Hedworthfield Primary School

Inspection Report Hedworthfield Primary School

p.1

108699 Unique Reference Number South Tyneside Local Authority 288160 Inspection number 23 °24 November 2006 Inspection dates Clive Petts Reporting inspector

p.1

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

p.1

Linkway School address Primary Type of school Hedworth Estate, Jarrow Community School category Tyne and Wear, NE32 4QF 3 °11 Age range of pupils 0191 537 3373 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0191 519 3320 Fax number 218 Number on roll (school) Mr Paul Waggott Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Teresa Lawton Headteacher 1 June 2001 Date of previous school inspection

p.1

Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 288160 23 °24 November 2006 3°11 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.1

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.

p.2

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.

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

Hedworthfield is a marginally smaller than average school. Pupils mainly come from the surrounding estate which has high levels of social deprivation. The Nursery provision feeds into several neighbouring schools. The school has an exceptionally high percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals. It is almost wholly White British with no pupils for whom English is an additional language. There are currently no looked after children in school. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is over six times the national average. However, this includes the pupils in the on-site, local authority Language Unit, all of whom have statements of special educational need. Since the previous inspection, the school has taken responsibility for the management of the Language Unit which serves all primary schools in the authority and accounts for the school’s high pupil mobility. The unit

p.3

Description of the school

has 24 places for pupils with speech and language difficulties and/or disabilities. The unit was inspected as part of the school because its pupils’ assessments and national test results are included in those of the school.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Hedworthfield Primary School, 23 °24 November 2006

p.3

Grade: 2

This is a good school with an outstandingly effective Language Unit. The school makes sure that pupils enjoy learning, do as well as they can, keep safe and healthy and play an active part in the community. All these elements have a high priority in the life of the school. The staff are committed to working as a team in order to raise standards. Pupils enter the Nursery with weak literacy skills and often make slow progress. Many do not attain the expected learning goals before entry into Year 1. By the end of Year 2, standards have improved though they remain below average. However, this represents good achievement. By the end of Year 6, pupils attain standards close to the national average as a result of continued good progress, particularly in Years 5 and 6. Strategies to improve listening, speaking, reading and writing are proving successful in Key Stages 1 and 2. However, the rate of progress in these skills is inconsistent in the Foundation

p.4

Grade: 2

Stage. Pupils’ personal development is good. The great majority of pupils are eager to learn. This is particularly marked in the Language Unit. Attendance and punctuality are satisfactory and improving. Pupils respond positively to the opportunities they are given to take responsibility. Older pupils in particular take their involvement in the school council seriously and respond well to the opportunity to contribute to the running of the school. This prepares them well for later life. Pupils’ behaviour is good in lessons, during breaks and at lunchtime. Teaching is good with some outstanding teaching in the Language Unit. The majority of lessons are well prepared and capitalise on pupils’ desire to learn. However, in the Foundation Stage, many lessons are insufficiently challenging. Teaching areas are exceptionally well organised and stimulating. Overall, care is taken to meet the learning needs of all pupils. In the Language Unit, the planning for individual needs is

p.4

Grade: 2

exceptionally good and includes a targeted input of National Health Service (NHS) speech and occupational therapy. Improvements in writing are contributing to pupils’ good achievement. Pupils receive helpful guidance in the most challenging lessons, but individual learning targets are not consistently applied. Procedures for tracking their progress are insufficiently effective in the main school. This means that the work set for pupils of different abilities does not always match their needs. The curriculum is good: it successfully promotes achievement and makes a good contribution to pupils’ personal development. The range of clubs, extra study classes and activities available for pupils after school is good, including activities for those who are particularly gifted or talented. Education Action Zone provision is effectively used to enhance the teaching of literacy and information and communication

p.4

Grade: 2

technology (ICT). Parents recognise and praise the high-quality care and support provided for pupils and their families. This is an outstanding feature of the Language Unit and its outreach support. As one parent remarked, ‘If it wasn’t for this unit I really don’t know what would have happened with my son… I guess he would have kept falling behind’. Vetting procedures for adults working in school are in place. 2 Inspection Report: Hedworthfield Primary School, 23 °24 November 2006 The clear vision and drive of the headteacher are very strong and have enabled the school to move forward from the last inspection and to make very good progress. Shrewd recruitment of teachers has strengthened the quality and effectiveness of teamwork across the curriculum. The chair of governors has a secure grasp of issues about raising standards and works closely with the headteacher. Governors are routinely involved with all aspects of school operation. As a consequence, the school has good

p.4

What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning in the Foundation Stage. • Improve the matching of work to individual pupils’ needs to make certain that their achievement is as high as possible.

p.5

Grade: 2

Pupils’ overall achievement is good. Children enter the Nursery with weak skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing. Although their overall achievement is broadly satisfactory, many do not attain the expected learning goals by the time they join Year 1. At the end of Year 2, standards are below national averages though the pupils make good progress. By the end of Year 6, standards are close to average and pupils, including those in the Language Unit, exceeded the school’s statutory targets in English and mathematics. While this represents good achievement overall, the rate of progress in Years 5 and 6 is higher than in Years 3 and 4. This is the result of extra challenge and pace in classes for older pupils. The school has taken steps to improve literacy skills from Nursery to the end of Year 6, though weaknesses in these skills still hinder progress, particularly in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2. In the Language

p.5

Grade: 2

Unit, standards are broadly average and pupils make good and often very good progress. This is entirely due to the skill and rigour with which learning difficulties and/or disabilities are tackled.

p.5

Grade: 2

Pupils’ good personal development, including their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, helps them to achieve well. The good social and emotional development of children in the Foundation stage ensures they settle into school life, although the development of good learning habits is slow in Reception, for example, answering in turn. From this point, pupils grow in confidence and mature into young people who are well prepared for life beyond school. Assemblies give pupils good opportunities to reflect on the consequences of their own action on others. Older pupils demonstrate a keen sense of right and wrong. They help and encourage one another to act sensibly. Pupils’ achievements are valued highly so that they are motivated to try hard. As a result, pupils show good attitudes to learning and behave well. This is contributing to pupils’ enjoyment of school and the negative attitudes reported at the last inspection

p.5

Grade: 2

3 Inspection Report: Hedworthfield Primary School, 23 °24 November 2006 are no longer evident. Pupils are now beginning to make a greater contribution to the running of the school. Older pupils in particular relish the opportunities they have to take on responsibilities around the school and contribute to school life. The school works hard to help pupils to understand the value of good attendance and is rigorous in ensuring that reasons for absence are established. As a result, the rate of attendance is improving and is close to the national average. Many pupils show they have a good understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Opportunities to take part in exciting sporting activities motivate them to keep fit. The school has been awarded the Healthy School Award and the Sports ActiveMark.

p.5

Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are good overall and outstanding in the Language Unit. Enthusiastic teachers make a strong contribution to raising the standard of pupils’ work and helping them to make good progress. Typically, teachers are well organised and communicate the purpose of their lessons clearly. They use the interactive whiteboards confidently and this helps to engage the pupils in their learning. Very good relationships with pupils and constant recognition of good achievement help to ensure that behaviour is rarely a problem. However, the features of the good teaching are not consistent across the school. In the Foundation Stage, teaching and learning are satisfactory but the teachers do not always ensure their lessons progress with enough pace to fully engage children in their learning; planned activities do not always have a clear focus for what children are expected to learn. Lessons are regularly

p.6

Grade: 2

monitored in order to raise the quality of teaching further and the teachers are keen to improve and share good practices. They know that their next priority is to use assessment data more rigorously in order to adapt lessons more accurately to meet pupils’ individual learning needs. This is necessary to ensure that those capable of achieving the higher levels of attainment are sufficiently challenged.

p.6

Grade: 2

The curriculum is good. It meets the needs of pupils and successfully engages them in their learning. Pupils have valuable residential experiences in Years 5 and 6 and take part in a wide range of educational visits and extra study sessions. The provision for ICT is very good and is good for numeracy. Despite good provision for literacy in Years 3 to 6, provision in the Foundation Stage and Years 1 and 2 is only satisfactory. Staff are taking increasing advantage of the expertise offered by the Education Action Zone. More and more pupils are using ICT in increasingly refined and sophisticated ways. This includes developing approaches to e-learning. Teachers are developing a range of teaching approaches to take account of different styles of learning. 4 Inspection Report: Hedworthfield Primary School, 23 °24 November 2006

p.6

Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. The school takes good care of all its pupils and procedures for protecting and safeguarding them are in place. As a result, pupils know that staff will help them to overcome any difficulties. Pupils say that they feel safe in school and know that any concerns are taken seriously. An exceptionally strong feature of this aspect of the school’s provision is the significant contribution the close links with specialist support agencies are making to improve pupils’ progress. The specialist knowledge of the Language Unit staff is helping to ensure that when children start school in Nursery or Reception classes, learning needs are very quickly identified and support put in place. As a result, pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress. This aspect of the main school’s work has improved significantly since the last inspection. Guidance to pupils is satisfactory. Most teachers’ marking helps pupils to understand

p.7

Grade: 2

how well they are doing. This is particularly effective in Years 5 and 6, where pupils are given clear guidance as to what the next steps in their learning are and what they can do to improve their work further. However, these good practices are not yet consistently and precisely enough used across all classes, including the Foundation Stage. As a result, not all pupils are aware of how they can improve their work.

p.7

Grade: 2

The quality of leadership and management is good. The drive and determination of the headteacher is central to the progress the school has made. The low staff morale and uncertainty which followed the last inspection have been eliminated. The staff now share an ambitious vision for the school as a high quality resource for its community. The headteacher has assembled an increasingly capable team of managers and subject leaders. A clear indication of confidence in the progress the school has made is the recent transfer of the management of the Language Unit to the headteacher by the local authority. The school now benefits from a total commitment to removing barriers to learning; for example, ensuring all pupils have the confidence to succeed. Increasingly, the school is a catalyst for integration of care in the wider community. The school’s self-evaluation is accurate and involves a rigorous analysis

p.7

Grade: 2

of pupils’ performance and systematic monitoring of teaching. This makes an effective contribution to development planning and shows that the school has a good capacity to improve. As a consequence, the school gives good value for money. The contribution of the governing body is good. Governors provide effective support and increasingly provide a good level of challenge to the school leadership. 5 Inspection Report: Hedworthfield Primary School, 23 °24 November 2006 .

p.7

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: Hedworthfield Primary School, 23 °24 November 2006

p.8

Inspection judgements

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

p.9

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? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 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

p.9

Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

p.9

learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 3 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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

p.9

and interests of learners?

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

p.9

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. 7 Inspection Report: Hedworthfield Primary School, 23 °24 November 2006

p.9

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? 8 Inspection Report: Hedworthfield Primary School, 23 °24 November 2006

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Hedworthfield Primary School Linkway Hedworth Estate Jarrow Tyne and Wear NE32 4QF 23 November 2006 Dear Children Thank you for the friendly welcome to your school and for being so considerate, polite and helpful when you met us. We enjoyed talking to you about your work, speaking with your staff and joining you in lessons and assembly. What we most liked about your school: • the way you enjoy school and your keenness to learn • the way your headteacher and staff work together as a team to encourage you to work hard • the committed way in which your staff in the Language Unit encourage you to overcome difficulties • the care and attention of staff to help you settle quickly when you first arrive in school • the way your headteacher and governors who are responsible for the school take advice and make sure the school money is carefully spent. We think that some things would make your school even better: • your work could sometimes be more challenging and your progress could be checked more

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

carefully to make sure you are doing your best • your listening, speaking, reading and writing could be even better. We hope that you will continue to attend school regularly, work as hard as you can and remember to listen carefully to staff in lessons. We wish you well in the future. Yours sincerely Clive Petts Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Hedworthfield Primary School, 23 °24 November 2006

p.11