Local Authority advisors visited our school in September to conduct a rigorous assessment of the standards of teaching and learning. They observed all classes, spoke to leaders and found the following:

• The Reception environment, both indoors and out has strengthened significantly since the time of the last inspection and high priority is given to promoting early language skills and children’s personal development
• Relationships are strong between children and staff provide good role models and their enthusiasm for learning enriches play and inspires children
• Children use their time purposely, they are enthusiastic learners, keen to talk about and involve others in their play.
• Adult-led activities are well focused and intervention is precisely focused on next steps in learning
• Children are enthusiastic and motivated learners because tasks are well matched to the age and stage of development of pupils. They understand what is expected of them and try hard to do the best they can
• Work is appropriately differentiated and TAs contribute well to learning during independent tasks. Questioning is used well to check for understand and to consolidate learning
• Assessment is used well to inform planning and lessons builds sequentially

Staff and governors are delighted with our school results for 2017, particularly the % of children reaching above age related in Y2 compared to National figures.

Reception:

The % of children achieving the Good Level of Development is up from 35% in September

2016 to 65% in July 2017

Key Stage 1:

The % of our Year 2 children reaching age related expectation in Reading is 70% compared to 76% nationally. The % of our Year 2 children reaching above age related expectation in

Reading is 30% compared to 24% nationally.

The % of our Year 2 children reaching age related expectation in Writing is 72% compared to 68% nationally. The % of our Year 2 children reaching above age related expectation in

Writing is 13% compared to 16% nationally.

The % of our Year 2 children reaching age related expectation in Maths is 75% compared to 75% nationally. The % of our Year 2 children reaching above age related expectation in

Maths is 25% compared to 21% nationally.

We are incredibly proud of the children and staff for these achievements.

We have been awarded a grant to promote healthy and active lifestyles from the National Lottery.  Please see Big Lottery Fund for more details.

Check out our schools app. Keep up to date with all the school news and events.  It even sends you reminders.

 

On the 13^th of December 2016 HMI Michael Reeves carried out a monitoring inspection within school.  This inspection was to assess whether we have taken effective action since February 2016 to address the recommendations made in our previous report.

We are pleased to report that the conclusion drawn from this inspection was that,

“Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the last section 5 inspection in order to become a good school.”

The full report will be published on the Ofsted website on the 19^th of January and on the school website from the 17^th January.

Consett Infant School Ofsted Update Report

IMPORTANT NEWS!!
SCHOOL DATA FOR 2016 COMPARED TO NATIONAL RESULTS
Staff and governors are delighted with our school results for 2016, especially when compared to National figures.
Reception:
The % of children achieving the Good Level of Development is up from 49% in 2015 to 65% in 2016 (The national figure is 69%)
Year 1:
The % of children in school that passed the Year 1 phonic test is 88% (without SEN children included) compared to a national figure of 81%.
Year 2:
The % of our Year 2 children reaching age related expectation in Reading is 84% compared to 74% nationally.
The % of our Year 2 children reaching age related expectation in Writing is 84% compared to 65% nationally.
The % of our Year 2 children reaching age related expectation in Mathematics is 89% compared to 73% nationally.
We are incredibly proud of the children and staff for these achievements. Thank you to all parents for their continued support with homework—this really does make a big difference to what your child can achieve.

I would like to update you on the work that we have undertaken since the Ofsted inspection in February. Whilst being disappointed with the overall judgement made during inspection, we were determined to rise to the challenge and harness the opportunity to make further improvements to ensure we offer a high standard of education to all children.  Some of the main developments are listed below:

• We have reviewed our curriculum and planning to make it more responsive to the children’s interest and abilities, with a view to increasing progress and levels of motivation.
• Our assessment processes are now more robust, tightly linked to the statutory curriculum and allow us to track each child’s progress closely and provided intervention work should they make less than good progress.
• Our new marking policy is consistently applied across school and encourages the children to correct their own mistakes and identifies to them their next steps
• Governors have increased their involvement with monitoring school improvement and have areas of responsibility allocated to them for when they conduct supportive visits
• Staff are accessing regular local authority and external training, along with visits to other schools to extend their skills and knowledge

Data for this academic year is looking very strong.

• In Reception, the percentage of children achieving the Good Level of Development has increased from 49% in 2015 to 65.5%, an increase of 16%.
• In Year 1, 76% of children reached age related expectation in Reading, 72% in writing and 71% in Maths
• Overall phonic outcomes have improved from 76% to 78% (88% without SEN children)
• In Year 2, 84% of children reached age related expectation in Reading, 85% in writing and 89% in Maths

At this stage we do not know how these figures compare to National data but we are confident that they will be very strong and put us in a good position for our next visit from HMI in the autumn term.

I would like to thank staff for their tremendous hard work and resilience this past term, they are a very dedicated team and have the children’s very best interests at heart. The children have worked very hard as well and their achievements are a credit to you.  School governors have been an invaluable source of support to both myself and staff and have helped “rally the troops” along the way.  Finally I would like to thank you as parents for your words of support and encouragement; they have been much appreciated by staff.

If any parent has any questions or comments about the information above, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

After consultation with the Local Authority, staff, parents and other local schools, Consett Infant School and Beechdale Nursery School are officially Federated from January 2016.  From the 1st of January the official title of the two schools will be “Consett Infant and Beechdale Nursery Federation.”   The most significant change resulting from this Federation will be the formation of one governing body that will have responsibility for both schools and Mrs Graham will become the permanent Head Teacher across both sites.
We believe that there are many positive outcomes as a result of this development:
• Reception staff from the Infant school can now work closely with Beechdale staff to access high quality training and ensure we have consistency in our approach to all aspects of early years education
• Resources are pooled and shared across both schools
• Children from the Infant school are accessing the sensory room at Beechdale to maximise the use of this equipment
• Mrs Bowyer is working one day each week with the Reception children at the Infant school to lead Forest School sessions that extend and build upon the experience gained at Beechdale
• Miss Hymer works as Family Support Advisor within both schools to offer advice and continuity to families, as well as helping to coordinate the PAWS/Friends of the School groups
• After school childcare is now in place for both schools and can be accessed until 6pm each day at the Infant school site
• Leadership and management have a clear overview of the needs of both schools, as well as a consistent expectation for high standards of teaching and learning
The Federation between the two schools is an exciting development and an opportunity to strengthen and enhance the quality of education for the benefit of our Nursery and Infant aged children.  If you have any questions about the Federation, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

Our Reception children have started to access Forest School and are having a fantastic time!

Our After School Childcare for children attending Consett Infant School and siblings from Consett Junior School opened in November 2015 and can provide up to 30 childcare places for children aged 4 to 11 years. This provision is open from 3.15pm until 6.00pm weekdays, during term time.

More Information – After School Childcare