‘Calm and nurturing’ Wallsend school praised by Ofsted

A ‘calm and nurturing school’ where pupils receive ‘a warm welcome’ was how Ofsted inspectors described a Wallsend primary, which had been rated ‘Good’ under the previous classification system.

The children at St Aidan’s Catholic Primary School were also singled out in the report, which said: “Pupils conduct themselves well in lessons and when moving around the school. From the time that they start in the early years, children quickly learn routines and settle well to school life. They are keen to meet the high standards that the school sets for their behaviour.”

“Pupils are knowledgeable about the school values and how they should behave,” it continued. “They have a clear understanding of their school’s statement: ‘To come in and learn with Jesus; go out and serve with love’.

“Pupils are happy at this calm and nurturing school. There is a warm welcome waiting for pupils each morning. Pupils are proud of their school and value the learning and support that they receive.”

St Aidan’s staff also won praise from the assessors, who maintained the teachers were “skilful at identifying those pupils who would benefit from further support” and "worked tirelessly in supporting these pupils to enable them to access learning”.

“Teachers demonstrate and explain key ideas clearly,” wrote the inspectors. “For example, in mathematics they guide pupils through how to apply their number facts to solve problems. By checking pupils’ understanding systematically, staff have rapidly raised pupils’ fluency with numbers.”

The report noted that the school “has placed a strong emphasis on reading” and “introduced a rigorous early reading curriculum that is taught well”, adding: “The books that pupils read accurately match the sounds they are learning. Staff get the right training to teach early learning effectively.”

The school’s curriculum was described as “good and improving”, with the school stressing “the importance of remembering important knowledge and subject-specific vocabulary” to enable “pupils to build knowledge from Reception to Year 6”.

Extra-curricular activities received an honourable mention, with the inspectors recognising the school’s “focus on helping others”. They saw that “Pupils have raised money for a number of charities in the UK and in Kenya” and “have helped with a local foodbank and in visiting and sending messages to a care home for the elderly”, thus developing “their sense of responsibility for others”.

St Aidan’s is a member of the Bishop Bewick Catholic Education Trust, and the Ofsted Report stated that “The trust and local governors understand the strengths of the school” and the “whole team works well together”.

“Leaders focus on staff development,” it said. “Staff feel valued and recognise how their workload has been taken into consideration… They appreciate the training they have received and share the trust’s ambition for their pupils.”

“We are pleased that the report recognises and celebrates the work of our staff and children, particularly the quality of our reading curriculum,” said St Aidan’s Headteacher, Rachel Lalor. 

“Reading is central to our work as a school, as we know that it is the biggest influence on children’s future learning, success and happiness.

“As a team, we were also delighted that the work we do to support our most vulnerable children and their families was recognised as a real strength.”