Myton Park Primary School

Myton Park Primary School Inspection report

p.1

132808 Unique Reference Number Stockton-on-Tees Local Authority 328679 Inspection number 2–3 July 2009 Inspection dates Graeme Clarke Reporting inspector

p.1

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

p.1

Primary Type of school Community School category 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 279 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Mark Irving Chair Mrs Dorothy Begley Headteacher 1 June 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Blair Avenue School address Ingleby Barwick Stockton on Tees TS17 5BL 01642 754658 Telephone number 01642 750717 Fax number

p.1

3–11 Age group 2–3 July 2009 Inspection dates 328679 Inspection number .

p.1

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.

p.2

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. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Myton Park Primary School, 2–3 July 2009

p.2

Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors.

p.3

Description of the school

This average size primary school serves families from the new extensive residential locality of Ingleby Barwick to the south of Stockton on Tees. The school shares a campus with a secondary school and a public library. It is an area where living standards are above average. A well below average number of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage and some are of Asian heritage. A very small minority of pupils are learning English as an additional language. The overall proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average although only a small number have a statement of special educational need. Early Years Foundation Stage provision is in the Nursery and Reception years.

p.3

Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Myton Park Primary School, 2–3 July 2009

p.3

Grade: 1

Pupils’ excellent academic progress leads to very high standards and very high levels of personal development and is at the heart of the outstandingly inclusive education Myton Park Primary School provides. The school works tirelessly to promote excellence. The headteacher is exceptionally well supported by her senior team who help her to maintain the exemplary learning that is evident throughout the school. Strong links with parents, the local community, the church, the university, heritage and outdoor centres offer huge benefit to pupils’ education and development. Parents overwhelmingly hold the school in the highest regard. One commented, ‘We are lucky to have such good leadership and also to have such committed and dedicated teaching and support staff. The school provides an excellent standard of education. My child, while not at the top of the class, is progressing well. She enjoys school.’ Excellent teaching inspires pupils to outstanding achievement. A very rich and exciting curriculum

p.4

Grade: 1

successfully develops pupils’ very high standards in reading, writing, mathematics and science as well as in other subjects and in the use of information and communication technology (ICT). Their achievement is excellent. After making rapid progress in the Nursery and Reception years, pupils build very successfully on their very strong beginning and leave school with exceptionally good results in English, mathematics and science. Teacher assessments and test results at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 are impressive. Standards in all subjects have been very high. Pupils presently in Years 2 and 6 have again reached very high standards that are way beyond the level expected for their age. This is a truly impressive record. Boys and girls do equally well. Very effective support ensures pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language make excellent progress and all leave Year 6 able to

p.4

Grade: 1

read and write well enough to enable them to access the work they are expected to do in secondary school. Pupils behave exceptionally well, act considerately and politely and follow well established routines responsibly. Confidence when speaking and courtesy when listening characterise their contribution to discussion. They thoroughly enjoy school and speak warmly of their friendships. Pupils’ attendance is above average as is to be expected in a school where they thoroughly enjoy every day and work with commendable endeavour. Pupils have a really good grasp of the need for healthy eating, physical activity and personal hygiene. They contribute exceptionally well in many ways to their school and the community it serves. Excellent social and basic skills prepare them exceptionally well for the next stage in their education. Outstanding leadership, management and governance ensure the school gives excellent value

p.4

Grade: 1

for money. The school contributes wholeheartedly to community cohesion, especially through its most effective partnerships with the local community. The school is not complacent in any way. There is a relentless drive to provide pupils with an ever better quality of education. Given the school’s determination to build on its strengths at the last inspection and its exceptional track record since, ambitious goals to sustain so many high accomplishments are well within reach. It has an outstanding capacity for further improvement.

p.4

Grade: 1

Children’s skills and abilities on entry are broadly in line with those expected for their age in most areas of learning but are below in writing, speaking and listening. Children get a really 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Myton Park Primary School, 2–3 July 2009 good start to the education. Parents are delighted with the excellent induction and welfare arrangements which help children to settle and thrive in the warm and supportive environment. Relationships are excellent and engender confidence and a love of learning. Children are eager to try out new things. Teaching is outstanding with an excellent balance between activities where children discover things for themselves and those where they work with an adult. An inspirational curriculum stimulates and encourages children to explore the world around them. The introduction of a new approach to teaching letters and sounds is having a very positive impact on raising achievement in early literacy yet further. Free flow use of the indoor and the

p.4

Grade: 1

well planned outdoor accommodation exemplifies the school’s successful emphasis on the development of independence in selecting and carrying out activities. Many children make excellent progress in all areas of learning and personal and social development, irrespective of their starting points. A very high proportion leaves the Reception class with standards in all areas that are well above the average. Rigorous assessment procedures provide accurate information to inform effective strategies which help extend children’s learning, particularly those children identified with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Outstanding leadership and excellent teamwork provide a vibrant and exciting learning environment in which children are truly valued.

p.5

What the school should do to improve further

■ No specific areas are indicated for improvement – the school is exemplary in almost every way.

p.5

Grade: 1

Standards are very high and pupils’ achievement is excellent. From broadly average skills and abilities when children join the school, they make rapid progress so that when pupils begin Year 1 their standards are well above average. These high standards are built on well between Years 1 and 6. The school sets its pupils extremely challenging targets and meets them through providing an excellent education. Standards at the end of Years 2 and 6 are considerably higher than usually seen and pupils in each class are frequently at least a year and often two years ahead of average standards for their age. This is quite exceptional. Sustaining test results year-on-year that are so much higher than national averages represents outstanding achievement. National test results at the ends of Years 2 and 6 reflect the high quality of the work that pupils produce in class. Skills in literacy, numeracy and ICT are way in advance of those normally found

p.5

Grade: 1

in similar schools. Very high standards in other subjects are evident too, reflected for example by the Artsmark award. In 2008, test results in Year 6 dipped slightly and did not entirely reflect the excellent achievement of most pupils. Results fell because a number of pupils entered the school in Year 6 far too late to benefit fully from the excellent teaching provided. The high standards now evident in Year 6, coupled with pupils’ very strong national test results in science and mathematics indicate that the school has returned to exceptionally high standards.

p.5

Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are outstanding. They benefit enormously from a very wide range of opportunities in and out of lessons. Together these experiences lead to outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils’ grasp of the importance 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Myton Park Primary School, 2–3 July 2009 of health stems from their knowledge of the importance of diet and hygiene and their enthusiastic participation in a wide range of physical activities and voluntary sports. Pupils thoroughly enjoy lessons and feel really pleased when they accomplish challenging tasks as a result of their endeavour. Pupils feel safe in school and comment that antisocial behaviour and bullying are very rare. Carefully arranged activities enable them to feel confident that they know how to deal with any bullying. The school is remarkably successful in helping pupils develop personal responsibility and to behave impeccably. Pupils contribute to their community

p.5

Grade: 1

in many truly effective ways. The school council has encouraged improvements to school life and facilities. Pupil ambassadors proudly represent their school. Older pupils are caring in looking after their younger school-mates, which is an arrangement younger ones value. Pupils make a vital contribution to community cohesion by participating in activities with the local community, for example through their extensive involvement in bulb planting and with an artist to design features for a local park. They have a wide perspective of life in other countries through contributing to links with a school in Kampala. Outstanding basic skills, excellent social skills, experience of enterprise and links with a partner secondary school prepare pupils exceptionally well for their future.

p.6

Grade: 1

Teaching and learning are of an exceptionally high quality which underpins the excellent progress that pupils make. Lessons are frequently outstanding and never less than of securely good quality. The learning atmosphere is universally outstanding because teachers and classroom assistants fully expect it to be so. There is not a moment wasted. Change involving movement between activities is completely seamless and pupils can frequently be observed working, both in groups or independently, with sustained concentration for long periods, often with minimum supervision. Lesson planning is excellent because teachers routinely prepare different work to suit all pupils’ stages of development. Pupils are effectively encouraged to set work out well and to take a real pride in it. Teachers manage their classes exceptionally well, teaching their pupils effective routines and developing their academic and personal skills at a rapid rate. There is no learning

p.6

Grade: 1

by rote here. Pupils are taught to understand new concepts fully and to develop skills at such a sustained rate that they outstrip average progress by a large margin. Teachers effectively encourage pupils to use these skills in unfamiliar contexts from a very early age.

p.6

Grade: 1

All pupils benefit greatly from an outstanding and well-balanced curriculum which is successfully arranged and taught in a way that develops their knowledge, understanding and skills very successfully. Pupils have an exceedingly rich range of opportunities to take part in physical and culturally-related activities, out-of-school events and after-school clubs. Outstanding use of local resources together with an extensive range of visits and visitors makes the curriculum exciting and relevant to all. Pupils’ knowledge of their local community and its heritage is successfully developed through local studies. Developing international links and work in geography, history, religious education and the arts widen pupils’ perspectives of the diversity of life in Britain and worldwide and successfully promote community cohesion. Active 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Myton Park Primary School, 2–3 July 2009 partnerships with local services, community associations and the church enliven pupils’ skills

p.6

Grade: 1

and understanding and make a vital contribution to pupils’ outstanding spiritual, physical, social and cultural development.

p.7

Grade: 1

The school admirably fulfils its mission to provide the best educational opportunities for children through its tangible culture of care and support for individuals. Pupils’ confidence about who to turn to when in difficulty stems from the way staff know all of them well and readily give help. Excellent academic guidance and support stems from assiduous use of information about pupils’ performance so that all pupils, particularly those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, make outstanding progress. Parents in turn are greatly appreciative. The relatively small number of pupils with English as an additional language is helped to attain much more highly than others elsewhere. Higher attaining pupils thoroughly enjoy and learn exceptionally well from challenging and intriguing activities provided in lessons and in partnership with local schools and the university. Diligent marking congratulates pupils on their accomplishments

p.7

Grade: 1

and often gives clear pointers towards improvement. Effective arrangements to encourage good attendance foster recognition of its importance throughout the school.

p.7

Grade: 1

Leadership and management are outstanding. The headteacher very effectively communicates her extremely clear vision for the school to all the staff and pupils. Governors play their part exceptionally well. They are very well informed about the school’s work, help where they can and challenge strongly when it is appropriate to do so. Senior leaders and governors are unyielding in their commitment to an ever better quality of education reflected by their sharply focused and diligently implemented improvement plan. Training of staff is first rate so that inexperienced teachers soon develop expertise and high standards do not suffer. The school is vigilant in meeting all requirements to prevent discrimination and safeguard pupils’ welfare. The school’s contribution to community cohesion is a very strong feature. It celebrates differences between the cultures to be found locally and throughout the United Kingdom. It

p.7

Grade: 1

is carefully planned and evaluated so that it very successfully eliminates prejudice, and links extremely productively with groups and schools both locally and further afield. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Myton Park Primary School, 2–3 July 2009 .

p.7

Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Myton Park Primary School, 2–3 July 2009

p.8

Inspection judgements

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

p.9

needs of learners?

Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well being? 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

p.9

EYFS?

1 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 1 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 1 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

p.9

Achievement and standards

1 How well do learners achieve? 1 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

p.9

Achievement and standards

1 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: Myton Park Primary School, 2–3 July 2009

p.9

learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 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

p.10

learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

p.10

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 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 1 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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: Myton Park Primary School, 2–3 July 2009

p.10

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

6 July 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Myton Park Primary School, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 5BL Mr Kingston, Mr Paddick and I really enjoyed our recent visit to inspect your school. Thank you for helping us when we came into your classrooms and assemblies to see you at work. You were very polite and helpful and we did enjoy talking with those of you whom we met. We were pleased to see how much you like to take part enthusiastically in activities during and after school, how you value the help you get and the friendships you make. You are extremely well behaved and polite to others in lessons and outside. We were pleased to see how much you contribute to life in school, how you help others who are less fortunate than you and how you help to make Ingleby Barwick a pleasant place to live. We know the headteacher and all the staff are very proud of you. Your school is outstanding in almost every way. We have been really impressed with the very

p.11

Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

high standards that you have reached this year and that pupils have reached each year since the school opened. All the adults in the school look after you very well and that is why you feel safe and happy. They also ensure that everyone makes outstanding progress in their work. We were especially pleased that pupils who get extra help do really well. When we looked at your books we were delighted to see how much care you take to make your work neat. We saw how teachers tell you how well you are doing and that they often suggest clear ways to help you improve. You have many excellent opportunities at Myton Park to learn about life and these should stand you in very good stead for the future. We hope that you all do really well. Best wishes Graeme Clarke, Tony Kingston and John Paddick Inspectors 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Myton Park Primary School, 2–3 July 2009

p.11