Daven Primary School

Daven Primary School New Street, Congleton, Cheshire, CW12 3AH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 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

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This is a good school

 Pupils are happy at the school. They achieve well. From below average beginnings, they attain the national expectations for pupils at age 11 in English and mathematics. Their progress is consistently good.  Teaching is good, with some teaching that is outstanding. Teachers have very high expectations of pupils. Their marking of pupils’ work is often exemplary and the provision for children who fall behind or who have special educational needs is very good.  The pupils’ attitudes to learning are very good. They work hard and try their best. They trust their teachers and feel safe in their care.  Pupils are developing into mature and responsible young people well prepared for the next stage of education. Their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good.  Leadership and management are ambitious and rigorous at all levels. The traditional strengths of the school in supporting and involving its community and nurturing its pupils

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This is a good school

are maintained. Leadership is sharp, with a clear focus on the best outcomes for pupils and with the necessary management systems in place to ensure these happen. Leaders are held to account by a well-informed and challenging governing body.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not yet outstanding overall. Some requires further improvement.  Occasionally, teachers overestimate what pupils understand and can do, which means their work is not accurately matched to their learning needs.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage (Reception), there are insufficient opportunities for child-initiated activities.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 10 lessons and listened to selected pupils read. They observed additional support provided to groups of pupils. Pupils were observed during breaks and over lunchtime.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, staff, pupils, members of the governing body and with the National Leader in Education who has supported the school since the last inspection. The lead inspector discussed the school with a representative from the local authority over the telephone.  Pupils’ workbooks and school documentation were examined. Documents included those related to safeguarding, governance and school self-evaluation. Records of pupils’ progress were scrutinised.  Inspectors received insufficient responses from Parent View to make use of them. Parent View is Ofsted’s online parent questionnaire. Instead, inspectors referred to a recent survey of parents’ views undertaken by the school that had been independently analysed. A group of parents was

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Inspection team

Brian Padgett, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Jennifer Lawrence Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (5) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires significant improvement.

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Information about this school

 Daven Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Most of the pupils are of White British heritage.  Nearly half of pupils are known to be eligible for free school meals, which is well above the national average. The school is in receipt of the additional government funding, the pupil premium, for these pupils.  The proportion of pupils with disabilities and/or special educational needs is above average, with approximately 30% of pupils on the school’s special educational needs register. The proportion of pupils supported at school action level is in line with that of most primary schools but the proportion of pupils at school action plus or with statements of special educational needs is higher than average.  The school meets the government’s current floor targets, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school shares its site with Congleton Children’s Centre and with Stepping Stones pre-school.

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Information about this school

Both are inspected separately by Ofsted.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure lessons are planned to better take into account the pupils’ actual learning needs and their current levels of understanding and development.  Ensure that children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (Reception) have more opportunities to learn through activities that they initiate for themselves.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter school with levels of knowledge, skills and understanding that are below those of most children of their age. By the end of Key Stage 2, most pupils reach the levels expected of 11-year-olds in English and mathematics, with results that are well above the government’s floor targets. Across the school, pupils from all groups make good progress against challenging targets, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. This represents a considerable improvement from progress recorded at the time of the previous inspection.  The progress of pupils in receipt of the pupil premium is accelerating rapidly. As a result of successful targeted intervention, the attainment of this group slightly exceeded the attainment of pupils not eligible for additional funding in 2012.  Pupils made good and occasionally outstanding progress during the lessons observed. The quality of the work in their exercise and topic books is high. Work shows clear improvement over

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The achievement of pupils is good

time, with good presentation and well-formed handwriting.  Progress in reading is good and pupils enjoy reading. However, children’s communication, literacy and language skills are a particular weakness on entry and attainment in reading and writing only rises to expected levels by the end of Key Stage 2.  In recent years, levels of attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 have been significantly below the average in reading, writing and mathematics. This situation has been resolved as a result of improved teaching.  Pupils achieve widely in subjects and aspects other than in the core subjects of English and mathematics. Pupils achieve well in sport, music and art. Their work on topics, from their topic books, wall displays and that completed at home, is often of a high standard, excellently presented.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching has improved markedly since the last inspection, when it was graded as satisfactory. It is now good, with examples of outstanding practice.  Certain aspects of teaching, such as planning for challenge, target-setting, assessment and marking, particularly for writing, are of exemplary quality and are attracting the attention of other schools seeking to improve their practice in these areas.  Many aspects of teaching are good. Relationships between staff and pupils are excellent. Teachers question and probe understanding well. Lessons are consistently well planned. They provide differentiated work for pupils of different levels of understanding. Learning proceeds at a fast pace. There is a clear emphasis on pupils acquiring key skills within literacy and numeracy and using these in all their work.  On the rare occasions when pupils’ learning is less effective, this is often because the levels of

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The quality of teaching is good

challenge are simply too high for some pupils, particularly those who find learning difficult. In these cases, teachers’ enthusiasm to press for the highest standards loses sight of pupils’ actual levels of understanding and stage of development.  Problems with pupils not understanding their work fully are often resolved by an excellent system of support, provided by teaching assistants and volunteers. Throughout the school, throughout the day, small groups of pupils and individual pupils receive extra help. This help is very effective. It is part funded by the pupil premium funding, which has helped to boost the performance of eligible pupils considerably. The quality of extra support when required is one reason why parents rate the school so highly for its care of each individual child.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage (Reception) shares many of the strengths evident in Key Stage 1 and 2. However, there are too few opportunities for children to learn through

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The quality of teaching is good

self-directed play, indoors and out, which is the essence of provision in the Early Years. This is because too much time is devoted to teacher-directed learning, in particular to that aimed at promoting early reading and writing. For some children, this more formal learning comes too soon.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are good and occasionally outstanding. This contributes much to the positive ethos of the school so valued by parents. Pupils enjoy school. They like the staff and trust them to keep them safe. In lessons, pupils work hard and try their best. They help one another; for example, older pupils help younger pupils with their reading. Pupils are not afraid to tell their teachers when they need help.  Pupils’ attendance is above the national average for primary schools.  Pupils believe bullying and discrimination to be rare in any form and they have confidence staff will deal with any issues successfully.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good with outstanding features. Pupils are developing into mature young people, sensitive to people with disabilities and developing a strong sense of respect for other cultures and ways of living, for example in Africa. They are

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

developing their knowledge and understanding of environmental issues, to the extent that the school has achieved awards at the highest level for a primary school. The school council is active and pupils regularly contribute to the life of Congleton, developing civic pride.  Pupils with a wide range of learning and behavioural difficulties attend the school, including pupils with complex needs. They are fully included in the life of the school and make good progress in their personal and social development. The school is particularly successful in accommodating their needs, valuing them and supporting their learning. Staff have access to expert help and advice through therapists and external professionals and this is an important factor in the school’s ability to include all pupils fully.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership at all levels has improved substantially from the previous inspection, when it was judged satisfactory. The school’s leaders and the governing body have learned a lot from the external support provided by and brokered by the local authority. They now demonstrate resilience, ambition and strong teamwork. They no longer need support. They are now driving developments.  The management functions of senior staff are performed rigorously, in particular those connected with monitoring the progress of pupils and evaluating the effectiveness of teaching and new initiatives. There are many examples but the tracking of pupils’ progress, the development of innovative practice in teaching and learning, the oversight of literacy and numeracy and the leadership of special educational needs are among the most notable.  Effective partnerships are a hallmark of the school. Leaders have forged highly effective

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The leadership and management are good

partnerships with parents, the community and with staff from the adjacent children’s centre. Teachers involve parents in their children’s learning. This was the case most recently, to excellent effect, in homework to do with class topics. The Early Years Foundation Stage is developing close links with the on-site pre-school. The school is a founder member of a local education community partnership of schools that demonstrates the clear benefits of effective collaborative working. These include access to specialist therapists, mental health workers and councillors, who support pupils at risk of underachievement.  The school has a broad, balanced and highly relevant curriculum. The focus has been on improving reading, writing and mathematics since the last inspection. However, the school has continued to provide good opportunities for sport, music and for residential experiences for its pupils. Each of these has special features. To take football in sport as one example, the school

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The leadership and management are good

provides competitive opportunities for girls and for young pupils as well as for older boys.  The arrangements for safeguarding are robust and comprehensive. Staff are highly trained and experienced in child protection, for example. Moreover, the headteacher has the respect and trust of the community to act always in the best interests of pupils.  The school has received good support since the last inspection from the local authority. Its officers acted promptly to the notice to improve. The interventions they provided and brokered have worked well. The school is back on track.  The governance of the school  Governance is much improved since the last inspection. Along with the headteacher, the governing body has taken tough decisions over staffing and performance. The governing body is well organised through its committee structure. It is well informed and, in challenging the leaders over outcomes for pupils, it effectively holds them to account.

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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 111222 Local authority Cheshire East Inspection number 399667

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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 180 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Bill Wolstencroft Headteacher Paul Tolley Date of previous school inspection 17 January 2012 Telephone number 01260 387356 Fax number 01260 298128 Email address admin@daven.cheshire.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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