Byker Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Byker Primary embody the school's ethos of children of all backgrounds and cultures being welcomed and valued. Comments from pupils, such as 'We are not blood related, but we are all one family,' reflect the inclusive nature of the school.

Pupils benefit from the effective provision the school puts in place for their wider development beyond the academic curriculum. Arrangements to safeguard pupils are effective. Pupils are happy.

Despite this, the number of pupils who are persistently or severely absent from school is too high. Many pupils are late to school. These pupils miss out on valuable learning.

In some cases, pupils meet the school's high e...xpectations for their achievements. Pupils enjoy lessons and talk with enthusiasm about their recent learning. However, the school does not identify and address gaps in pupils' learning sufficiently well.

This means that some pupils do not have a secure base for future learning.

There are warm and positive relationships between pupils and staff. Many pupils show high levels of respect to others.

Behaviour in school is positive, in the main. However, this is not consistent over time. Bullying is rare.

Parents and carers are generally positive about the school. Their comments highlight staff who 'genuinely care'.

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

The school has recently undergone a review of the curriculum.

Many of the resulting changes are new and are not having the intended impact at this point in time. Expectations of what pupils should achieve are high. In some subjects, pupils do well over time.

They build their knowledge and skills from insecure foundational knowledge on entry to school. Pupils can talk with some confidence about their more recent learning. For example, they discuss different biomes in geography.

However, the school's checks on learning across many curriculum subjects do not precisely identify gaps and misconceptions in pupils' understanding or skills. Pupils' do not have a secure base of knowledge on which to build further. Therefore, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

Children in early years get off to a strong start. Skilled staff implement the curriculum in line with the school's intentions. They place a sharp focus on communication and language as part of the quality curriculum offer.

Staff model and use vocabulary effectively. For example, children use that vocabulary to talk confidently about plants that need 'soil, water, sun and oxygen' to grow. Other children manipulate numbers with confidence.

They develop an increasingly secure understanding of letter sounds and a broad base of phonics knowledge.

Too many pupils, including some with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not have their needs identified with sufficient precision. This means that provision for these pupils does not allow them to achieve as well as they might.

A large number of pupils are awaiting appropriate referrals to external agencies. However, some pupils do have their needs identified accurately. Staff then provide effective provision to allow these pupils to achieve well.

Pupils at the earliest stages of learning to read, who attend regularly and arrive on time, build their phonics knowledge well. Insecure foundational knowledge on entry to school, coupled with poor attendance for some, means that some pupils do not meet national expectations in phonics by the end of Year 1. Over time, pupils do become increasingly confident and fluent readers.

Behaviour in school is variable. Some staff do not feel well supported to deal with challenging behaviour from a small minority of pupils. However, there have been some improvements made.

For example, the school has taken highly effective action to deal with instances of racism. These instances are now very rare.

Over time, leaders have overseen a gradual decrease in the number of pupils who are persistently absent from school.

However, this proportion is still high. Pupils who are regularly absent or late for school miss out on crucial learning. This impacts on their ability to keep up with their peers.

As a result, they do not achieve as well as they should.

Pupils' wider development has been carefully considered. A well-planned programme of educational visits and visitors into school enhances pupils' awareness of their place within the wider community.

They develop a keen sense of equality. Pupils' understanding of the importance of tolerance and respect for others is well embedded. The school's status as a 'school of sanctuary', fostering a culture of welcome and belonging for those seeking safety, exemplifies this element of pupils' wider development.

The high-quality pastoral support available to pupils helps them to manage their emotions more consistently.

The school has undergone a period of turbulence within its leadership. Many new initiatives have been implemented in a short space of time.

Many staff feel the school takes their workload and well-being into account. However, some do not agree. Governors are well informed and fulfil their roles well.

They use this information to offer challenge to the school. Actions are taken in the best interests of pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In many curriculum subjects, the school's checks on learning do not precisely identify gaps and misconceptions in pupils' understanding or skills. This means that gaps in knowledge are not addressed swiftly, and this prevents pupils from securing the intended knowledge in their long-term memory. The school should ensure that checks on pupils' learning and understanding are embedded across these curriculum subjects so that gaps in knowledge and understanding can be closed quickly.

• There is some inconsistency in the impact that subject monitoring has across the wider curriculum. Monitoring activities do not consistently lead to necessary and timely action being taken to improve classroom practice. The school must ensure that its monitoring of the curriculum supports staff to deliver the curriculum as intended.

• The school's approaches to improve pupils' attendance and punctuality are not effective enough. This means that a significant proportion of pupils miss out on important learning and struggle to catch up when they are in school. The school must ensure that its work to secure improvements in pupils' attendance and punctuality has sustained impact for a greater number of pupils.

• Some pupils, including those with SEND, do not have their needs identified with sufficient precision. This means that, at times, provision for these pupils does not allow them to achieve as highly as they should. The school should ensure that timely referrals to appropriate external support allows for precise identification of pupils' and for effective provision to be put in place so that pupils achieve well.