Inspection Report
| Unique Reference Number | 108612 |
|---|---|
| LEA | North Tyneside |
| Inspection number | 278009 |
| Inspection dates | 6 July 2006 to 7 July 2006 |
| Reporting inspector | Mr John Heap |
This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.
| Type of school | Primary |
|---|---|
| School category | Community |
| Age range of pupils | 3 to 11 |
| Gender of pupils | Mixed |
| Number on roll | 182 |
| Appropriate authority | The governing body |
| Date of previous inspection | 1 December 2000 |
| School address | Burradon Road Burradon Cramlington, Northumberland |
|---|---|
| Telephone number | 0191 200 8345 |
| Fax number | 0191 200 8444 |
| Chair of governors | Mrs Lynn Lambton |
| Headteacher | Mr Alistair Gilfillan |
Introduction
The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.
Description of the school
This below average sized school serves mainly White British pupils and a few from other minority ethnic backgrounds. The area has some social and economic disadvantage and the entitlement to free school meals is average. Attainment on entry is below average and the proportion with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. Very small proportions of pupils speak English as an additional language. The school moved to new premises in April 2006. The school has received a range of awards and commendations for improvements in standards, skills and provision.
| Grade 1 | Outstanding |
|---|---|
| Grade 2 | Good |
| Grade 3 | Satisfactory |
| Grade 4 | Inadequate |
Overall effectiveness of the school
Inspectors agree with the schoolâ??s view that it is good and provides good value for money. There are also some outstanding features. Parents are rightly pleased with the good improvements since the last inspection. As one parent, typically, put it: â??The school is a well managed and friendly environment for parents and children alike.â?? A good start in the Foundation Stage means that children progress well and reach expected standards by the end of Foundation Stage 2. Standards are above average by the end of Year 6 and achievement is good. Over the last few years standards have risen because teaching is good. Nevertheless, test results for writing have lagged behind mathematics and science, particularly for the higher attaining pupils. Opportunities are missed to use and develop writing skills across the full range of subjects. Pupilsâ?? personal development is excellent and reflects the outstanding care and supportive ethos of the school. All pupils take a full part in all that is on offer. Pupils are appreciative of the good range of activities that enrich the good curriculum. The good links with other agencies provide opportunities that broaden pupils' experiences and the support they receive. Leadership and management are good. Self-evaluation is mainly accurate and the school is well placed to continue improving. The headteacher leads the school with energy, initiative and vision. Senior staff and governors are very supportive. Governors are well informed by the headteacher and staff, but they are too reliant on this information for their monitoring and evaluation of the school.
Grade: 2
What the school should do to improve further
- Raise standards in writing.
- Improve the governing bodyâ??s skills in monitoring and evaluating the school.
Achievement and standards
Standards are above average and achievement is good. On arrival in Foundation Stage 1, standards are below average, with particular weaknesses in communication, language and literacy and mathematical development. Children make good progress and by the end of Foundation Stage 2, most achieve the nationally expected goals and some achieve even more. By the end of Year 6, there is a good and rising trend in national test results. In the current Year 6, standards are broadly average in English and above average in mathematics and science. However, almost 30% of the pupils have extra learning needs in literacy. Challenging targets are often exceeded. The school's effective tracking procedures show that pupils make good progress. A major concern for the school has been writing standards, particularly for the higher attaining pupils. The quality of extended pieces of writing is improving, but throughout the school there is not enough writing done in other subjects. Standards in information and communication technology (ICT) are average. Pupilsâ?? skills and independence are improving rapidly because of the excellent new facilities and specialist teaching that is challenging the pupils. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those learning English as an additional language make good progress towards their individual targets.
Grade: 2
Personal development and well-being
Pupilsâ?? personal development, including spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, is outstanding. Pupils thoroughly enjoy school and are eager to earn â??ticketsâ?? and certificates for good work. Attendance is only satisfactory because some parents take their children on holiday in term time. Pupils readily and openly share their innermost hopes and fears in an environment of trust and respect. They know about other cultures and traditions and enjoy trying foods from other cultures. Relationships are excellent because pupils listen and are listened to. Pupils express their opinions very clearly and are highly aware that all people deserve to be treated equally, whatever their background. Pupils are enthusiastic, mature and sensitive individuals. They make decisions competently about a healthy lifestyle and behaving safely. Behaviour is exemplary and pupils have a clear view of what is right and wrong. They are very courteous and considerate, especially in the playground. Older pupils enable younger ones to feel safe and secure at playtimes. They are keen to take responsibility and love being buddies and school councillors. Pupils have learned much about economics and working in the community by planning the development of their woodland area.
Grade: 1
Quality of provision
Teaching and learning
The quality of teaching and learning is good. Pupils and parents talk warmly about the teachers and the effective work they do. They recognise that this good practice leads to good progress in learning throughout the school. The main strengths are:
- the good management of behaviour that ensures little disruption to learning
- the extensive use of rewards and praise promotes a positive learning environment
- good planning that caters for all needs
- the increasing use of the highly improved ICT facilities to illustrate teaching points and challenge pupilsâ?? understanding. Pupils continue to work independently at home using the electronic â??portalâ?? link.
Pupils learn best in the many lessons where the targets are clear and challenging. Just occasionally the high expectations of pupils are not met. This leads to weaker presentation and slower progress. Marking is closely related to individual learning targets and pupils are clear about how they are doing and what they need to do next. Teaching in the Foundation Stage is good and children are actively involved in exciting and imaginative activities that fully engage them in learning. Pupils with extra learning needs are well supported and they make good progress.
Grade: 2
Curriculum and other activities
The curriculum is good and meets national and local requirements. It is greatly enhanced by the superb facilities in the new premises, especially for ICT and games. Enrichment of the curriculum is good and better than the weak picture described in the previous report. Good links with outside agencies, such as the Sport England project, have brought high quality coaching staff into the school. This has enabled pupils to take full advantage of the new facilities. Pupils value visitors, residential experiences, visits to museums and performing at the Sage Theatre. A local retired army officer talked to pupils about life in the Second World War and pupils produced some high quality personal responses as evacuees. However, there are insufficient opportunities for more extended pieces of writing across the curriculum. Provision for personal development is well structured and includes all aspects of health and safety and raising awareness of other cultures.
Grade: 2
Care, guidance and support
Care, guidance and support are outstanding. Care is the exemplary heart of this school. The family atmosphere superbly reflects the schoolâ??s aims of â??friendly, happy and approachableâ?? and where every pupil is fully valued. Child protection procedures are robust and teachers have had appropriate training. Vulnerable pupils are well supported academically, socially and emotionally. They are taught how to manage their feelings as part of an excellent programme which includes â??circle timeâ?? (class discussions). Pupils are confident that grown ups will listen to them and help them if they have a problem. Arrangements for health and safety are excellent. The system for tracking pupilsâ?? academic achievements is used very effectively by teachers to plan lessons. All pupils have targets set for them so that they know what it is they need to do in order to improve their work.
Grade: 1
Leadership and management
Inspectors agree with the school that leadership and management are good. The headteacher has a very strong and clear vision for the school. This has led to a range of improvements, such as:
- a good upward trend in standards
- the development of the new premises, with excellent ICT and sporting facilities and Foundation Stage accommodation
- good enrichment of the curriculum that provides much wider opportunities for all pupils.
These developments and the headteacher's part in their achievement are much appreciated by the whole school community and by partners who are working hard to regenerate the area. He is well supported by a strong deputy headteacher and active governing body. The realistic school development plan identifies appropriate improvements and benefits from robust evaluation by staff. The school has a good capacity to improve further. Financial management is prudent and whilst there is not much surplus money, the school has managed to use its funds well to increase provision. For example, the hiring of specialist sport coaches so that all pupils can get full benefit from the excellent new facilities. The sound governing body benefits from the good expertise of members and its impact on the school is improving. Governors played a strong role in getting the new building. However, their monitoring and evaluation of the school's work are at an early stage of development. Currently they are over-reliant on the headteacher and his colleagues for the information that leads to self-evaluation.
Grade: 2
Annex A
Inspection judgements
| Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate | School Overall | 16-19 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall effectiveness | ||
| How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? | 2 | NA |
| How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? | 2 | NA |
| The quality and standards in foundation stage | 2 | NA |
| The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation | 2 | NA |
| The capacity to make any necessary improvements | Yes | NA |
| Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection | Yes | NA |
| Achievement and standards | ||
| How well do learners achieve? | 2 | NA |
| The standards1 reached by learners | 2 | NA |
| How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners | 2 | NA |
| How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress | 2 | NA |
| 1 Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. | ||
| Personal development and well-being | ||
| How good is the overall personal development and well-being of the learners? | 1 | NA |
| The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development | 1 | NA |
| The behaviour of learners | 1 | NA |
| The attendance of learners | 3 | NA |
| How well learners enjoy their education | 1 | NA |
| The extent to which learners adopt safe practices | 1 | NA |
| The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles | 1 | NA |
| The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community | 1 | NA |
| How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being | 1 | NA |
| The quality of provision | ||
| How effective are teaching and learning in meeting the full range of the learners' needs? | 2 | NA |
| How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? | 2 | NA |
| How well are learners cared for, guided and supported? | 1 | NA |
| Leadership and management | ||
| How effective are leadership and management in raising achievement and supporting all learners? | 2 | NA |
| How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education | 2 | NA |
| How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review | 2 | NA |
| How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can | 2 | NA |
| How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money | 2 | NA |
| The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities | 3 | NA |
| The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected | Yes | NA |
| The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy | |
|---|---|
| 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 | Yes |
| The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe | |
| 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 | Yes |
| The extent to which learners make a positive contribution | |
| 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 | Yes |
| The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being | |
| There is provision to promote learners' basic skills | Yes |
| Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams | Yes |
| 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 | NA |
Annex B
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
The Pupils
Burradon Community Primary School
Burradon Road
Burradon
Cramlington
Northumberland
NE23 7NG
6 July 2006
Dear Pupils
The inspectors thoroughly enjoyed being in your school this week. We felt privileged to work with you and the staff of the school. Particular thanks are due 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, excellent behaviour and kind help for others
the excellent care that adults show for you all
the important contribution that you make to the running of the school and the contribution that you make to the local community
the good teaching
the good leadership and management that has led to great improvements in recent years.
You are all working hard to write well, but there needs to be more opportunities for you to use and develop writing skills across all the subjects that you do. You can help your teachers by:
always doing your best writing in all your subjects
trying to improve on your previous work.
The inspection team wishes you well and good luck for the future.
Yours sincerely
John Heap
Lead Inspector
Annex B
Annex B
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