Gosforth Central Middle School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Gosforth Central Middle School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their learning at this vibrant and welcoming school. Pupils are taught about kindness and how to show care and respect to one another.

They speak positively about what they have been taught about equality and are very clear that everyone is equal. Pupils say that staff are helpful and supportive. They know they can talk to staff if they are worried about anything.

Pupils are safe here.

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils listen attentively in lessons and are en...couraged to participate.

They work well together, often sharing their ideas. Pupils typically behave well. There is a purposeful and calm atmosphere in classrooms.

Pupils are proud of the contributions they make to the school. They enjoy helping others in their role as playground buddies and representing pupils' views as school councillors. The school council is a particular strength.

Pupils are proud that they have shaped aspects of their school through this work. Pupils benefit from attending a vast range of activities that enhance their talents and interests. These include Spanish dance, robotics club and choir.

The school ensures that pupils with SEND are supported to access extra-curricular activities.

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

The well-ordered curriculum begins at the start of Year 5, where the school has thought about the essential knowledge that pupils need to build upon from first school. There are renewed curriculums in place in many subjects.

Across key stages 2 and 3, pupils experience a carefully designed curriculum that is delivered in a logical order. Staff teach using appropriate and well-chosen resources. Teachers use questioning well to check what pupils know and remember within the current units of work.

However, following recent changes in the school's curriculum, the school is at an earlier stage of development in how teachers check that pupils are remembering more knowledge over time. In some subjects, retrieval and recall is not used consistently to check what pupils have learned.As a result, pupils' prior knowledge is not sufficiently checked.

This limits the depth of knowledge some pupils secure in these subjects.

The school is aspirational for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils are supported well.

Teaching is adapted to meet their needs. This means that pupils with SEND learn well and progress through the curriculum alongside their peers.

The school has implemented an effective reading programme.

This starts in Year 5 where the gaps that pupils may have are accurately identified. There is a phonics programme for pupils who need support to decode. This has been carefully considered.

Teachers assess pupils regularly to ensure they build their reading knowledge well. Pupils become fluent readers because of effective interventions. Staff have the expertise they need to teach reading effectively.

The school ensures that pupils practise their reading regularly, both in school and at home. Pupils enjoy the books their teachers share with them. A love of reading is fostered by regular visits to the school library and teachers reading a range of books to their classes, including texts chosen by pupils.

Pupils behave respectfully towards each other and staff. Low-level disruption to learning is rare and any incidents are quickly dealt with. Pupils understand the importance of the school values.

Effective systems are in place to manage pupils' attendance. Leaders work closely with families to identify any barriers that may exist and have put in place strategies to support families where attendance needs to improve.

The school places importance on pupils' wider development.

Enterprise lessons are used effectively to enhance pupils' understanding of careers and the world of work. Pupils have opportunities to contribute to their community by collecting for local foodbanks. Pupils enjoy taking on leadership responsibilities across the school.

They take their positions of responsibility seriously. Every pupil in this inclusive school is a member of the school council. They talk confidently about what British values mean.

Pupils understand about healthy relationships. They know how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. Pupils are well prepared to contribute positively to society as responsible, active citizens.

Parents and carers value the wide range of clubs and activities that are on offer. Staff are very positive about the school. They work closely together and support each other well.

Staff appreciate the steps that the school takes to support their well-being and workload. They are proud to work at the school. Relationships between staff, pupils and governors are extremely positive.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The consistent use of retrieval and recall strategies is still being developed in some curriculum subjects. It is not yet used well enough to assess that pupils have remembered the prior knowledge they have been taught.

As a result, some pupils do not build their knowledge well enough over time. The school needs to ensure that assessment strategies for recall and retrieval are used effectively to ensure that pupils have depth of knowledge.

Background

When we have judged 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 June 2015.

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