Dawlish Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that all teachers:
  • adjust tasks and resources so that the lower-attaining pupils have full access to learning across the curriculum
  • consistently challenge the most able pupils in lessons to develop their thinking and so deepen their understanding.
• Further improve pupils’ progress in reading so that a higher proportion achieve at least average standards by the end of each key stage, particularly boys.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders and managers have been successful in transforming the culture and ethos of the school since the previous inspection. This school is a place where learning is valued and high expectations are prevalent. The head of school and leaders across the federation have been pivotal in this journey; they have provided essential, unequivocal leadership for staff. They are supported well by teachers, pupils and most parents.
• Leaders have accurately identified priorities for improvement and put appropriate actions in place. These are checked carefully to ensure that they are making a difference. Actions have successfully improved the quality of teaching in the school and are resulting in current pupils’ improved progress and higher attainment.
• Middle leaders work well together across the federation. They take very seriously their responsibilities to raise the achievement of all pupils. They check the quality of teaching and provide support for their team to promote continuous improvement. Middle leaders have undertaken additional leadership qualifications to further strengthen their skills. Coaching and modelling based on ‘key lines of enquiry’ have contributed to greater consistency in teaching across the school.
• Staff enjoy good professional development linked to performance management and their career stage. This includes classroom-based research which all staff are involved in across the federation.
• The curriculum is well thought through and invites pupils to be curious, for example through posing learning questions in every lesson. English and mathematics schemes of learning have been revised to underpin pupils’ rapid progress. In the wider curriculum, topics are well planned, with themes often linked to key texts. This strategy ensures that pupils can practise their reading and writing skills across subjects. For example, pupils’ topic books show diary entries, persuasive letter writing and non-chronological reports various in subjects, including history and religious education.
• Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Leaders successfully promote British values through the curriculum. A wide range of well-attended enrichment activities help pupils to develop very positive attitudes and values. As a result, provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very strong.
• The primary physical education and sport premium funding is used well. Leaders measure its impact carefully. For example, they know that participation rates in many after-school clubs have increased.
• The leadership of provision for pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities is good. Leaders use additional funds effectively to ensure that pupils receive precise support. As a result, most pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are making good progress from their individual starting points.
• Leaders plan carefully to ensure that the pupil premium funding provides effective support for disadvantaged pupils. Leaders know the pupils well and measure the difference the extra programmes make in supporting their academic and personal development. This personalised support contributes to the accelerated progress disadvantaged pupils now make.
• Leaders acknowledge that standards in reading need to rise further; hence, it is a key priority, in particular for boys.
• Leaders’ actions to improve teaching have not yet produced consistency in meeting the needs of the most and least able pupils.

Governance of the school

• Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities for improvement. They carefully check the actions that leaders take to improve pupils’ achievement. Governors hold school leaders to account well, for example by asking increasingly challenging questions in meetings. As a result, the school continues to improve.
• Governors provide a good balance of support and challenge to senior leaders, all of whom work across the federation. This has contributed to the increased pace of improvement in the school. For example, they have challenged senior leaders to evaluate the use of additional funding with increasing precision. In addition, they challenge middle leaders to show how their actions have had an impact on the work of the teachers they have been assigned to work with.
• Governors are fully aware of their responsibilities to keep children safe. They draw effectively on the strengths of the federation to embed a culture of safeguarding across the school.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• The school’s record of checks made on the suitability of staff to work with young people is accurately maintained. Policies related to safeguarding, including the child protection policy, are up to date and meet requirements.
• Staff receive appropriate training in all aspects of child protection, including the ‘Prevent’ duty to keep pupils safe from radicalisation. Staff know what to do if they have any concerns about the well-being of a pupil. Appropriate and prompt referrals are made to external agencies where necessary. Records of such referrals are accurately kept and checked to ensure that follow-up actions are timely and effective.
• Vulnerable pupils are supported very well by dedicated pastoral staff who work across the federation. The school’s documentation is coordinated well so that all appropriate authorities are kept informed about the welfare of identified pupils.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers invest time and effort to improve their skills. They value the opportunities provided by the school to develop their practice. As a result, the quality of teaching across the school is good.
• Teaching and learning in mathematics are consistently effective. Teachers enable pupils to develop their reasoning skills well by regularly encouraging them to articulate their methods of working out problems. In addition, teachers use effective support strategies to help individual pupils improve their mathematical skills or overcome their misconceptions.
• Pupils learn well in English because most teaching is carefully planned, enthusiastic and motivating. For example, when considering the thoughts that might have entered Lady Macbeth’s head, pupils were enthused to explain why she acted in the way she did. As a result, pupils are keen to write at greater length and enjoy doing so.
• Teachers also find opportunities to develop pupils’ literacy skills across the curriculum. Teachers emphasise subject-specific terms and pupils’ writing skills are developed well across many subjects.
• Teaching assistants are effective. They are deployed well in class and understand the learning needs of the pupils they support. Small-group interventions are successful in helping pupils to catch up. Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are provided with skilled support. Consequently, they make good progress from their starting points.
• Teachers assess pupils’ work using a coherent system which they understand well. Pupils say that the feedback they receive from teachers is helpful. Teachers check that their assessments of pupils’ progress are accurate by comparing their standards with those of colleagues across the federation.
• Teachers often provide activities which challenge the most able pupils and increase their level of understanding. These include, for example, deep discussion and analysis of evidence. As a result, a greater proportion of pupils than in the past are reaching the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics. However, this challenge is not yet evident across the curriculum. Pupils say that they are challenged more in some lessons than in others.
• Occasionally, lower-attaining pupils do not make the progress they should in lessons. This is because some teachers do not adjust tasks and resources to match their learning needs with greater precision.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils show high levels of consideration and respect for others. They are confident and articulate. Pupils wear their uniform smartly and take pride in being a member of their school community.
• Pupils are given excellent opportunities to voice their opinions and to make a contribution to the school community. For example, the ‘pupil parliament’ gives them rich opportunities to practise ‘live’ democracy by debating issues and voting.
• Life skills, for example effective communication, are well embedded in the curriculum, taught both during and outside school hours. Consequently, pupils develop the personal skills and qualities necessary for success in the next stages of their education.
• Pupils understand how to eat healthily. The school has adopted a healthy eating policy. Personal, social and health education (PSHE) lessons reinforce important messages about healthy living, including physical and mental well-being.
• Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe from a variety of risks, including safe use of the internet, social media and mobile technology. As a result, pupils have a high awareness of e-safety and have the confidence to report any concerns.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils conduct themselves well during lessons and as they move around school. Pupils are friendly and socialise sensibly and maturely at breaktime and lunchtime.
• Pupils are punctual to their lessons, appropriately equipped and ready to learn. They demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and enjoy speaking about what they have learned.
• Records show, and pupils confirm, that bullying of any type is very rare. Pupils interviewed by inspectors said that they trust the adults in the school to deal effectively with any such incidents. As a result, exclusions are rare; very few pupils have been excluded for a fixed period in the past two years.
• Expectations regarding behaviour are clear and followed in most lessons. Pupils understand the need to maintain good behaviour and the standards required to reach ‘platinum pride’, as highlighted in the school’s behaviour policy. There is a calm and positive atmosphere around all areas of the school during the school day.
• Pupils’ attendance has improved and is now slightly above the national average. A concerted effort has been made by staff to work with parents, including home visits, to bring down the number of pupils with persistence absence.
• Occasionally, when teachers do not provide tasks that match pupils’ abilities, learning is disturbed because some pupils lose focus. On these occasions, progress is limited.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Leaders have been successful in improving outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics in both key stages. Pupils’ progress in a wide range of subjects, including English and mathematics, is now good.
• In 2017, pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 2 rose to be in line with the national average. Standards rose sharply by the end of Year 6: the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard was above average in writing, broadly average in mathematics, and slightly below average in reading. Overall, this means a higher proportion of pupils now leave Dawlish Primary well prepared for the transfer to secondary school.
• Progress in other subjects, for example history, art and science, is also good. This is because the impact of leaders’ work to improve those subjects has been equally effective as for English and mathematics. For example, pupils have good opportunities to undertake their work as young artists, historians or scientists by applying the skills linked to that subject.
• Outcomes for disadvantaged pupils are good. Leaders use the pupil premium funding for a range of interventions. The strong emphasis on vocabulary development in English and problem solving in mathematics supports disadvantaged pupils’ good progress. As a result, the achievement gaps between this group of pupils and their peers nationally are diminishing quickly.
• The strong focus on vocabulary also provides good support for pupils who speak English as an additional language. Those at an early stage of learning English make good progress because teachers give them additional resources to help them acquire key language skills quickly.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress. This is because teachers deploy resources, including teaching staff, judiciously to support their learning.
• The most able pupils often achieve well because of effective teaching and challenging learning activities which deepen their knowledge and understanding. However, this is not yet consistent across the curriculum. As a result, not all of the most able pupils achieve as well as they could.
• The school’s own information about current pupils’ achievement shows that progress in reading, writing and mathematics is good. The work in pupils’ books so far this year confirms this. However, further raising standards in reading, in particular for boys, is a key priority for the school. This is necessary to enable all pupils to have full access to the rich curriculum offered by the school.

Early years provision Good

• Leadership of the early years is good. A strong focus on developing staff’s skills across the federation has led to effective practice. Staff are skilled at supporting children to learn. They know when to intervene but also when to hold back and let children explore activities for themselves.
• The proportion of children attaining a good level of development has improved since the previous inspection and, in 2017, met the national average. This represents good progress from their starting points.
• Staff work with the children using a range of approaches that make learning fun. Children are consequently engaged, join in wholeheartedly and make rapid progress in acquiring vital social and emotional skills.
• Leadership of teaching is good, with strong practice in evidence that provides a good model for staff. Strong features include the effective organisation of children’s learning, well-established routines that children follow and high expectations. Children consequently behave well, listen to and follow instructions in a timely manner and, therefore, get the most out of their learning time.
• Accurate assessments are used by teachers to plan learning activities that are well matched to the interests and abilities of the children.
• Children who have SEN and/or disabilities are provided with good support. They are helped with their learning while still being given the opportunity to develop their independence.
• Parents are well informed about their children’s progress. They are encouraged to contribute to their children’s learning.
• Adults help children to learn how to manage risks sensibly. As a result, children use tools, such as scissors, safely. There are robust procedures in place for keeping children safe.
• Although the achievement of boys is improving, leaders are working to further diminish the gap with girls, in particular in the area of communication and language skills.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority 103073 Waltham Forest Inspection number 10041967 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 181 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Head of school Telephone number Website Email address Maria Meehan Mariette Bester 0208 558 1566 www.dawlishprimary.co.uk/ school@dawlish.waltham.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 24–25 November 2015

Information about this school

• The school is part of a hard federation, the Opossum Federation, brokered by the local authority, with two other local primary schools. The three schools share the same governing body. The schools are also part of a soft federation with a fourth local primary school.
• The school is led by the head of school, working closely with the head of the federation. The executive headteacher has oversight of all the schools in the federation. Senior and middle leaders work across the federation.
• Dawlish Primary is an average-sized primary school. It has one class in each year group, including the Reception Year. The school does not offer nursery provision.
• Most pupils are from Asian, Asian British (Pakistani) or White (any other white) backgrounds. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is high.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is high, representing almost two thirds of the school community. Some pupils are at the early stages of speaking English.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through the pupil premium funding is broadly in line with the national figure.
• The proportion of pupils joining the school at other than normal times is high.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 16 part-lessons, mostly jointly with senior leaders.
• Discussions took place with school staff and members of the governing body, including the chair. A meeting also took place with the school’s ‘effectiveness adviser’.
• The inspectors met with a group of pupils and talked to pupils informally. They also observed breaktime and one assembly.
• Inspectors listened to some pupils in Years 2 and 6 reading.
• Inspectors observed the work of the school and looked at a broad range of evidence, including the school’s analysis of its strengths and weaknesses; planning and monitoring documentation; the work in pupils’ books; records relating to attendance and behaviour; and the school’s information on pupils’ current attainment and progress.
• The 24 responses submitted by parents to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, were taken into account. The 26 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff were also considered.
• The school’s child protection and safeguarding procedures were also scrutinised.

Inspection team

Nasik Butt, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Bola Son eye-Thomas Ofsted Inspector