Harewood Primary School

Inspection Report Harewood Primary School

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134853 Unique Reference Number Stockton-on-Tees Local Authority 294185 Inspection number 16 °17 January 2007 Inspection dates David Shearsmith 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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Eric Avenue School address Primary Type of school Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees Community School category

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TS17 7JJ 3 °11 Age range of pupils 01642 355425 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01642 355428 Fax number 373 Number on roll (school) Mr Denis Robinson Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Jackie Vincent-Jones Headteacher Not previously inspected Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 294185 16 °17 January 2007 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

Harewood Primary School is larger than average and serves an urban area in Stockton. The school opened in April 2005 following the amalgamation of the infant and junior schools. It is based on two sites and also includes a support base for pupils with moderate learning difficulties. The number of pupils from minority ethnic groups is rising slowly and this reflects changes in the local community. Currently, pupils in the main school come from a range of different ethnic backgrounds with an above average proportion who speak English as an additional language. Pupils who are identified with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are part of the support unit. A few children are looked after by carers. The school holds the new Sportsmark Award as well as the Healthy School Award.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Harewood Primary School, 16 °17 January 2007

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Grade: 2

This is a good school and the care, support and guidance it provides for pupils are outstanding. As a result, pupils enjoy school and behave extremely well. Attendance is average, although punctuality is not as good as it could be. By the time they leave Harewood, pupils are articulate, confident, outgoing and want to do well. Parents overall are very pleased with the school and what it provides. Children get off to a good start because of the high quality provision they have in the Foundation Stage. The quality of teaching and learning is good with some that is outstanding. As a result, pupils make good progress. Pupils appreciate what the school does to help them but they are insufficiently involved in evaluating their own learning. Pupils achieve well from below average starting points. This is because pupils generally make good progress in each key stage. Standards are overall above average by the time pupils leave in Year

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Grade: 2

6. In English, standards in writing significantly lag behind those in reading as the intervention strategies that the school has implemented have had insufficient time to have impact. Standards in mathematics are above average and in science are generally high. The school offers an outstanding curriculum and there is a wide range of activities beyond lessons, particularly in sport. The headteacher leads with vision and purpose. She is well supported by senior managers, who work closely together to provide excellent care and a good quality of education. Financial management is effective and the school gives good value for money. The school's self-evaluation is mainly accurate although, in a few of its judgments, the inspectors feel the school does better than indicated. The school has made good progress since its amalgamation and is set to do even better. These improvements show that the school is well placed to continue to

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Grade: 2

improve in all aspects of its performance.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Raise standards in writing. • Involve pupils in evaluating their own learning.

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Grade: 2

Children enter the Nursery with low levels of attainment for their ages. They make good progress in the Foundation Stage, particularly in personal, social and emotional development, although the majority of children are still working towards the goals for their ages in language and communication skills by the time they start Year 1. Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1 although standards overall are currently below average, reflecting the very low standards on entry of this group of pupils. Their current work shows good progress. Pupils make good, and in some cases, better progress in Key Stage 2 and standards are above average by the end of Year 6 in mathematics and science. In English, there is a significant difference between the higher standards in reading and the lower ones in writing. The school has recognised this and appropriate action is being taken to remedy the causes. Pupils learning English as an additional

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Grade: 2

2 Inspection Report: Harewood Primary School, 16 °17 January 2007 language do very well and almost all reach or exceed the expected standards by the end of Year 6. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are well supported and make good progress, including those in the support unit.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development and well-being are good and by the time they leave school they are confident and outgoing, able to articulate their opinions and have a strong sense of right and wrong. They have a good understanding of cultural diversity and social awareness because provision for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils are polite and the oldest take pride in doing jobs that contribute to the smooth running of the school. Pupils say that bullying does not happen very often and is tackled using anger management strategies. Behaviour is outstanding and this helps pupils to learn quickly. They have good attitudes to their school work and want to do well. Pupils are proud of the school and look after it well by keeping it neat and tidy. They know that the school values them. Attendance is average and pupils enjoy school life and are enthusiastic about the number of

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Grade: 2

interesting things on offer. They are not always as punctual as they could be. Pupils are taught about healthy lifestyles and how to keep safe; they put this into practice, for instance, by choosing the healthy eating options at lunchtime and participating in sport.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning are effective. Lessons have good pace and move smoothly through a series of well planned stages, building pupils’ understanding systematically and giving them regular opportunities to question, think and try out ideas. Pupils enjoy these lively lessons and concentrate hard. At the start of each lesson, teachers make clear to pupils what they are expected to learn. On occasions, this solid start is not built upon well enough. Teachers move on too quickly before checking that pupils have understood. In such lessons, teachers do not refer back to the objectives during or at the end of lessons to help pupils assess their own learning. Pupils’ work is matched closely to their individual needs. This, along with support they receive from class teachers and well trained teaching assistants, enables pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to make good progress. Teachers make good use of information

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Grade: 2

and communication technology. In many lessons, pupils use electronic devices to indicate their level of understanding and confidence. Teachers use this information quickly and effectively to determine who is ready to move on and who is not. As a result, lessons build successfully on what pupils have learned previously. Pupils from the support base are taught well in class and when receiving individual tuition in the base. Teachers mark pupils’ work clearly and accurately in English and, through the 3 Inspection Report: Harewood Primary School, 16 °17 January 2007 ‘special books’ designed for the purpose, provide them with useful guidance on how to improve.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum is outstanding. It is highly innovative and gives meaning and purpose to pupils’ learning. Carefully structured programmes, often linking different subjects together, build pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding progressively and at a fast pace. As a result, pupils’ learning is secure and they show confidence in what they know and can do. Teachers in the same year group plan lessons together and share their plans with others through the school’s computer network. This ensures that pupils of the same age have similar experiences and equal opportunities to learn and lessons build effectively on previous learning. It also enables teachers to utilise their curriculum strengths beyond their own class. The quality of art and design is outstanding and information and communication technology features prominently and effectively in all aspects of the curriculum. The well structured curriculum for

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Grade: 1

personal, social and health education and citizenship and extensive curriculum for physical education make a substantial contribution to pupils’ personal development and well-being. Special features, such as the termly arts weeks, add richness and colour and pupils can choose from a good range of extra-curricular activities, many of which they have requested themselves. The Foundation Stage curriculum is good. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those with English as an additional language are provided with programmes of work closely matched to their needs, helping them to make sustained progress.

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Grade: 1

Pupils are provided with high quality care, guidance and support. Procedures for safeguarding pupils are in place and a careful watch is kept on all pupils, particularly those who are vulnerable. Each week pupils share their thoughts with staff. Teachers respond sensitively and provide opportunities for private discussions for those who need them. The school makes very good use of outside agencies and provides extensive support for those who have problems with attendance and punctuality. Regular health and safety checks are made of the building and visits are evaluated thoroughly before pupils embark on them. All pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and pupils with English as an additional language are included fully in the life of the school. Pupils from the support base are provided with a carefully balanced programme of individual help and classroom lessons, which helps them to make good

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Grade: 1

progress in their personal development and learning. Specialist staff provide effective support for pupils with behaviour difficulties and those who lack social skills. Procedures for tracking pupils’ academic progress provide a clear picture of their development. This information is used extremely well to plan the next steps in pupils’ learning and to identify those who need additional help with their learning. 4 Inspection Report: Harewood Primary School, 16 °17 January 2007

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Grade: 2

The headteacher is determined to provide the very best for every pupil. The school has a very positive ethos in which teamwork is strong and staff strive to make the school even better. An experienced management team gives good support and other managers lead their areas well and work closely together. The school has good and extensive partnerships with other schools and the local community through an excellence cluster. The school takes full account of the views of pupils, parents and governors and, consequently, priorities for improvement are agreed by all. Senior staff monitor the effectiveness of teaching carefully, for instance, by analysing test results and assessments and by examining pupils' work and teachers' planning. They know where improvement is needed to raise standards and plan effectively in these areas. Governors support the school well. They know about the school through involvement

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Grade: 2

in its life and work and the headteacher keeps them well informed about the school's performance. 5 Inspection Report: Harewood Primary School, 16 °17 January 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: Harewood Primary School, 16 °17 January 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 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? 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?

2 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 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?

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: Harewood Primary School, 16 °17 January 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: Harewood Primary School, 16 °17 January 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Harewood Primary School Eric Avenue Thornaby Stockton-on-Tees TS17 7JJ 16 January 2007 Dear Children Thank you for making me so welcome in your school when I visited recently. I enjoyed seeing your lessons and talking to you. I would like to say a special thank you to those of you who came to tell me about your school. I think it is a good school and there are some things that are especially good. All the adults work together outstandingly well to look after you and help you do well. You learn to be responsible and care for others. You know how to keep safe and healthy. You enjoy lessons and your behaviour is excellent so you make good progress. You do particularly well in sport, art and ICT. The teachers teach you well and in some lessons the teaching is excellent. They tell you how well you are doing and how you could do even better. There are lots of interesting things for you to do and plenty of clubs and visits.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your headteacher leads the school very well. She is very proud of you all and how hard you work. All the adults want to make Harewood primary even better. I'm sure they will. I have asked your teachers to involve you more in checking on how well you are learning and to help you reach higher standards in writing. I wish you all the best for the future. Yours sincerely D Shearsmith (Lead inspector) 9 Inspection Report: Harewood Primary School, 16 °17 January 2007

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