West Boldon Primary School

Inspection Report West Boldon Primary School

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108701 Unique Reference Number South Tyneside LEA 294771 Inspection number 27 April 2006 to 27 April 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Jennie Platt Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to inspect any school in England. The inspection is to be treated as a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Hindmarch Drive School address Primary Type of school West Boldon Community School category East Boldon, Tyne and Wear 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 0191 5362846 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0191 536 2846 Fax number 225 Number on roll Mr Joe Oxley Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Peter Millington Headteacher 1 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 294771 27 April 2006 - 4 to 11 27 April 2006 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. During the day the inspector met with staff, parents, pupils and governors. All classrooms were visited and several lessons observed. School documentation was scrutinised and 147 questionnaires from parents guided the writing of this report.

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Description of the school

This is an average sized school. Available indicators point to it serving an area which is socially and economically disadvantaged. The number of pupils taking a free school meal is above average. All pupils are from white British backgrounds. An above average number of pupils have learning difficulties/disabilities and one has a formal statement of special educational need. The children’s attainment when they start school is well below the levels expected. The school benefits from being a member of the South Tyneside Learning Partnership Education Action Zone.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: West Boldon Primary School, 27 April 2006 to 27 April 2006

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Grade: 1

This is a highly effective school that provides an excellent quality of education. Parents are justifiably impressed by the school which is oversubscribed and very popular in the locality. Pupils enjoy school and arrive smiling. As one governor said, ‘This is a family school and very much part of the community’. Parents and pupils are very pleased that safety and welfare are central to the school’s philosophy. This aspect of the school is outstanding because all involved with the pupils work as a close knit unit, and as one pupil said ‘I enjoy coming here because it is extremely safe and everyone is very friendly.’ Overall achievement is outstanding. From a very low starting point the school consistently enables pupils to achieve high standards. Children make tremendous progress in the Foundation Stage because of the excellent organisation of the day. As well as enjoying the freedom to select from an impressive array of purposeful

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Grade: 1

activities, the children work in small groups with their teacher who is highly effective in raising literacy and numeracy skills. Children observed eagerly tried out new writing skills to describe how they had planted seeds. They grip pencils correctly and carefully form their letters because the teachers’ infinite patience has successfully taught these essential skills. Progress is good in Years 1 and 2 and most pupils have made up for their low starting base and are working at the level expected for their age. Writing quality has not been as high as reading and mathematics and the school has tackled this with staff training and changes to teaching methods. Standards are now rising. It is at the end of Key Stage 2 when learning accelerates. This increase in progress is brought about by the teacher’s sheer determination to get the very best from the pupils. Year 6 pupils say that their teacher gives them confidence and they appreciate

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Grade: 1

the time she spends in individual discussions so they know how to improve. Assessment is excellent. Information is evaluated with infinite care and every effort made to match work to pupils’ ability and to set pupils targets so that they can make the best possible progress, whatever their gender or ability. Teachers have very high expectations of their pupils who rise to the challenge and work extremely hard. Their eagerness to learn is most impressive and they are always interested and involved in the activities set. Pupils find it difficult to identify a favourite activity because they enjoy all aspects of the school. This enthusiasm is linked to the richness of experiences that make days busy and fun. Displays of high quality pupils’ work are a clear signal to visitors of the variety and range of activities. Literacy and numeracy are used well in other subjects but limited resources for information and communication technology

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Grade: 1

make it difficult to fully exploit the use of computers in other subjects. The range of extra curricular activities is amazing and the school deserves its reputation for success in sport. Leadership from the headteacher and deputy headteacher is excellent and they share a great determination to provide the very best for the pupils but also maintain a sense of fun in learning. Their enthusiasm inspires all staff and consequently the school has sustained a picture of high standards. Governors are supportive although rely rather too much on the headteacher for information. All involved with the school play a part 2 Inspection Report: West Boldon Primary School, 27 April 2006 to 27 April 2006 in evaluating what is happening, and the school has an accurate picture of what works well and a vision for the future. Value for money is excellent and the school is very well placed to move forward.

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Grade: 1

Overall achievement is excellent. In the Foundation Stage children start with limited skills especially in literacy. The majority of children make very good progress and are very close to achieving the levels expected by the end of the Reception year. This firm foundation is built on successfully in Years 1 and 2 and results in national assessments are generally in line with the national average and often slightly better. Progress accelerates at the end of Key Stage 2 and results in national tests last year were very high. The school is particularly effective at enabling those capable of reaching the highest standards to do so. Although current standards are not quite as high, school records show achievement remains outstanding for pupils of all abilities.

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Grade: 1

Pupils have very good attitudes to school and learning. Behaviour is excellent. Pupils grow in self-confidence because they know staff have their interest at the heart of everything. Relationships are excellent and pupils always treat adults and each other with great respect. Pupils enjoy keeping fit through exercise. They recall the important messages about how to keep themselves safe. The high standards in basic skills make a very positive contribution to pupils’ future economic well-being. Considerable effort is given to fundraising and pupils are eager to help others in the local community. Provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good. Attendance is above average.

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Grade: 1

Outstanding features of the best teaching seen during the inspection include exceedingly high expectations of academic performance. Pupils say their teachers push them on but in a way that inspires them rather than making school stressful. Excellent use of assessment information means that work is accurately matched to pupils’ individual needs. Another common strength is the use of the interactive white board which sustains enthusiasm for learning. Teachers show flair and in all lessons seen interesting activities greatly accelerated learning. In the Foundation Stage the focus is definitely on first hand experiences and there is often laughter and an air of enjoyment in learning. 3 Inspection Report: West Boldon Primary School, 27 April 2006 to 27 April 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is well matched to pupils’ ability and interests. Staff grasp every opportunity to make learning relevant. For example, the Queen’s recent birthday was exploited to develop an understanding about changes in the monarchy. Pupils’ work shows literacy and numeracy skills are used well in other subjects. However, limited resources mean information and communication technology is not fully exploited. Pupils appreciate their ‘personal and social’ lessons. Through role play they learnt how hurtful bullying can be and what to do about it. Provision for extra-curricular activities is excellent. The school rightly deserves its reputation as a sporting school. Year 6 are eagerly anticipating their opportunity to learn to canoe, climb and orienteer.

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Grade: 1

Staff are supportive and caring. Pupils say they know help is readily at hand. Procedures to ensure pupils’ safety are well established so that the pupils learn in a safe environment. Close links with external agencies guide staff when supporting pupils with learning difficulties/disabilities and those that are more vulnerable. Staff listen to pupils’ views and the school council know their ideas are taken seriously. Staff also involve pupils in their own learning by setting them individual targets so that they know how they can improve.

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Grade: 1

The exceptional headteacher is ably supported by the deputy headteacher. They lead by example taking the homework club to give pupils every opportunity to succeed. They inspire others so that there is a shared view that all pupils should be given the best possible opportunities to achieve well. This aim underpins all aspects of school life and has led to sustained improvements. Subject leaders work together well, rigorously monitoring quality and standards throughout the school. Self-evaluation is carried out collaboratively and although the resulting document is overlong and too descriptive it does show an accurate picture of the school. Governors check statutory duties are met and are especially eager that the school includes pupils of all abilities. They are aware they need more first-hand contact with what is happening in school. 4 Inspection Report: West Boldon Primary School, 27 April 2006 to 27 April 2006

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 5 Inspection Report: West Boldon Primary School, 27 April 2006 to 27 April 2006

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Overall

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

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learners?

NA 1 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 1 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 1 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 1 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 1 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 West Boldon Primary School Hindmarch Drive West Boldon East Boldon Tyne and Wear NE36 0HX 28 April 2006 Dear Pupils Thank you for welcoming me so warmly when I visited your school. I really appreciated the way you chatted to me and helped me. I agree with you and your parents that your school is very successful and you achieve high standards. Much of this success is due to the outstanding teaching that makes lessons so much fun for you. You work hard and really try your best to please your teachers. It was lovely to see how you help each other when someone has fallen down or lost something. You are kind and polite and this makes your school a friendly and happy place to learn. I agree with you about the amazing range of clubs and activities. You are very lucky that staff give up their time to arrange these for you. I wish Year 6 well for the future adventures that are planned for you.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I would like the school to look at ways to increase the number of computers in school so that you can have more time to use them in lessons. Staff lead your school extremely well so that everything runs smoothly. Governors help to manage your school and are looking for ways to be more involved. I am sure you will all have many happy memories of your time at school and I wish you well for the future. Yours sincerely Mrs J E Platt Lead Inspector

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