Dunbury Church of England Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Raise the quality of teaching further by:
  • improving the teaching and development of fine motor skills so that children can make better progress in their early writing skills
  • encouraging children in the early years to use their developing knowledge of letters and sounds to write more complex words and sentences
  • ensuring that leaders evaluate sharply the impact that teaching has on outcomes for different groups of pupils, especially during classroom observations
  • raising teachers’ expectations of most-able pupils to ensure that they achieve more consistently and at greater depth.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders, governors and the multi-academy trust are all ambitious for the school and share the vision for all pupils to ‘Inspire, Learn, Empower’. As a result, outcomes for pupils are improving.
• The school is a member of the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust. The trust has been effective at supporting improvements in this school and leaders and governors value its work. This strong support is reflected in the continued improvement of outcomes for boys in all classes.
• Staffing changes have been managed well by leaders. Underperformance has been challenged effectively by the headteacher, resulting in better teaching and outcomes for pupils.
• The school’s culture places pupils’ safety and emotional well-being at its centre. All pupils are well nurtured to feel secure in school. The school’s emotional literacy programme is effective at supporting those pupils who have additional needs in this area. As a result, as the school’s records show, pupils’ behaviour has improved over time.
• Leaders have taken rigorous action to tackle the poor attendance of some groups of pupils. While not always popular, this action has been effective in reducing absence. Progress for these pupils has improved as a result.
• Leaders are skilled at supporting teachers, through high-quality training, to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding. Teachers take swift action to make sure that these gaps are dealt with and that pupils can achieve to the best of their ability. The impact of this can be seen in examples of accelerated progress in pupils’ books.
• Leaders track pupils’ progress and attainment closely. The headteacher monitors the impact of any action taken to improve pupils’ achievements. Pupils identified as ‘not on track’ to meet expectations are targeted through discussions about teachers’ performance. This has led to pupils making accelerated progress.
• The broad and balanced curriculum offers a wide range of exciting opportunities for pupils to learn. It is organised in a way that links subjects and events. For example, a ‘UFO crash’ on the school grounds and a topic about dinosaurs are used to promote boys’ engagement and to develop pupils’ investigative, reading, writing and mathematical skills.
• Pupils appreciate the wider range of opportunities they are given. For example, all pupils learn to play a musical instrument as well as learning about Japanese language and culture. A range of extra-curricular clubs is on offer, including those for multi-sports, art, choir and performing arts. Take-up at these clubs is high. A typical comment from a parent was, ‘The opportunities that the school has given my daughter mean that she is much more confident.’
• The school uses the physical education and sport premium funding to develop teachers’ skills in teaching physical education as well as increasing pupils’ participation in a range of festivals and sporting competitions in the local area.
• The school is now working more closely with the local pre-school provider to ensure that children’s early skills in reading, writing and mathematics are secure when they start school. Transition arrangements are strong and children are supported well when they start school and when they move from the Kingston site to the Whitechurch site in Year 3. Whole-school activities, when pupils from both sites are together, are valued because, in the words of one pupil, ‘it feels like a family’.
• School leaders make good use of the pupil premium funding to support disadvantaged pupils during whole-class sessions, small-group work and one-to-one catch-up. Because of this, disadvantaged pupils are now making good progress and are catching up with their peers. Disadvantaged pupils also receive extra financial support for trips, music lessons and school uniform. This means that they have the same opportunities as their peers.
• Special educational needs funding is used effectively to provide support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Because of this, these pupils make strong progress from their starting points. Their needs are met in a range of ways, including specialist interventions, extra support in class and access to support from outside the school.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural skills and understanding are developed well. Pupils can talk about how British values affect their lives and attitudes and how they behave. They demonstrate great tolerance towards one another, valuing difference and diversity.
• The majority of parents state that the school communicates effectively, using letters, emails and text messages. Teachers and leaders are approachable and deal with concerns effectively and in a timely fashion. A small minority of parents do not support this view.

Governance of the school

• Governors are effective and provide strong support and challenge for the headteacher. They know the school’s strengths and areas for development, and understand the standards expected for pupils at the end of Years 2 and 6. They are now developing a more in-depth knowledge of the performance of different groups of pupils in other year groups.
• The chair leads the governors well. Members of the governing body speak with passion about the improvements that have been made at the school over the last two years and are rightly proud of these achievements. One example is the improvement in boys’ writing, especially during this school year.
• Governors have a clear vision for the future of the school and have high expectations of, and for, pupils. Their values are evident in their ambition for all pupils to have opportunities to ‘shine’, both in and out of the classroom.
• Each governor has a lead role for a subject or an area of school improvement. They visit the school and work in partnership with leaders and teachers to secure improvements.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding arrangements ensure that pupils are safe. There are clear and consistent procedures for staff to report any concerns to the school’s designated leads for safeguarding. Concerns are followed up in a timely way and referrals to the local authority are made when required.
• There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Pupils feel safe and free from bullying. All staff and volunteers receive regular and appropriate training to enable them to understand their responsibilities in keeping pupils safe. Safeguarding is recognised as everybody’s concern. Leaders keep detailed records and information, and are determined in their pursuit of support from appropriate agencies when required.
• Parents value the work the school does to keep pupils safe.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including online. Pupils know whom to talk to if they are worried about something and they are confident that adults in school will support them when they need it.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching has improved over the last two years as a result of the clear expectations of the headteacher. High-quality training is provided and teachers are encouraged to reflect on their own practice.
• The teaching of reading is strong and as a result, pupils in all year groups demonstrate fluency, comprehension and enjoyment of reading.
• Good practice within the school is shared and senior teaching staff work alongside newer members of the team to ensure that expectations are understood.
• Clear routines and high expectations mean that pupils are ready to learn and apply themselves diligently.
• High-quality resources are provided in well-thought-out and appealing learning environments across the school. Pupils from the Years 1 and 2 class went on a word hunt to collect words ending in ‘y’ from around the building, using magnifying glasses and clipboards. One pupil stated, ‘I’m searching for words!’.
• Teachers provide effective feedback for pupils. This helps pupils to understand their next steps and improve the progress they make. This is especially clear in mathematics. All pupils, including boys, disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are now making strong progress, especially in reading and mathematics.
• Pupils learn how to edit and improve their work. This is effective and allows them to identify their own next steps. For example, pupils in Years 3 and 4 could identify that adding adverbial clauses would improve their writing.
• Pupils are keen to explain their thinking and enjoy being challenged in their learning. Some pupils in Years 5 and 6 demonstrate well-developed mathematical reasoning skills, although this is not yet consistent across the school.
• Teachers’ sound subject knowledge allows them to address any misconceptions quickly and effectively. They question pupils skilfully to move their learning on and deepen their thinking. ‘Got-it’ groups provide swift, same-day intervention by teachers. This initiative is well established in Years 5 and 6, but is not yet as well embedded elsewhere in the school.
• Pupils can give examples of when teachers have helped them to move forward in their mathematical skills, knowledge and understanding. Pupils can identify their own progress and are proud of it.
• Pupils’ books show that pupils of all abilities, including disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are making good progress across a wide range of subjects. The quality of pupils’ writing across the curriculum is improving.
• Positive relationships in classrooms encourage pupils to take risks and ‘have a go’. Pupils are not afraid to get things wrong and learn from their mistakes. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 are increasingly able to choose tasks that have a good level of challenge for their ability in mathematics. Increasingly, teachers set work that stretches pupils’ thinking to the full, especially in Years 5 and 6. This effective practice is not yet as strongly established in other classes.
• Pupils reflect on their learning and respond to those reflections and teachers’ feedback either at the end of the session or at the beginning of the next one. They understand how this helps to deepen their understanding.
• Pupils’ progression in reading is strong. Pupils read with fluency, enjoyment and sound comprehension skills. Examples of this were seen in early years, Year 3 and Year 6, where pupils demonstrated abilities in line with or beyond their age-related expectations.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Extremely strong relationships are evident everywhere in the school. Adults and pupils treat each other with respect, care and courtesy. This was evident during the inspection when a Year 2 pupil spotted a child in early years trying to open a drink carton and rushed over to help.
• All members of staff provide extremely positive role models for pupils and are highly respected in return. This mutual respect pervades the school at all levels.
• Pupils demonstrate tolerance, compassion and understanding for peers who ‘have feelings which they find difficult to manage’.
• The school supports pupils’ emotional and mental health extremely well through the use of an emotional literacy programme and also by working closely with external agencies to ensure that appropriate support is targeted and timely. This support is valued by parents and families. For example, several pupils’ attendance has been improved and overall attendance is now in line with national figures.
• Parents value the work the school does to support their children emotionally, saying that it really makes a difference to their children’s self-esteem.
• Pupils say that the way they live out the school motto, ‘Inspire, Learn, Empower’, really ‘leads to the world being a better place’.
• Pupils’ achievements, from both in and out of school, are celebrated through achievement assemblies, to which parents and families are invited.
• A range of awards and certificates are given to pupils for good manners, behaviour, progress, trying hard and helpfulness. These rewards are highly prized and motivate pupils to conduct themselves well and try their hardest.
• Pupils play well and make sure that everyone is included during breaktimes, demonstrating well-developed social skills.
• School council members are democratically elected by their classes and represent pupils’ views well during meetings. Recently they have worked with the lead governor on further developing the school’s distinctiveness through its values of friendship, courage, respect and trust.
• Pupils are open, welcoming and extremely polite to visitors. They are confident in their views and relish the chance to share them, offering considered responses to questions.

Behaviour

• Pupils’ behaviour is good. The school is a calm, orderly and welcoming place to be.
• Pupils demonstrate positive learning behaviours during lessons and are keen to do well. Pupils show pride in their work. As a result, pupils are able to make good progress in their learning.
• Pupils say that poor behaviour is rare. When pupils make poor behaviour choices, the school takes action to support improvements.
• Pupils conduct themselves well in classrooms, around the school and during break- and lunchtimes. Pupils demonstrate good manners, for example by holding doors open for adults and helping each other.
• Attendance is improving overall and is now in line with the national average. Persistent absence is reducing.
• Attendance for boys, disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is also improving, but still remains lower than that of other pupils in the school. The school monitors attendance closely and works closely with families to improve it.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Outcomes for pupils in English and mathematics are improving this year. End-of-key-stage information for 2015 and 2016 indicated that outcomes were low for some pupils. However, the school’s own information and work in pupils’ books confirm that pupils are now making accelerated progress and gaps in knowledge, skills and understanding are being addressed effectively.
• Work in pupils’ books shows that a greater proportion of pupils in all classes are now working at the standard expected for their age in writing and mathematics.
• More of the most able pupils are now achieving at greater depth, especially in Years 5 and 6. There is some evidence of this in other classes, but it is not yet consistent across the school.
• Outcomes in the Year 1 phonics check for 2015 and 2016 were above the national average and the school’s records confirm that this is likely to be the case in 2017.
• Pupils in Years 5 and 6 achieve well, making accelerated progress both in lessons and over time. This includes boys, girls, the most able and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Those disadvantaged pupils who were behind are making accelerated progress to catch up with their peers in all year groups.
• The proportion of Year 3 pupils working at greater depth in mathematics has increased this year, demonstrating accelerated progress from their Year 2 outcomes.
• Work in pupils’ books across the school demonstrates that pupils are developing the mathematical skills, knowledge and understanding that they need in order to succeed. Their writing skills are in line with age-related expectations and are applied across a range of subjects.
• The school has set ambitious targets for all pupils to achieve by the end of this academic year. Current rates of progress in reading, writing and mathematics confirm that these targets are realistic.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities across the school achieve well from their starting points. The school supports these pupils well, working with external agencies to develop their reading, writing and mathematical skills, and to support their social and emotional needs and physical development.

Early years provision Good

• Most children start school with skills and abilities that are broadly typical for their age. They make good progress and the proportion achieving a good level of development by the end of Reception is slightly above the national figure. They are well prepared for Year 1 and there is no gap in achievement between disadvantaged children and their peers.
• The early years leader ensures that high expectations are shared by all members of the team. Links with pre-school providers have been enhanced to improve information sharing and to ensure that children develop the skills they need to be ready to start school. Parents appreciate the transition arrangements and those spoken to were very positive about the early years provision.
• In the early years class, children apply early phonics skills well when writing words. For example, they wrote the word ‘nests’ independently to label nests containing dinosaur eggs. However, children need greater encouragement to write more complex phrases and sentences.
• Routines and expectations are well established and children respond extremely well, meaning that no time for learning is lost, for example in ‘Hands on top, that means stop!’.
• Adults are skilled at providing commentary and narrative for what children are learning, modelling language effectively. They know the children well and plan exciting activities, such as a topic about dinosaurs, that appeal to them and hook their interest.
• Children are happy and are keen to come to school. Children demonstrate commitment to their learning, engaging in activities for extended periods. They show evidence of thinking critically, for example ‘Hmm. I wonder where this little one goes?’.
• The learning environment contains well-chosen resources, tailored to appeal to the cohort, which contains a large proportion of boys. During the inspection, the sock-puppet theatre role-play area was used well by boys, who extended their spoken language and vocabulary through the activity.
• Disadvantaged children are well supported to make progress that is in line with that of their peers. They learn and apply early phonic knowledge swiftly.
• Children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well to make good progress through targeted individual support from adults and high-quality resources. These children clearly enjoy their success.
• Parents are kept informed about their children’s progress and achievement through the use of the school’s IT system. They share children’s achievements from home, which are celebrated on the ‘Wowberry bush’.
• Children develop reading skills swiftly and some are already reading simple texts fluently and with understanding. Children have positive attitudes towards reading and show great enjoyment in both reading and listening to stories.
• The school’s transition arrangements support children well as they move into Year 1 and this means that the progress they make in the early years class is developed securely.
• Safeguarding arrangements in the early years are effective.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140561 Dorset 10026741 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 Academy sponsor-led 4–11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 93 Appropriate authority Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Richard Marchant Ben Barker 01258 880501 www.dunbury.dsat.org.uk office@dunbury.dsat.org.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school meets the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum requirement for pupils’ progress and attainment.
• Dunbury CofE Academy is smaller than the average primary school. It belongs to the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust, a multi-academy trust of nine Church of England primary academies.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage. The number of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below the national average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils who receive special educational needs support is in line with the national average.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is below the national average.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed teaching and learning and made a number of short visits to classrooms.
• Meetings were held with staff and a representative from the multi-academy trust.
• A meeting was held with six governors.
• The inspector talked informally to pupils in class and at break- and lunchtimes, and listened to pupils read.
• A number of documents were scrutinised, including the school’s own information about pupils’ learning and progress, planning and monitoring documents, minutes of governing body meetings, the development plan, records relating to behaviour and attendance, case studies, performance management documents, and safeguarding information.
• The inspector took account of the 46 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as consulting informally with parents at the start of both days. The inspector also took account of the views of staff and pupils gained from formal and informal discussions.

Inspection team

Rachel Miller, lead inspector

Ofsted Inspector