Chillingham Road Primary School

Inspection Report Chillingham Road Primary School

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108463 Unique Reference Number Newcastle upon Tyne Local Authority 288108 Inspection number 19 October 2006 Inspection date Chris Penter Reporting inspector

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

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Ninth Avenue School address Primary Type of school Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear Community School category

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NE6 5XL 3 °11 Age range of pupils 0191 2655940 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0191 2762794 Fax number 221 Number on roll (school) Miss Heather Holmes Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Karen Elliott Headteacher 1 May 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 288108 19 October 2006 3 °11 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 Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Chillingham Road is an average sized primary school, which serves an area of high social deprivation within the Heaton district of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It is within an Education Action Zone. Attainment on entry to the school varies year on year but is broadly below the level expected for children of nursery age. A very high number of pupils are eligible for free school meals. School numbers fluctuate throughout the year with a significant number of pupils leaving and others arriving. Around three quarters of the pupils come from White British backgrounds, whist the remainder are from mainly Asian heritage groups. A number of children arrive at the school with little or no English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is around average and no pupil has a statement of special educational need. The school provides a breakfast club and liaises with a third party to provide before and after

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Description of the school

school care. There is community provision for arts and sport. The school is an Investor in People and holds a national Healthy Schools Award and Artsmark Gold.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Chillingham Road Primary School, 19 October 2006

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Grade: 1

‘We are all very pleased to be part of the Chilli Road family.’ This comment by one parent echoes the views of almost all. They are strongly supportive of the school and proud to have it within their community. Parents are right to be proud because Chillingham Road Primary is an outstanding school, which serves the needs and aspirations of pupils and their parents in an exceptional way. Strong links with the local community, particularly in relation to the arts, sport and charitable work give the school a very positive local profile. The recent harvest festival, after which huge amounts of donated produce was gifted to the People’s Kitchen, is an excellent example of community spirit in action. The headteacher provides exceptional leadership and has a strong and coherent vision for the school, which emphasises creativity and fun but, above all, the joy of learning. She is very ably supported by all the staff and by governors. They know the school

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Grade: 1

well and their own evaluations are very accurate, although a little modest. They all work very successfully to create a warm and happy environment, which prepares pupils exceptionally well to become successful learners, who are articulate, self-confident, responsible and tolerant. The school provides very good care for pupils. They say they feel safe and know there are adults they can talk to if they are worried or upset. There are good systems for promoting health and safety with a strong emphasis on healthy eating and the importance of regular exercise. Pupils enjoy coming to school very much and get on very well with each other. They enjoy their lessons and appreciate the skill, commitment and enthusiasm of their teachers. They respond by behaving very well indeed and working hard. Consistent high quality teaching is a strong feature of the school. Provision in the Foundation Stage is good and children reach standards that are broadly

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Grade: 1

in line with those expected nationally. Throughout the school, pupils are challenged by a wide range of learning opportunities, which engage them actively and maintain their interest and motivation. The curriculum is broad and balanced with an emphasis on creativity, which greatly enhances the development of self-esteem, self-confidence and good communication skills. A wide range of extra-curricular opportunities is available and many pupils benefit from participation in them. Pupils have a very clear understanding of different faiths and cultures and enjoy the multicultural nature of the school. Teaching is outstanding overall. Pupils achieve exceptionally well as a result of the outstanding progress they make from entry into the school until the point at which they leave. Consequently, by the end of Year 6, standards are above the national average. Teaching is well matched to individual needs and all pupils, including those

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Grade: 1

with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, make equally outstanding progress. Pupils benefit from knowing exactly what they need to do to improve in English, particularly in Years 3 to 6, but younger pupils are not as clear about what their learning goals are and what they need to do to reach them in other subject areas. 2 Inspection Report: Chillingham Road Primary School, 19 October 2006

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the information provided to younger pupils regarding their next steps in learning.

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Grade: 1

Pupils make outstanding progress and achieve extremely well as a result of the consistently good and often outstanding teaching they receive and their own positive attitudes to learning. Children begin Nursery with abilities that are below those expected for their age, especially in speaking and listening and in the ability to concentrate. Good provision leads to good progress towards the early learning goals in literacy, numeracy and personal and social development. By the end of Reception, the majority of children are broadly at the expected levels for their age. They make particularly good progress in numeracy. This good progress is maintained in Years 1 and 2, where, thanks to a recent school initiative, particularly good progress is made in speaking and listening. The good performance in the 2005 national tests was maintained in 2006 with almost all pupils reaching at least the nationally expected levels for reading, writing and mathematics

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Grade: 1

and all the pupils reaching at least the nationally expected levels in science. Achievement by the end of Year 6 in 2006 was outstanding given the starting points of learners and the unvalidated data provided by the local authority places the school amongst the highest performers in the country. This continues a trend of improvement year on year since 2003 with standards at the end of Key Stage 2 above average in the 2005 national tests. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make very good progress. Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, including those who learn English as an additional language, achieve similarly to their classmates.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, are outstanding. The brilliant harvest festival made a significant contribution to both spiritual and moral development as well as providing an opportunity for the children to perform in front of their parents. An understanding of other cultures is strong and encouraged through display work, projects, the curriculum and the strongly inclusive nature of the school. A school council member said, ‘we enjoy the different cultures’. Pupils very much enjoy coming to school and arrive in the morning with a bright smile and an enthusiastic stride. One pupil remarked, ‘we like the teachers very much; they are kind and enthusiastic’. Attendance is above average and the school and welfare services are working hard with a small number of families to improve further on this. 3 Inspection Report: Chillingham Road Primary School, 19 October 2006

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Grade: 1

Pupils enjoy working and playing together and are helpful towards, and supportive of, each other. Their behaviour both within the classroom and around the school is exemplary. Pupils say they feel safe in school and they have an excellent awareness of how to keep themselves safe. This is particularly important in this very old building, which has many doors and staircases. Pupils adopt a healthy lifestyle and have an excellent understanding of the importance of healthy eating and regular exercise. Many pupils make an outstanding contribution to their school community. For example, the very effective and articulate school council has taken an active part in enhancing facilities and proposing new activities such as the mixed football team. The effective buddy system allows older pupils to show concern towards and take some responsibility for the younger ones. The school prepares pupils well for later life by developing their

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Grade: 1

basic skills, encouraging teamwork and by setting up mini enterprise schemes like the healthy tuck shop.

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Grade: 1

Teaching and learning are outstanding. The consistent quality of teaching, together with the very effective deployment of teaching assistants and other adult helpers ensures that all pupils make outstanding progress by the time they leave the school. Staff and pupils are enthusiastic about learning and this, together with the wide range of participative and active learning opportunities provided, ensures that pupils are appropriately challenged and supported. Focused teaching in small groups for pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities or are gifted or talented is excellent. Good use of interactive whiteboards provides many opportunities for pupils to develop speaking and listening skills through group discussion and questioning. Lessons are well planned and pupils are clear about what they are expected to learn in each lesson. The younger children in particular, however, are less clear about their longer term

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Grade: 1

learning goals. Marking is regular and thorough, although the very good practice seen in English, where pupils are given detailed written feedback about what they need to do to improve, is not widespread elsewhere. The schools’ focus on creativity permeates every classroom and pupils’ regular sharing of work or performance enhances both self-confidence and self-esteem.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is outstanding. It meets, and in some areas exceeds, statutory requirements for children in the Foundation Stage and pupils in Years 1 to 6. A wide range of additional provision is available to support the needs of individuals or groups; for example, daily physical workouts for pupils with dyspraxia or the sensory room nurture group. The curriculum is very well planned and mapped carefully across each year group to ensure a balanced coverage of subjects. The provision for personal, social and health education (PSHE) is particularly strong as is the focus on encouraging 4 Inspection Report: Chillingham Road Primary School, 19 October 2006 pupils to express their thoughts and feelings. Emphasis on creativity is central to the delivery of the curriculum. Pupils have many opportunities to share or perform their work through, for example, the high quality art work on display or the excellent harvest

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Grade: 1

festival to which every pupil made a contribution be it musical, dramatic or the spoken word. Many pupils take part in the wide range of extra-curricular activities, which include sports clubs, drama, art and creative writing. Year 6 have the opportunity to attend a residential outdoor pursuit centre whilst Nursery and Reception children have created and now tend their own garden. Very good links with the local community and with local businesses serve to broaden pupils’ experiences.

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Grade: 2

Pupils achieve exceptionally well in their personal and academic development, in part, because of the very good care the school provides for them. Child protection procedures are in place and arrangements for the monitoring and support of vulnerable children are exemplary. The school carries out regular and comprehensive risk assessments and effective procedures are in place to safeguard children’s welfare, health and safety. The after school care and the breakfast club help pupils develop positive attitudes and good social skills. There are effective checking and recording systems to measure pupils’ academic progress. In English, pupils are provided with clear targets for development and good written feedback telling them how they can improve although this is not yet embedded in all subjects. As a result, pupils, particularly younger ones, are not always clear about what they have achieved and what they need to do to move

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Grade: 1

The high quality of leadership and management, at all levels, is central to the promotion of the very positive climate for learning in which all pupils can thrive, enjoy and achieve. It also underpins the consistently high quality of teaching, the curriculum and care. The leadership of the headteacher is outstanding and she is ably supported by a strong senior team. They know the school well and their own evaluations are very accurate, although a little modest. Planning for school improvement is very well developed, involves staff and governors and sets appropriate and realistic priorities. The staff share a common vision and purpose and work very effectively as a team. All staff are valued and supported and they respond by going ‘the extra mile’ for their pupils. School systems and the day-to-day organisation are efficient and effective and focus upon keeping pupils’ safe, making learning fun and allowing each individual to achieve

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Grade: 1

their potential. Almost all the governors have, or have had, children in the school and as the vice-chair remarked, ‘have a vested interest’. Governors are active, involved, well informed and knowledgeable. They provide good support. The school provides excellent value for money and finances are managed carefully to ensure that key priorities are addressed and key resources are made available. The issues from the last 5 Inspection Report: Chillingham Road Primary School, 19 October 2006 inspection have been effectively dealt with. The school is well aware that it will need to work hard to maintain and improve provision but given the quality of leadership the capacity for further improvement is good. 6 Inspection Report: Chillingham Road Primary School, 19 October 2006 .

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Grade: 1

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 Inspection Report: Chillingham Road Primary School, 19 October 2006

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Inspection judgements

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

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

1 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 8 Inspection Report: Chillingham Road Primary School, 19 October 2006

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 9 Inspection Report: Chillingham Road Primary School, 19 October 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Chillingham Road Primary School Ninth Avenue Newcastle upon Tyne Tyne and Wear NE6 5XL 20 October 2006 Dear Pupils, Can I say what a pleasure it was to spend a day with you, despite all the rain. Thank you for being so friendly and welcoming and for taking time to talk to me and show me your work. It is clear that you are very proud to be pupils at ‘Chilli Road’ and rightly so. It is an excellent school. I could see that you all enjoy coming to school and feel safe, happy and cared for. You like your teachers and appreciate their enthusiasm and hard work. You work hard too and you behave and work together very well. It is clear you enjoy learning and are excited by the many different activities and opportunities presented to you. I know that many of you particularly like performing and I was very impressed by the way you all took part in the harvest festival. You are being taught very well indeed and, as a result, you make excellent progress with your work.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Many of you contribute very well to the school as members of the school council or as ‘buddies’ and you take part enthusiastically in the extra activities offered by the school. I was delighted to discover how much knowledge you have about the importance of eating healthy food and taking regular exercise. Mrs Elliott is an excellent headteacher and she continues to work with staff and governors to make your school even better. I have asked her to make sure you are all clear about what your next steps in learning are and what you need to do to improve your work. You of course can help the school to be even better by attending regularly, helping and supporting each other and staying enthusiastic about your learning. Best wishes to you all Yours sincerely Chris Penter (Lead inspector) 10 Inspection Report: Chillingham Road Primary School, 19 October 2006

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