Byker Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 February 2025

Pupils at Byker Primary embody the school's ethos of children of all backgrounds and cultures being welcomed and valued. Comments from pupils, such as 'We are not blood related, but we are all one family,' reflect the inclusive nature of the school. Pupils benefit from the effective provision the school puts in place for their wider development beyond the academic curriculum. Arrangements to safeguard pupils are effective. Pupils are happy. Despite this, the number of pupils who are persistently or severely absent from school is too high. Many pupils are late to school. These pupils miss out on valuable learning. In some cases, pupils meet the school's high expectations for their achievements. Pupils enjoy lessons and talk with enthusiasm about their recent learning. However, the school does not identify and address gaps in pupils' learning sufficiently well. This means that some pupils do not have a secure base for future learning. There are warm and positive relationships between pupils and staff. Many pupils show high levels of respect to others. Behaviour in school is positive, in the main. However, this is not consistent over time. Bullying is rare. Parents and carers are generally positive about the school. Their comments highlight staff who 'genuinely care'.

What the school should improve

• In many curriculum subjects, the school's checks on learning do not precisely identify gaps and misconceptions in pupils' understanding or skills. This means that gaps in knowledge are not addressed swiftly, and this prevents pupils from securing the intended knowledge in their long-term memory. The school should ensure that checks on pupils' learning and understanding are embedded across these curriculum subjects so that gaps in knowledge and understanding can be closed quickly.
• There is some inconsistency in the impact that subject monitoring has across the wider curriculum. Monitoring activities do not consistently lead to necessary and timely action being taken to improve classroom practice. The school must ensure that its monitoring of the curriculum supports staff to deliver the curriculum as intended.
• The school's approaches to improve pupils' attendance and punctuality are not effective enough. This means that a significant proportion of pupils miss out on important learning and struggle to catch up when they are in school. The school must ensure that its work to secure improvements in pupils' attendance and punctuality has sustained impact for a greater number of pupils.
• Some pupils, including those with SEND, do not have their needs identified with sufficient precision. This means that, at times, provision for these pupils does not allow them to achieve as highly as they should. The school should ensure that timely referrals to appropriate external support allows for precise identification of pupils' and for effective provision to be put in place so that pupils achieve well.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)