Newker Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

Newker Primary is a good school, where outcomes for pupils are outstanding.

This is because achievement is outstanding and there are strengths in pupils' personal development, including their excellent understanding of the extent to which they feel safe. The school provides excellent value for money and is a very inclusive school where care, guidance and support, and also safeguarding, are outstanding. The highly positive response of the parents' and carers' questionnaire reflects the school's excellent engagement with them.

The following comments from parents and carers are indicative of this, 'I cannot praise Newker School and its staff highly enough, they are doing a fantastic job with my ...daughter.' and 'The staff cannot do enough for the children, a brilliant school, well done!' Since the previous inspection pupils' attainment has remained high overall and has improved in mathematics, an area highlighted for development at the previous inspection. The progress of all groups of pupils, including the more-able and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, is good.

Pupils are known well as individuals and they told the inspectors that their teachers really care about them and are very interested in their views. Pupils are polite and welcoming. Their good behaviour, along with above average attendance, plays a significant part in their learning.

They know their targets and how to improve their work. Teaching is good with some outstanding features, but occasionally teaching does not enable pupils to apply their basic skills in literacy and numeracy well enough or sufficiently stimulate their interests. In addition, best practice in teaching is not shared well enough to influence further improvements.

As a result, although attainment is high progress is good rather than outstanding. The headteacher has a very clear vision for the school. In the short time he has been in post, he has responded to the views of parents and carers and improved the school's engagement with them.

Staff are strongly supportive of the school and say that they are proud to work there. The school's evaluation of its performance is effective in that strengths and areas for development are known well. Members of the senior management team are effective in their roles but those of subject leaders are not yet as well developed in securing improvement.

As a result, improvements are not occurring as quickly as they might do. Nevertheless, pupils' sustained high attainment and the improvements that have occurred, along with the cohesiveness of the staff and the determination of the senior leadership team, mean that the capacity for further improvement is good.

Information about the school

Newker is a much larger-than-average-sized primary school.

The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is lower than average. Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average, although the proportion of those pupils who have a statement of special educational needs is above average.

The school has many awards, including Healthy School status and Activemark and also the International Award for the promotion of learning about other cultures. There have been some changes in staffing since the previous inspection, including the headteacher, who has been in post for just over a year. Separate childcare provision shares the school site, but this is not managed by the governing body and is subject to a separate inspection.

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

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