Blaydon West Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Blaydon West Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. Many say that they love coming to school. Staff are kind and welcoming, and this helps to make new pupils feel at home.

Pupils feel safe because of security systems and knowing their teachers will look after them. Pupils are taught how to be safe outside of the school, for example how to use the pelican crossings.

Pupils try to resolve any disputes themselves before any teacher involvement.

Behaviour is good. Pupils understand the behaviour policy and the importance of following the rules. There are virtually no reported incidents of ...bullying.

Relationships are strong across the school. Pupils show high levels of respect for adults and each other. Courtesy and good manners are the norm.

Leaders and teachers make the school environment appealing for pupils. Pupils learn how to celebrate differences and have respect for all, including people of different races and religions. Pupils aspire to be the 'champion writer' of the week with their work displayed in the special gold frame outside the headteacher's office.

Pupils aim high. They work hard and try their best because teachers expect them to. Pupils have ambitious career choices ranging from being an astronaut to a vet.

The school is integral to its community. Pupils support charities such as for cancer support. They collect food for local foodbanks.

The choir sings in all local care homes at Christmas.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

School leaders have designed a curriculum that is well planned and builds knowledge progressively. Teachers and leaders have addressed any gaps that emerged in pupils' writing skills or fluency in mathematics when schools were only open to some pupils due to COVID-19.

Leaders have made sure important ideas that connect knowledge are woven through each curriculum subject. In most subjects, pupils understand and know these ideas. This helps them link new knowledge to what they already know.

Teachers deliver learning in small steps. The essential learning pupils need to remember at the end of a unit of work is clear. However, for a very few curriculum subjects, this is not yet the case.

Teachers make checks on pupils' learning at the start of most lessons. These 'recaps' are part of the way that knowledge becomes embedded in pupils' memory. Teachers address any gaps in learning or misconceptions because teachers know the subject content and structure well.

The checks that teachers make on pupils' grasp of new learning also help them to plan future lessons.

Leaders show determination to prioritise improving pupils' early reading skills. Pupils follow the same routines in their daily phonics lessons.

Children in Reception learn the sounds that letters make and how to write them. There is a clear link between phonics, spelling and writing. Pupils develop a love of reading.

Leaders carefully select texts for class reading areas and story time. Older pupils 'buddy up' with younger children to share books. Pupils at the early stage of reading practise their reading skills with books that they can read with confidence.

Pupils are quickly becoming fluent, independent readers.

Pupils work hard in lessons. During the inspection, children in Nursery were focused and trying hard to build repeating patterns in a number session.

Throughout school, pupils show a determination to succeed and excel. Off-task behaviour is exceptionally rare. Pupils are engaged in learning.

Teachers match learning tasks well to pupils' ability.

Teachers make sure that all pupils can access the set work. They make subtle changes to activities, like how work is recorded.

All pupils learn the same curriculum. All of this supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to achieve well in lessons and over time. Parents and carers are highly involved with the construction of support plans for pupils with SEND.

This helps these pupils to regularly achieve their targets.

Leaders provide many opportunities to support pupils' wider development. Pupils have exposure to a broad range of artistic, sporting and cultural activities.

Leaders have organised for pupils to travel around the region to see, and be proud of, local places of interest, beauty or significance. The school council has chosen new playground equipment and played a part in helping governors with the recruitment of the deputy headteacher. The 'Eco Council' works on the school becoming environmentally friendly.

Pupils sing in regional events and attend dance festivals. They feel like they have a real voice in the school and enjoy the activities on offer.

Staff morale is high.

They report that leaders listen to them and have trust in them. Staff know that leaders value them and so have no fear of criticism. Good levels of communication and being treated fairly are central to fostering a positive team spirit.

Governors share leaders' ambition to provide the best possible outcomes for all pupils. Governors are well informed. They provide good support for school leaders but also hold them to account for the quality of education in school.

Governors see the school at work because they regularly meet with their linked curriculum subject leaders.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders make sure that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.

Its priority is reflected in regular staff training, 'bitesize' safeguarding updates in staff meetings and external audits of safeguarding systems. Staff know how to spot the smallest issue which might indicate something is not quite right. Help is provided if needed.

This includes support for pupils' mental health and well-being.

Leaders have identified the immediate safeguarding risks near school. Road safety is high on the list.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe near busy roads and when riding a bike. They also learn how to stay safe online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects the essential knowledge pupils must learn at the end of a unit of work is not sharply defined.

Pupils are unaware of the central ideas that thread through learning in these subjects. Leaders need to make sure that the curriculum is further refined and embedded so pupils develop a broad, memorable and detailed body of knowledge and skills across all areas of learning.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2013.