Ponteland Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school are polite, friendly and supportive of each other. They build strong friendships, characterised by kindness and respect. Pupils also form positive relationships with staff.

This is a caring and inclusive school. The school works with parents and carers to meet pupils' needs. It prepares pupils well for their transition to secondary school.

The school has high expectations for what pupils can achieve. The school's ambitious curriculum reflects these high expectations. Pupils benefit from subject specialist teaching.

They work hard in lessons and build on what they have learned before. Pupils achieve well.Pupils' behaviour is exceptional.<...br/>
The school has established a clear set of routines and expectations. Pupils respond well to staff instructions. This is a calm and orderly school.

Moreover, from an early age pupils take responsibility for their own behaviour. This contributes to a positive culture in which pupils work and play happily with each other.The school provides pupils with a wide range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests.

Pupils take part in clubs and activities including sports, dance, choir and art. They also contribute to school life in roles such as eco representatives, ambassadors and house captains. Pupils enjoy school.

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

The school has established a broad and ambitious curriculum. The curriculum is well sequenced. It builds pupils' knowledge and skills in a logical and progressive way.

In the early years, children enjoy a purposeful learning environment. This promotes their development. Children get the foundational knowledge and understanding they need.

They are well prepared for the more structured learning they experience in Year 1. As pupils move through the school, they get more specialist subject teaching. They learn how to work and think like subject specialists such as designers, musicians and historians.

The school meets pupils' needs well. Two-year-old children receive appropriate care and support. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same curriculum as their peers.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND promptly. It ensures that teachers have the training they need to meet pupils' specific needs. This helps pupils with SEND to achieve well.

The school prioritises reading. In the early years, the school has selected engaging texts that are central to children's learning. From the start of Reception, pupils learn to read using phonics.

Those pupils who need extra support with their reading get it. This helps them to become confident and fluent readers. Extra support for reading continues into key stage 2 for those children who need it.

As pupils move through the school, they develop their reading comprehension skills. They enjoy reading class texts from a wide range of authors. They also enjoy events and activities such as a Roald Dahl day, library visits and World Book Day.

Pupils read often at school.Teachers have a secure subject knowledge. They use activities at the start of les-sons to help pupils to recall their prior learning.

They then build on this learning. This helps pupils to know and remember more. In some subjects such as history, pupils are developing a deep and secure knowledge and understanding.

However, sometimes teachers do not consolidate or extend pupils' learning with enough rigour. Some pupils do not secure the essential knowledge they need as quickly as they could. Other pupils do not deepen that knowledge to enable them to reach higher levels of attainment.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. The school does not tolerate any disruption in lessons. Teachers are quick to check any behaviour that does not meet the school's high expectations.

The school has created a positive learning environment where pupils can learn free from disruption.The school has developed a comprehensive and age-appropriate personal development programme. Pupils learn about relationships, equality and diversity, and physical and mental health.

They are taught how to keep themselves safe, including online. The school's 'rights respecting' philosophy is central to its work in developing pupils' character. Pupils know right from wrong and what it means to be a good citizen.

They also enjoy educational visits to places of cultural interest such as a Sikh temple and Hadrian's Wall. These first-hand activities enrich their education.The school is providing pupils with a good quality of education.

Trustees perform their statutory duties well. They hold the school to account. Leaders share a commitment to provide an academic education that prepares pupils for future success.

The school actively involves parents in support of pupils' education. Staff enjoy working at the school. The school ensures that staff workload is manageable.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Sometimes in lessons, teachers do not adapt their teaching enough to consolidate or extend pupils' learning. This means that some pupils do not secure the essential knowledge and understanding they need before progressing onto the next stage of learning.

Other pupils do not get sufficient opportunity to deepen their learning and reach higher levels of attainment. The school should ensure that it provides teachers with the training and development in pedagogy and pedagogical content knowledge that they need. It should ensure that such training and development form a significant aspect of the school's professional development programme for teachers.

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