Hazlewood Community Primary School

Hazlewood Community Primary School Inspection report

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108610 Unique Reference Number North Tyneside Local Authority 301356 Inspection number 25 °26 June 2007 Inspection dates Christine Inkster HMI 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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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 237 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Ron Nicholson Chair Mrs Ali Endean Headteacher 1 April 2003 Date of previous school inspection Canterbury Way School address Wideopen Newcastle upon Tyne Tyne and Wear NE13 6JJ

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0191 2007911 Telephone number 0191 2007912 Fax number

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3 °11 Age group 25 °26 June 2007 Inspection dates 301356 Inspection number .

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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 of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Hazlewood Community Primary School is situated in Wideopen in North Tyneside approximately five miles from the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It is close to the boundary between North Tyneside and Newcastle and takes pupils from the surrounding areas. It is of average size. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is slightly lower than average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is lower than the national average, as is the proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs. The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage. A significant number of staff changes have taken place in the last two years, most of which are due to promotion, retirement or staff moving away from the area. The school has gained several awards including the Basic Skills Quality Mark, the Healthy School Award, International School Award, Tidy School Award and Activemark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazlewood Community Primary School, 25 °26 June 2007

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Grade: 3

Hazlewood Primary School provides a satisfactory education for its pupils. It is an improving school with some good features. There has been a high turnover of staff over the last two years, but the outcomes for pupils have not been affected by this because the school has maintained its strong focus on raising standards of achievement for pupils. Pupils have a good start to their education, although some have weaker language skills when they enter the Nursery. They settle well in the Foundation Stage and make good progress in their learning. Pupils make good progress through Key Stages 1 and 2 and by the end of Year 6 standards are consistently above the national average and have been since 2003. The results of the 2006 national tests were the highest yet. Standards for seven year olds have shown improvement in all subjects since 2003, although they have been variable, particularly in writing. Boys achieve less well than girls in

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Grade: 3

writing, and the school is taking steps to improve the situation. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress due to the good support they receive. Pupils’ personal development and well-being are good, which helps them prepare well for their future lives. Behaviour is good and attendance is above the national average. Pupils have a good understanding of how to remain healthy and safe. Their social, moral and cultural development is good, although spiritual development is not as well developed as it could be. Pupils enjoy coming to school and they develop self-esteem and confidence. Pupils care for one another and relish the opportunity to take on responsibilities within school. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall. There is some good teaching. Most teachers plan carefully to meet the needs of pupils with differing abilities but in some classes, pupils are not sufficiently challenged and they are not always given the opportunity to think

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Grade: 3

carefully before responding to questions. However, where teaching is good, teachers share learning intentions with the class so pupils know what they are expected to learn. Pupils who are actively involved in lessons make better progress. In these lessons there are good opportunities to develop speaking and listening skills through discussion and drama and teachers ask probing questions which promote good thinking skills. The curriculum is satisfactory with some good features. It is currently under review in order to increase pupils’ opportunities for creativity, but these changes are not yet embedded. There are, however good opportunities for the enrichment of the curriculum, including residential visits, links with other countries and good participation in out-of-school activities. The leadership and management of the school are satisfactory. The senior leadership team have a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the school and have effective support

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Grade: 3

from members of the governing body. There has been a high turnover of staff in the school mainly due to the promotion, retirement and movement of members of staff to other areas or schools. A significant proportion of parents have understandably expressed their concerns about the effect of the changes on their children. However, the senior leadership team have maintained a strong focus on raising standards of achievement for pupils during this period of time and the impact of this is evident in the improved results for pupils. The role of subject leaders is not yet fully developed as they have not yet had the opportunity to monitor standards and achievement in their subject areas. The school cares well for its pupils with all statutory procedures for safeguarding and the care and welfare of pupils fully in place. This is demonstrated by the good personal development and well-being of pupils and the positive

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Grade: 3

responses they gave when asked about their views about the school and the opportunities it provides for them. However, pupils are not always given enough guidance through the teachers’ 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazlewood Community Primary School, 25 °26 June 2007 marking of their work and they are not always aware of their learning targets or what they have to do to achieve better.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the quality of teaching and learning to consistently good. • Ensure marking, feedback and the guidance pupils receive to improve their work are consistent across the school. • Develop the skills of subject leaders so that curriculum initiatives are embedded. A small proportion of schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 2

Pupils start school with skills and knowledge which are typical of children their age but some have weaker language and communication skills. They make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes and by the time they start in Year 1, most have reached standards slightly above those expected for their age. Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 1. Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 have been variable over the last few years, but have risen in all core subjects since 2003. In 2006, national test results were above the national average and significantly above in mathematics. The school has identified that boys sometimes achieve less well than girls, particularly in writing. Teachers have taken appropriate steps to improve achievement by adapting the curriculum to stimulate boys’ interest as well as provide targeted support for pupils who have fallen behind in their work. National test results at the end of Key Stage 2 have been above the national average for several

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Grade: 2

years in all core subjects and were significantly above in mathematics and science and above in English in 2006. More able pupils did well in mathematics and very well in science, although they did less well in English. Pupils make good progress from their starting points and in 2006 pupils were in the top 15% of schools nationally in terms of the progress they made during their time in Key Stage 2. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress due to the effective targeted support they receive.

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Grade: 2

The personal development of pupils is good. They have high levels of self-esteem and confidence. Pupils say that they really enjoy coming to school and are very positive about the majority of opportunities the school offers them; for example, residential visits and other visits to places of interest as well as out-of-school clubs. However, not all pupils find their lessons interesting. Pupils feel safe at school and they relate well to adults and to each other. Behaviour is good and pupils interact positively in the playground, where playground ‘buddies’ ensure pupils have someone to play with. Pupils’ attendance and punctuality are good. Pupils’ moral, social and cultural development is good, but their spiritual development is no better than satisfactory because there are not enough opportunities for thought and reflection in assemblies and lessons. Pupils understand their own culture and that of others through a

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Grade: 2

wide range of cultural activities, like projects on India and China. They work well together in pairs and in groups, developing skills that will help them in the future. They raise funds for a 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazlewood Community Primary School, 25 °26 June 2007 number of charities and are involved in the life of the community through work with Age Concern and the local church. Pupils are very aware of the need for regular exercise and a healthy diet and participate keenly in a range of sporting activities. The school council is well established and has brought about changes in the school, especially in the outdoor play area.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory overall, but it varies from class to class. Despite some teaching being good, much is satisfactory. Where teaching is a strength, pupils know what they are to learn and what they have to do to achieve. They are involved in interesting and often practical experiences which stimulate their learning. Teachers ask probing questions which promote good thinking skills and there are good opportunities for speaking and listening. In these lessons work is well-planned to meet the needs of individual pupils. In satisfactory lessons teachers do not always allow pupils sufficient time to answer questions effectively and some pupils are not always given hard enough work to do, occasionally due to an over-reliance on worksheets. Where the pace of lessons is slow, pupils become restless and lose concentration. Teachers have good relationships with their pupils and they promote pupils’ personal and social

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Grade: 3

development. Pupils behave well in lessons and cooperate well with one another. They say they enjoy their learning. Teachers’ marking, although good at times, does not consistently inform pupils what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is satisfactory with some good features. The headteacher is remodelling the curriculum to make learning more exciting and relevant to pupils’ lives but this project is not yet complete. Lessons are beginning to be enriched by close partnerships with the local community; for example, Age Concern, and enterprise partners. The school is involved in a ‘Creative Partnerships’ project and this is beginning to make a positive difference to how pupils think and how staff teach. This initiative is enabling staff to be more imaginative in how subjects are planned and linked together to add excitement for learners. Lessons are carefully planned to ensure continuity and progression in learning. However, more still needs to be done to ensure that pupils progress as well as possible in all subjects. In the Foundation Stage, learning outside the classroom is planned well. Literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology

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Grade: 3

are taught as discrete subjects but they are also taught within other subjects. French and philosophy are strengths of the school curriculum. There is a wide range of extra-curricular activities in the more traditional sports and in more unusual activities such as cheerleading, Aikido and dance, which support the school’s commitment to physical education and games. There are also musical and cultural activities which many pupils enjoy. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazlewood Community Primary School, 25 °26 June 2007

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Grade: 3

Care, guidance and support are satisfactory. The health and safety of all children are paramount and all necessary child protection and safeguarding requirements are met. A personal, social and health education programme of good quality is effective in supporting pupils’ personal development. The school works very hard to meet the needs of all pupils. The specific needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are successfully met by skilled staff and secure procedures are in place to manage vulnerable pupils. Pupils are encouraged to adopt healthy diets and active lifestyles. The school supports pupils well when they move between schools and for their future education. Close social and academic links with the local secondary school ensure pupils are ready for their new school. Reports for parents are clear and informative about pupils’ progress and set targets for improvement. However, pupils are not always sure what level they are working at and targets

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Grade: 3

are not always challenging enough. Processes for tracking pupils’ progress are not sufficiently robust.

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Grade: 3

Leadership and management are satisfactory. The headteacher and deputy headteacher work well as a team to provide strong leadership and have ensured that they have focused on raising standards in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science and this is evident in the improved results in 2006 in both key stages. They regularly monitor the quality of teaching and learning, including looking at pupils’ work, to ensure that pupils’ needs are being met. The senior leadership team give good advice to staff on how they can improve the quality of their teaching. However, this has not yet had sufficient impact across the whole school and in some classes teaching is not as good as it should be. The school improvement plan identifies appropriate areas for development, which will enable the school to improve even further. Self-evaluation is satisfactory and demonstrates that the senior leaders have a clear

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Grade: 3

understanding of the strengths and weaknesses in the school. However, there has been some instability in respect of subject leadership due to staff turnover. The senior leadership team ensure that subject leaders new to the school or to their posts develop their roles and accountabilities. The school has effectively addressed the majority of key issues from the previous inspection and shows satisfactory capacity to improve. Governors contribute effectively to the development of the school by visiting classrooms, playing a part in the school’s self-evaluation and providing an appropriate level of challenge for school leaders. They have recently developed links with subject leaders in order to help monitor the work of the school. The school provides satisfactory value for money. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazlewood Community Primary School, 25 °26 June 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazlewood Community Primary School, 25 °26 June 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 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 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?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 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?

3 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. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazlewood Community Primary School, 25 °26 June 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? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazlewood Community Primary School, 25 °26 June 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

26 June 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Hazlewood Community Primary School, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE13 6JJ. Thank you so much for making Mr Potter and myself feel so welcome when we visited your school to see how well you are learning. Hazlewood Primary School is a satisfactory and improving school and some areas are good. We were pleased to see that you are making good progress in your work and are achieving good standards. We also found that you come to school regularly and on time and the vast majority of pupils behave well in lessons and in the playground. We found that you were very polite and helpful and we enjoyed the opportunities to talk to you about your school. You told us that you enjoyed coming to school and that you liked your teachers. You told us you appreciated the activities the school provides for you; for example, residential visits and other visits to interesting places such as Plessey Woods. Please

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

would you pass on our thanks to your parents and carers for returning the questionnaires and say we took all their views into account. We also felt it was important to talk to as many pupils as we could so that we could take your views into account too. There are some areas in the school which we believe could improve. We have asked the teachers to: • help you do even better in your work by explaining clearly what you are to learn and how you can improve • mark your work more effectively so that you know what you have done well and how you can make it even better • ensure that you are making as much progress as you can in all subjects by regularly looking at your work and observing how well you do in lessons. Thank you for all your help and I wish you every success in all you do in the future. Christine Inkster Her Majesty’s Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Hazlewood Community Primary School, 25 °26 June 2007

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