Shincliffe CofE (Controlled) Primary School

Inspection Report Shincliffe C of E (Controlled) Primary School

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114229 Unique Reference Number Durham Local Authority 289844 Inspection number 12 February 2007 Inspection date Moira Fitzpatrick 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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Beal Walk School address Primary Type of school High Shincliffe, Durham Voluntary controlled School category County Durham, DH1 2PN 4 °11 Age range of pupils 0191 384 3739 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0191 386 3090 Fax number 209 Number on roll (school) Mrs Susan Hopps Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Pauline Bulman Headteacher 1 May 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 289844 12 February 2007 4 °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 an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

The school is about average size. Most pupils are White British, with only few from minority ethnic groups, mainly British Asian or Chinese. No pupils are supported to learn English. A high percentage of pupils attend from beyond the school’s catchment zone, because of its very good reputation in the community. The proportion of pupils who claim a free school meal is below the national average. Fewer pupils than average have learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD). Children’s attainment on entry is typical for their age.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Shincliffe C of E (Controlled) Primary School, 12 February 2007

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Grade: 1

This is an outstanding school that ensures all pupils make tremendous gains in their academic and personal development. Children of all abilities and backgrounds achieve very well, some from low starting points, when they join the school in Reception. The Foundation Stage gives children an excellent start to their education through a well planned, play-based curriculum. Improvements to resources for pupils learning outdoors are rightly among the school’s current priorities. By Year 6, standards are significantly above average; the proportion of pupils who exceed the level expected for their age is over twice the national average. The school’s excellent inclusion practices ensure that pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are very well supported so that they often reach the level expected for their age. An exciting curriculum and excellent teaching stimulate pupils to learn at a very good rate. Teachers’ very good planning and high expectations underpin high

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Grade: 1

quality learning experiences in all classes. Pupils’ very good handwriting skills and their excellent presentation of work demonstrate how much they want to please their teachers. Teachers’ careful tracking of pupils’ learning is excellent; the information is used to provide work which challenges all pupils very well. The school’s outstanding care, guidance and support promote excellent personal development in pupils. They are enthusiastic learners, who understand well their responsibilities both to themselves and each other; this is seen in their exemplary behaviour. Pupils have frequent opportunities to contribute to the smooth running of the school. By Years 5 and 6, pupils have developed into excellent role models for younger pupils and they make a significant contribution to the excellent ethos of the school. The staff’s dedication and care makes all pupils feel valued, safe and happy in school. They are confident, and correct in believing that help is always available should

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Grade: 1

they need it. These personal qualities, and the high standards that pupils reach in their learning, prepare them extremely well for the future. The school is exceptionally well led and managed. The headteacher’s aim of enabling every pupil to achieve their best is very well supported by staff, governors and parents. Staff are very well trained for their roles and their continuing development is central to the school’s pursuit of excellence in all of its work. Teamwork and school evaluation are excellent; areas for improvement are accurately identified and effectively acted upon, so that the school is continually improving standards and the quality of provision. Excellent links with parents, external agencies and other schools provide very good support and extension for pupils’ learning. The school has improved very well since the last inspection, maintaining very high standards in that time. It is very well placed

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What the school should do to improve further

• There are no significant areas for improvement. 2 Inspection Report: Shincliffe C of E (Controlled) Primary School, 12 February 2007

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Grade: 1

Achievement is excellent. All pupils make very good progress from their starting points and standards are very high. The progress of pupils with LDD is sometimes excellent, so that these pupils frequently reach the expected standard for their age in national tests. Excellent provision in the Reception class ensures children make good gains in all areas of learning, but especially in their personal, social and emotional development. By the end of Reception nearly all children reach the goals set for their learning and some exceed them. Standards at the end of Year 2 have been consistently well above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics since the last inspection. The same high standards were evident in pupils’ work seen during inspection. These very high standards are maintained throughout the juniors. School data shows that pupils consistently make very good progress in Years 3 to 6, and that the

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Grade: 1

percentage of pupils exceeding the level expected for their age increases. In the 2006 national tests, all pupils reached the expected level for their age, and in all subjects the percentage reaching the higher level was over twice the national average. There were no differences in the attainment of boys and girls, nor was there any evidence of difference during inspection. All groups of pupils made the same very good progress from their starting points at the end of Year 2, including those eligible for free school meals and those with LDD. The school sets challenging targets that are often exceeded because every pupil’s need is known and provided for.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development is outstanding, as is their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. A strong sense of happiness and well-being pervades the school because pupils feel safe and secure; they love learning and quickly become absorbed in tasks. Their attendance is very good. They grow quickly in confidence and independence and have a good understanding of their rights, and the responsibilities that go alongside. Their willingness to take on responsibility and contribute to the life of the school is outstanding. Older pupils are exemplary in their care of younger ones. Their support for younger pupils at lunchtime makes a huge contribution to the development of good social skills, as well as creating a very calm and pleasant atmosphere for eating lunch. Pupils’ excellent behaviour is built upon their very good understanding of the school rule: Respect yourself, others and the environment. They willingly give way in class

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Grade: 1

discussion, offer support when needed and respect each other’s right to be able to do their best work in a calm and happy classroom. Pupils have a good understanding of a healthy lifestyle, make sensible choices about food and take plenty of exercise. By Year 6 their all round development prepares them exceptionally well for the next stage of learning. 3 Inspection Report: Shincliffe C of E (Controlled) Primary School, 12 February 2007

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Grade: 1

Teaching and learning are outstanding because of the excellent teamwork between teachers and pupils. Each has a very clear understanding of what is needed for high quality learning, and of the headteacher’s high expectations. Teachers have precise knowledge of their pupils’ learning needs; they plan activities that are fun, challenging and promote very good progress. Pupils want to learn, they enjoy the challenges set and work very hard. Teachers’ very good planning is based on good subject knowledge and a commitment to providing tasks that develop pupils’ independence. This helps pupils to become confident and take responsibility for their learning. Teachers use assessment very effectively, either through questioning in class or by marking work, to set tasks at exactly the right level for pupils of different abilities. This is the key to all pupils learning at a very good rate. They know their individuals targets and are

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Grade: 1

keen to reach them as quickly as possible. Teaching assistants are skilled in offering pupils good support, very well briefed for lessons and, like the teachers, promote pupils’ independence. The very good partnership forged with parents to support learning makes a significant contribution to the standards pupils reach.

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Grade: 1

Curriculum provision is excellent. It is vibrant, rich and inclusive, providing very well for the needs of all pupils. Provision for literacy and numeracy is very good, and for information and communication technology (ICT) it is good and improving. Pupils learn about healthy lifestyles and staying safe very effectively through the well planned personal, social and health education programme. The Foundation Stage curriculum is very well planned to ensure that children learn through play and have plenty of opportunity to exercise choice. The school has improvements to outdoor provision as a priority in the current school improvement plan. Pupils’ understanding of their own and other cultures is very well promoted and excellent links are made locally, nationally and internationally to extend their knowledge and experience of the wider world. Enrichment to learning through out of school clubs, and the many visits and visitors is excellent. Pupils who are gifted or talented are very

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Grade: 1

well provided with opportunities to learn. They take part in a wide range of challenges and meet with children in other schools who have similar interests and talents. The school’s provision for art and design is outstanding and this is reflected in the very high quality work on display.

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Grade: 1

The school provides excellent care, guidance and support for pupils. Parents overwhelmingly agree that their children are very well cared for and supported to do 4 Inspection Report: Shincliffe C of E (Controlled) Primary School, 12 February 2007 very well in their learning. The needs of all pupils, including those who are vulnerable, are very well met by accurate identification of their needs, excellent links with parents and external agencies and by the high quality support they receive from teachers and teaching assistants. Pupils’ strong sense of well-being enables them to meet the challenging targets the school sets. The school has rigorous and very effective systems for checking pupils’ progress. Teachers know their pupils very well both personally and academically and take prompt action if things are not as they should be. Senior managers make very good use of detailed assessment data to spot any potential under-achievement or slip in teaching

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Grade: 1

or learning. Child protection and safeguarding procedures are in place; these, and health and safety, and risk assessment procedures are well understood and followed by staff.

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Grade: 1

Leadership and management are excellent. The headteacher is ambitious for every pupil to achieve the best they can. This vision is very well supported by staff, who form a first rate team dedicated to the service of pupils. The headteacher’s belief, that things can always be better, pervades the work of the school so that it is constantly improving wherever it detects weakness. School evaluation is excellent. There is rigorous monitoring, accurate identification of priorities and effective action for improvement. For example, funding in the current year has rightly been reallocated to provide additional support in a class to ensure that all pupils achieve as well as they can. Governors have very good first hand knowledge of the school and give very good support for its development. They bring a range of expertise to the service of the school, as well as making very good links with the community and parents. Parents

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Grade: 1

feel well involved in the life of the school through annual surveys of their views and the accessibility of the headteacher and staff. 5 Inspection Report: Shincliffe C of E (Controlled) Primary School, 12 February 2007 .

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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. 6 Inspection Report: Shincliffe C of E (Controlled) Primary School, 12 February 2007

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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? 1 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 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? 1 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 1 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?

1 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. 7 Inspection Report: Shincliffe C of E (Controlled) Primary School, 12 February 2007

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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? 8 Inspection Report: Shincliffe C of E (Controlled) Primary School, 12 February 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Shincliffe C of E (Controlled) Primary School Beal Walk High Shincliffe Durham County Durham DH1 2PN 14th February 2007 Dear Children, What a pleasure and privilege it was to visit your school recently. You and your teachers made me feel very welcome and you helped me find out why your school is as good as it is. Thank you all for that. Your school is in the top category for schools - which means that it is outstanding. There are many reasons for this, starting with you. You really enjoy your learning and work very hard to achieve very high standards. This makes your teachers and parents very proud of you. Your teachers also work very hard to make sure that the work you do helps you improve and have fun at the same time. You told me that all the adults in the school look after you very well and I agree. This is one of the reasons you learn so well - because you feel happy and safe. Another reason you learn well is because of your own excellent behaviour and respect for each other.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

This makes your classrooms happy and calm places where you can all do your best. One of the nicest parts of my visit was having time to look at the lovely displays of your work around the school. Your artwork is among the best I have seen, and I visit a lot of schools. Another treat was having school lunch with Reception children and being looked after by Year 5 pupils. You were right Year 6 - the food is delicious. No wonder so many of you have a school lunch. Your school helps you to develop important personal qualities that will help you throughout your life. You show a good concern for others and are willing to help whenever you can. Your link with the children who had suffered when the tsunami hit their school is helping them feel supported and cared for even though they haven’t met you. You help your school run smoothly by taking on responsibility and making suggestions for improvements is preparing you well for

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

the future. Well done and keep it up! Your headteacher and teachers are so good at improving the school. You can help your school stay in the top category by doing what you already do so well - work hard, enjoy lessons and follow your excellent school rule - respect yourself, others and the environment. My very best wishes to you all for the future and thank you once again for your help and kindness. Yours sincerely, Moira Fitzpatrick Inspector 9 Inspection Report: Shincliffe C of E (Controlled) Primary School, 12 February 2007

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