Dingle Community Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching by making sure that teachers:
  • provide meaningful opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills and understanding in reasoning and problem-solving
  • in Years 3 and 4 have sufficiently high expectations for what pupils can achieve in writing and mathematics
  • continue to develop greater accuracy in assessing pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding, especially in writing
  • move pupils on to more challenging work as soon as they are ready to do so.
• Improve the impact that leadership has on the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement by:
  • ensuring that the procedures for checking teaching are consistently well planned, so that all teachers have a clear understanding of how to improve
  • having a more accurate way of analysing assessment information, so that any weaknesses in pupils’ progress can be efficiently addressed
  • making sure that leaders respond swiftly and precisely to the most important priorities for school improvement
  • encouraging leaders and teachers to see and share best practice in order to improve the quality of teaching.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Leaders have not addressed some of the most critical priorities in the school with enough urgency. This has led to some weaker teaching and slower progress for pupils. For example, the accuracy of teachers’ assessment was outlined as an area for improvement in the previous inspection and it has not been addressed securely enough.
• Furthermore, some key weaknesses are not always highlighted clearly enough in the school’s self-evaluation or development plan. After the tests at the end of key stage 2 in 2016, leaders identified that teaching in mathematics required that teachers planned more frequent reasoning and problem-solving activities for pupils. However, it is not referenced in the self-evaluation or school development plan, nor has it been addressed consistently in the teaching of mathematics across the school.
• Leaders do not have a consistent plan for checking the quality of teaching. Some leaders give teachers detailed feedback, so that they know exactly how to improve. Conversely, some feedback is not as well planned and does not provide the appropriate rigour and support for teachers to develop their practice. Leaders are not providing a consistent approach, which means that some teaching is not improving quickly enough.
• Leaders are not yet able to analyse pupils’ assessment information with enough reliability. While leaders have worked hard to find a system for assessing pupils that is fit for purpose, their procedures are still developing. This means that leaders are not able to sufficiently analyse which groups of pupils are underachieving or in which subjects.
• Despite these shortcomings, leaders and governors are indicating the capacity to bring about necessary improvements. Leaders demonstrate elements of good practice which now need to be spread consistently across their key school improvement activities. For example, leaders’ support for newly qualified teachers is effective and is helping them to improve. They receive regular coaching sessions and are also provided with effective feedback. This is supporting their professional development and helping them to take appropriate action to improve their teaching.
• The headteacher and the senior leadership team are committed and hard-working. They have developed a caring and supportive ethos in the school and, as a result, relationships between leaders, staff, pupils and most parents are very positive. Staff morale is good and there is a strong sense of teamwork.
• Leaders have started to share some of the best practice in school, but it is not yet fully embedded. As a result, some teachers do not get to see some of the most effective teaching. For example, the use of reasoning in mathematics teaching in Year 6 is effective and other teachers would value seeing this practice.
• The leadership of special educational needs and/or disabilities is effective. Funding for special educational needs is being used well to deploy staff and resources that meet the full range of additional needs of pupils. There are robust procedures in place for identifying pupils who have additional needs and the provision for these pupils is effective. In recent years and across various year groups, there has been an increase in pupils coming to the school with complex social, emotional, behavioural or learning needs. Leaders have managed this well and use external services to add additional expertise to their provision in school.
• Leaders have developed a wider curriculum that is broad and balanced, which is supporting pupils to develop skills, understanding and knowledge that are appropriate for their age. Furthermore, the curriculum is providing pupils with memorable experiences that are making learning exciting and contributing well to their personal development. For example, the school recently planned a curriculum project to celebrate the school’s 50th birthday, which culminated in a whole-school visit to the Black Country Museum. In history, pupils develop good historical understanding and have enjoyed learning about topics like the Romans, the Anglo-Saxons and the Second World War. Leaders have also developed the use of an art specialist to work alongside teachers in school. This has helped pupils to develop their artistic skills, which was evident in some of the impressive artwork on display around school.
• Leaders use the pupil premium funding effectively. Additional staff are employed to support pupils in class and through targeted interventions. As a result, there are no significant differences between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and others who are not disadvantaged in each year group.
• The use of the additional funding for physical education (PE) and sport is used well. Specialist coaches work with staff to improve the quality of PE teaching. The coaches are used to teach dance, gymnastics and a range of games. Pupils enjoy these lessons and acquire skills appropriate for their age. Leaders have, rightly, identified that provision for competitive sport and extra-curricular clubs needs to be reviewed to see if it offers pupils sufficient breadth of opportunity.
• During the inspection, the inspection team spoke to a number of parents. Almost all parents were happy with the way the school is being led and managed. Comments included, ‘The headteacher knows all the pupils’ names and understands them as individuals.’ However, responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, were mixed. For example, a proportion of parents did not feel that the school was well led and managed. However, some of the less positive views found on Parent View were not as evident in the range of parents spoken to during the inspection.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective because governors oversee and manage improvements in the school.
• The chair of governors provides committed and astute support. He is ably assisted by the vice-chair and other governors in holding leaders to account and providing appropriate challenge. This is evident in the agendas for meetings and the questions raised by governors that are set out in the minutes of such meetings. However, sometimes governors do not offer consistently rigorous questions about outcomes for pupils’ progress. This would enable them to hold leaders to account even further and ensure that leaders focus on exactly the right things to improve.
• Governors have a safeguarding committee which is effective in enabling them to meet their statutory requirements. Moreover, it enables them to do thorough checks on the safety of staff and pupils. Governors discuss and challenge on a range of important aspects, for example the records for safe recruitment of staff and risk assessments for the school building. These processes add additional rigour to the school’s overall safeguarding culture.
• Governors have a clear understanding of their statutory responsibilities, such as keeping the website up to date and evaluating the use of additional funding for the pupil premium.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have ensured that there is a vigilant culture for keeping pupils safe. The school’s policy is reviewed regularly and is matched appropriately to current legislation. Staff have received appropriate training and they demonstrate a secure understanding of the procedures in the school. Staff are very clear about who to go to if they are concerned about a child and how they would follow up any concerns.
• Record-keeping is effective because leaders have a good ‘cause for concern’ form with a clear follow-up section. Leaders have recognised that this form should be used consistently in order to add further rigour to their practice.
• Staff recruitment and vetting procedures are rigorous. Appropriate checks are made in a timely way. The procedures for verifying the identity of visitors and for checking volunteers are also thorough.
• During the inspection, one parent told inspectors, ‘I have been pleased with the school; my child feels safe and is happy.’ The majority of parents who completed the online survey Parent View also indicated that their children feel happy and safe at school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Pupils’ work, assessment information and lesson observations show that teaching requires improvement because it does not lead to consistently good achievement across the school.
• Teaching in Years 3 and 4 does not have high enough expectations of what pupils can and should achieve. This is the case in writing, where pupils are not challenged to produce the quality of work that they are capable of. Equally, in mathematics, some pupils do not make enough progress because they spend too long on work that they can already do.
• The teaching of reasoning and problem-solving in mathematics is not consistent across all classes. In Year 6, pupils are making good progress using these skills as an integral part of their learning in mathematics. However, in other classes, pupils are not applying their understanding regularly enough. The school has identified that this is a weakness, but it is not being addressed promptly enough. Furthermore, some teachers’ subject knowledge of how to teach reasoning and problem-solving is not as secure as it should be.
• Occasionally, some teachers give pupils too long on particular activities or sections of lessons, which can lead to pupils switching off and making slow progress. On these occasions, pupils are either not challenged as much as they should be or they are spending too long repeating learning that they can already do.
• Teachers’ assessment of pupils’ skills, knowledge and understanding is improving in accuracy. Teachers are using this information to identify the next steps for pupils and to inform parents of their child’s progress. However, in writing, this assessment is still not as accurate as it should be.
• The use of teaching assistants is inconsistent across the school. Some are used effectively to develop pupils’ progress in lessons, but others are not deployed sharply enough to help pupils with their learning. For example, during the inspection, some teaching assistants were managing pupils so they stayed on task, rather than intervening to move their learning forward. Pupils are attentive and do not require too much supervision when working independently. The best examples in lessons were when teaching assistants were directly involved with the teaching, to help move pupils’ learning on.
• Teachers have worked hard to develop the fluency of pupils’ calculation skills in mathematics. The subject knowledge displayed by teachers is enabling pupils to be confident in their mental and written calculation methods. Sometimes, pupils carry out a number of similar calculations which they quickly find easy. Pupils are not then given swift enough opportunities to apply their understanding or tackle harder calculations.
• Teachers’ questioning has clearly improved since the last inspection. They are skilful in asking pupils an appropriate blend of open and closed questions. The open questions are enabling pupils to really develop their thinking and prove that they understand.
• Teachers are helping pupils to develop their grasp of new language across a range of subjects. During the inspection, examples were seen in mathematics, writing and reading, where teachers opened pupils up to new language and tested out their understanding. For example, in a Year 4 writing lesson on balanced arguments, a teacher used the word ‘endangered’ and questioned pupils to clarify their understanding of the meaning. This approach is supporting pupils to develop a more mature and wide-ranging vocabulary.
• The teaching of reading across the school is better than writing and mathematics. Teachers ensure that pupils acquire good phonics skills, enabling pupils to access reading and decode tricky words. As pupils move through the school, they are reading books that spark interest and challenge them. Some pupils have a good understanding of their favourite authors. Teachers support pupils to understand texts through shared reading in class and comprehension activities. As a result of the school’s approach to reading, a higher proportion of pupils are reaching the expected standards.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils speak very positively about the level of guidance and care that staff provide for them. Comments included, ‘Teachers are really supportive and caring’, ‘Teachers take the time to help us in lessons’ and ‘It is more like a family here.’ Pupils are safe, happy and developing in confidence.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning are generally very positive. They are keen to learn new things and concentrate well. Pupils are skilled in reflecting on their own learning because teachers give them time to review how well they have done.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well catered for. The school teaches values in a meaningful way and offers pupils wider experiences. As a result, pupils are developing important views about the world around them. A comment during the inspection aptly highlighted this: ‘We have learned about rights; for example, every child has a right to an education, but in some countries children don’t get that.’
• Leaders have ensured that the teaching of British values is given a high priority. Pupils spoke positively about assemblies on the rule of law and learning about tolerance through the understanding of other faiths and cultures. The school has close links with a local church and a Buddhist temple. Pupils also go to the town hall to take part in a debating event. These sorts of experiences are helping pupils to develop mature attitudes to life.
• Pupils have a good understanding of most types of bullying and can explain the difference between one-off acts of unkindness and sustained bullying. Pupils are very clear about the dangers of being online and know exactly what to do to stay safe when using the internet or social media.
• Pupils told inspectors that they enjoy the school trips they go on, for example to the theatre to see a play and to an air museum to learn about aviation. They also value opportunities to participate in extra-curricular clubs, for example the choir, gardening and netball. Some pupils commented that they would like a broader range of clubs at the school.
• Leadership opportunities are encouraged by the school and several pupils have been elected as school council members or as ‘playground pals’ to help support lunchtime play. Pupils enjoy these roles, which are helping to develop their leadership skills.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils’ conduct in class, around school and outside at lunchtime is very positive. They adhere well to the school rules. There are occasional moments when behaviour drops below what is expected. However, at these times, staff intervene quickly and pupils correct what they are doing.
• Pupils are polite, well mannered and very welcoming. One comment during the inspection to one of the inspectors was, ‘Good morning, I hope you enjoy your visit to our school.’ This typifies the positive attitudes that many pupils are developing which, in turn, is contributing very well to their good behaviour.
• Pupils who have complex social, emotional and behavioural needs are catered for very effectively. Leaders and staff know these pupils well because they take the time to understand their needs. External services are used to add expertise, and then staff implement precise plans, so that the pupils can access learning and start to manage their own behaviour.
• Pupils’ behaviour at lunchtime and other breaktimes is good. During the inspection, no incidents of poor behaviour were observed. Pupils have a range of purposeful activities to do, for example playing games, using play equipment, enjoying football games, socialising and having quiet spaces to relax.
• Incidents of bullying are extremely rare and, if they occur, they are well managed by leaders. Incidents of low-level disruptive behaviours are not always tracked by leaders to help them analyse trends of behaviour over time.
• Attendance is improving because there is a strong culture of promoting good attendance. As a result, groups with lower attendance in the previous academic year have improved considerably. The school’s overall attendance rate is below the national average, but it is showing marked improvement.
• Inspectors spoke to a number of parents during the inspection and almost all parents were happy with the behaviour of pupils. On Parent View, there were mixed views from parents about behaviour. The majority felt that the school makes sure that its pupils are well behaved, while a small proportion did not feel that this was the case. Inspectors did not have any concerns about pupils’ behaviour during the inspection.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• The progress that pupils make is not consistent because the quality of teaching varies across the different classes in the school. Pupils are not making the progress that they should be in Year 3 and Year 4, which is leading to gaps in their understanding. This is especially the case in writing and mathematics.
• Pupils across the whole school do not progress as they should in mathematics because they do not get sufficient opportunities to apply their understanding in problem-solving and in reasoning. This issue contributed to a significant proportion of Year 6 pupils not reaching the expected standard in mathematics in the national tests at the end of key stage 2 in 2016. While the current Year 6 pupils are improving their reasoning and problem-solving skills, other pupils in the school are not applying their mathematics skills regularly enough.
• The quality, form and structure of pupils’ writing in the school are inconsistent and the accuracy of teachers’ assessments in writing is still developing. At the end of key stages 1 and 2 in 2016, assessment results show that the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standards in writing was low when compared to the national average for each key stage. Leaders shared that their writing assessments are cautious and that pupils are actually performing better than their 2016 results suggest. During the inspection, writing that was seen in pupils’ books showed inconsistent rates of progress. Pupils make better progress in key stage 1 and later in key stage 2, but their progress slows during Years 3 and 4.
• The difference between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and others who are not disadvantaged is diminishing in some areas across the school. For example, at the end of key stage 1 in 2016, disadvantaged pupils performed better in mathematics than other pupils nationally who are not disadvantaged. The same was the case in reading and writing at the end of key stage 2 in 2016. The school uses the pupil premium funding to target disadvantaged pupils by providing additional staffing to support pupils in class and through focused interventions. These additional staff are having a positive impact for pupils.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are provided with well-targeted support that is matched to their needs. This was evident in pupils’ books and in the school’s assessment information. Most pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make appropriate rates of progress, when taking into account their starting points and their needs. National assessments last year show that progress for this group was low in Year 6. However, it was a small group of pupils with very complex needs so any interpretation of these national assessments needs to be treated with caution. Furthermore, several of these pupils entered the school during Years 5 or 6.
• Pupils’ progress is better in reading because of more consistent and effective teaching. The proportion of pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2016 who achieved the expected standard in reading was just below the national average and in line with the local authority average. At the end of key stage 1 in 2016, the proportion of pupils at the expected standard was in line with the national average, which represented good progress from their staring points. Furthermore, the most able pupils did well, achieving higher than the national average for the proportion of pupils working at the higher standard in reading.
• Pupils make good progress in phonics because they acquire the appropriate skills and understanding as they move from the early years into key stage 1. Historically, the proportion of pupils achieving the national phonics standard in Year 1 has been above the national average. This dropped to just below the national average in 2016 but pupils made good progress from their starting points.

Early years provision Good

• Teaching in the early years is consistently good and, as a result, children make good progress in all of the areas of learning. They are well prepared to start Year 1. The school’s assessment information shows that the proportion of children reaching the expected standard this academic year is rising closer to the national average. In previous years, it has been just below the national average. Children join the school with skills and abilities below what are typical for their age and make good progress on their journey through the early years.
• Children settle well and are happy because of positive relationships at all levels. Staff communicate very effectively with parents. This helps staff to understand children on a deeper level and adopt a personalised approach.
• Staff are very skilled in planning learning to meet the needs of both the pre-school children and the Reception children. Some learning is planned separately for each group, but equally, many activities enable pre-school children and Reception children to be learning together. This works extremely well because staff ensure that they are challenged and because the children enjoy socialising with a range of other children.
• Children are provided with a broad range of interesting activities, both indoors and outside. This stimulates their curiosity and also helps to develop a greater level of independence. For example, during the inspection, children could be seen carrying out their own survey and recording the preferred modes of transport among their peers. They showed excellent levels of independence and very positive social interactions.
• Teachers and teaching assistants are skilful in guiding children’s play and helping them to make leaps in their learning. Adults observe children as they play and intervene to extend their learning when required.
• Children behave and concentrate well because they enjoy learning. Furthermore, children are well mannered and respect one another. This positive approach to behaviour is managed extremely well by staff who are very good role models for the children. The staff keep children safe through thorough and effective systems. All statutory welfare requirements are met.
• Leaders and staff make accurate formal assessments of the children. This ensures that they can identify particular weaknesses for individuals, such as speech and language, social skills and fine motor development. Staff then put in place carefully planned interventions to ensure that any gaps are addressed.
• Leaders do not analyse the progress of different groups of pupils with enough rigour. Sometimes, this means that leaders are not as aware as they should be about which groups need to accelerate their progress. This analysis is done well on an individual child level, but it is not as effective in analysing groups.
• The leadership of the early years is a strength because the early years leader regularly monitors the quality of teaching. There is a good balance of challenge and support in order to improve teaching. Furthermore, the early years leader has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the setting.

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School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 103829 Dudley 10025338 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 171 Appropriate authority Local authority Chair Headteacher Keith Corns Joy Wheeler Telephone number 01384 818 305 Website Email address www.dingle.dudley.sch.uk jwheeler@dingle.dudley.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 23–24 January 2013

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is below average.
• Almost all pupils come from a White British background.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• The early years provision consists of a pre-school class for three- and four-year-old children and a Reception class for four- and five-year-old children.
• The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics for pupils by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed pupils learning in 15 lessons or parts of lessons. A number of these observations were undertaken with senior leaders.
• The inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books and listened to pupils read. They met with two group of pupils to gain their views of the school. The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktime, lunchtime and at the end of the school day, as well as in lessons and in an assembly.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, other leaders and staff members. The lead inspector met with two members of the governing body, including the chair. The lead inspector met with a representative from the local authority.
• The inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including assessments and records of pupils’ progress, the school’s checks and records relating to safeguarding, child protection and attendance, governing body minutes of meetings, records of how teaching is managed and the school’s improvement plans.
• There were 41 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, for the inspectors to consider. Inspectors considered the 39 free-text responses from parents. They also talked to parents at the start and end of the school day. They also considered the 19 responses to the staff questionnaire.

Inspection team

Matt Meckin, lead inspector Justine Lomas Lynda Townsend Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector