Usworth Colliery Primary School

Inspection Report Usworth Colliery Primary School

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108799 Unique Reference Number Sunderland LEA 278050 Inspection number 24 January 2006 to 25 January 2006 Inspection dates Mr Tom Grieveson Reporting inspector

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

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Manor Road School address Primary Type of school Sulgrave Community School category Washington, Tyne and Wear 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 0191 2193820 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0191 2193822 Fax number 391 Number on roll Mr Malcolm Preston Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Carole Maughan Headteacher 1 November 1999 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278050 24 January 2006 - 4 to 11 25 January 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 one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

Usworth Colliery Primary School is a larger than average sized school located in the Sulgrave area of Washington, Tyne and Wear. The school enjoys increasing popularity and, consequently, its pupil roll is increasing. There is a broad social mix of families at the school, although free school meal entitlement is above average. A small percentage of pupils come from minority ethnic families but all speak English fluently on entry to school. The percentage of pupils with learning needs and/or learning disabilities is similar to that seen nationally and 1.3% have a statement of special educational need.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Usworth Colliery Primary School, 24 January 2006 to 25 January 2006

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Grade: 2

Usworth Colliery Primary School is a good school which is increasingly effective in the provision it makes for pupils and in the standards they achieve. These findings are in line with the school’s assessment of its own performance. The headteacher’s leadership is exemplary and she is ably supported by the senior leadership team and an effective governing body. Together, they set clear direction for the school, understand its strengths and where it must improve. Good progress has been made since the previous inspection and actions taken by the school have significantly enhanced its capacity to improve further. The school provides good value for money. From a low starting point, pupils in the Reception classes and throughout Key Stage 1 make good progress overall, although standards in writing are not high enough. By the time pupils are 11 years old, they make good progress including those with learning

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Grade: 2

difficulties and/or disabilities. Consistently good teaching ensures that the large majority reach their challenging targets. In 2005, most Year 6 pupils exceeded them. In some year groups, however, the quality of marking is inconsistent and does not always provide pupils with enough information about how to improve. Pupils’ personal development is outstanding. They enjoy being at school and work hard in lessons. Their behaviour is very good and frequently excellent. Pupils exhibit a strong desire to learn. Relationships between staff and pupils are also excellent. The school community is characterised by the genuine respect and care exhibited towards all its members. Pupils are well cared for because their well-being and safety are given high priority.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Make further progress to improve the quality and consistency of marking and feedback which teachers provide for pupils to ensure they are more fully involved in evaluating their own learning and in identifying what they must do next to improve further. • Improve standards in writing and ensure that all opportunities are taken to develop pupils’ basic skills across the curriculum.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enter the Reception classes with below average attainment and particularly so in their communication, language and literacy skills as well as in their personal, social and emotional development. Pupils, however, make good progress during the Reception year because the curriculum meets their needs and teaching is good and on occasions very good. By the age of 7, standards achieved by pupils are just below national averages, although their overall progress is good. Results are higher in reading and mathematics than in 2 Inspection Report: Usworth Colliery Primary School, 24 January 2006 to 25 January 2006 writing. Effective action taken by the school is leading to improvements and inspection evidence shows that standards in writing are now rising. At Key Stage 2, standards over time have been in line with national averages, but they improved markedly in 2005. Pupils made significantly better progress than that seen

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Grade: 2

nationally in English, mathematics and science. This impressive performance was the result of effective changes introduced by the school. In particular, this applies to the way in which most teachers use the information which they have about pupils to provide well focused and appropriate tasks. Further work is still required, however, to improve the quality of marking and feedback which pupils receive to help them understand how to make further progress.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are mainly outstanding. They enjoy coming to school and they work hard. Pupils appreciate the range of opportunities provided and this benefits their learning. They feel valued, demonstrate a strong desire to learn and take great care with their work. Relationships are excellent: pupils and adults treat each other with care and respect. Members of the school council take their responsibilities seriously. Their contributions are greatly valued by the school and these have led directly to developments such as better playground facilities and improvements to pupils’ toilets. Pupils’ behaviour is very good and often outstanding. They are proud of their school and confident when talking about it to visitors. Pupils feel safe and they know how to get help should they need it. Adults and older pupils succeed in creating an atmosphere of openness and trust during lessons. As a result, pupils are prepared to

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Grade: 1

test out their ideas and share their thoughts with others. Attendance is steadily improving and the majority of pupils arrive promptly. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils have a widening knowledge of their community and of the wider society in which they live. This is because the school is continuing to extend its knowledge of, and engagement with, its local community and other minority ethnic cultures.

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree that teaching and learning are effective and this enables pupils to make good progress. In the Reception classes, pupils make good gains in all areas of learning because teachers provide an appropriate balance of direct teaching and opportunities for independent work which meets their needs. At Key Stages 1 and 2, well planned learning tasks and effective teaching strategies motivate and engage pupils. Teaching is particularly effective when helpful marking, probing questions and challenging targets combine to enable pupils understand what they are learning and 3 Inspection Report: Usworth Colliery Primary School, 24 January 2006 to 25 January 2006 how to improve. This is a consistent feature of most lessons. Teachers have good subject knowledge and are imaginative in much of the work they provide. They utilise a range of approaches to make lessons enjoyable. As the school recognises, however,

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Grade: 2

the consistent involvement of pupils in evaluating their work and in the setting of future learning targets is still to be achieved. Good teaching ensures that the majority of pupils engage willingly in lessons. They enjoy their work and take an active part in discussions and group activities. Pupils take personal responsibility for completing tasks, they are self reliant and demonstrate sustained commitment throughout lessons.

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Grade: 2

The school has rightly evaluated the curriculum as good. It provides for the full range of pupils’ needs. Statutory requirements are met and all children benefit equally from what the school has to offer. Prominence is given to literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) and to programmes aimed at helping pupils to stay safe and healthy. The curriculum is suitably extended by a wide range of after school activities that include music, sport and learning a foreign language. All are very popular with pupils. This strengthens their commitment to school and enables pupils to demonstrate their skills and talents in a variety of contexts. Educational visits and visitors effectively extend the curriculum and further broaden pupils’ experiences and enjoyment of school. The school recognises, however, that there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to develop their basic skills, and particularly their writing,

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Grade: 2

across the curriculum. Effective action to establish this is being taken. Pupils are appropriately developing the skills and self confidence needed for life outside school and opportunities to contribute fully within the wider community are being further developed.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support for pupils are good. Staff take every opportunity to promote pupils’ personal development and well-being and consistently provide the support pupils need to make sure that they are settled in school. The overwhelming majority of parents agree that their children are happy and secure. All relevant procedures for safeguarding pupils and ensuring their health and safety are in place. The school’s strong emphasis upon eating a sensible diet and engaging in regular exercise is helping pupils understand and make informed choices about adopting a more healthy lifestyle. The school has well understood systems to address matters of conflict or alleged bullying incidents if they occur. Incidents of this nature are rare; pupils consider these are dealt with effectively. In most lessons, teachers provide good and effective marking and feedback to pupils about their work. However, this is not yet consistently applied

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Grade: 2

by all teachers or in all subjects. 4 Inspection Report: Usworth Colliery Primary School, 24 January 2006 to 25 January 2006

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good and some aspects are exemplary. The headteacher’s leadership is of high quality. She provides clear strategic direction focused on achieving high standards for all pupils. She is effectively supported by the senior management team and enjoys the commitment of the whole workforce. The school is increasingly building the effective capacity necessary to improve further and this ensures that the school is achieving good value for money. Rigorous systems are in place to evaluate how effective the school is. The school knows its strengths and where it must improve. Actions are targeted precisely and this has been a key reason why recent improvements have been so successful. The governing body is highly supportive of the school and effective in its work. Governors have a clear sense of purpose and a determination to ensure that the school continues to improve. They understand fully those areas which require improvement and work

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Grade: 2

alongside the leadership team to ensure this occurs. They have been instrumental in attracting high calibre staff to the school whilst ensuring that teachers’ professional development overall is a key priority. Administrative procedures are effective and provide staff with effective support. Financial management is good; spending decisions reflect the school’s priorities and are accurately costed. The improvements to the school environment are impressive and this makes a significant contribution to pupils’ learning and the community’s view of the school. The buildings are maintained exceptionally well and to a high standard of cleanliness. 5 Inspection Report: Usworth Colliery Primary School, 24 January 2006 to 25 January 2006 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Usworth Colliery Primary School, 24 January 2006 to 25 January 2006

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Inspection judgements

16-19 School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

NA 2 How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 3 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 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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Personal development and well-being

NA 1 How good is the overall personal development and well-being of the learners? NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 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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The quality of provision

NA 2 How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of the learners' needs? NA 2 How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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The quality of provision

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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Leadership and management

NA 2 How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement and supporting all learners? NA 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 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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Leadership and management

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 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 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

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Leadership and management

wider community 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 Usworth Colliery Primary School Manor Road Sulgrave Washington Tyne and Wear NE37 3BL 24 January 2006 Dear Pupils As you know, Mrs. Manning, Mr. Farrow and I visited your school recently to carry out an inspection of how well it is doing. The report is now finished and I would like to tell you what it contains. Firstly, I would like to thank you for the welcome which you gave to us during our two days at Usworth Colliery Primary School. You were helpful, kind and thoughtful. We found your behaviour to be excellent. Well done. We found your school to be a good school which is continuing to become even better. Your teachers work very hard to provide you with many exciting and interesting opportunities to learn new things. They do a good job. I know from what you told us how highly you regard them and appreciate the work they do for you.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your attitudes to your work are excellent. We were impressed by the way you work together and support each other. It was very good to see how the older pupils take care of younger children. Your school council take their work very seriously and have worked with Mrs. Maughan and the staff to make many improvements. Your school buildings, even though they are old, are in very good condition. They provide you with a very good place to learn. The caretaker and his team do an excellent job in keeping them clean. Mrs. Maughan also does an excellent job. She is well supported by the staff and the governors who work very hard to help your school improve. We were very impressed with what they have achieved on your behalf. There are two things which we have asked Mrs. Maughan and the staff to improve. I am sure that you will be able to help them in this work.

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Annex B

Firstly to make sure that the way your work is marked always tells you how well you have done and what you need to do next. Secondly, to help you improve your writing and, particularly, the opportunities which you have to develop your writing in other subjects. Please thank your parents for sharing their views about the school with us. They clearly like your school and consider that it is doing a good job. We agree with them. I would like to wish you all our very best wishes for the future and hope that you all continue to do very well. Yours sincerely Tom Grieveson Her Majesty’s Inspector

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