King Edward Primary School

Inspection Report King Edward Primary School

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108573 Unique Reference Number North Tyneside LEA 278001 Inspection number 2 March 2006 to 3 March 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Moira Fitzpatrick Reporting inspector

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

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Preston Avenue School address Primary Type of school North Shields Community School category Tyne and Wear NE30 2BD 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 0191 2006337 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0191 2005074 Fax number 430 Number on roll Tracey Moore Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Christina Brown Headteacher 1 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278001 2 March 2006 - 3 to 11 3 March 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 three additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

The school is larger than average with 430 pupils aged between three and 11years. Pupils come from a predominantly white British heritage with fewer than 10 per cent of pupils from minority ethnic background. Four pupils, at an early stage of learning English, receive additional support. The percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average, so too is the percentage of pupils on the school’s register of special educational needs. The number of pupils with a statement of special educational needs is below the national average. When children start school their attainment is slightly above what is typical for their age. The school currently holds a number of awards, including the Artsmark Gold, Activemark, the Healthy Schools Award and two School Achievement Awards.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: King Edward Primary School, 2 March 2006 to 3 March 2006

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school that its overall effectiveness is good and that it gives good value for money. They also recognise that the school has some outstanding features. Good teaching and a good curriculum enable pupils to make good progress and achieve good standards. Very good provision for pupils’ spiritual moral, social and cultural development and the school’s excellent care and guidance of pupils ensure that their personal development is outstanding. By Year 6 pupils are accomplished, confident and relish taking on responsibility. Parents say the school has a good partnership with them and helps them support their children’s learning in many practical ways. The school also has excellent partnerships with other schools and with universities to improve provision. The quality of provision and standards in the Foundation Stage is good; in the Nursery, the youngest children are given an excellent start to their

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Grade: 2

education. Leadership and management in the school are good overall; with excellent leadership from the headteacher and deputy headteacher, who inspire staff to be rigorous and enthusiastic in evaluating and improving the quality of the school’s work. This has allowed the school to identify that some improvements are needed to the mathematics curriculum to raise standards further and to ensure that full use is now made of the school’s facilities for physical education. The school has made good improvement since its last inspection and is well placed to improve further. not applicable

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in mathematics, as outlined in the school improvement plan, by adapting the curriculum to the needs of all groups of pupils so that they consolidate their learning of basic knowledge and skills. • Ensure that all pupils have two hours of physical education each week.

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Grade: 2

Standards and achievement are good. By Year 6, pupils reach standards that are above average in English and science. Standards are particularly good in reading and writing, where nearly all reach the expected standards for their age; they are also very good in art and design; and in design technology. In mathematics pupils reach average standards, because the curriculum has not been sufficiently well adapted to their needs in Years 3 to 6. The school’s analysis of a decline in test results last year has led to the development of new strategies for improving pupils’ progress in mathematics which are raising standards. Pupils in Year 6 are on course to meet the challenging targets set for them in all core subjects. In Year 2 standards have risen significantly in the last three years to well above average. Year 2 pupils currently are on course to achieve similar high standards in this year’s national tests. Pupils with learning difficulties/and

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Grade: 2

or disabilities and the pupils who have English as an additional language make the same good progress as others because of the very good support they receive. Children 2 Inspection Report: King Edward Primary School, 2 March 2006 to 3 March 2006 in the Foundation Stage make good progress, so that by the end of Reception most have reached, and many exceed, the goals set for their learning.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development is excellent because in every class children are given frequent opportunities to develop independence and take on responsibilities. The result is that by Year 6, pupils are mature, confident and well able to discharge the many duties they carry for helping the school run smoothly. The very good provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development develops many personal strengths. Children are well aware of other cultures and faiths. One child commented that he thought the school was very good at ‘thinking about people less well-off than ourselves’. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is exemplary ensuring that there are no interruptions to learning. Pupils show respect for each other’s right to learn and feel safe. Very good attendance demonstrates how pupils enjoy school, while their very good attitudes give good support to their learning. Pupils have adopted the

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Grade: 1

school’s approach to healthy eating and are keen to take part in sport and games clubs after school. Their contribution to improving the school, through the school council, is significant and this group has made some important changes, such as the provision of a ‘Sunday dinner’ choice on the lunch menu.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good, ensuring that all groups of pupils make good progress. Some very good and excellent teaching was seen in some classes, where the pace of teaching and high expectations allowed pupils to learn at a very brisk pace. Pupils learn well because teachers take account of their prior learning when planning activities. Teachers share the aim of the lesson and explain the success criteria for learning, so that pupils know how well they are doing. All teachers take care to assess if pupils have learned enough each lesson, making a note of any aspects of learning that have to be revisited. Because their learning is so accessible and “the teachers are kind and help you if you get stuck”, pupils are well motivated from the earliest age and work hard to succeed. Teaching assistants provide good support for pupils with learning difficulties or who do not speak English at home, so that they learn as well as others.

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Grade: 2

In mathematics pupils of lower abilities do not always have enough opportunity to consolidate new learning, and the school is currently working to improve this aspect of their work. 3 Inspection Report: King Edward Primary School, 2 March 2006 to 3 March 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is well designed to meet the needs of all groups of learners. Teachers make good use of the locality to make learning interesting and where practical, base work on a theme which links subjects. Pupils say they enjoy this way of working because learning in one subject helps in another. Pupils also enjoy the many visits and visitors the school provides, and have vivid memories of trips to study history or art outside of school. The personal, social and health curriculum is well planned and gives pupils a very good base from which to make decisions about friendships and lifestyle. The Foundation Stage curriculum is very well planned. In the Nursery, provision for the youngest children is excellent, giving them a very good start to their education. A very good range of extra curricular activities are open to all children. However, not all classes are having two hours of physical education each week, because the school has only

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Grade: 2

recently acquired the extra space to allow for this.

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Grade: 1

The school’s care, guidance and support for pupils are excellent overall. Very good procedures ensure all aspects of pupils’ health and safety are secure and make the children feel safe. Arrangements for child protection are very secure. Children with learning difficulties and vulnerable children are very well supported to achieve as well as others. Parents wholeheartedly agree that their children are well cared for and happy in school and that the school works closely with them to support their children’s learning. Children say that they know their teachers will quickly sort out any problems that arise and that they will be looked after if they are unwell. The school has very effective systems to monitor pupils’ academic and personal progress. Pupils are involved from an early age in evaluating their own learning by checking their work against success criteria and planning what they need to do to improve further. The result is that pupils are skilled at setting their own targets and

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Grade: 1

relish seeing their progress towards achieving them.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good overall. The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide excellent leadership to support the school’s ethos and the development of teamwork. They ensure that everyone in the school community feels fully involved in helping the school improve and that all groups of pupils are supported to make good progress. Parents and pupils all have a role in continually moving the school forward through regular consultation. Recent improvements to school meals testify how well the school listens to suggestions from these groups. Subject leaders monitor the school’s work well and are eager to remedy any weaknesses, as well as develop the provision in their subjects. Rigorous monitoring in the last year identified the need to 4 Inspection Report: King Edward Primary School, 2 March 2006 to 3 March 2006 review the mathematics curriculum to ensure that pupils’ standards match those achieved in English. Governors give good support to the development of the school

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Grade: 2

through regular visits, which are giving them a growing knowledge of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. The school has formed excellent partnerships with local schools and universities which enhance learning for both teachers and pupils. Improvement since the last inspection has been good and the school is well placed to continue to improve. 5 Inspection Report: King Edward Primary School, 2 March 2006 to 3 March 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: King Edward Primary School, 2 March 2006 to 3 March 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 1 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 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 1 The attendance of learners NA 1 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 1 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 1 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 King Edward Primary School Preston Avenue North Shields Tyne and Wear NE30 2BD 6 March 2006 Dear Children Thank you for the warm and friendly welcome you gave us when we visited your school. We enjoyed our visit very much and found out many interesting things about your school. Here are some of the things we liked best about your school. Your very good behaviour that helps everyone learn well and enjoy lessons. The way you work together well and look after each other so that everyone feels safe and happy in school. We enjoyed seeing you work so hard and agree that lessons are fun and that you do some very interesting things at school. We think your art and design and technology work is really good, because you take such care with it. We were very pleased with how well you know how you are doing in lessons, and can set

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

yourselves targets to get even better. Well done! We agree with you that your teachers know you very well and take great care of you. It is really nice that you feel safe and happy in school. We are glad that your parents are so pleased with your school and your teachers, and that they enjoy learning how they can help you at home. We think you have some great ideas for improving the school and really enjoyed the “Sunday lunch choice”, that you have asked for. You are making a real difference to the school - keep up the good work! We think that by the time you are in Year 6 you are mature and sensible and very well prepared for secondary school. To help you get even better we have asked your headteacher and teachers to continue with improvements to your learning in mathematics and to make sure that all of you have two hours

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Annex B

of P.E. (physical education) each week. Thank you all once again and our very best wishes for the rest of the year. Yours sincerely Mrs Moira Fitzpatrick Lead inspector

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