St Johns Primary School

Inspection Report St John's Primary School

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108476 Unique Reference Number Newcastle upon Tyne LEA 277983 Inspection number 27 April 2006 to 28 April 2006 Inspection dates Mr Andrew Scott Reporting inspector

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

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Teindland Close School address Primary Type of school Newcastle upon Tyne Community School category Tyne and Wear, NE4 8HE 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 0191 2735293 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0191 2730651 Fax number 164 Number on roll Mrs Eileen Railton Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Julia Bayes Headteacher 1 January 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 277983 27 April 2006 - 3 to 11 28 April 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 a smaller than average primary school in an urban area of considerable deprivation. Nearly all pupils are from white British families; a few pupils come from different ethnic backgrounds and have English as an additional language. The movement in the pupil population is higher than normal. The number of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. The school has recently been renamed, following a request by parents.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: St John's Primary School, 27 April 2006 to 28 April 2006

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Grade: 3

Inspectors share the school’s view that its provision for pupils is satisfactory, with several strengths. Children progress well in the Nursery and Reception classes because of effective provision, but do not reach their expected goals because of low attainment on entry to the school. Overall achievement by pupils is satisfactory. Standards by Year 6 are low, influenced in part by the high percentage of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and the turnover of the pupil population. Teachers have many good skills but do not always have high enough expectations of pupils. The curriculum is enriched well by activities outside the classroom, but the school recognises the need to make lessons more varied and interesting, as well as give pupils more scope for independent learning. Pupils feel secure and happy at school because of the good levels of care and support by all adults. Staff are very good role models for pupils

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Grade: 3

to develop good behaviour and an awareness of a healthy lifestyle. Good leadership by the headteacher, well supported by the deputy headteacher, has established a positive ethos for learning. Standards are gradually rising, and a more settled staff have the right skills and attitudes to ensure higher achievement. The school has a satisfactory view of itself. It recognises its strengths but does not evaluate weaknesses rigorously enough so that progress can improve. The school offers satisfactory value for money at present and is well placed to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that teachers have consistently high expectations of pupils. • Maximise opportunities for pupils to acquire independent learning skills. • Develop further a more stimulating and diverse curriculum to promote pupils’ learning. • Be more analytical in evaluating the school’s effectiveness so that plans for improvement are more detailed and specific.

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Grade: 3

Pupils’ achievement is satisfactory overall. When they enter the Nursery, children have poor skills, especially in communication, mathematical awareness and knowledge of the wider world. They make good progress in all areas of learning that now include language and mathematics, because of a recent emphasis on these basic skills. Nevertheless, by the end of the Reception year, few children achieve all the goals expected of them. Standards by Years 2 and 6 have been rising in recent years but are still well below average in English and mathematics. For example, pupils do not have a good enough vocabulary to be able to express themselves convincingly when speaking or writing. They have reasonable skills in calculation, but are not adept at using their knowledge to solve mathematical problems for themselves. In science, standards are below average. 2 Inspection Report: St John's Primary School, 27 April 2006 to 28 April 2006

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Grade: 3

Pupils have a satisfactory level of knowledge, but are less secure about carrying out investigations for themselves. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make satisfactory progress. Their learning is often good in small group activities but less successful within whole class work, when they are sometimes not fully engaged. The welcoming atmosphere and effective support enables pupils with English as an additional language to learn English quickly; their overall achievement is much like that of other pupils.

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Grade: 2

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good. Pupils develop well as individuals. They clearly enjoy school, show good attitudes to those around them and to their work. Inspectors agree with parents that behaviour is generally good; instances of poor behaviour are rare. Pupils develop good self- esteem and show pride in their school, although this is not always obvious in the presentation of their work. Their attendance is below average, but it is improving following concerted efforts by the school. Pupils understand the need to stay safe and the value of adopting a healthy lifestyle. They enjoy the healthy menus at lunch time and take full advantage of the many sporting and fitness activities on offer. They develop a good sense of responsibility by, for example, acting as mentors to younger pupils and taking part in fundraising. Pupils say that the school listens to their views, especially through the school council.

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Grade: 2

There is a strong community spirit in the school. Daily assemblies are happy gatherings where pupils have good opportunities to reflect on what they have heard and to celebrate their achievements. Cultural development is satisfactory, but there are not enough opportunities for pupils to understand and explore their own local culture and that of others.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory, and not good as the school believes. However, teaching is good in the Foundation Stage. Here, children benefit from a good blend of direct teaching and independent learning. Staff keep a close eye on children’s progress and set work which challenges them. The recent focus on literacy and numeracy has raised pupils’ confidence in communication and improved their number skills. Overall, teachers are good at presenting new concepts clearly. They structure work sensibly so that pupils learn in logical steps; they use resources adeptly to reinforce learning and ask good questions to check understanding. The needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are satisfactorily met, and teaching assistants give good support to this group of pupils. All staff rightly value pupils’ ideas and 3 Inspection Report: St John's Primary School, 27 April 2006 to 28 April 2006

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Grade: 3

efforts. Sometimes, though, their praise is too effusive and can give pupils a false impression of their success. The assessment of pupils’ work is satisfactory. Teachers vary work to suit the different needs of pupils reasonably well but not with sufficient rigour. Lessons do not always have a swift pace and so pupils do not always do enough work. In addition, teachers sometimes do too much for pupils in lessons and do not encourage them enough to be responsible for their own learning.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory. It rightly has a strong emphasis on developing literacy and numeracy. There are good initiatives; for example, to improve pupils’ speaking and listening and there are themed weeks, such as Monkey Madness, to motivate pupils. However, the school knows that it could do more to promote literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) through other subjects. Although there are interesting activities such as music tuition and Spanish lessons, the curriculum in most lessons is fairly routine and not particularly inspiring. The curriculum in the Nursery and Reception classes is good, especially because children are encourage to develop independent skills. This is not so apparent elsewhere in the school. The good range of activities outside normal lessons, including residential visits, promotes enjoyment in learning and the adoption of a healthy lifestyle. The work done

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Grade: 3

here prepares pupils well for life in the community and the world of work.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. The school takes good care of its pupils with thorough systems to ensure pupils’ safety, health and well-being, including child protection procedures. There is a strong emphasis on healthy eating and fitness. Effective supervision on the newly designed playground ensures good opportunities for creative play. Pupils particularly appreciate and enjoy the breakfast club each morning. Pupils know who to turn to if they have a problem, and they value the buddy system which makes sure that no-one feels left out or unhappy. The school deals firmly with the few incidences of poor behaviour and there is good support for vulnerable pupils and those new to the school. Parents feel welcome in school. The school has introduced good systems for monitoring pupils’ progress in their work and setting targets for improvement. However, these are quite recent and have not had enough time to boost standards appreciably.

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: St John's Primary School, 27 April 2006 to 28 April 2006

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory, although the school believes them to be good. The leadership of the headteacher is good, though. She has maintained a clear focus on raising standards, appointed staff shrewdly and introduced a good system for checking pupils’ progress. She is well respected by staff, pupils and parents alike, and well supported by an enthusiastic and perceptive deputy headteacher. Together, they form an effective partnership and instil a strong sense of teamwork among all staff. The management of the school is satisfactory. The school knows its strengths, is keen to absorb new ideas and has good priorities for improvement. However, the pace of improvement is not as good as it could be. The analysis of areas for improvement is not precise enough to produce action plans that are detailed and specific. Some plans are taking a long time to come to fruition. Governance is satisfactory. Governors are supportive and well involved in the work of

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Grade: 3

the school, but are not objective and rigorous enough in holding the school to account. Parents are happy with the school but do not take enough advantage of the school’s efforts to involve them in their children’s learning. The school has made satisfactory progress since the last inspection. The main issues have been addressed, yet there remains some work to do. Improvement since 2002 has resulted in steadily rising standards and the school is in a good position to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: St John's Primary School, 27 April 2006 to 28 April 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: St John's Primary School, 27 April 2006 to 28 April 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 3 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 3 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 3 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 3 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 4 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 3 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 3 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 3 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 3 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 Pupils St John's Primary School Teindland Close Newcastle upon Tyne Tyne and Wear NE4 8HE 28 April 2006 Dear Pupils I am writing to thank you for the part you played in the inspection of your school. Mrs Straw and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you and everyone else in the school, and we are grateful for the help you gave us. We understand why you like your school and we think that it gives you a satisfactory education. We believe that it has a number of strengths. You have a good start to school in the Nursery and Reception classes. Teachers set good examples so that you behave well and are thoughtful towards one another. There are some interesting activities outside lessons. The school takes good care of you and ensures that you know how to lead a safe and healthy life. Your headteacher and deputy headteacher work well to make the school a happy and productive

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

place for you. The standards of your work could be higher if teachers expect more from you in lessons, give you more opportunity to work on your own and make lessons more exciting and interesting. To help this, the school needs to be more careful in its plans for improvement. We wish you every success for the future. Yours faithfully Andrew Scott Lead inspector

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