Dovelands Primary School

Dovelands Primary School Hinckley Road, Leicester, LE3 0TJ

p.1

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Early years provision Good 2

p.1

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

 Teaching is not always good or better in Years 3 to 6 and as a result some pupils do not achieve as well as they could particularly in mathematics and writing.  Work set for pupils of all abilities does not always provide the most appropriate level of challenge or support to help pupils of different abilities make their best possible progress.  Pupils do not always receive clear enough guidance through feedback and marking to ensure they improve their own work effectively.  At times spelling, grammar, punctuation and presentation are left uncorrected.  Subject leaders do not always ensure that teaching and learning has sufficient impact on improving pupils' achievement in their areas of responsibility.

p.1

The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide clear and purposeful leadership and are now well supported by a challenging governing body. Consequently, despite some staff turbulence, the quality of teaching and learning is improving.  Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and are well prepared for Year 1.  Pupils achieve well in Years 1 and 2. Standards are well above average.  Good teaching of reading throughout school means pupils leave Year 6 with high standards.  Pupils are well behaved and feel safe. They take their roles and responsibilities, such as peer leaders and school councillors, seriously and their spiritual, moral, social development is promoted well.

p.1

Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 22 lessons and conducted several learning walks between classrooms, including joint observations with the headteacher. The inspectors also looked at a wide range of pupils' work and listened to them read  Discussions were held with several groups of pupils, the Vice-Chair of the Governing Body and other members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and members of staff, including senior leaders and other leaders with particular responsibilities.  Inspectors took account of the 88 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View), the results from the school’s own consultations with parents, and spoke to several parents during the inspection. The responses from staff to the inspection questionnaires were also considered.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including information on pupils’ current progress, the school’s plans for improvement, the management of teachers’ performance,

p.2

Information about this inspection

the use of pupil premium funding, and documentation and records relating to pupils’ behaviour and safety.

p.2

Inspection team

Andrew Clark, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

p.2

Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs on the school roll is about one in seven. This is similar to that found in most schools.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, that is those who receive support through the pupil-premium funding is below average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils of minority ethnic heritage is well above average. Over 22 different languages are represented in the school.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average and rising.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

p.3

Information about this school

 At the time of the inspection the children in the nursery classes were attending an open day and had not yet fully started at the school.  The headteacher was appointed to the school in January 2014 following a period without a substantive headteacher. The deputy headteacher had been appointed to the school in the previous academic year also following a period without a predecessor.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching in Key Stage 2 in order to raise achievement in writing and mathematics by:  always setting work which provides an appropriate level of challenge to pupils of all abilities and provides the support they need to learn effectively  ensure pupils always produce written work to the highest standard they are capable of and address errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation  make full use of marking and feedback to help pupils improve their own work and deepen their learning.

p.3

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further strengthen leadership and management in order to increase the pace of improvement by ensuring subject leaders are fully accountable for pupils' achievement and progress in their areas of responsibility and that all subject initiatives are fully evaluated for their impact in raising standards.

p.3

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Some subject leaders are not fully accountable for improving all aspects of pupils' progress and learning in their areas of responsibility. Consequently, although subject leaders are often very active in introducing new teaching and learning initiatives they do not consistently consider their impact and value in raising achievement.

p.4

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher, however, provide a clear vision and direction for school improvement. They are increasingly well supported by an effective senior leadership team and leadership is increasingly delegated throughout the school. Significant staff turbulence meant that some aspects of the school's effectiveness, particularly at Key Stage 2 was reduced since the last inspection, but is now rapidly improving.

p.4

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Senior leaders act as good role models for other staff through their own teaching and skills in improving the work of others. Consequently, the quality of teaching is improving although it is not yet good again overall. New robust school improvement planning is supporting these developments and beginning to ensure subject and other middle leaders are more accountable for improvement. Staff morale is increasingly high as a result.

p.4

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The support of the local authority is appropriate. Its officers have contributed effectively to securing and training new leaders, further strengthening the governing body and ensuring procedures for school improvement are fully established.

p.4

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school is working closely with the local authority to establish new assessment procedures following the removal of National Curriculum levels. These are still to be fully implemented and it is too soon to measure their impact.

p.4

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has developed appropriate procedures to ensure staff are held accountable for the progress their pupils make. Teachers have to meet stringent criteria in order to achieve the next salary level.

p.4

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The use of pupil-premium funding has improved significantly over the last year and this has contributed to a narrowing of the gap throughout school and at the end of Year 6. For example, the school has introduced specific projects to intensify these pupils' progress in reading and writing. The effectiveness of these projects is now more rigorously checked and analysed to ensure this funding is having maximum impact.

p.4

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school ensures all pupils have the same opportunities to succeed and to participate fully in the life of the school. However, it is not yet effective enough in ensuring that pupils consistently achieve the best they can. There is no evidence of discrimination in the school.

p.4

The leadership and management requires improvement

 Safeguarding procedures meet statutory requirements and are thorough because they are based on detailed and accurate record keeping and well-trained and vigilant staff.

p.4

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school promotes pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils are undertaking exciting work on 'Rights and Responsibilities' towards a UNICEF award which contributes well to their understanding of tolerance and respect for different faiths and cultures. This is strongly reinforced by thought-provoking assemblies.

p.4

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school makes an increasingly good contribution to pupils' health and well-being. Effective use of the primary school sports funding through the employment of specialist staff and partnership with local secondary schools is improving teachers’ knowledge of how to teach physical education skills and introducing new sporting experiences.

p.4

The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is led and managed well. It has reviewed its effectiveness with support from the local authority and re-structured accordingly. Members ensure statutory requirements are met. It is now better informed through its own regular monitoring procedures, rigorous scrutiny of data on achievement, and detailed reports from the new headteacher. As a result, governors are well informed about pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching. They regularly ask challenging questions but show strong support for the headteacher. They make good use of individual governor’s skills and experiences particularly in keeping pupils safe, data management and sport's funding initiatives. Governors play a full role in making decisions as to whether teachers and staff should be rewarded with salary increases and reviewing targets for the headteacher.  Governors take advantage of a range of training opportunities to improve their effectiveness particularly

p.4

The leadership and management requires improvement

in data handling, the development of assessment procedures and safeguarding.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Relationships between pupils and with adults are positive. Pupils are polite and considerate towards each other and they respond well to the care all adults show them. Pupils are usually strongly engaged in their learning. Occasionally, their concentration wanes when they are not sufficiently challenged but they rarely misbehave.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have many opportunities to take real responsibility and support others. For example, as school councillors they led assemblies on behaviour and anti-bullying, organised sporting events and worked on the school mural. Peer leaders effectively provide guidance and support to younger pupils.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils play and work together well and the school creates many opportunities for them to learn to cooperate. The trim trails and many break time activities contribute to the sense of harmony throughout school.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are keen to come to school and are punctual and well prepared for the day's learning. Attendance is consistently above average and very few pupils are regularly absent. The school uses pupil-premium funding well to improve attendance of disadvantaged pupils further and those whose circumstances make them vulnerable.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school's work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say they feel safe. Pupils have a good understanding of how their behaviour affects others and know that they should be kind and considerate. They have a good knowledge of potential bullying situations including racial and homophobic concerns and cyber bullying. They appreciate the right of others to hold a different view from themselves. They comment that little bullying takes place and any incidents are successfully managed by the staff. This is confirmed by the school's record-keeping procedures and the large majority of parents agree.

p.5

The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable, receive good levels of care to improve their own safety and well-being. Pupils are taught how to stay safe, particularly when participating in sport or educational trips and visits. There have been few recent exclusions.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils do not always make the best progress they could in Years 3 to 6 because teachers do not always make full use of assessment to ensure that the work they set provides the right level of challenge or support to pupils of different abilities in writing and mathematics. For example, sometimes the most-able pupils undertake work which they already understand or which just extends the amount of work they do rather than deepens their learning, particularly in mathematics. Occasionally the work is too difficult for other pupils and does not provide enough support to help them move forward quickly.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The highest standards in presentation and accuracy are not consistently insisted on. For example, the quality of pupils' handwriting varies between their work and sometimes errors in spelling and grammar are occasionally not addressed hindering the progress they make in writing.  The use of marking and feedback has improved since the previous inspection. However, sometimes the comments made are still not precise and useful enough to help pupils move quickly on to the next steps in their learning.

p.5

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There is a good atmosphere for learning and pupils respond well in their behaviour and positive attitudes. Classrooms are attractive and orderly.

p.6

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of reading is a strength of the school. Their success in developing a very good understanding of letters and sounds and how they form words is built upon with many opportunities to develop their comprehension skills and understanding of character and plot. Well chosen children's literature often forms the basis of pupils' studies on history, art, geography and science and this further enhances their skills.

p.6

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 All groups of pupils, especially the most able, deepen their knowledge and understanding and develop self-confidence by working collaboratively and sharing their ideas with other pupils.

p.6

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils' understanding of correct literary and mathematical terms is well developed. Pupils often make good use of 'learning walls', word banks and other reference guides, including information and communication technology (ICT) to reinforce their learning.

p.6

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils also refine and develop their knowledge and understanding in response to skilful and persistent questioning.

p.6

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There is a good trend of improvement in pupils' sporting and physical education as a result of very focused specialist teaching and good development of teachers' skills in this area.

p.6

The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils’ skills are often improved through regular, well planned homework, including the imaginative use of ICT and after school clubs.

p.6

The achievement of pupils

 From Year 3 to Year 6 too few pupils make better than nationally expected progress in writing and mathematics to ensure that their achievement is the best that it can be and they reach their full potential. This is reflected in national test results and the school's own current data.

p.6

The achievement of pupils

 Pupils in Year 3 to Year 6 are not always as careful and accurate as they could be in their written work. For example, they sometimes make repeated spelling mistakes and their handwriting is not as neat and fluent as it can be in all their work. This is not always addressed.

p.6

The achievement of pupils

 The most-able pupils also make similar progress to their peers overall. In 2013 national tests at both Year 2 and Year 6 results for these pupils were above the national average in all three subjects. This has been sustained in reading throughout school but has dipped in writing and mathematics in the 2014 results. Pupils show that they use their knowledge and understanding well and creatively in a range of subjects from art and music to physical education. However, they are not always given the opportunity to think and reason and apply their skills in sufficient depth.

p.6

The achievement of pupils

 The gap between standards reached by disadvantaged pupils and other pupils is largely narrowing overtime. Outcomes are stronger in reading than in other subjects. However, in the 2013 national curriculum tests at Year 6 attainment for these pupils was almost a year behind the national average for all pupils and more than a year behind that of other pupils. 2013 results for disadvantaged pupils were a significant drop from 2012 levels and are not representative of other outcomes overtime. The results for 2014 show a good improvement and are largely no more than a term below those of other pupils in all subjects. This improvement is a reflection of much more effective use of pupil premium funding to boost basic skills. Throughout the rest of the school disadvantaged pupils are often working at levels similar to other pupils and the gap is narrowing. However, sometimes the work set for them does not provide the

p.6

The achievement of pupils

most appropriate support to help them achieve the very best of which they are capable.  National Curriculum test results have varied since the previous inspection in writing and mathematics more than they have in reading for Year 6 pupils. In 2013 they were average for mathematics, slightly above for writing and well above for reading. The schools current data shows that standards in both writing and mathematics have dipped slightly and standards in reading have continued to rise. This is reflected in work seen throughout Key Stage 2.

p.6

The achievement of pupils

 Standards by Year 2 have risen strongly since the last inspection and were well above average in reading, writing and mathematics in 2013. Pupils of all ability achieve well through Year 1 and Year 2. These levels are also reflected in the school's current data for 2014 and work throughout the school and reflect the quality of teaching and use of accurate assessments in this key stage.

p.7

The achievement of pupils

 Standards and progress in reading are well above average overall. Pupils in Year 1 consistently reach above average results in national screening checks for their knowledge of letters and sounds. These outcomes are a direct result of well-established skilled teaching of early reading.

p.7

The achievement of pupils

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are supported well so that they develop basic reading and writing skills. Their overall progress is similar to their peers because of the variations in the quality of teaching.

p.7

The achievement of pupils

 Pupils who speak English as an additional language make progress which is at least as good as other pupils and sometimes better. This is reflected in National Curriculum test results for 2013 and in the school's current data. Pupils make a particular good start to developing literacy skills through additional support in their heritage language when needed.

p.7

The early years provision

 Leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage are good. The coordinator has a very clear focus on ensuring the progress of children of all abilities is the best it can be from their starting points.

p.7

The early years provision

 The quality of teaching is good. Staff are well trained for their roles and have a very good knowledge of the needs of young children. Teaching assistants and other adults are well deployed to have a maximum impact on children's achievement across all areas of learning.

p.7

The early years provision

 Children start school with a wide range of skills and a significant proportion start at levels below those typically expected for their age, especially in communication and literacy. They make rapid gains in these areas and in their personal and social skills. There is an increasing trend of achievement and those attaining a good level of development is at least average and rising.

p.7

The early years provision

 The most able children work very well together to solve problems and develop their ideas and thinking. For example, they develop a lively scenario in their water play and describe with relish how the wind up hamster is 'walking the plank' and falling into the mouths of the shark.

p.7

The early years provision

 Disadvantaged children make good gains in early language and communication skills. They are confident to talk to adults and other children because they are safe and supported well in their learning.

p.7

The early years provision

 Children of all abilities concentrate well and evidently enjoy their learning and are proud of their achievements.

p.7

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 failing

p.8

Grade Judgement Description

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.8

School details

Unique reference number 130927 Local authority Leicester Inspection number 448695

p.9

School details

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

p.9

School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 552 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Wendy Martin Headteacher Sara McAdam Date of previous school inspection 2 February 2010 Telephone number 0116 2857716 Fax number 0116 2558558 Email address office@dovelands.leicester.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.9

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.10

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.10

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 and 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.10

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.10

School details

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

p.10