Grange First School

108444 Unique Reference Number Newcastle upon Tyne LEA 277973 Inspection number 2 February 2006 to 3 February 2006 Inspection dates Mr Arthur Allison Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Norham Road School address First Type of school Gosforth Community School category Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear 3 to 9 Age range of pupils

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0191 2852954 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0191 2858271 Fax number 181 Number on roll Mr Ron Hinshaw Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Ann Leake Headteacher 1 January 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277973 2 February 2006 - 3 to 9 3 February 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report 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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

This is an average sized first school for children aged 3–9. The majority of children come from a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds in Gosforth. More children are eligible for free school meals than in most schools. The percentage of children from minority ethnic groups is slightly lower than the national average, but the percentage of children whose first language is not English is above the national average. The percentage of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below the national average but is rising, as is the percentage of those who have a statement of special educational need, now at 2.8%, higher than in most schools. Attainment on entry to the nursery is just below average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Grange First School, 2 February 2006 to 3 February 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school that gives good value for money. The school has tackled previously identified shortcomings successfully and has the capacity to improve further. There are now better arrangements for parents to know how their children are doing. The school’s assessment of its effectiveness is accurate. A large majority of parents have every confidence in the school. One wrote: ‘The school actively works with parents to resolve any issues’. It is a very welcoming school. The children are friendly and talk enthusiastically about the wide range of opportunities the school provides. They want to do well, but do not always know what they have to do to improve. The school provides good levels of care, guidance and support for all children. Children’s personal and social development is good. Standards are above average. All children achieve well, including those who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities and whose

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Grade: 2

English is not their home language. Teaching is consistently good so all children make good progress. The curriculum is good and provides a rich experience for children. The school recognises that improved planning that links subjects and leads to better opportunities to write for a range of purposes in all subjects will help to raise standards in writing. Teaching is good in the Foundation Stage. Children settle quickly into school and reach the standards expected for their age at the end of the Foundation Stage in 2005. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher, who has high expectations, is perceptive about children’s achievement and knows what needs to be done to raise standards. The governors fulfil their responsibilities well.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in writing by planning the curriculum so that children have better opportunities to write for a range of purposes in all subjects. • Ensure all children know how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve well by the time they leave the school. The attainment of children starting school varies from year to year from just below average to broadly average. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage. Most reach, and some exceed, standards expected for their age. National test results at the end of Key Stage 1 and optional test results at the end of Year 4 show that children continue to make good progress and all achieve well. • National test results in 2005 were average and lower than in 2004 because attainment on entry was lower and there were more children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and children whose first language was not English. Standards at the end of Year 4 were above average. Very challenging targets for 2 Inspection Report: Grange First School, 2 February 2006 to 3 February 2006 children in Year 2 were almost met for those expected to attain the nationally

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Grade: 2

expected Level 2 or above. The target for Level 3 was exceeded in writing. The school has put in place strategies to help more children attain the higher Level 3. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those whose first language is not English make similar progress to other children because they are given considerable help.

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Grade: 2

The personal development and well-being of all children is good. Children look forward to coming each day. This is supported by levels of attendance which, although similar to most schools, have recently improved and won the school an award in a local authority initiative. Children take care with their work, try hard and enjoy their lessons. They approach challenging activities confidently, work well together and are willing to try out their ideas. Older children show good levels of independence. As a result, children are prepared well for life long learning and their economic well-being. Children behave well in lessons and around the school. In discussion, older children were adamant that bullying is not a problem and relationships with other children and adults are harmonious. They are well informed about how to stay safe and lead healthy lifestyles. School council members and playground ‘buddies’ are proud of their

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Grade: 2

contribution to the school. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. They learn about themselves and others, particularly in family group lessons where they become increasingly aware of the part they all play in the whole school community. Children have good knowledge of different cultures through the work they do.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are consistently good throughout the school. All teachers create a very good working atmosphere so that children are keen to do their best. Lessons are brisk, well planned, take account of previous learning and no time is wasted. Teachers make clear what children should know or be able to do by the end of the lesson. Instructions are clear and children work productively on their own or in groups. However, children do not always know what they need to do to improve. Staff use praise very effectively, which results in children having high levels of confidence and being able to persevere with challenging activities. Staff work together well to match work skilfully to the different needs of children. Lessons regularly feature very effective use of information and communication technology (ICT). This was exemplified in a mathematics lesson in the Year 1 class where all were highly motivated by a ‘Treasure

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Grade: 2

Chest’ activity using the interactive whiteboard. Care is taken to give children the support to enable them to make good progress; teaching assistants make an excellent 3 Inspection Report: Grange First School, 2 February 2006 to 3 February 2006 contribution to this. Children with learning difficulties and those whose first language is not English, benefit from the help they receive and learn as well as others.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and fulfils all statutory requirements. It meets the needs of all children, including those in the Foundation Stage, those who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and those whose first language is not English. The emphasis on basic skills helps to promote children’s good achievement. The school has productive links with other schools and shares good practice in curriculum development to the benefit of all children. Team planning of the curriculum is a recent initiative. Teams are beginning to incorporate opportunities for children to write for a range of purposes in all subjects in order to raise standards in writing. The curriculum is enriched well by visitors, the use of ‘experts’ for special projects, and visits which extend learning in the classroom. The weekly enrichment afternoon is a very strong part of the school’s curriculum because all children benefit from a wide range of activities.

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Grade: 2

The school provides good care, guidance and support for all children, so that all achieve well. The support for children with statements of special educational need, reflected in their good achievement, is excellent. The school has good procedures to ensure that staff and children are safe. Children know that any concerns they may have will be taken seriously, so they are confident about asking for help when necessary. Child protection systems are appropriate and staff undertake training. Arrangements to let parents know how well children are doing have improved since the previous inspection. Parents appreciate that they can always approach the school with concerns. Children’s targets and marking inform them how well they are doing, but there are too few comments that help children to know what they have to do to improve. The school has good links with other schools so that children are well prepared for the

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. Under the thoughtful guidance of the headteacher and the senior management team, all staff are united in their determination to drive up standards. The school promotes equal opportunities well. All staff know what they have to do to make an even better contribution to helping all children, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and those whose first language is not English, to achieve as highly as possible. Teachers and teaching assistants have worked well together to raise children’s achievement. Thorough 4 Inspection Report: Grange First School, 2 February 2006 to 3 February 2006 self-evaluation and analysis of test results means the school agrees with the inspectors about what it has to do to improve. The shortcomings identified by the previous inspection have been addressed, illustrating the school’s capacity for further improvement. Teaching is now consistently good

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Grade: 2

across the school. There are improved arrangements for parents to know how their children are doing. The governors know the school well and make a good contribution to the management of the school. Focused visits, reports and presentations from staff contribute well to their knowledge of the school. Systems for self-evaluation are well established and take account of the views of parent’s and pupil’s. Governors manage the school’s finances well and follow up spending decisions to assess their effectiveness. 5 Inspection Report: Grange First School, 2 February 2006 to 3 February 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Grange First School, 2 February 2006 to 3 February 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 2 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 The Children Grange First School Norham Road Gosforth Newcastle upon Tyne NE3 2NP 4 February 2006 Dear Children Following our visit to your school last week, we would like to thank you for being so friendly, helpful and polite. We enjoyed talking to you and seeing how well you work in lessons. We can see why you are so proud of your school because: your teacher’s and other adults in the school work hard to help you to do your best and to be safe and well looked after in school you enjoy learning and behave well you listen carefully to what others in your class say and are proud to take on responsibilities you enjoy taking part in a number of extra activities other than lessons you have a headteacher who knows what the school should do to help you to do your very best and the other teachers and adults fully support her in this.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

There are two things we have asked the school to do to make it better. The school should: give you more opportunities to write in all subjects to help you do better in writing make sure that you know what you have to do to reach higher standards. Thank you again for making us feel so welcome. Keep trying to do your very best. Yours faithfully Mr Allison and Mrs Richardson The Inspection Team

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