The Dawnay School

The Dawnay School Griffin Way, Great Bookham, Surrey, KT23 4JJ

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because progress is uneven across the school and is not consistently strong.  Teaching in Key Stage 2 does not always build well on pupils’ previous learning and does not always inspire and engage them.  Less-able girls do not do well enough in mathematics in Key Stage 2. Teachers sometimes allow boys to dominate discussions in numeracy lessons. They do not involve girls well so that they can check the girls’ understanding.  In Key Stage 2, some disabled pupils and some with special educational needs are over-reliant on adult help to complete work.  Although leaders have made a start to tackling the fall in attainment in Key Stage 2 since the previous inspection, the pace of improvement has been slow.  Leaders have not provided enough challenge, support and guidance to teachers in Key Stage 2 to enable inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and in pupils’ learning to be ironed

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

out more quickly.  Leaders do not make sharp enough use of information about pupils’ progress to identify and then provide rapid and effective support to pupils in Key Stage 2 who are falling behind.  A small group of pupils do not behave well outside lessons. At these times, they find it hard to resolve disagreements with others.

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The school has the following strengths

 Since the previous inspection, leaders have successfully improved the pupils’ experiences in the Reception class and Key Stage 1. As a result, attainment at the end of Year 2 is rising. Pupils are now making good progress because they are taught well.  Pupils are polite and courteous and behave sensibly in most lessons. Most show good concern for the needs of others.  Governors are diligent in their monitoring of teaching and learning.  The commitment of staff to providing a secure and happy haven for all pupils whatever their background or need is reflected in the many happy faces seen in school each day.  Specialist teaching and after-school clubs enrich learning, especially in art and music, and also contribute well to pupils’ good enjoyment of school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 16 lessons, of which five were joint observations with the headteacher. In addition, the inspectors made a number of short visits to lessons.  Meetings were held with pupils, with members of the governing body, with members of staff and with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors took account of the views of 51 parents and carers who responded to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View). The inspectors also talked to some parents and carers at the start of the school day and took into account the school’s own questionnaire that took the same format as Parent View and was completed by 121 respondents during or just before the inspection.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information about pupils’ learning and progress, planning and monitoring documents, the school development plan, records relating to behaviour and attendance and

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding information.  The inspectors analysed 22 questionnaires from staff.

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Inspection team

Mike Capper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Gill Walley Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in a Reception class.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported at school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding given to the school for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children who are looked after by the local authority and the children of service families) is broadly average. There are currently no children of service families at the school, and very few looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The breakfast club is managed by the governing body.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and learning in Key Stage 2 and raise pupils’ achievement, especially for less- able girls in mathematics, so it is good by:  ensuring that teachers take greater account of what pupils already know when planning work, so that it is pitched at the right level for all  deploying teaching assistants more effectively so that they have a greater effect on the learning of all pupils and none becomes over reliant on adult help to complete their work  ensuring that boys do not dominate discussions in numeracy lessons  building on strengths in teaching in Key Stage 1 to ensure that work in Key Stage 2 is always lively and engaging.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the behaviour of pupils at playtime and lunchtime by teaching them more effective strategies for resolving problems peacefully.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management and raise the pace of improvement in Key Stage 2 by:  ensuring that leaders give teachers greater support and challenge to help them improve and then checking that this guidance is proving effective and being applied consistently  making sharper use of information about pupils’ progress to identify pupils or groups who are falling behind and then taking effective action to tackle this.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 When children start school, few are working at the expected levels for their age. Pupils make a good start in the Reception class and in Key Stage 1, but progress slows in Key Stage 2. In Key Stage 2, the school relies too much on pupils learning at a faster rate in Year 6 to compensate for slower progress elsewhere in the key stage. By Year 6, pupils have sound literacy and numeracy skills and their attainment is broadly average.  The school does not promote equality well because, although pupils’ progress is good in some parts of the school, it is not consistently strong for all groups. Girls, especially the less able, do not always make fast enough progress in mathematics. In Key Stage 2, they lack confidence in numeracy lessons and some find it hard to complete relatively straightforward calculations. Weaknesses like this, while known to the school, have not always been tackled quickly.  The progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs requires

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

improvement because pupils are not consistently given work that is just right for them in lessons, so progress sometimes slows.  In the Reception class and Key Stage 1, attainment has been improving. Early reading and writing skills develop quickly and in the Year 1 phonics (the sounds linked to letters) assessment, the majority of pupils met or exceeded the expected standard. Boys and girls do equally well in mathematics in Key Stage 1 because lessons are more engaging and teachers ensure that all pupils are fully involved in lessons.  The school is closing the gap in attainment for pupils who benefit from extra funding through the pupil premium. In national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2012, eligible pupils attained as well as others in English. In mathematics they were about two terms behind, though the gap was less than it was nationally. Over the last year the pupil premium has funded individual and group

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

tuition for eligible pupils as well as providing access to activities outside lessons. These initiatives have a good effect on the social and academic development of pupils, and their progress is similar to others and sometimes better, although, as for others, progress is not yet even across the school.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because there are occasions in lessons in Key Stage 2 when pupils do not learn quickly enough. Although teaching is improving across the school, in Key Stage 2 teachers do not ensure that work is pitched at the right level for all pupils all of the time.  Teaching assistants too often work with pupils who are less able, or with disabled pupils or those who have special educational needs, rather than a full range of pupils. At these times, teaching assistants provide sensitive support, especially to manage behaviour, but pupils become over reliant on help. As a result they are not always properly skilled in the thing they have been taught before they move on. This is one of the reasons why girls, especially the less able, do not do as well as boys in mathematics. The other is that teachers allow boys to dominate some discussions and do not give girls sufficient opportunity to talk about their learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching in the Reception class and Key Stage 1 has improved greatly since the previous inspection and is now consistently good or better. Teaching is lively and engaging and, consequently, pupils are highly motivated and work quickly. This is less evident in Key Stage 2, where teaching is occasionally mundane and does not inspire pupils well enough.  In the Reception class, good use is made of the well-resourced outdoor area and there is a good balance of work that is led by adults and activities that children have chosen for themselves.  In Key Stage 1, work is consistently challenging and is enlivened by good questioning and the good use of resources such as the interactive whiteboards. Early literacy skills are taught well because pupils are grouped by ability for phonics lessons and this means that there is a close match of work to need.  There are good features to teaching across the school. Relationships between adults and pupils

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

are good and the sharper use of marking is helping pupils to understand better the next steps in their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

 Although pupils’ behaviour is usually good in lessons, it requires improvement because there are a small number of pupils who sometimes do not behave well outside lessons. Although the recently introduced ‘Retreat’ (a room where pupils go at lunchtime if they are not behaving well or are feeling lonely) is reducing the number of incidents, school records show that they are still too frequent. On occasions, these pupils do not show the skills to resolve disputes peacefully and so minor conflicts can quickly escalate. Consequently, although most pupils get on well together, the school’s good efforts to foster good relationships between all are not yet fully realised.  Despite this, pupils feel safe because ‘teachers sort things out quickly’. Pupils say that there is some bullying but they are confident that teachers respond quickly when it is reported. Most parents and carers also share this view. Pupils have a good understanding of different types of

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

bullying and are very clear about what they need to do to avoid dangers when, for example, using the internet.  In lessons, pupils work together sensibly and respond positively to each other’s ideas. They concentrate well when working on their own and in the Reception class and Key Stage 1 they respond very enthusiastically to teaching. In Key Stage 2, pupils are sometimes inattentive at the start of lessons if teaching does not engage them fully.  Rates of attendance are broadly average. The school works very closely with outside agencies to support the small number of pupils who do not attend school regularly.  Pupils thoroughly enjoy school, especially the work that they do in art and music. They speak especially positively of a recent concert where the choir performed alongside a military band.  Pupils happily take responsibility and they learn good manners. Discrimination is tackled firmly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils require improvement

There is a happy atmosphere in the breakfast club, with pupils from different year groups playing together happily before going to their classes.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 Leaders have ensured steady improvement since the previous inspection. A focus on tackling weaknesses in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 has been successful in significantly improving provision, but the pace of change in Key Stage 2 has been much slower. While there have been some improvements in the current year, these are not yet consistently strong across all classes.  The headteacher and other leaders check teaching regularly and use the process for reviewing teachers’ performance to hold them to account for their work. However, monitoring is not thorough enough to ensure that guidance is being followed consistently and is having a positive effect on pupils’ learning.  The school has a wealth of data and is becoming increasingly sharp at using this information to track the progress of different groups. However, where they identify small groups or individuals that are not doing well enough, they do not always ensure that effective steps are taken to help

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The leadership and management require improvement

them catch-up.  The local authority has supported the school extensively over the past 18 months. Particularly useful has been its recent involvement in securing additional support to manage behaviour so that the headteacher can focus more closely on improving teaching and learning.  The curriculum (subjects and topics taught) soundly promotes basic skills in literacy and numeracy. Although there have been some recent improvements in Key Stage 2, with a project on ‘The Second World War’ in particular being greatly enjoyed, the curriculum remains more lively and engaging in the Reception Class and Key Stage 1.  The school has good relationships with parents and carers. Most are positive about the school and make comments such as, ‘we chose this school because the children are happy’ and ‘teachers take good care of the children’.  The governance of the school:  Governors are well trained and are providing increasingly strong challenge to other school

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The leadership and management require improvement

leaders. Governors make good use of assessment information to compare the performance of their schools with others, both locally and nationally. Consequently, they realise that current school performance in Key Stage 2 is not good enough and, until relatively recently, has been tackled too slowly. Governors monitor spending very carefully to ensure that it is used to benefit pupils. They know how and why the pupil premium is being spent and that it is helping to close the attainment gap. Governors know where teaching is stronger or weaker and ensure increases in pay are only awarded when merited by performance. Governors are diligent in checking that safeguarding arrangements meet requirements.

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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 130397 Local authority Surrey Inspection number 402422

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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 Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 249 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Annette Di Giovanna Headteacher Gail Hard Date of previous school inspection 3–4 December 2009 Telephone number 01372 456774 Fax number 01372 452267 Email address head@dawnay.surrey.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 .

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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.

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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

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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

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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’.

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School details

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

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