Greenhaugh Primary School

Inspection Report Greenhaugh First School

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122226 Unique Reference Number Northumberland Local Authority 292343 Inspection number 6 March 2007 Inspection date Linda Buller 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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Greenhaugh School address First Type of school Hexham, Northumberland Community School category NE48 1LX 4 °9 Age range of pupils 01434 240208 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01434 240208 Fax number 38 Number on roll (school) Mr Darrell Jackson Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Amanda Lewis Headteacher 1 January 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection date Age group 292343 6 March 2007 4 °9 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

This is a small rural first school serving the village of Greenhaugh and the surrounding area. The pupils are taught in two mixed-age classes. The proportion of pupils who claim a free school meal and the proportion with learning difficulties and disabilities are lower than in most schools. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage and none is in the early stages of learning English. Due to the small numbers of pupils, their attainment on entry to the school fluctuates from broadly typical to above that of children of their age. The school is emerging from a period of staff changes with the appointment of the headteacher in September 2006 and the only other full time member of teaching staff in January 2007.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Greenhaugh First School, 6 March 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school whose excellent partnerships with other providers result in pupils’ outstanding personal development and high standards. By the time they leave Greenhaugh, pupils are articulate and confident and have excellent social skills. Pupils enjoy school and, in the main, are keen to learn; although, boys do at times have negative attitudes to writing. Pupils of all ages get on well together and behaviour is outstanding. They know how to keep themselves safe, are very active and eat healthily. Pupils make an outstanding contribution to the school and wider community. They have an excellent understanding of environmental issues and are very proud of the part they play in protecting local wildlife and developing the school grounds. Parents are very pleased with the school and what it provides. They value the friendly, family atmosphere where their children are well cared for and helped to make good

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Grade: 2

progress. Staff, governors and parents all comment on the effective communication between home and school, which they agree is central to the school’s success. Inspection evidence confirms this view. The good curriculum and good teaching lead to pupils of all abilities achieving well and making good progress in the skills they will need in later life. The school’s results in the 2006 national tests for pupils aged seven were well above average, although standards in writing were lower than those in reading and mathematics. Inspection evidence shows that standards in writing remain a relative weakness. This is because the curriculum for writing lacks the variety seen in other subjects and monitoring of the changes made to improve standards lacks focus. Leadership and management are good. During a significant period of staff change, the school has remained firmly committed to raising standards and further improving

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Grade: 2

pupils' progress especially in Years 3 and 4. It has an accurate picture of its own effectiveness and the close analysis of performance data enables leaders to pinpoint areas for improvement. Monitoring of teaching and the impact of new initiatives is at an early stage of development. Good improvement has been made since the last inspection especially in the provision for children in the Foundation Stage. The school provides good value for money and is well placed to bring about further improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Provide a greater variety of opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills. • Ensure leaders and managers keep a careful check on how well key changes are implemented.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good and standards are above the national average by the time they leave school. Children make good progress in the Foundation Stage with most exceeding 2 Inspection Report: Greenhaugh First School, 6 March 2007 the early learning goals for their age by the time they enter Year 1. Good progress continues in Key Stage 1. Since 2003 standards have been on an upward trend. As a result, in the 2006 national tests at the end of Year 2, pupils attained standards which were exceptionally high when compared with standards nationally, particularly in reading and mathematics. Standards in writing although still above average are weaker, especially those attained by boys. There were no pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities in the 2006 Year 2 cohort. Inspection evidence shows that in the current Year 2 there is a wider spread of ability. Pupils of all abilities continue to make good progress from their starting points when

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Grade: 2

they entered Year 1 but overall standards are not as high as the previous year. School data and inspection evidence show that recent improvements in Key Stage 2 have led to good progress. Writing continues to be a relative weakness in Years 3 and 4 with girls generally doing better than boys.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development and well-being, including their spiritual, moral and social development, are outstanding. Cultural development is good. Pupils’ self-esteem, confidence and excellent social skills build very successfully from Foundation Stage through to Year 4. Pupils enjoy school and behaviour is excellent. They say that the small numbers of incidents of bullying are a thing of the past. Pupils adopt healthy lifestyles, participate highly in extra-curricular activities and show good awareness of safety issues. For example, all pupils eat a school lunch as they understand that this contributes to a healthy, balanced diet. Attendance rates fluctuate year-on-year depending on the number of pupils who take holidays in term time, and are currently satisfactory. The school has developed a good partnership with the local middle school to bring about improvement in attendance rates. Pupils’ outstanding sense of what it means to be a responsible citizen can clearly be

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Grade: 1

seen in the responsibility they take for their school and wider community. Central to this is the care they show towards the environment. They are rightly very proud of the funds they have raised to support the protection of the red squirrel, an issue which is very important to their local area. Pupils are articulate, independent and have mature attitudes; this, together with their development of good basic literacy and numeracy skills, is good preparation for their future economic well-being.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. In the Foundation Stage, there is a good balance of adult-led and free-choice play activities. This provides well for children to learn through playing and sharing whilst benefiting from good adult intervention. This 3 Inspection Report: Greenhaugh First School, 6 March 2007 is particularly effective when children are taught in a separate group from the Year 1 and 2 pupils. Teachers’ subject knowledge is good. When lessons are taught at a good pace and teachers use a variety of teaching and learning styles pupils are well motivated and make good progress. This is not always the case in the teaching of writing and is one of the reasons why standards are not as high as in reading and mathematics. In most lessons, teachers’ assessments of what pupils have already learnt are used well to meet pupils’ learning needs. In Years 3 and 4 marking is used effectively to build pupils’

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Grade: 2

self-esteem and to provide additional challenge. This is less effective in Years 1 and 2 when some pupils do not always fully understand the teacher’s comments.

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Grade: 2

Curriculum provision is good and is beginning to be adapted well to provide creative activities, which make learning more realistic and relevant. Outstanding partnerships with other schools and visits to places of interest contribute well to this provision. For example, additional curriculum activities provided by the middle school have improved pupils’ standards in physical education and visits shared with other first schools contribute very well to pupils’ excellent social skills. Despite recent changes, the curriculum for the teaching of writing still lacks variety. As a result, in some lessons, pupils lack motivation and do not progress at a fast enough rate. This has a particularly marked effect on the standards attained by boys. Adjustments to the curriculum for gifted and talented pupils in, for example, mathematics and English, are effective in enabling these pupils to reach high standards.

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Grade: 2

Extra-curricular provision is good. It adds to pupils’ enjoyment of learning and supports the school’s commitment to help pupils become more active and healthy through a variety of sporting activities.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. Staff know the pupils well and provide sensitive care and support. Relationships throughout the school are very good and, as a result, pupils' personal development is outstanding. The safeguarding of pupils has high priority and procedures meet national guidelines. There are very good transition arrangements for children from the pre-school which is located within the school. This helps them to settle very quickly into school routines and provides good continuity in learning. Support for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities enables them to achieve as well as their peers. Academic guidance is satisfactory. Pupils are given guidance on what they need to learn next, through a variety of formal and informal methods, but some are not always sure about exactly how well they are doing or what they need to do to improve. 4 Inspection Report: Greenhaugh First School, 6 March 2007

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Grade: 2

Leadership, management and governance are good. The headteacher and governors have a clear vision for the school's development. This is based on accurate self-evaluation and has ensured that standards have continued to rise during a period of significant staff change. The school is outward looking and has developed outstanding partnerships with other schools and the local community, which have a significant impact on provision. This is exemplified by the initiative to share the employment of a teacher for Foundation Stage children with a neighbouring school. Achievement and standards are effectively monitored and the information is used well in the setting of priorities for improvement. Plans for how new initiatives will be monitored and evaluated are less clear. The school has responded well to recommendations made at the last inspection and improvement has been good. Governors know the school well; they use their expertise effectively to give good

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Grade: 2

support to the school and are effective in their strategic leadership role. 5 Inspection Report: Greenhaugh First School, 6 March 2007 .

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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: Greenhaugh First School, 6 March 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? 2 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

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Achievement and standards

2 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 2 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 3 The attendance of learners 2 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. 7 Inspection Report: Greenhaugh First School, 6 March 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: Greenhaugh First School, 6 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Greenhaugh First School Greenhaugh Hexham Northumberland NE48 1LX 7 March 2007 Dear Pupils Thank you very much for being so helpful and polite when I visited your school. I really enjoyed seeing you at work and chatting with some of you. You told me that you think your school is good and I agree. Everyone knows and cares about everyone else; you are happy in school and enjoy most of your lessons. The school is already doing well and your headteacher and governors have good ideas to make it even better. The times that you spend mixing with children from other schools and the extra people who come to work with you in school help you to improve your work. You know all about healthy living and have lots of opportunities to take part in sport. I know that some of you, especially the boys, do not always enjoy writing. I have asked the school to make sure that you are given a greater variety of things to do to improve your writing

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

skills. You can help with this by always trying your best. Your teachers have already started to make some changes to the way they help you to learn and I have asked them to keep a careful check to make sure that these changes really make a difference to how well you are doing. Thank you again for your welcome. Yours sincerely Linda Buller Lead inspector 9 Inspection Report: Greenhaugh First School, 6 March 2007

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