Bill Quay Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

Bill Quay Primary School provides its pupils with a good quality education. It is a happy and welcoming school where care, guidance and support for pupils are outstanding. All groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress.

Teachers and their assistants know all of the pupils exceptionally well and ensure that their needs are fully met. Parents and carers are full of praise for the way that the school educates their children. One parent wrote, 'A lovely caring experience for my child at Bill Quay'.

Teachers and their assistants check on pupils' progress regularly and effectively so they have an accurate picture of how they are getting o...n. If pupils fall behind, members of staff provide them with effective extra support to overcome barriers to progress. Pupils of all abilities generally learn quickly in lessons because teaching is mostly good and sometimes outstanding.

However, there are a few occasions where learning is satisfactory rather than good, because the teacher takes too long with explanations or when the pace of the lesson is rather slow. Sometimes lesson planning does not take sufficient account of the wide range of ability in the class. The school is successful because the headteacher has an extremely clear vision about how to provide good quality education and a particularly effective focus on pupils' progress and personal development.

She has very effectively shared this vision with her senior team and all other members of staff. The governing body is outstanding in its support for the school and in the way that it rigorously monitors all of its activities. The school's self-evaluation is generally accurate and development planning is carried out with precision.

Capacity for further improvement is good because the school has attended well to previous areas for improvement relating to pupils' writing and the outside area used by children in Reception. However, there is now a gap in Years 1 and 2 between the quality of pupils' writing and their skills in mathematics. Provision for pupils with autism is excellent and it frequently promotes spectacular academic and personal advances.

The school has several more outstanding features. For example, the way that it promotes equal opportunities is quite exceptional. This is inextricably linked to the excellent way that partnerships with a huge range of professionals and agencies provide many extra opportunities to enhance the curriculum and support for those pupils whose circumstances make them most potentially vulnerable.

The way that the school promotes community cohesion is imaginative, successful and exemplary.

Information about the school

The school is smaller than an average-sized primary school but the roll is rising steadily. Most pupils are of White British heritage and very few are from minority ethnic groups.

The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make up around a fifth of the school roll which is broadly average. There are two units catering for pupils with a statement of special educational needs relating to autism.

The proportion of pupils who join the school partway through their primary school education is well above average. The school has an international award and a Gateshead inclusion award. There is a daily breakfast club not managed by the governing body which will be reported on separately.

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

Also at this postcode