Stanley Burnside Primary School

Inspection Report Stanley Burnside Primary School

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114033 Unique Reference Number Durham LEA 279298 Inspection number 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006 Inspection dates Mr Geoffrey Cooper Reporting inspector

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

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Mendip Terrace School address Primary Type of school South Stanley Community School category Stanley, County Durham 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 01207 234020 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01207 237425 Fax number 225 Number on roll Mr Brian Croft Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Philip Barker Headteacher 1 September 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 279298 26 January 2006 - 3 to 11 27 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 two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

Stanley Burnside Primary School is a one-form-entry primary school with a nursery. It has 212 boys and girls on roll between the ages of three and eleven. It serves an area of considerable educational disadvantage. This is confirmed in the high proportion of pupils entitled to a free school meal. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties is higher than average. Almost all pupils come from a white European background and are familiar with the language of the classroom. When children first enter the school, their attainment is well below the level typical for their age, with particular deficits in personal, social and emotional development; communication, language and literacy skills, and knowledge and understanding of the world.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Stanley Burnside Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006

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Grade: 3

The overall effectiveness of the school is satisfactory. It gives sound value for money, and it has recently developed strong strategies for tracking individual progress; for promoting every pupil’s personal development; for evaluating its own performance, and for involving parents and pupils as full partners in this process. These improvements inspire confidence in the capacity of the leadership and management at all levels to continue to improve the school. Despite these strengths, standards in Year 6 are below average, especially in writing, and in all years too few pupils reach the higher levels possible for their age. These remain issues that challenge the school. However, a rising trend is evident in Years 1 to 4. This stems from the good progress promoted in the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception classes) and from better uses of assessment, and it shows in improving test results in Year 2. Achievement is satisfactory overall. All staff are fully committed

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Grade: 3

to the best achievement and care of all pupils, but weaker features of teaching and the curriculum restrict learning, particularly at the higher levels. Children in the Foundation Stage do not benefit from the full range of opportunities for outdoor learning recommended for their age. All aspects of personal development are well provided for and this can be seen in pupils’ good attitudes, positive relationships and exemplary behaviour. The tracking of progress is now very precise. As a result, the school quickly identifies where to intervene to prevent underachievement. Procedures for improving attendance are good but have not yet solved the problem of the poor attendance of a small number of pupils.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards, especially in writing, and for higher attaining pupils throughout the school. • Improve attendance for the small number of persistent absentees. • Provide the full Foundation Stage curriculum, with particular regard to outdoor learning. • Enrich curricular provision, taking into account the way in which meaningful links can be made across subjects.

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory. Test results for eleven year olds in 2005 were below average. Better performance is gradually working its way through the school, led by the good progress of the youngest children, though the full effect of this will not be felt with the current group of Year 6 pupils. Last year’s results were limited by considerable staff and pupil turnover and the lower than expected performance of a small but significant proportion of pupils with recent personal and emotional trauma. 2 Inspection Report: Stanley Burnside Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006 This was particularly felt in English. Challenging targets are set but were missed in 2005, especially in writing. Very few pupils gain the higher levels possible for their age. Pupils’ aptitudes are more inclined towards the practical aspects of science and standards here match those expected for their age. Standards for seven year olds are

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Grade: 3

now much better, although higher attainment remains limited. The rising trend is evident as far as Years 3 and 4. Most pupils make satisfactory progress, given their starting points and capabilities. Vigorous teaching, a good knowledge of prior attainment and a secure understanding of the needs of those who find learning difficult and who have particular barriers to learning contribute to the satisfactory achievement of different groups of pupils. Good progress in the Foundation Stage enables children to tackle many of their early barriers to learning.

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Grade: 2

Personal development and well being are good. Pupils work hard. Behaviour is exemplary in school. No time is wasted in lessons. Pupils are sociable, friendly and enjoy school. Attendance remains below average despite strenuous efforts to improve it. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Moral and social development is strong. Pupils help each other and are good at taking responsibility. A group of Year 6 pupils run a healthy tuck shop and claim that all pupils in the school make a regular purchase. The school council takes an active part in school life and is proud of its role in designing new facilities for the toilet areas and in the provision of water bottles. Good social experiences are built into the school calendar and two year groups have residential visits each year. Fund-raising shows pupils’ commendable concern for others, both locally and further afield. Their awareness of other cultures develops well through visitors into school

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Grade: 2

and outside visits to places of worship of different faiths. Pupils understand the importance of healthy lifestyles and staying safe. They take an active part in sports activities and explain why it is important to eat healthy food. Pupils’ high self-esteem and good social skills prepare them well for the next stage of their education and eventually for the world of work.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory and this accounts for pupils’ satisfactory achievement. Pupils are positive and enthusiastic in their learning. They discuss favourite subjects with relish. They make mature use of such learning skills as acute listening and intense concentration. On occasions when the teacher asks exactly the right question at the right time, every hand is rapidly raised to indicate pupils’ eagerness 3 Inspection Report: Stanley Burnside Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006 to answer. Despite these strengths, a lack of language skills and knowledge of the world limits their learning. Within the overall satisfactory teaching there are some considerable strengths. These include good planning and organisation of lessons, and outstandingly good relationships and management of pupils. These qualities ensure that lessons go with pace and verve. There is no wasted time. Pupils acknowledge their enjoyment of lessons. The way

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Grade: 3

teachers mark work, assess progress and set targets is improving the achievement of all groups. Most helpful is when teachers mark to the learning objective of the tasks and give support to what needs to be learned next. Targets expressed in language pupils understand have a positive impact on learning. However, some targets found in pupils’ books are expressed in adult terms that are less helpful. A feature of teaching that restricts learning is the number of worksheets used. These often deny pupils the opportunity to use and develop the full range of their knowledge, skills and understanding.

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Grade: 3

The quality of the curriculum and other activities for pupils is satisfactory. It meets requirements and takes good account of national strategies and guidance. An important priority identified by the school is to develop the use of basic skills across the curriculum, and so increase the pace at which all pupils can improve key skills. Subjects rely a great deal on commercial schemes and the use of work-sheets does not stimulate higher levels of thinking. Children settle in well to the Foundation Stage. They enjoy a wide range of activities, although opportunities for outdoor learning are limited by the current accommodation. A strong focus on language development and personal and social skills ensures good progress. The curriculum pays good attention to teaching pupils how to stay safe and keep healthy. Pupils constantly stress, ‘this is a healthy school’. The school provides well for pupils who find learning difficult or who have barriers to learning. Extra-curricular

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Grade: 3

activities for pupils in Years 3 to 6 are good, but there are no out-of-hours activities for younger pupils. A well-organised programme supports a smooth transition to secondary school. The school works well with the community, for example through the ‘Young People’s Forum’ and a carpet bowls activity with Age Concern members. It works hard to encourage parents and carers to support homework tasks and attend curriculum workshops, but the response is limited.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Pupils, including the most vulnerable, are well cared for. Staff are committed to giving a high level of care and this is evident in day-to-day practice in the school. The school invests much time and effort in the care of pupils. Pupils feel safe in school and they value the consistency of care. A pupil 4 Inspection Report: Stanley Burnside Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006 said, ‘It’s funny how the school can manage to make you be good and feel looked after’. Child protection procedures are secure. Comprehensive risk assessments are in place for activities and the use of premises. These assessments prevent the Foundation Stage from making full use of its outdoor space. The school has recent but very effective strategies for tracking progress, analysing information, developing targets and identifying action to be taken. The curriculum can be adapted as necessary for any group and the tracking process identifies who

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Grade: 2

needs intervention and support. The strategy provides an ‘at a glance’ view of which pupils are making better than expected progress and which are not making expected progress. It is simple to use but very effective in helping to raise the achievements of different groups.

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Grade: 3

Inspectors agree with the school that leadership and management are satisfactory. While leadership has found it difficult to achieve rapid improvement in standards, a rising trend is highlighted in national tests for seven year olds and voluntary tests for other year groups. Meanwhile effective management has successfully ensured that pupils’ personal development is of a high enough quality to give them the attitudes and skills necessary for learning. The school’s strategies for understanding its strengths and weaknesses are thorough and secure. It uses a careful whole-school process to review, evaluate and develop provision. This includes the views of staff and governors, and also takes account of the views of parents, pupils and others with an interest in the school’s effectiveness. This process has led to some strong improvement, especially in standards achieved in the Foundation Stage and up to Year 4. The process has not yet sufficiently affected

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Grade: 3

standards for older pupils, particularly the higher attaining pupils. A strong leadership team at all levels inspires confidence in the school’s capacity to improve further. The school and its staff are highly respected in the community. Parents and pupils express very strong support for its work and ethos. 5 Inspection Report: Stanley Burnside Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 January 2006 .

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Stanley Burnside Primary School, 26 January 2006 to 27 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 3 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 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 4 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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Personal development and well-being

NA 2 How good is the overall personal development and well-being of the learners? NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 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 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 3 How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of the learners' needs? NA 3 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 3 How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement and supporting all learners? NA 3 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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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 Mr Philip Barker Stanley Burnside Primary School Mendip Terrace South Stanley Stanley County Durham DH9 6QP 26 January 2006 Dear Boys and Girls We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to your school. Particularly enjoyable were the many discussions we had with you. You made it very clear to us that you like your school very much, enjoy lessons and get on really well with each other and the adults working there. You told us that behaviour is good. We think it is outstandingly good. It makes your lessons and your learning much better. We agree with you that the school looks after you well. It keeps you safe and healthy. The work you do in school, and the other activities you take part in, prepare you well for your next school and for your future life as an adult. We can see progress in your work. Standards are getting better in your school. We can also see the very hard work

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

the school has done to make attendance better and to keep your parents in touch with your learning. Not many of you mentioned literacy as your favourite subject. We have asked the school to try to achieve better progress for you, especially in writing. You can help by always trying to spell correctly, remembering punctuation and writing neatly. We have also asked school make subjects more challenging and interesting. Some of you do not attend school well and this affects progress. The school will try to help more. The school is also going to give the youngest children better opportunities to work and learn outdoors. You work very hard in your school. Keep that up. Geoff Cooper (Lead inspector)

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