Lambton Primary School

Inspection Report Lambton Primary School

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108817 Unique Reference Number Sunderland LEA 278052 Inspection number 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 Inspection dates John Heap Reporting inspector

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

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Caradoc Close School address Primary Type of school Lambton Village Community School category Washington, Tyne and Wear 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 0191 2193750 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0191 219 3753 Fax number 290 Number on roll Cllr L Williams Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs S Bell Headteacher 1 September 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278052 2 November 2005 - 3 to 11 3 November 2005 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

This is a broadly average-sized school in an area with low levels of deprivation. There is a mainly white British population and a few children from mixed race, Asian and Chinese backgrounds. Attainment on entry is broadly average. Around a quarter of children have learning difficulties and/or disabilities, which is above average. The high incidence of autistic children brings difficult challenges for classroom management. The school has experienced some recent disruption because of staff changes and absences.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Lambton Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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Grade: 2

Inspectors agree with the school that it is good. It provides good value for money. The strong promotion of children’s good personal development and the effective support of children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities mean that they benefit equally well from what the school has to offer. Provision in the Foundation Stage (nursery and reception) has recently been the target of much attention and development. As a result, the sound quality and standards are clearly improving. Much of this improvement has been the outcome of strong partnerships with, amongst others, a range of schools and the local authority. Standards and progress are good, particularly in Years 3 to 6. However, the school is actively promoting further improvement in areas such as writing and mathematics. Teaching and learning are good. Children with learning difficulties and those learning English as an additional language progress

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Grade: 2

well. Leadership and management are good. The headteacher and senior staff work effectively as monitors and evaluators. Their accurate and challenging judgements of teaching, learning and other provision are highlighting areas to improve. The early indications from improvements show that good gains are being made and the school is well placed to improve further. not applicable

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What the school should do to improve further

• Continue to raise standards in writing by providing more opportunities for writing across the curriculum, setting challenging day-to-day targets for children, and using marking to tell children clearly how well they are progressing towards their targets. • Continue to improve the provision and standards in the Foundation Stage.

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Grade: 2

Achievement and standards are good overall. By the age of 11, standards in English, mathematics and science are above average. The rate of progress that the children make from entering the school to leaving is well above average. As a result, the children leave the school with good levels of basic skills. The school is not complacent about these good standards and progress. Challenging targets are set and met by the children. In 2005, the targets in writing for the higher attaining children were exceeded. Nevertheless, the school has identified improvements to be made in writing, mathematics and the Foundation Stage. The evidence from the inspection is that strong gains are being made in all of these areas. For example, children have more opportunities to write in other subjects, but there is still some way to go; improvements have been made to the quality of marking and target setting in mathematics; and

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Grade: 2

provision and practices in the Foundation Stage are better. 2 Inspection Report: Lambton Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 Progress is steady in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2 and standards are average. This means that the children have average basic skills which provide them with a solid springboard for the strong gains they make in Years 3 to 6. Children with learning difficulties, some of which are severe, make good progress. They benefit from the strong support classroom assistants give them. Their individual education plans give good guidance and set challenging targets. Children learning English as an additional language make good progress.

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Grade: 2

The school and inspectors agree that this part of the school’s work is good. There has been good improvement in the rate of attendance, which is now above average and much higher than in recent years, and children’s knowledge and understanding of living in a diverse society. Children know the importance of having a healthy and safe lifestyle because the school promotes it well. For example, in physical education and science lessons, having water in classrooms and making healthy food choices. Children’s attitudes and behaviour are good. They are polite and have a strong sense of commitment to the school. Children feel safe and clearly enjoy coming to school. They are very caring and respect each other. One child said, ‘our school is special because of the special children we have here. It helps us understand what it is like to be different’. Very young children settle quickly into the nursery because of the welcoming atmosphere. Children actively

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Grade: 2

contribute to their community through answering regular questionnaires and through the recently formed school council. Council members feel they are listened to and their views valued. Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The ‘Passport to the World’ topic extends pupils’ understanding of other cultures.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. The school judged it as satisfactory because they rightly have high expectations and recent staff changes have led to a cautious view. Across the school, almost all lessons seen were good and the work in books shows good progress. Teachers’ good subject knowledge and range of teaching styles capture children’s interest and attention. The increasing use of information and communication technology (ICT) is a great help in this. Good behaviour management is evident and very important because of the high level of challenging children. In almost all lessons and books seen, the work was challenging for the children and well matched to their needs. This is because teachers’ planning is mostly guided by good analysis of individual needs. As a result, there have been good improvements in standards in writing, mathematics and science, particularly for the highest attaining children. However,

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Grade: 2

3 Inspection Report: Lambton Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 marking of writing could still be more precise and give children a clearer view about the progress they make towards their targets. Where children are stretched with demanding tasks they make good progress. Occasionally, work is not always sufficiently challenging, especially for higher attaining children in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2. Work is well matched to the needs of the many children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Teaching assistants make a strong contribution to their learning, providing support when needed while encouraging independence.

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Grade: 2

The school and inspectors agree that the curriculum is good. Statutory requirements are met and all children benefit equally from the programme. Provision for reading, mathematics and ICT across the curriculum is good. However, the opportunities for writing in other subjects are only satisfactory. The school recognises this, and the recent focus on writing is leading to greater use and higher standards. In most respects, the school plans carefully to meet the needs of all learners. Although children in the Foundation Stage make sound progress, planning does not always ensure that activities match children’s next steps in learning. There is good emphasis on children’s personal, social and health education. The curriculum is enriched well and children’s learning is stimulated by focus weeks, regular visits and visitors, and the wide range of extra-curricular activities available during breaks, Golden Time and after school. Good

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Grade: 2

links with other schools further extend this provision.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support of children are good with some outstanding features. All parts of the school’s work reflect the high commitment of staff to overcoming potential barriers to children’s learning and helping them make good progress. The school provides outstanding guidance and support for all children, particularly for the most vulnerable. The main strengths are the detailed assessment of all children which gives teachers very good knowledge of their specific needs, and the thorough monitoring of children’s personal and academic development over time. These, together with close consultation with children and parents, enable teachers to plan and implement individual support programmes which help children successfully manage their learning difficulties and/or disabilities. All of the school’s procedures for the health, safety and well -being of children are well planned and rigorously applied. The result is that they

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Grade: 2

feel safe and secure and parents are rightly confident that their children are well cared for. 4 Inspection Report: Lambton Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. Senior management are raising standards in the school because they are rigorous and ambitious when checking what goes on and how well children are doing. Moreover, the headteacher and standards team are successfully focusing on raising standards further, particularly in writing, mathematics and the Foundation Stage. In the school there are many children with challenging learning difficulties and these senior staff are promoting their personal development well. They successfully lower barriers to learning, so that the majority of learners progress well. Self-evaluation is good and enters all areas of school life. Supportive governors play a sound role in this, but they are heavily reliant upon the headteacher. Much of their monitoring and linking with subject coordinators is good practice. However, their aims for the school are not clear or direct enough about achieving the highest possible

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Grade: 2

standards. As a result, they lose a further guide to independent evaluation of standards and provision. Nevertheless, the school seeks and values the views of all groups in the school. As a result, the school has a good track record for improving provision and this is rightly applauded by the parents. Accommodation and resources are good. Financial management is effective and forward planning is prudent. The school actively and successfully seeks and receives good value for money in its purchasing of supplies and services. 5 Inspection Report: Lambton Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005 .

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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: Lambton Primary School, 2 November 2005 to 3 November 2005

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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 3 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 2 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 www.ofsted.gov.uk Lambton Primary School Caradoc Close Lambton Village Washington Tyne and Wear NE38 0PL 4 November 2005 Dear Children, The inspectors thoroughly enjoyed being in your school this week. It has been a privilege and a pleasure for us to work with you and the staff of the school. We were delighted that many of you wished to discuss matters with us and we were impressed by the courtesy and help you provided. During our time in the school we particularly liked the way: you work hard and well your books show the good work you are doing, particularly in subjects like science the children in nursery, reception and Years 1 and 2 are making better progress towards their goals you behave well in lessons and around the school the level of attendance is rising that you all get on well together and look after each other you are taught and cared for

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Mrs Bell and her senior team lead and manage the school. We have asked your teachers to make some further improvements in: the quality and amount of writing that you do, particularly in the full range of subjects. You can help your teachers by doing the best possible work, whether it is in your English books or in any others. Also, you can look closely at the targets set for you and make sure you achieve them as quickly and as well as you can the way children in the nursery and reception classes are taught and provided for. You will know that some improvements have already been made and that these have been successful. Mrs Bell knows that she wants to do even more and has plans in place. We wish you well for the future and good luck to you all.

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Annex B

Yours sincerely Mr Heap (Lead inspector) Annex B

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