Dinglewell Infant School

Dinglewell Infant School Dinglewell, Hucclecote, Gloucester, GL3 3HS.

p.1

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 Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

p.1

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Teachers plan and teach lessons that are consistently good. The use of questioning and the good climate for learning are strong features of the best teaching in the school.  The recently appointed headteacher and governing body are leading the school very well. The governors effectively challenge school leaders and support the school.  Pupils’ behaviour in and around the school is good. Pupils are proud of their school and say that they feel safe there. They have good attitudes to learning.  Disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those supported by the pupil premium funding make the same good progress as other pupils.  Parents are positive about the school. They praise the staff’s commitments to keeping their children safe and happy at school.

p.1

It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching. At times, work is not challenging enough for some pupils, particularly the most able pupils, and occasionally too difficult for others.  The quality of marking in pupils’ books does not always help pupils to improve their work.  Standards in mathematics and writing are not yet as high as in reading.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 22 lessons. The headteacher observed two lessons jointly with the team.  Meetings were held in school with the senior staff, governors, pupils and a representative from the local authority.  The views of the 71 parents who responded to the Ofsted Parent View survey, together with those expressed in a letter from a parent, were taken into account, as well as opinions gathered through discussions with parents on the playground. The inspectors also received and considered 27 staff questionnaires.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a wide range of documentation including: national assessment data and the school’s own assessments; the school’s evaluation of its work; procedures for the management of teachers’ performance; the school development plan; the sports funding premium action plan; and samples of pupils’ work. They also heard pupils read.  Inspectors also scrutinised the arrangements for safeguarding pupils and the records relating to

p.2

Inspection team

Michelle Pickering, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Rowena Green Additional Inspector Joyce Cox Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 This is an average-sized infant school.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2013 and was an internal candidate for the post.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported by school action is equal to the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well below average. This is additional funding provided to schools by the government to support pupils eligible for free school meals, children in the care of the local authority and children with a parent or carer in the armed services.  The percentage of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well below average.  The percentage of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well below average.  The school has a before-school club facility which runs from the school site. This is managed by

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching, so that standards in mathematics and writing are in line with those in reading, by making sure that: − all pupils, especially the most able, are work at the right level of difficulty to help them make even better progress − all marking and feedback are of high quality so that pupils know exactly what they need to do to improve their work.

p.3

The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills that are generally average for their age. As a result of consistently good and sometimes outstanding teaching, children make good progress during this early stage of their education.  Many children enter Year 1 with skills that are just above average for their age. Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1. By the end of Year 2 their attainment is above average in reading, writing and mathematics.  The national reading screening check in Year 1 in 2013 showed that children were making a good start in learning to read and spell. Their scores were above national figures.  Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 have been above average since the last inspection, and in 2013 are significantly above in reading.  Standards at the end of 2013 were not as high in writing and mathematics as in previous years. This cohort joined the school with skills that were lower than usual, being below typical

p.4

The achievement of pupils is good

expectations.  Current information on achievement in Years 1 and 2 shows that pupils’ progress is at least good and sometimes outstanding. Attainment is on track to remain above average in reading, writing and mathematics.  The achievement of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is at least good. In 2013 over two thirds of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs made outstanding progress in reading, writing and mathematics from their individual starting points.  The small numbers of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium make good progress. By the end of Key Stage 1 the attainment of this group is approximately two terms behind all other pupils.  Pupils from minority ethnic groups and those whose first language is not English make at least the same good progress as their peers in the school.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ work, progress and the monitoring records of the school show teaching is typically good and sometimes outstanding, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage and the upper end of Key Stage 1.  Pupils’ work is marked regularly. However, feedback does not always give pupils enough guidance on exactly what they must do to move to the next level.  Occasionally, the work set for pupils is too easy or too difficult and this can slow their progress, especially in reading and mathematics. In particular, the work set for the most able does not always stretch and challenge these pupils.  Relationships in lessons are strong. Where teachers have high expectations of the pupils, they strive to meet these expectations. One pupil commented, ‘We don’t want to do easy work, we want a challenge.’  Progress is tracked carefully and accurately by the school. This shows that all years groups are now making at least good progress throughout the school.

p.4

The quality of teaching is good

 Where teaching is best, teachers plan work to meet the needs and the interest of their pupils, additional adults are used to promote the learning of a specific group and pupils are able to choose effectively when to direct their own learning. This ensures that all pupils are engaged in their learning and make at least good progress.  Pupils demonstrated that they enjoy reading and listening to stories. The school ensures that pupils read and have opportunities to listen to stories regularly.

p.4

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour and their enjoyment of learning are good. Pupils have very positive attitudes to school and are able to work on their own and in groups. Behaviour is not yet outstanding because occasionally a few pupils stray off task when their work is not challenging enough or too difficult.  Pupils are very polite and courteous around the school and are happy to talk about their school, work and learning. They move around the school in a calm and orderly way and help each other.  In their responses to the online questionnaire, many parents said they feel that their children are happy and safe.  Pupils are beginning to understand the concept of bullying, but say it is very rare in the school. They are confident that any incidents would always be dealt with effectively by staff.  Pupils show good behaviour in assemblies, where the school promotes spiritual and moral development very well.  The pupils spoken to said that they feel safe in school and showed they had an understanding of

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations, for example on the internet. They were able to talk about how the school supports them to learn about keeping safe, for example through the lessons that they have had on keeping safe on the internet.  Relationships between adults and pupils are strong; they demonstrate respect for one another.  The school has very few incidents of poor behaviour and deals effectively with them if they occur. It is clear from the online survey that parents and carers feel good behaviour is a strength of the school.  The school has had no fixed term or permanent exclusions in the last three years.  Attendance rates at the school are well above the national average. The school has a rigorous approach to monitoring attendance and punctuality and takes decisive action when it needs to.

p.5

The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has made a very significant contribution to driving school improvement in the short time that she has been leading the school.  Leaders at all levels care about their school and have detailed plans to achieve their high ambitions for pupils. The values of the school are reflected in the sense of purpose, the caring, the high standards and the drive and commitment.  The results from the staff survey show that the staff are very committed to the leaders of the school and recognise all the hard work that the current leaders have undertaken in a short period of time.  The school is now further developing the roles of some leaders so that all are able to take a more active role in driving school improvement.  All aspects of safeguarding are met to keep pupils safe. The school makes sure that all pupils are given equal opportunities and that discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.

p.5

The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has been supportive of both the headteacher and governing body and has provided suitable training when requested. The school’s progress is checked by the local authority.  Arrangements for managing teachers’ performance are now in place. Teachers have performance targets linked to the progress of the pupils they teach and to the school’s priorities. Teachers value the support and training they are given and this has helped to raise the quality of teaching in school.  The range of subjects and activities meets pupils’ needs, but leaders are now leading developments in this area so that pupils become even more enthusiastic and motivated.  The pupils develop well socially, morally, spiritually and culturally. For example, they have opportunities to take part in drama workshops as well as dance and French clubs. The school council is involved in decision making, for example collecting harvest gifts for the Salvation Army

p.5

The leadership and management are good

and producing gift boxes for Operation Christmas Child. Pupils also take part in Remembrance Sunday activities.  Interesting activities are provided outside lessons, including boys’ and girls’ football, multi skills, netball and Fizz Pop Science. The clubs are attended and enjoyed by pupils.  The leaders of the school engage parents in the life of the school. They recruit and train classroom volunteers and, more recently, have supported an independent pre-school group by accommodating it on the school premises.  The school has received the government sports funding and has appropriate plans to ensure best value for money. It has planned an approach aimed at promoting sport, physical education and healthy lifestyles, and through a staff coaching programme. Pupils are enthusiastic about the additional opportunities this will create for them.  Responses to Parent View and letters from parents were very positive about the school, the

p.6

The leadership and management are good

headteacher and the support given to the children. The majority of parents who expressed a view would recommend the school to others.  The governance of the school: − Governors know the school’s strengths well and what still needs to be done. They are visible in school and have a good understanding about the strengths in teaching. They have a good knowledge of how well the school performs and have demonstrated clearly that they will challenge the leadership of the school to be accountable. Governors have been closely involved in all the recent changes to the school. They are now well qualified to check that the headteacher is setting appropriate performance targets for teachers, rewarding good teachers and challenging underperformance. They are organising a more selective training programme to enable governors to further their roles. Governors know how the school is performing in relation to other schools and have used this knowledge to question the headteacher and to

p.6

The leadership and management are good

impact on decisions they make about spending money. Governors have been fully involved in decisions about how the school spends the pupil premium, for example training staff to deliver a focused phonics programme, and the sports funding which has been used to fund a sports coach to provide activities and train staff.

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 115499 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 426701

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 Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 4−7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 257 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mark Bashford Headteacher Mrs Nicola Barby Date of previous school inspection 15−16 November 2011 Telephone number 01452 619154 Fax number 01452 619154 Email address admin@dinglewell.inf.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