to develop social skills by working in groups. Pupils know what they are going to learn because all teachers explain the purpose of the lesson and regularly revisit this through the lesson. For example, they use the phrases ‘ all pupils must’, ‘many pupils should’ and ‘some pupils could’. In lessons seen, work was set at different levels to meet the needs of all pupils. Pupils are kept interested in most lessons because of the brisk pace. In the better lessons where teaching is good, teachers review the previous work well to assess prior knowledge and build on pupils’ understanding. Analysis of work shows that this does not always happen, especially in Years 4 and 5. Similarly, analysis of work shows that although all work is marked, only around half of the teachers are using marking to develop learning by asking

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Commentary

78. There is currently satisfactory management of the subject. The co-ordinator has a clear vision and a good understanding of her role. The development of ICT had already been diagnosed as an area to improve and developments in experimental science are a strength in many year groups. There are good assessment procedures for testing pupils’ experimental skills, although assessments of knowledge and understanding are not in place. These are needed to provide individual targets which can then be used improve standards. There is an urgent need to develop a comprehensive system to check the work done in classes in all year groups. This is currently unsatisfactory. The analysis of pupils’ work needs to be more focused so that issues of unsatisfactory work can be easily identified.

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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Provision in information and communication technology (ICT) is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Pupils enjoy a full curriculum. • There is a good range of resources for demonstrating and for lesson introductions for whole classes. • The subject is well led and managed.

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Commentary

79. Standards are in line with national expectations, both at the end of Year 2 and the end of Year 6. Overall, pupils achieve well when ICT is taught as a separate subject. Everything that should be taught is being or is planned to be taught. There are no significant differences in achievement between boys and girls or across different levels of attainment. The use of ICT across other subjects of the curriculum is satisfactory and statutory requirements are met. Standards have risen steadily since the previous inspection. ICT provision was a key issue at the time of the previous inspection. The vast majority of the issues raised then have been corrected and provision has now improved, and is good.

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Commentary

80. By the end of Year 2, pupils are familiar with most of the basic skills. These include using a mouse, finding letters on a keyboard and basic word processing skills. Planning for the subject indicates that pupils use computers for elements of control, including giving instructions to produce an image of a monster. There are some examples of work done in other subjects. For example, pupils in Year 2 create pictograms of various weather types and produce bar graphs of their favourite flavours of ice cream to support their science work.

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Commentary

81. By the end of Year 6, pupils carry out basic work using computers and can load, save, use websites, send e-mails and print using fonts of various sizes and types. Pupils in Year 6, for Colegate Community Primary School example, use colour and various fonts to word process invitations to an event and use digital photographs or clip art to enhance their history work. Pupils in Year 5 also used computers to compose musical pieces when working on programmes at the City Learning Centre. They have a good understanding of control technology and use inputs and outputs to turn lights on and off. There is plenty of evidence that pupils regularly use databases and spreadsheets to store data and use ICT to produce writing for different audiences, in the form of multi-media presentations, for example.

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Commentary

82. Teaching and learning in ICT are good where it is taught as a discrete subject and it has improved since the previous inspection. At that time the level of teachers’ expertise, especially in Years 3 to 6, was unsatisfactory. All teachers have now had training and are competent with the basics of ICT although some teachers still lack a little confidence. The computer suite has is used well and pupils enjoy having their lessons there. Teachers manage pupils well and, as a result, pupils do not waste time and look after the equipment properly.

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Commentary

83. One of the criticisms of the previous inspection was that the school did not have essential equipment to teach ICT. This has been corrected and the computer suite now provides suitable accommodation. A computer-linked projector and an interactive whiteboard are used efficiently by teachers to teach and demonstrate the skills to be learned.

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Commentary

84. Individual subjects are also developing a range of resources, especially CD-ROMs and websites. The visit of Year 5 to the Heworth City Learning Centre provided very good opportunities to use high grade resources and this made a good contribution to their learning by providing challenging and interesting work. The school is developing good assessment procedures to track which skills pupils are learning and to ensure that a systematic curriculum is provided. The subject co-ordinator has shown good leadership and management in continuing to deal with the issues raised in the previous report and in setting up procedures for further developing the subject.

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Information and communication technology across the curriculum

85. ICT is used well to contribute to pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills. Pupils’ written work is often word-processed and pupils develop a good understanding of writing for different audiences and purposes, for example in creating invitations and newspaper reports. Pupils regularly access and import information from the Internet to support learning in many subjects. They are adept at using a range of tools to modify the appearance of text for greater impact. There was also good evidence in displays and observed ICT lessons of ICT being used to support learning in other areas of the curriculum. For example, in art Year 2 pupils have created pictures in the style of Mondrian and Year 4 pupils have created their own wrapping paper by using a repeating pattern. Work in history, geography and religious education is well represented in the ICT work seen.

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• The teachers’ planning, which ensures pupils’ learning, is built up systematically, step by step on what they know. • Good opportunities are given for pupils to use their mapping, literacy and mathematical skills in the subjects. • Many well-presented, attractive displays are stimulating and reinforce the work being done. • Pupils are well motivated to explore the subjects in depth through the wide use of visits and visitors. • The lack of monitoring of the teaching. • The timetabling of the units of work makes it difficult for pupils to build on the skills already acquired.

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Commentary

Colegate Community Primary School 86. Insufficient work was seen in history and geography to form overall judgements about the current quality of provision and standards in these subjects, because the subjects are taught in blocks of time. Judgements are based on the examination of pupils’ work, an examination of documentation and discussions with pupils. Teaching and learning in the three lessons observed in history and geography were good. Improvements since the previous inspection include planning work for all abilities, introducing technical vocabulary appropriately in the work and lessons seen and extended writing is now used satisfactorily to improve literacy skills, such as Year 3 pupils’ writing on the Egyptians and Year 6 pupils’ poems of World War II.

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Commentary

87. All pupils are given good opportunities to use their geographical mapping skills. Younger children develop these skills through the use of Barnaby Bear’s visits to other countries, while pupils in Year 4 compare and contrast the physical features of their own locality with that of an Indian village. Pupils use the Internet effectively when researching. In Year 6, they investigate and locate the world’s famous mountain ranges enthusiastically and use their geographical and mathematical skills to convert this information successfully into graphs, plotting of co-ordinates and four figure grid references. Pupils in Years 3 and 4 use their literacy skills well when they enthusiastically edit information gained on the terrain of Egypt and Tudor exploration.

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Commentary

88. Pupils’ attitudes are good and the curriculum is complemented through a wide range of visits and visitors. Visits to working museums, art galleries, historic houses and sites feature regularly in the curriculum, such as the Beamish, Hancock and Shipley Art Museums, Hall Hill Farm and a Hindu temple. Pupils in Year 6 have opportunities to take part in a residential visit to an outdoor pursuits centre to develop their orienteering, personal and social skills. Procedures have been developed for measuring pupils' progress on a regular basis but they are not yet fully embedded in practice. Teachers choose when to teach their termly units of work, but there is no monitoring of the frequency or irregularity of use. Some timetables have longer periods between some units of work, leaving it more difficult for pupils to recall the acquired skills taught. The co-ordinators monitor pupils’ work and teachers’ planning and give a good level of

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Commentary

informal support to colleagues. They do not have an appropriate amount of designated time to monitor teaching and consequently do not have a comprehensive overview of provision. Resources are good and effective use is made of the Internet; for example, pupils in Year 6 enjoy the challenge of researching well-known mountains of the world, which adds depth to the quality of their learning.

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Provision in religious education is satisfactory .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• Improvement in standards by Year 6 since the last inspection. • Teaching makes good links with circle time and assemblies. • Visits to places of worship and visitors into school enrich the subject. • The teaching provides pupils with good opportunities to develop their language and literacy skills and contributes well to their social and moral development.

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Commentary

89. Standards of attainment seen during the inspection are in line with expectations of the locally agreed syllabus for seven- and eleven-year-olds. For eleven-year-olds, this is good improvement since the last inspection when standards were reported as below the expectations of the locally agreed syllabus by the end of Year 6. In addition to the lessons seen lower down the school, samples of work and discussions with pupils indicate that their achievement overall is satisfactory.

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Commentary

90. Pupils develop a sound understanding of Christianity and aspects of Judaism, Islam and Hinduism through a varied curriculum based on the requirements of the locally agreed syllabus. Pupils in Year 2 learn that the Torah is special to Jews as the Bible is special to Christians and Colegate Community Primary School to treat these special books with respect, and that the same stories, such as the story of Esther, are in both. Older pupils’ writing shows a reflection of their own opinions and thoughts on moral aspects, such as the Ten Commandments, or images of God as portrayed in the Bible, which help to make the subject meaningful. This is further encouraged in circle time discussions and assemblies which all make a good contribution to pupils’ social and moral development, as well as their language and literacy skills.

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Commentary

91. Four lessons were seen, three of them in the infants. The quality of teaching is good overall. Staff training and the purchase of teachers’ resources and more artefacts for Judaism, Hinduism and Islam have helped teachers improve their own subject knowledge since the last inspection and so improved the quality of teaching. Teachers plan good opportunities for pupils to become actively involved, with discussions and role play, visits and visitors so pupils understand and learn well. Teachers read stories from the Old and New Testaments with good expression so pupils listen attentively. Teachers use the stories effectively to discuss the meaning and the moral with reference to pupils’ own lives and relationships, for example the story of the Good Samaritan. Appropriate visits planned by the teachers, for example to a local church and a Hindu Temple, help pupils to understand the meaning of worship. ‘They all talk to

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Commentary

God’ says a pupil in Year 6 about the different faiths. While pupils in Year 6 recall aspects of Hinduism in Year 5, they find it difficult to remember aspects of Islam which they learnt about in Year 4 but have not had the opportunity to revisit or build on since then.

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Commentary

92. The scheme of work now also includes the nursery and Foundation Stage. The co-ordinator checks teachers’ half-termly planning and the work in pupils’ books to ensure the correct coverage of topics in line with the scheme of work. Teachers’ planning now shows a range of activities for different abilities in the class, as does work in pupils’ books. Although leadership and management in the subject are satisfactory, the co-ordinator has not had the opportunity to observe teaching in the subject to enable her to have a clear picture of standards across the school.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

93. No lessons were observed in design and technology during the inspection. Only one lesson was observed in both art and music and only limited aspects of physical education were observed. Interviews with co-ordinators show good monitoring of planning and recorded work but they have not monitored teaching and learning to identify areas of strength and those for development. Pupils’ work was sampled and analysed but no firm judgement could be made on provision in these subjects.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

94. In art and design , there are some good examples of work on display, including work based on a variety of famous artists. Younger pupils use colour washes effectively to produce good quality paintings. Pupils in Year 6 show very good understanding of using perspective in their drawings. Good techniques are used to illustrate moving figures. The use of a wide range of different artists has a positive effect on developing pupils’ cultural awareness. Art is linked well to other subjects, including design and technology and music. In the one lesson seen, teaching was satisfactory but there was some over-direction by the teacher and this limited pupils opportunities to express themselves and develop independence skills.

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

95. In design and technology , planning and teachers’ records show that all aspects are covered. Design skills are well developed throughout the school. In physical education, all elements are taught and a very good range of extra-curricular activities and visitors to school have a positive effect on raising standards in games skills. In the lessons seen, the quality of teaching in games was very good. Skills are taught very effectively in Years 5 and 6. In Year 6, the organisation of games lessons is very effective in ensuring pupils have very good opportunities to apply the skills they have learned. The school has worked hard to raise the profile of physical education and has recently gained the national ‘Activemark Award’. Colegate Community Primary School 96. Only one lesson was observed in music , led by a music specialist. The lesson was very well planned. The specialist used his very good expertise very effectively to develop pupils’ musical

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CREATIVE, AESTHETIC, PRACTICAL AND PHYSICAL SUBJECTS

appreciation skills. The use of a piece of music describing a train journey in Brazil made a very good contribution to pupils’ cultural development. Analysis of pupils’ music books shows a good understanding of musical theory. Planning shows all areas are covered. ICT is used effectively to develop musical skills, for example in composing.

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PERSONAL, SOCIAL AND HEALTH EDUCATION AND CITIZENSHIP

Provision in personal, social and health education and citizenship is good .

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Main strengths and weaknesses

• There are good curriculum links which help to promote healthy lifestyles. • The development of pupils’ self-esteem and the opportunities to talk about their feelings is a real strength. • There are good opportunities for pupils to take responsibility through a school council and buddy system.

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Commentary

97. Lessons, for example in science and religious education, cover issues such as health and diet, personal hygiene and bullying in a sensitive and mature way. For example, pupils in Year 3 consider which things are safe to put into their body and this reminds them of the dangers of drug and solvent abuse. A recent visit to the Heworth City Learning Centre by pupils in Year 5 enabled them to work with an ICT programme and produce cartoons to consider bullying issues.

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Commentary

98. Much of the school’s work is aimed at developing a sense of mutual support and the raising of self-esteem and self-confidence. During circle time, pupils know they have a safe place to talk about their feelings and the things that are important to them. The rights and responsibilities of all in school are clearly displayed around school. Within class, pupils often help each other and the courtesy shown by most pupils to one another and visitors speaks highly of their personal development.

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Commentary

99. The school council is a good way for pupils’ to express their views formally, as is the ‘suggestion box’, an idea for the council. Pupils develop a sense of citizenship by voting for their classmates to be on the school council and this links nicely with Greek history work about democracy. Pupils have also had the opportunity to visit Gateshead Civic Centre to see how a council operates.

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Commentary

100. The school provides good opportunities to reward pupils for their efforts, for example through the ‘celebration’ assemblies. All pupils have been involved in creating their school and class rules, so they all fully understand right from wrong.

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Commentary

101. Broader issues covered enable pupils to think of others. For example, pupils have a close link with a local special school and participate in various events with them. They use their initiative to raise funds for a number of charities such as Great Ormond Street Hospital. Pupils gain a greater understanding of aspects of citizenship through these activities. Colegate Community Primary School

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The overall effectiveness of the school 3 How inclusive the school is 2 How the school’s effectiveness has changed since its last inspection 3 Value for money provided by the school 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Overall standards achieved 4 Pupils’ achievement 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Pupils’ attitudes, values and other personal qualities 3 Attendance 4 Attitudes 3 Behaviour, including the extent of exclusions 3 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The quality of education provided by the school 3 The quality of teaching 3 How well pupils learn 3 The quality of assessment 3 How well the curriculum meets pupils’ needs 3 Enrichment of the curriculum, including out-of-school activities 2 Accommodation and resources 3 Pupils’ care, welfare, health and safety 3 Support, advice and guidance for pupils 3 How well the school seeks and acts on pupils’ views 3 The effectiveness of the school’s links with parents 3 The quality of the school’s links with the community 3 The school’s links with other schools and colleges 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

The leadership and management of the school 3 The governance of the school 3 The leadership of the headteacher 3 The leadership of other key staff 3 The effectiveness of management 3

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PART D: SUMMARY OF THE MAIN INSPECTION JUDGEMENTS

Inspectors make judgements on a scale: excellent (grade 1); very good (2); good (3); satisfactory (4); unsatisfactory (5); poor (6); very poor (7).

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