Acre Rigg Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher has a clear understanding of the school's strengths and areas for further development. Following disappointing key stage 2 results in 2017, she took assertive and timely action to develop middle leadership and improve the quality of teaching throughout the school. These actions are paying dividends.

Governors challenge and support senior leaders robustly. Members of the local governing body, together with the trust's chief executive officer (CEO) and the chair of the trust's board, have a deep knowledge of the school and its community. Overall, pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are making better progress in reading and mathem...atics this year than they did in the 2016/17 academic year.

A far greater proportion are working at the standards expected for their age now. The provision for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities is improving rapidly. Consequently, these pupils' diverse needs are increasingly well met.

Newly and recently qualified teachers are supported well. These teachers appreciate and benefit from the bespoke coaching and mentoring programme on offer in the school. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is improving.

Teachers are using assessment information more incisively to plan work at just the right level of difficulty for pupils with low and average starting points. Challenge for the school's most able pupils requires further development. Pupils behave well in and around school.

They take on roles of responsibility eagerly and fulfil their duties responsibly. A very small minority of pupils in lower key stage 2 lose concentration in lessons and disrupt the learning of others very occasionally. The school's recently formed pastoral team go the extra mile to help the pupils and their families.

As a result of their work, many more pupils now arrive punctually for school every day. Improving pupils' attendance is a key priority in the school. Parents are overwhelmingly happy with leaders, teaching and the school as a whole.

They appreciate the school's work to ease their children's transition into and from key stage 2. All staff, including lunchtime supervisory staff, understand how to keep pupils safe. Safeguarding systems and procedures are robust.

Information about this school

Acre Rigg Academy is a junior school for pupils aged between seven and 11. It is the same size as an average-sized primary school. The school is a sponsored academy.

It is one of seven primary schools in the Tudhoe Learning Trust. The trustees of the Tudhoe Learning Trust are the school's accountable body. They have delegated many powers to the local governing body.

The trust's CEO, who is also the trust's executive headteacher, reports directly to the trustees. The headteacher is a senior leader within the Tudhoe Learning Trust and sits on Durham local authority's behaviour panel. Just under 50% of class teachers are new to the profession.

They are either newly or recently qualified teachers. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is higher than the national average. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.

The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities receiving support is above average. The proportion who have an education, health and care plan is also above that usually found. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which are the minimum requirements for attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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