Danbury Park Community Primary School

Danbury Park Community Primary School Well Lane, Danbury, Chelmsford, CM3 4AB

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Children in the Reception classes settle in quickly and get off to a good start.  Progress in Years 1 and 2 is outstanding. This progress is sustained throughout Years 3 to 6.  Standards at the end of Year 2 are high. At the end of Year 6 standards in reading, writing and mathematics are well above average; reflecting a well established year on year pattern.  Teaching is outstanding. Expectations are high and work is challenging. Basic skills are taught exceptionally well.  Behaviour and safety are outstanding and pupils have excellent attitudes to their learning.  There are excellent learning opportunities that promote pupils’ academic and personal development exceptionally well and allow them to apply the skills they acquire successfully.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted exceptionally well.  Leadership and management, including governance, are outstanding. The headteacher

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

and senior leaders are highly effective in promoting and sustaining high standards and the exceptional quality of teaching.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed parts of 18 lessons. The inspectors were accompanied by the headteacher during three of the observations.  Meetings were held with governors, parents, the headteacher, teachers with additional responsibilities, pupils and a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors looked at the work in pupils’ books and listened to some pupils reading.  The inspectors took into account the school’s information about pupils’ attainment and progress, its self-evaluation and plans for improvement. The inspectors also looked at a range of documents and policies concerning school management and keeping pupils safe.  The inspectors considered the 100 responses to Ofsted’s online survey Parent View and the 40 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Godfrey Bancroft, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Mike Williams Additional Inspector Jane Richmond Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is low. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported by additional government funding through the pupil premium, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, is very low.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure a consistent approach, throughout the school, to involving pupils in frequent debate and posing questions that draw on their already considerable knowledge and understanding.  Create more opportunities for the youngest children to apply their understanding of letter and words sounds when they are writing.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children start in the Reception classes with knowledge and skills that are close to those expected for their age. They make good progress; particularly in their personal, social and emotional development. By the time they join Year 1 the proportion of children showing a good level of development for their age is higher than that found in most other schools.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils make exceptional progress during their time in Years 1 and 2; to the extent that by the end of Year 2 standards in reading, writing and mathematics are high. This represents a marked improvement, established since a fall in standards in 2012, although test results showed attainment at the time was still above average.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The pattern of excellent progress is sustained throughout Years 3 to 6 and standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 are well above average. In 2011 the school experienced a fall in standards when attainment was just above average. Since then standards have climbed. They were well above average in 2012 and in 2013.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The work seen in lessons and in pupils’ books indicates that well above average standards are set to be sustained in 2014 and beyond. For example, a significant number of pupils currently in Year 5 are already over a year ahead of the level expected for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils acquire the basic skills of English and mathematics exceptionally well and there are excellent opportunities for them to apply these skills in a range of subjects. By the time they are in Year 6 their speaking and listening skills are exceptionally high.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Younger pupils acquire an excellent understanding of the sounds made by letters and words (phonics); while older ones are avid readers who take great pleasure in talking about the books they have read.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and the most able pupils all make exceptional progress from their various starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The school only has a small number of pupils who are eligible for the additional pupil premium funding. These pupils thrive, doing every bit as well and at times better than pupils from other social groups. Their attainment and progress is consistently higher than similar pupils in other schools, placing them in some cases almost two years ahead in terms of the expected levels of attainment and progress.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers consistently plan work that appeals to pupils’ interests and captures their considerable enthusiasm for learning. Teachers and teaching assistants take care to recognise and celebrate pupils’ efforts and successes. This makes a valuable contribution to pupils’ high levels of motivation to learn.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Expectations of how pupils will respond are high and they rarely disappoint. Work is invariably matched with great care to meet the needs of the full range of abilities in all classes. This includes high levels of challenge for the most able pupils.  Assessments of pupils’ attainment and progress are accurate and used to extremely good effect to plan subsequent steps in pupils’ learning. Pupils are also very clear about how well they are progressing and about what they need to do to move on to the next level or stage.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The marking of pupils’ work is helpful and supportive. In particular, the marking of younger pupils’ work is of the highest quality and provides them with precisely tailored guidance about how to make their work even better.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching assistants make a valuable and highly effective contribution to pupils’ learning. This applies to the support they give to disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. It also applies to the prompt and effective response to meeting the needs of any pupil who shows the slightest sign of falling behind in their work.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers promote the basic skills of English and mathematics exceptionally well. Even so, there are occasions when they do not involve pupils sufficiently in debate or pose questions that draw on their already significant knowledge and understanding across a wide range of topics.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The teaching of phonics to the youngest children is highly effective in promoting their early reading skills, but is not always followed through so that they can apply these skills when they write.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers make an excellent contribution to promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, there are frequent opportunities for pupils to reflect on the lives and experiences of those less fortunate than themselves.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils have excellent attitudes to their learning. They are proud of their achievements and those of their classmates both in school and beyond, especially in the fields of music and sport.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils work hard and co-operate very well with each other. At times when they are expected to work on their own they sustain their effort and enthusiasm exceptionally well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Attendance, year on year, is consistently well above average.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Staff manage behaviour consistently well. Behaviour during lessons and around the school is excellent. The school has the remarkable record of never having excluded a pupil for unacceptable behaviour or for any other reason for over a decade. Just occasionally a small number of boys become overly exuberant during playtime; but staff are vigilant and expert at helping them to calm down and to stay in control.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils contribute to school life and during lessons with great enthusiasm. There are high levels of participation and considerable skill shown in additional activities; such as the choir, orchestra and a wide range of sporting activities.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils feel safe and secure. They are confident that staff will help them to resolve any problems they might face, whether these are linked to their academic progress or personal development.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say bullying is rare and isolated incidents are invariably resolved amicably. This is born out by the school’s records. Pupils are also very aware of how to stay safe. For example, they clearly understand the potential hazards that might be posed by strangers or by misuse of the internet and mobile telephones.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 School leaders and the governing body are ambitious and ever vigilant to ensure that every pupil is able to achieve their very best. There is a strong and very effective drive to maintain high standards and for the school to become even better. No one is in any way complacent.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Self-evaluation is accurate and rigorous. Plans for continued improvement are tailored precisely to the needs of pupils and to maintaining high standards. These plans are based on thoughtful reflection and follow on from well-planned and regular evaluation of the school’s performance.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Highly effective arrangements for the continued professional development of staff and particularly teachers are playing a central role in the school’s success. Great care is taken to link rewards for effective performance to the school’s targets for continued improvement and to the attainment and progress made by pupils. Responses to the staff questionnaire show that morale is high. A theme running through many of the responses was that staff are ‘proud’ to work at the school.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Learning opportunities throughout the school day and beyond make a significant contribution to pupils’ academic and personal development. There are excellent opportunities for pupils to apply the basic skills they acquire across a wide range of subjects and especially opportunities to write. The school provides an excellent range of additional activities and educational visits, such as the Year 6 residential visit to Belgium, which make an outstanding contribution to pupils’ learning. Access to specialist teaching for music, sport and modern foreign languages (French) also enriches pupils’ learning significantly.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school is making highly effective use of the recently introduced sports funding to pay for specialist coaches who are already bringing improvements to pupils’ physical well-being and to their sporting skills.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The provision made for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development also makes a highly significant contribution to pupils’ learning. This is clearly evident in pupils learning in art and design, music, sport and religious education.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Pupils’ knowledge of their own and the wider community was an issue for improvement identified by the school’s last inspection in March 2010. This has been addressed with great success. Pupils are very knowledgeable about many aspects of their own community and show considerable understanding of beliefs and cultures that are different to their own.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The responses by parents to Parent View expressed some critical views about several aspects of the school’s work. The inspection revealed many of these concerns to be unfounded. However, school leaders are fully aware that they still have work to do to win the hearts and minds of all their parents. Even so, a significant number of parents in discussion with inspectors expressed very positive views about the quality of education provided for their children.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Even though the school is outstanding, school leaders still attach great value to the external evaluation that local authority officers bring and to the contribution they make to the school’s continued improvement.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is doing an excellent job. They are knowledgeable, supportive and well informed about all aspects of the school’s work. They are also great advocates for its reputation in the community and among parents. Governors are involved fully in holding the school to account for the quality of its work and in evaluating the quality of the provision it makes. They also make a significant contribution to planning for continued improvement and evaluating the impact of initiatives on pupils’ learning and progress. Governors’ visits always have a purpose that is linked to school performance and they provide detailed reports about their findings. They also greatly appreciate the highly informative reports provided for them by the headteacher and staff that have additional responsibilities. Governors manage the school’s budget very effectively. They are involved fully in the arrangements for rewarding teachers for

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The leadership and management are outstanding

the impact they have on pupils’ progress. They are also very aware of how additional funding, such as the pupil premium and the recently introduced sports funding are spent and of the positive impact that such resources are having on pupils’ learning and progress. Arrangements for safeguarding and for child protection fully meet current 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 114992 Local authority Essex Inspection number 413236

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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 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 259 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sophie Wilson Headteacher Carol Gooding Date of previous school inspection 29 March 2010 Telephone number 01245 224994 Fax number 01245 224673 Email address admin@danburypark.essex.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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