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This is an outstanding school. Since the
last inspection, the excellent leadership
team of headteacher, staff and governors has
maintained exceptionally high standards and
achievement, both academically and
personally. This has been achieved by the
provision of outstanding teaching and
learning, very high standards of care,
guidance and support and a rich, vibrant
curriculum, well matched to pupils’ needs
and interests. The school is highly popular
with parents and carers and attracts several
families from outside its catchment area.
Parents commented on the school’s ‘sense of
community’, ‘its helpful and caring
headteacher and staff,’ ‘the outstanding
progress pupils make’ and ‘the care and
support given to families with particular
needs.’ As one parent writes: ‘This school
offers a full and rounded education, laying
strong foundations for the next step in
children’s educational journey.’
When children begin Reception their skills
are broadly typical for this age group. The
majority make very good progress each year.
When they leave Year 4, they reach
exceptionally high standards in English,
mathematics and science and this represents
outstanding achievement. They are also
confident learners, with highly positive
attitudes to learning. Their behaviour is
excellent; they are courteous, sociable and
highly cooperative. They are very
knowledgeable about the essential features
of a healthy lifestyle: they drink water and
make healthy food choices; they participate
in a wide range of physical activities and
have access to plenty of space and equipment
during breaks. The Activemark Award
acknowledges the school’s success in this.
Their involvement in the locality, including
inter-school and church events, develops
their understanding of community and
diversity, while their fundraising for world
charities helps them appreciate global
interdependence. The school stresses the
importance of caring for each other and
pupils feel they are part of a large family.
Teaching and learning are outstanding. Staff
have an excellent knowledge of their pupils
as individuals and work exceptionally well
together to provide a progressive education,
which meets pupils’ needs personally and
academically. Staff are exceptionally well
trained, particularly in meeting the needs
of pupils with learning difficulties and/or
disabilities. They are very accurate in
their assessment of pupils’ abilities and
use this knowledge to extend the learning
of all pupils. Marking is completed
diligently and often includes advice to aid
improvement, particularly in English, but
sometimes opportunities to guide pupils to
higher standards are missed in other
subjects. Pupils rarely improve their work
by drafting or correction, following
comments in marking.
The outstanding curriculum includes
stimulating topics. For example, looking at
other faiths and cultures included Islam,
Judaism and India and widened pupils’
outlook, while special events such as a
visit by Tashi Lumpo Monks promote
understanding of diversity. Basic skills are
taught very well and used imaginatively
across the curriculum. The school does all
it can to make pupils feel happy, safe and
secure. It meets all statutory requirements
and keeps all aspects of school life,
including risk assessments and staff
training, under regular review. Staff
monitor pupils’ progress on a daily basis
and ensure they receive appropriate support
towards targets.
This is a very well run school with smooth,
well established procedures in place. There
are high expectations of pupils in their
work and in their behaviour. The headteacher
is extremely hard working and staff and
governors share her vision for pupils to
achieve as highly as possible. The
leadership team have made excellent progress
since the last inspection. They have
sustained and enhanced outstanding
achievement so that most pupils make
excellent progress compared
Inspection Report: Chollerton Church of
England Aided First School, 3 July 2009 5 of
12 with their starting points. They promote
excellent standards in welfare. They have
strengthened the school’s work with
partnerships and promoted community cohesion
well. Their self-evaluation is accurate, if
rather modest. The school is currently
providing outstanding value for money and
has excellent capacity to make further
progress.
Effectiveness
of the Early Years Foundation Stage
Grade: 1
When children begin Reception, although
there are several with speech problems,
skills are typical for this age group.
However, because of the very small numbers
involved this does vary widely. Due to very
effective provision during the year, most
exceed the nationally agreed Early Learning
Goals and enter Year 1 with above average
standards. This excellent achievement is due
to outstanding teaching, which successfully
promotes learning using a well balanced
curriculum of teacher-led and
child-initiated learning, both indoors and
out. Staff work very well together. Planning
is rigorous with clear progression and
consolidation, while assessment is detailed
and accurate. Staff are good listeners and
extend children’s ideas imaginatively.They
are very skilful at getting children to
interact and learn from each other. Very
high standards of welfare are promoted, with
daily checks of area and equipment. Children
are taught how to keep themselves safe; on
the road, when using equipment, and during
specific weather conditions. There are
excellent procedures in place, including
those for hand washing and movement about
the building. Personal, social and emotional
education is given successful priority from
entry and children make outstanding progress
because they are taught how to
play together, how to care and how to share.
Staff model courtesy well and consistently;
children copy and are given praise.
Leadership and management are outstanding:
there is effective liaison with the
pre-school and well organised induction for
new admissions; effective partnerships are
established with parents; children settle
well because of the warm, supportive
atmosphere; and an effective staff team
provide high quality care and education.
What the
school should do to improve further
■ Ensure constructive marking is
consistently used across the curriculum
Achievement and standards
Grade: 1
When pupils enter Year 1, their standards
are above average. The progress of most
pupils to the end of Year 4 is outstanding
because of excellent teaching and learning,
a highly effective curriculum and exemplary
care, guidance and support. As a result,
pupils reach exceptionally high standards in
reading, writing and mathematics by the end
of Year 2 and leave with exceptionally high
standards in English, mathematics and
science at the end of Year 4. Results
in national tests have been significantly
high in all subjects since 2004, although
writing was not as high as reading and
mathematics in 2008. Since then the school
has focused on writing using many
initiatives to raise standards. As a result,
pupils write very confidently and
extensively for many purposes, using
interesting content and a wider range of
structural and stylistic techniques.
Improved clarity of explanation is also
evident in science and other practical work.
Pupils with learning difficulties and/or
disabilities make excellent progress because
of the care and attention they receive from
staff.
Personal
development and well-being
Grade: 1
Pupils’ personal development, including
their spiritual, moral, social and cultural
development is outstanding. Excellent
relationships and respect for others are in
evidence throughout the school. As pupils
say; ‘We help each other and if someone
falls over, we take them in and get a
plaster.’ Pupils’ social interactions in the
playground are exemplary and behaviour in
lessons is excellent. Pupils are very
friendly and exceptionally polite. They
really enjoy school and this
is shown in their above average attendance.
Pupils have an excellent understanding of
healthy lifestyles and know how to keep
themselves fit, safe and happy. They
appreciate that staff are very vigilant and
incidents of bullying are nonexistent. They
enjoy supporting and playing with younger
pupils at break-times. Pupils’ understanding
of diversity is enhanced by community
projects with the church and the village.
This includes participation in the oral
histories project,
work with local business employers, links
with a city school and charity fundraising,
such as the sponsored walk for Water Aid.
Transition to middle school is well
organised and pupils leave as confident and
cooperative learners, with highly effective
basic skills and a wide range of personal
and educational experiences
Quality of
provision
Teaching and learning
Grade: 1
Teaching and learning are outstanding.
Staff’s aspirations for pupils are very high
and as a result pupils meet high targets and
make excellent progress. Staff have very
good subject knowledge and use resources
imaginatively. Lessons are carefully planned
to match individual needs and interests so
that all pupils respond well and sustain
concentration. Improvement in writing has
been particularly successful because pupils
read a wide range of good quality
literature, are successfully helped to
appreciate writing techniques and are given
plenty of opportunities to practise writing
across the curriculum. Pupils’ progress is
tracked extremely closely and because of
very good oral feedback pupils know their
successes and areas for development. Marking
is generally very constructive, particularly
in English, but sometimes
opportunities to direct pupils to higher
achievement in other subject areas are
missed.
Curriculum
and other activities
Grade: 1
The excellent curriculum is
continually revised in
response to individual and
group requirements but is
always exciting, balanced
and relevant. It is
extremely well structured
with a most effective
approach to teaching basic
skills. This is especially
beneficial for pupils with
learning difficulties and/or
disabilities and ensures
that they receive
appropriate intervention
programmes and effective
support from outside
agencies. The more able,
gifted and talented pupils
receive
appropriate challenge during
lessons and additional
provision. Four Basic Skills
Quality awards recognise
this quality provision.
Pupils study in depth
topics, appropriately
enhanced by visits and
visitors. There are creative
whole school projects such
as art days, singing
workshops and theatre
visits. Specialist tuition
is provided for sport and
pupils have experienced
football, tag rugby, tennis
and badminton. All pupils
have the opportunity to
learn the ukulele, while
out-of-school clubs offer
activities as diverse as
Christmas crafts and
Popmobility. Church of
England events in Hexham
Abbey and Newcastle
Cathedral contribute greatly
to pupils’ spiritual
education.
Care, guidance and support
Grade: 1
The school provides
excellent care, guidance and
support, both personally and
academically. It meets all
statutory requirements and
there are rigorous systems
in place for safeguarding,
child protection and risk
assessments. These are
regularly reviewed and
appropriately updated. Staff
are well trained in first
aid and general health and
safety. Pupils are well
taught how to keep
themselves healthy, safe and
happy. Parents comment on
staff encouragement for
their
children and how it raises
their self-esteem. Academic
guidance is very successful
because staff ratios are
good and all staff know
children very well. Staff
keep parents informed of
curricular coverage so that
they can support learning.
Tracking of pupils’ progress
is accurate and used
efficiently and regularly to
identify individual needs,
targets and the success of
teaching programmes. As one
parent comments, ‘Each child
is treated as an individual
and this is reflected
in the teaching plans, which
meet all children’s needs.’
Leadership and management
Grade: 1
Leadership and management
are outstanding at all
levels. The headteacher has
a clear vision for whole
child development and sets a
very clear direction to
raise achievement, both
personally and academically.
She is ably supported by
highly trained and highly
competent staff, who have
worked together successfully
for many years. As a result,
there is smooth transition
between classes, consistency
of approach and progression
in the curriculum. All staff
help each other, morale is
high and parents are
welcomed as educational
partners. Pupils thrive in
this warm,
family ethos; their welfare
is promoted effectively and
they reach high levels of
achievement. Governance is
outstanding. Governors are
very knowledgeable about the
school and are active within
it. Their roles are clearly
defined, their monitoring is
thorough and focused and
they contribute very
effectively to the school’s
self evaluation. Together,
headteacher, staff and
governors have worked
successfully to provide a
high quality education. They
have also
developed the school’s
standing in the locality and
successfully promoted good
community cohesion by
working with schools in
socially diverse areas, the
church, local groups and
local industries. They
intend extending these links
to schools abroad in the
coming year.
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