South Bank Community Primary School

Inspection Report South Bank Community Primary School

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134705 Unique Reference Number Redcar and Cleveland Local Authority 294154 Inspection number 12 °13 September 2006 Inspection dates John Heap 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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Poplar Grove School address Primary Type of school South Bank, Middlesbrough Community School category Redcar and Cleveland, TS6 6SY 3 °11 Age range of pupils

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01642 453451 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01642 442929 Fax number 289 Number on roll (school) Cllr Ian Jeffrey Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Brenda Urwin Headteacher Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 294154 12 °13 September 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 three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This new school opened in September 2005. In the summer of 2006, it moved to new premises. The school serves an area of high disadvantage and the proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is more than double the national average. There is an above average proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including a unit for 15 pupils with moderate learning difficulties. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds and around 13% are from a small range of minority ethnic groups. The school population includes groups learning English as an additional language, Travellers, pupils in care and refugees.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: South Bank Community Primary School, 12 °13 September 2006

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Grade: 2

South Bank provides a good quality of education and gives good value for money. The amalgamation of two schools and the move to new premises have been carried out successfully. Pupils enjoy school and appreciate the wide-ranging effort and support of the staff. Parents are pleased about this also, as one put it: ‘…….all of the staff who have taught, cared for and nurtured my children have done so to the highest standard. Even through the difficult times they faced combining the schools which brought all kinds of obstacles……..they ironed out any worries and anxieties and empowered the children to work out solutions together.’ Inspection evidence endorses this view; for example, the school council makes welcome suggestions relating to the new premises and provides helpful reports for the governing body. Furthermore, great emphasis is placed on providing good levels of support for the wide variety of groups

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Grade: 2

in the school, such as those with very little English and those with behaviour problems. As a result, pupils make good progress in their learning, they feel safe and secure and there is little disruption to lessons. The school enables pupils to behave well and show good attitudes to school and work. They remain calm, play safely and recognise the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Parents and outside agencies confirm that these are strengths in the school’s work and readily give their support. Clearly, a key feature in these successes is the way that leaders, managers and staff have quickly and effectively formed a successful team. In this, the senior leadership group provides the good headteacher with strong support and the capacity to improve further is good. This team is strongly focused on raising standards, promoting good progress and lowering barriers to learning. As a result, the school does really well to

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Grade: 2

improve pupils’ very weak basic skills evident when they arrive in Nursery and particularly obvious amongst boys. These improvements prepare them well for future learning and life beyond education. Dedicated, skilful and enthusiastic teaching, good support and a strong curriculum enable pupils to achieve well from their poor starting points. Children get a good start in the Foundation Stage (Nursery and Reception), particularly in language and communication. Managers rightly recognise that there is still much to achieve because their good self-evaluation and analysis are telling them so and standards are below average. A key consideration here is the above average level of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, particularly among the boys. Consequently, girls reach higher standards than boys. English continues to be the weakest subject. Most pupils attend regularly, but attendance rates are below

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Grade: 2

average. Good monitoring systems show a small minority of parents continue to take their children on holiday in term time and that some children often arrive late. This means that they miss valuable work and do not do as well as they could.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in English, particularly for boys. • Improve attendance and punctuality. 2 Inspection Report: South Bank Community Primary School, 12 °13 September 2006

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Grade: 2

All pupils achieve well in relation to their capabilities. Pupils start in the Nursery with basic skills well below the expected level, particularly in literacy, communication and social skills. Through effective teaching and good support they make good progress, but standards at the end of Reception year are still below the nationally expected level. In 2006, results in national tests exceeded the school’s own expectations but remain below average. Targets for 2007 are realistic and challenging and indicate a rise in standards. Standards are weakest in English and boys clearly do less well than girls. The school is responding to this well and, although it is early in the school year, several lessons observed had activities that clearly interested boys and their work showed the benefit. More able pupils make good progress and reach the higher levels of attainment expected of them. Pupils from the various groups that have extra learning needs make good progress.

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Grade: 2

The governing body has very positively provided extra support that is matched to individual need.

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Grade: 2

Personal development, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is good. Children start Nursery with social skills that are well below expected levels for their age. They make good progress in developing the social and academic skills that will help them grow into mature young people, learning to share and care for each other. They enjoy coming to school and are most appreciative of the opportunities provided by the new building. They are successfully learning about living healthily and safely. Behaviour is good and pupils know that any bullying will be dealt with promptly. Pupils develop a good understanding of different cultures and celebrate festivals from a range of faiths. Attendance is below the national average. The school council gives pupils the chance to influence decisions on a range of matters, for example, building the ‘shade and shelter’ area and seating in the playgrounds.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Typical strengths include: • teachers engaging pupils’ interests and making learning fun by the effective use of a good range of practical activities, games and interactive whiteboards • question and answer sessions and discussions that involve pupils in lessons and successfully promote independent thinking skills • good classroom management and lessons that run with little disruption 3 Inspection Report: South Bank Community Primary School, 12 °13 September 2006 • well-briefed teaching assistants provide good support for all pupils, especially those with learning difficulties, physical disabilities and those learning English as an additional language. Occasionally, some lessons at this very early part of the year are slow paced with too much direction from teachers, limiting the opportunities pupils have to take the initiative for their own learning. Pupils’ progress is carefully tracked and work is planned

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Grade: 2

The school provides a good curriculum that meets local needs. The emphasis on developing creativity and linking subjects together makes learning relevant and enjoyable for the pupils. Information and communication technology (ICT) is used well to support learning in other subjects and actions are underway to extend opportunities in the curriculum for pupils to practise and improve their skills in English, particularly in writing. Projects such as ‘Heartstone’ and ‘travel plan’ successfully promote pupils’ understanding of citizenship, staying safe and keeping healthy. Pupils benefit from a good range of well attended after school clubs. Visits and visitors to the school enrich the curriculum and enhance learning.

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Grade: 2

Pupils say that they feel safe and secure in school and know there is always an adult to turn to with any worries or concerns. This is because there is a caring ethos, safe environment and good relationships throughout the school. Pupils’ academic progress is regularly monitored, enabling teachers to identify where extra support or challenge is needed. Pupils say they feel well supported in lessons by adults who reward successes and boost self-esteem. Child protection and all other risk assessments are in place. Pupils with a wide range of specific extra needs are well supported by highly skilled staff and outside agencies. This ensures that they are fully included in all that the school has to offer and achieve to the best of their capabilities.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher gives a strong steer to the school’s work based on her good knowledge of local pupils’ needs. Very good partnerships with outside agencies result in: • the widening of pupils’ learning experiences • needy families benefiting from support that promotes pupils’ well-being and their right to benefit equally from what the school has to offer • the lowering of barriers to learning. 4 Inspection Report: South Bank Community Primary School, 12 °13 September 2006 In the very short time since the school opened, the procedures and practices for managing the school have been sensibly implemented. The leadership group identifies priorities for improvement and the strategies to meet them. For example, monitoring and assessment systems already provide sharp insights into the need to improve pupils’ thinking and literacy skills. Actions to improve the quality of education further have been initiated but too little time has elapsed to judge their impact. Governance is

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Grade: 2

sound and meets statutory responsibilities. Governors support the school well. They benefit from the very detailed information and analysis provided by the headteacher and staff, but their monitoring relies too heavily on this information and too little on their own procedures and practices. Financial management is prudently targeted on supporting well planned educational initiatives. 5 Inspection Report: South Bank Community Primary School, 12 °13 September 2006 .

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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: South Bank Community Primary School, 12 °13 September 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 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA 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? 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

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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

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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: South Bank Community Primary School, 12 °13 September 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? 8 Inspection Report: South Bank Community Primary School, 12 °13 September 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

South Bank Community Primary School Poplar Grove South Bank Middlesbrough Redcar and Cleveland TS6 6SY 12 September 2006 Dear Pupils The inspectors had a really enjoyable time in your school this week. We are privileged to have had the opportunity to work with you and the staff of the school. Many thanks to those who talked with us and we were very impressed by the courtesy and help you provided. What we really liked about your school: • the good progress made by all children, including those with extra needs • your enjoyment of school, good behaviour and the way you celebrate the important events in the lives of people from many backgrounds • the good care and support provided for you and many of your families • the important contribution that you make to the running of the school, such as the suggestions for further improvements to the premises • the good teaching and strong teamwork that supports all of you

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• the way that governors and staff have successfully started a new school in your wonderful new premises. You are all working hard to read and write well. Nevertheless, there is room for further improvement, particularly among the boys. You can help your teachers by: • always doing your best writing in all your subjects • reading as often as you can • trying to improve on your previous work. Most of you attend school on a regular basis and turn up on time. It is important that all of you attend school every day and arrive at school a little before ten minutes to nine each day. If you do this then you will not miss important work. The inspection team wishes you well and good luck for the future. John Heap (Lead inspector) 9 Inspection Report: South Bank Community Primary School, 12 °13 September 2006

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