Dunnington CofE Primary School

Dunnington CofE Primary School Dunnington, Alcester, B49 5NT

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well and reach high standards in English and mathematics by the time they leave the school.  Teaching is sometimes outstanding, particularly in literacy.  Lessons often provide exciting and rewarding experiences for pupils. They are introduced to a wide range of literature and strongly encouraged to read widely and write creatively.  Attendance is consistently high. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They are highly motivated to learn. They have excellent relationship with each other and with staff.  Parents and carers and pupils strongly agree that the school keeps pupils safe. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and say that bullying is not tolerated.  The headteacher has built a dynamic leadership team in which all individuals feel confident in contributing ideas for school improvement. This has re-vitalised the work of the school.  Provision for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

cultural development is good. The school is particularly effective at fostering pupils' self- confidence.  The governing body acts effectively as a critical friend to the school. Governors help to foster ambition and strongly support the headteacher in expanding learning opportunities for pupils and raising the quality of teaching.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not as inspirational in mathematics as it is in English and is not yet equally effective in all year groups. Occasionally work is not exactly right for pupils of different abilities.  A few pupils who require support with their learning have made slow progress in the past. This means they still have some gaps in their knowledge and understanding.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed six lessons and saw all the teachers and most of the teaching assistants teaching. He also observed pupils’ behaviour at playtimes and lunchtimes, talked to them about their views on the school and looked at samples of their work.  Discussions were held with governors, staff and a representative of the local education authority.  In addition to observing the school’s work, the inspector looked at information about pupils’ attainment and progress and documents relating to their safety and behaviour.  The inspector took into account the views expressed in the 38 completed online Parent View questionnaires. He also spoke with some parents and carers at the beginning of the school day.

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Inspection team

Peter Kerr, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a small primary school serving the surrounding rural area.  Nearly all the pupils are of from White British backgrounds and none speak English as an additional language.  Very few pupils are eligible for the pupil premium (this provides additional funding for looked after children, pupils from families known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families).  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is low, whether supported at school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  Over the past two years a new headteacher, deputy headteacher and class teacher have been appointed.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so it is equally effective in all year groups by ensuring teachers:  make mathematics activities more inspiring and creative, and give pupils opportunities to investigate and learn for themselves  fine-tune planning so lessons always cater for the full range of ages and abilities in the class.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Close the very few remaining gaps in attainment for pupils requiring support with their learning by ensuring that their current accelerated progress is sustained.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment on entry to Reception is above age-related expectations. Children make good progress through the Reception year. The children’s learning is secure because much of it is based on memorable practical experiences. For example, a number of children confidently explained the life cycle of a butterfly because they were fascinated by the live specimens in the classroom.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress is also good between Years 1 and 6. The pupils reach well above average attainment at the end of Year 2 and high attainment in Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils read widely and often. Slower readers use their knowledge of the links between letters and sounds (phonics) well to tackle new words. This, together with their lively interest in reading, helps them to gain confidence and improve.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The quality of writing in the school is improving strongly because pupils are highly motivated to write. They say they like the lively way staff read stories to them and they are highly motivated to produce their best work for inclusion in the whole-school writing folders.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Though pupils make good progress in mathematics they have less enthusiasm for mathematics than English, as they have fewer opportunities to be creative. As one pupil put it, when explaining why she preferred literacy: ‘in mathematics there is only one correct answer’.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils use information and communication technology confidently to support their learning and personal development. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 made videos showing aspects of their life at school to share with the pupils at another school they were visiting.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils with special educational needs make good progress because their work is set at the right level. For a very few pupils with learning difficulties, this had not been the case in the past and gaps in attainment had developed. These are now closing rapidly, but a few pupils do still have ground to make up.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The very few pupils eligible for the pupil premium make similar progress to other pupils of the same age. The resources and support they receive helps them to build self-confidence, relate more positively to other pupils and improve their work. No judgement is made on these pupils’ attainment in Year 6, as numbers are so small that individuals would be identified.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good in Reception. Staff provide a rich variety of taught lessons and practical play activities. The greatly improved outside learning area is used well to encourage learning through play.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Phonics are taught well. In Reception and Years 1 and 2, new sounds and spellings are introduced in a systematic way and continuing support in reading and spelling is given to pupils still needing it in Years 3 to 6.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching in Year 1 to Year 6 keeps pupils on course to reach their ambitious targets by the time they leave the school. Occasionally, lesson activities are not fine tuned to the range of age and ability in the class. Senior leaders are aware of it and are taking steps to improve this where it occurs.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers achieve a good balance in most lessons between class teaching and active learning by the pupils. They use resources such as artefacts and videos well to bring lessons to life and provide ample opportunities for pupils to talk together and learn from each other.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Literacy is taught very effectively because staff have enough confidence in the subject to support creative learning. Teachers use imaginative and lively presentations to motivate pupils to write and display their best work prominently to re-enforce the importance of writing. Mathematics is taught well, but staff are not as confident as in English and sometimes over- teach the subject, missing opportunities to allow pupils to investigate and learn for themselves.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Subjects are linked together well in topic lessons. For example, interesting artefacts relating to an arctic expedition sparked an interest in exploration that led to good quality mathematics work on temperature graphs as well as creative writing and a dramatic outdoor simulation of a trek.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use displays and collections of pupils' work very effectively to show progression in skills in different subjects through the school. For example, a display of pencil drawings from Reception to Year 6 shows increasing sophistication in the use of shading.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Support for pupils with learning difficulties is based on accurate assessments of progress towards individual targets. These are reviewed and adjusted regularly, which is a reason for their current good progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The inspection confirms the pupils' view that their behaviour is outstanding. Pupils listen and concentrate extremely well and they particularly like the way children of all ages play amicably together at playtime. The parents and carers who responded to the on-line questionnaire expressed highly positive views on the behaviour and safety of pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say that bullying is not tolerated. They show a very good understanding of what constitutes bullying and how it differs from other forms of poor behaviour. They can identify a range of possible reasons why someone might be bullied, including size, skin colour and disability and are very confident that the headteacher would deal immediately with any incidents that might arise. Records confirm that bullying is extremely rare and is dealt with quickly and effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Attendance is consistently high and pupils are always punctual. They enjoy learning, develop a high degree of self-confidence and take great pride in their work. Reception children were eager to show the plants they had grown from seed, for example, and pupils in years 1 to 6, including some with special educational needs and some eligible for the pupil premium, talked proudly about their successes in reading and writing and their collaboration with others to produce video reports.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils have a lively interest in different cultures. Pupils in Years 5 and 6, for example, were looking forward eagerly to visiting a school in Blackburn with an entirely Muslim intake. They showed maturity and sensitivity when discussing comparisons between their lives and what they had learned of the lives of the pupils in Blackburn. This project is clearly having a beneficial effect on their preparation for life in a culturally diverse society.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher leads the school well. He sets high expectations for staff to contribute to school improvement and helps them to do so by valuing their expertise and ideas. This enables staff to learn from one another and continually improve their practice.

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The leadership and management are good

 A high benchmark is set for the quality of teaching and decisive action taken to ensure that all teachers meet it. Appropriate support is given when needed, but every teacher is expected to independently sustain good practice.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school ensures equality of opportunity and protects all pupils from any form of discrimination. Income allocated for pupils eligible for the pupil premium is used well to support their emotional and social needs as well as their academic progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s improvement plan is based on accurate self-evaluation and responsibilities for implementing it are delegated effectively. Training is provided to support the professional development of staff and to meet identified needs of the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is now managed well. The content of individual support programmes is shared effectively with pupils, their parents and carers and staff, and the impact of things the school does to help is checked regularly.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school enjoys a very fruitful partnership with parents and carers. Many help to raise funds for the school and some provide specialist support with practical projects such as improving outdoor learning facilities in Reception and modernising the library.

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The leadership and management are good

 Good partnerships with other local schools and colleges extend the pupils' learning experiences. Some pupils have participated in a joint animated film project with a local college and academy, for example, which has led to improved resources and staff expertise within the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school strongly supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It is particularly effective in promoting the self-esteem of pupils facing significant barriers to learning. Staff provide resources to enable them to follow their interests, resulting in more positive feelings about school and improved progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have a very good knowledge of the school and set high expectations for continuing improvement. They use data on pupils' attainment and progress well to check that all groups of pupils make good progress and ensure that pupil premium funds are spent appropriately. They demand accurate information on the quality of teaching and insist that the headteacher tackles any underperformance effectively.

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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

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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.

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School details

Unique reference number 125762 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 403584

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed

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Number of boarders on roll

Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Richard Warner Headteacher Paul Johnson Date of previous school inspection 18 October 2007 Telephone number 01789 772200 Fax number 01789 778202 Email address head5203@welearn365.com 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 .

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Number of boarders on roll

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.

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Number of boarders on roll

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

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Number of boarders on roll

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

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Number of boarders on roll

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Number of boarders on roll

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

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