Dunn Street Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Dunn Street Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. Warm, nurturing relationships with staff help pupils to feel safe. They know that if they have any worries or concerns, their teachers will listen to them and offer help.

Pupils told the inspector that everyone gets on well and that bullying is not a concern. They were confident that, if bullying did happen, teachers would act quickly to resolve problems and help pupils to be friends again.

Staff care deeply about pupils.

They are ambitious for everyone to do well. Staff encourage pupils to have high expectations of themselves. A stron...g culture of learning, praise and encouragement runs throughout the whole school.

Pupils take delight in their learning. They are respectful and polite. They listen attentively in class and concentrate well in lessons.

Pupils celebrate each other's efforts with real warmth. Classrooms are settled, calm and welcoming. If any pupil does become distracted, adults gently get them back on track.

Educational trips enrich the curriculum. Reception children were entranced when they went back in time and examined 14,000-year-old clay under the microscope. This took place in a real laboratory, under the watchful eye of a university professor.

Visits from the Mayor and local councillors have helped pupils to understand more about democracy in the United Kingdom today.

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

Leaders have created a new curriculum, starting from the early years. It is carefully designed to help pupils close the gaps in their learning that have emerged during the pandemic.

The design of the curriculum enables pupils to revisit previous learning and build up new knowledge in a sensible order, so ensuring that pupils achieve well. Pupils are fascinated by geography lessons and enthusiastically talked about their topic 'What Makes the World Angry?' They are knowledgeable about tornadoes and tsunamis and excited about what is under the earth and how volcanoes are made.Pupils enjoy mathematics.

Their work demonstrates how the logical sequence of the curriculum helps them to grow and develop their knowledge. Teachers explain concepts with clarity and accuracy. They skilfully question pupils to check their understanding.

Teachers identify any misconceptions pupils might have and regularly use quizzes to assess their progress. In Year 6, pupils rose to the challenge of grappling with mathematical proof as they prepared for their transition to secondary school.Leaders place the highest importance on reading so that pupils learn to read fluently and with confidence.

Starting from Reception, each child's learning is carefully planned to build on what they already know. Reception children squealed with anticipation as their teacher, and her toy frog, decided which phonic sounds to hide next and then reveal! Together, they called out the sounds and waited eagerly for the next one. Pupils' love of reading is developed strongly through singing songs and listening to familiar stories and rhymes.

Effective support is swiftly given to any pupil who struggles. The books pupils read are carefully matched to the sounds they are learning. Regular visits to the library have enhanced pupils' love of books and reading.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified swiftly and sensitively supported, so that they learn well alongside their peers.Children in the early years enjoy a vibrant, stimulating environment. Staff exploit every opportunity for children to experience the wonder of the world around them.

These opportunities enrich their language and vocabulary. Nursery children were in awe after visiting a swan nesting by Jarrow Bridge.Leaders are acutely aware of the barriers and challenges that some pupils face, including their struggle to speak clearly and express their thinking.

Staff work closely with the school's speech and language therapist to support pupils' language development. There are fewer opportunities in key stage 2, compared to younger year groups, for pupils to talk purposefully with adults and their peers about their learning. Pupils have limited opportunities to practise using new vocabulary through discussion or debate.

Pastoral care is strong and grounded in the school's core values of respect, tolerance, cooperation and resilience. Pupils are respectful and they behave well. Learning is rarely disrupted.

Adults quickly recognise if a child is anxious or becoming distressed and they help them to manage their feelings, so that they can continue to focus on their learning.Pupils' spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is a strength of the school. Pupils learn about their cultural heritage through visits, for example, to Beamish and The Bede Museum.

They can recall a wealth of memorable and inspiring experiences, such as the beauty of Greenwell Ford Farm.Pupils enjoy helping and taking on responsibilities. Younger pupils love the work of the Year 6 'school sports organisation crew', who plan exciting activities for them to enjoy at lunchtimes.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The designated safeguarding leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. They understand the contextual challenges of their location and ensure that all staff are thoroughly trained.

Staff are vigilant. Concerns are reported swiftly. Leaders work closely with external agencies and are determined that pupils and their families receive the support they need.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe in the community. They can discuss with confidence their learning about how to keep themselves safe on the internet and when using social media.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There are not enough opportunities for pupils to practise using new vocabulary and to improve their speech, language, and communication skills, particularly in key stage 2.

This means that some pupils are not developing the skills they need to be clear and confident, articulate, speakers. ? Leaders should review and refine the curriculum to include a wide range of opportunities for pupils to talk purposefully with adults and their peers, using a wider range of vocabulary, so that pupils are able to communicate well.

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

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2011.