Dunalley Primary School

Dunalley Primary School West Drive, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 4LB

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The headteacher has established a shared vision and is ably supported by a strong team of leaders and managers. Together, they have been successful in improving the quality of teaching and learning since the previous inspection.  As a result, pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching have rapidly improved and are now consistently good across the school. This supports pupils’ good achievement and they reach average standards by the end of Key Stage 2.  The governing body is involved fully in all aspects of the school’s work. Governors ask the right questions, especially about how well pupils learn. Together with the school leadership team, they have high expectations for the further improvement of the school.  This is a harmonious community where good- quality provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development promotes pupils’ high self-esteem and confidence. Pupils feel safe,

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not yet enough outstanding teaching.  In a small number of lessons across the school, lessons lack a real sense of pace, or pupils are not given enough time to check up on their own progress and to think about how they can make their work better.  Occasionally, opportunities are missed to use additional adults effectively throughout the lesson in order to make sure all pupils make the best possible progress.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 17 lessons, of which five were joint observations with senior leaders.  Meetings were held with a group of members of the governing body, pupils, middle and senior leaders, and with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors held discussions with members of staff and, in addition, account was taken of the 17 responses to the questionnaire completed by staff.  Inspectors also talked to parents and carers and took account of the 39 responses to the on-line questionnaires (Parent View) during the inspection.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of school documentation relating to self-evaluation, performance management, pupils’ attainment and progress, monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning, attendance, and safeguarding. A scrutiny of pupils’ written work was undertaken and inspectors listened to pupils read.

p.2

Inspection team

Kerry Rochester, Lead inspector Additional inspector David Williams Additional inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 Dunalley is a primary school of average size.  The proportion of pupils eligible to receive pupil premium (extra money provided to schools by the government) is well above the national average, as is the proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported by school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is in line with the national average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.  Since the previous inspection, the school now has a Nursery class within its Early Years Foundation Stage.  This year, the school has increased its intake number into Reception from 30 to 60.  There is a before- and after-school club which is not managed by the school’s governing body.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the overall quality of teaching to outstanding by:  ensuring a brisk pace in all lessons, where learning is not dominated by the teacher and where pupils are working hard from start to finish  ensuring additional adults are used well to support the progress of all pupils throughout each and every lesson  ensuring that, at the end of lessons, pupils have time to reflect on their learning, the progress they have made and to set their own next steps for making their work better.

p.3

The achievement of pupils is good

 Children’s skills on entry into the Early Years Foundation Stage vary year from year, but are typically below those levels expected for their age, particularly in communication and literacy.  In lessons, children across the Early Years Foundation Stage do very well when linking sounds to letters due to the creative ways in which staff teach letters and sounds. For example, in a lesson observed in a Reception class, children clearly enjoyed sounding out and then writing their new letter sound on the playground. As a result of the creative and imaginative approach by staff, the children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make progress that is consistently good.  Attainment is broadly average by the time the pupils leave Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. However, pupils’ progress continues to improve rapidly. School data, pupils’ work and observations of pupils currently in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 showed convincing evidence

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

that pupils’ progress has accelerated even further over the past year and is now securely good in reading, writing and mathematics, all of which leads to pupils’ good achievement.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, including those who are supported by school action, school action plus and with a statement of special educational needs, make good progress from their starting points and achieve well. This shows how successfully the school promotes equality of opportunity for all pupils.  Through the good use of extra help in lessons, and pastoral support provided by the family support worker ,those pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium funding make good progress and the school is rapidly closing the gap between their attainment and those of all pupils nationally.  Pupils make good progress in reading because of strengths in the teaching of letters and

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

sounds. The school encourages reading and it is promoted well across all subjects. Pupils have an interest in a range of books and they are provided with opportunities to meet and work with real authors. This promotes their enjoyment and enthusiasm of reading and contributes to their good achievement.  Pupils use exciting adjectives and punctuation to make their writing interesting, thoughtful and creative.  The majority of parents and carers express very positive views about learning and progress.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Most parents and carers consider their children to be taught well in the school. Inspection evidence shows that teaching has improved considerably since the previous inspection so that it is now good overall.  Teaching seen was typically good when teachers: - made good use of confident subject knowledge - planned carefully, taking into account pupils’ previous learning - used open-ended questions to probe pupils’ understanding and actively engaged them in lessons - used paired talk to develop pupils’ thinking skills - modelled and used a range of imaginative strategies which engaged pupils’ interest.  Typical of the good teaching observed was in a writing lesson for younger pupils. Paired talk and questioning were used effectively to encourage pupils to tell their own version of the story of the ‘Three Bears’. This effectively supported the use of good vocabulary which was then used within their writing and, as a result, they made good progress.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Across the school, marking is generally good. It tells pupils how well they have done and what they need to do to improve their work. Pupils know the National Curriculum levels they are working at.  All staff have warm and caring relationships with the pupils and encourage them to work independently and with confidence.  Although teaching is typically good, occasionally in some lessons the pace of learning slows. This is usually when the lesson is so tightly controlled by the teacher that pupils then lose interest and do not make enough progress.  Occasionally, additional adults are not always used as well as they might be to support the learning of individuals and groups, particularly during whole-class teaching and when supporting individual groups of pupils. This can, at times, slow their rates of progress.  In a small number of lessons across the school, pupils do not make rapid progress because

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

at the end of lessons, they are not provided with enough time to reflect on their learning or to think for themselves about how they can make their work better.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The Early Years Foundation Stage provides a good start in developing children’s positive behaviour, as they learn how to treat each other with respect and learn how to cooperate with each other. Children typically treat each other with care and kindness.  Behaviour across the rest of the school is good. Pupils get along with one another well, engage well with adults, are friendly, courteous and have a strong sense of community. For the very few who find difficulty in meeting the school’s high expectations, the school makes good use of external agencies, for example behaviour support services.  In looking at a range of information over time and talking to parents and carers, and pupils, inspection findings support the views of the large majority of parents and carers who believe that behaviour is usually good and that their children are safe in school.  Good opportunities for developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

ensure good personal development and attitudes to learning.  Pupils have a good awareness of the different forms of bullying and are confident in the school’s ability to deal with any incidents should they occur. Pupils say that they feel safe and have a good understanding of internet safety.  There are very positive relationships across the school between the wide range of different ethnic groups and pupils show respect and appreciation for each other’s beliefs and cultural identities.  Attendance has improved since the last inspection and current attendance is high. This is due to a consistent and relentless approach by the family support worker in tackling persistent absence.

p.5

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has worked hard since the previous inspection to develop a cohesive management team who are effective in checking up on the work of the school and bringing about improvements, particularly in teaching. As a result, achievement, attendance and teaching have improved since the previous inspection thus demonstrating a good capacity for further sustained improvement.  A good system for tracking pupils’ progress has been introduced and is used well to check up on how well pupils are taught. It is used successfully alongside performance management and lesson observations to identify opportunities for professional development. Teachers know what they must do in order to improve their teaching. As a result, the quality of teaching has improved, which, in turn, means that pupils’ achievement is much better than at the time of the last inspection.  Self-evaluation is accurate and leaders have a thorough and accurate awareness of the

p.5

The leadership and management are good

school’s strengths and areas for development. This is shown in the good-quality extra support given to pupils who are at risk of falling behind in their learning and the detailed school improvement plan.  The local authority has provided timely, consistent and effective support for the school, particularly in working with senior leaders to develop the skills of the middle management team in understanding how to check up on pupils’ learning and the quality of teaching. As a result, leadership and management have improved at all levels since the previous inspection.  The school is working hard at recognising and celebrating the uniqueness of the individual and the headteacher, in conjunction with the governing body, to ensure that all pupils have equal access to the curriculum and discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. Topics based on a wide range of themes, together with an array of visits and visitors, all help pupils to

p.5

The leadership and management are good

build up a deeper knowledge and understanding of the topics they study.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils respond sensitively to opportunities to reflect and participate enthusiastically during assemblies.  The governance of the school:  Since the previous inspection, members of the governing body have improved their work with the school and are now highly involved in school life. They have a much better understanding of the strategic needs of the whole school and are fully involved in the evaluation and planning of activities that are key to this school’s success.  Governors track the performance of different groups of pupils, and ensure that pupil premium funding has a positive impact on the appropriate pupils. As a result, these pupils make good progress and the school is successfully closing the gap in their attainment compared with other pupils nationally.

p.6

The leadership and management are good

 The governing body ensures that safeguarding arrangements meet statutory requirements.

p.6

Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

p.7

Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

p.7

School details

Unique reference number 115582 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 401523

p.8

School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.8

School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 225 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tony Church Headteacher Judith Price Date of previous school inspection 12–13 October 2009 Telephone number 01242 512391 Fax number 01242 256535 Email address judithprice@dunalley.gloucs.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.8

School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

p.9

School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9

School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

p.9

School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

p.9

School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.9