Dussindale Primary School

Dussindale Primary School Vane Close, Norwich NR7 0US

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is a school that requires improvement

 Leaders have not ensured that teaching is consistently good. Their checks on teaching, whilst regular, do not always provide teachers with a clear understanding of the key areas that they need to improve.  The high expectations of some teachers are not held consistently by all and leaders do not hold teachers to account sufficiently for the standards achieved in their class.  Governors, whilst highly supportive of the school, do not challenge leaders sufficiently about the progress and attainment of pupils, including the most able.  The most able pupils do not make as much progress as they should and so the proportion of pupils achieving above the expected standard, particularly in writing and mathematics, is lower than it should be.  Pupils in the Reception classes are not making as much progress as they could because not enough is expected of them and tasks are not always sufficiently well planned to extend learning.

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The school has the following strengths

 Leaders have created a school ethos where pupils feel well cared for. Most parents are highly appreciative of the school’s supportive and inclusive approach.  Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and pupils are helped to develop into caring and responsible individuals.  Pupils behave well because leaders have ensured that all staff share high expectations of behaviour and the school code is reinforced regularly in classes and assemblies.  Provision for pupils who have special educational needs or disability is strong because the inclusion team works well together and with parents to ensure that pupils’ needs are well met.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by: providing clearer feedback to teachers and holding them to account more stringently for the standards achieved governors providing greater challenge for leaders about the achievement of all pupils and groups of pupils.  Ensure teaching is consistently good by: – sharing the best practice within school so that teachers learn from and provide better support for each other in their professional development – planning lessons which meet the needs of all pupils, including the most able – using time within lessons more productively so that pupils achieve more – using questioning and feedback more precisely to identify misconceptions and to move learning on.  Improve achievement, particularly for the most able, by: – raising the expectations of all staff and governors regarding the achievement of the most able pupils – leaders checking more rigorously that lessons meet the needs of all pupils

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– drawing on research and best practice examples to support teachers in raising achievement.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have maintained a very strong emphasis on pupil welfare and ensuring that pupils behave well. However, they have not ensured that the quality of teaching and learning across the school is consistently good so that all pupils, including the most able, make rapid progress and achieve as well as they should. Leaders have an overly positive view of the quality of teaching and learning across the school.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher check the quality of teaching regularly, but their feedback to teachers is not always sufficiently precise in identifying what teachers are doing well and what they need to improve upon. As a result, teaching quality varies and so the progress made by pupils is not consistently good.  Leaders track pupils’ progress using the school’s assessment information and put in place additional interventions to support those who are falling behind. However, leaders do not hold teachers to account

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

with sufficient rigour for any underachievement of pupils in their class.  A strong focus on supporting those who have special educational needs or disability has meant that these pupils achieve well from their starting points. However, leaders have not applied the same rigorous focus to ensuring that those pupils capable of more rapid progress and of achieving above the expected standard for their age do so in each year group. As a result, the proportions of pupils who achieve these higher standards are too low, particularly in writing and mathematics.  The school has this year established teams who work together to support leadership development. Subject leaders and their teams draw up useful action plans for their subjects, but these plans lack a target around the achievement of the most able pupils. Curriculum teams check pupils’ books and provide feedback to teachers, but this feedback, in common with that of senior leaders, does not make

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

sufficiently clear those areas that need to improve, and does not set timescales for improvement.  The inclusion leader and special educational needs leader work well together; the inclusion team is having a positive impact and is a strong feature of the school. They track provision for pupils who have special educational needs or disability very carefully and analyse the impact of any additional interventions to ensure that they are working.  The inclusion team’s focus on disadvantaged pupils is ensuring that these pupils are now making better progress and gaps in attainment are beginning to close. However, they have not identified, or planned support for, those disadvantaged pupils who are able to achieve more, and so the proportions who achieve above the standard expected in each year group remain low.  Attendance is good because leaders closely monitor attendance, identify the reasons for absence and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

work with parents to improve the attendance of their children. The attendance of pupils who have special educational needs or disability, which had been lower than that of others in the school, is improving because the inclusion team works closely with parents to help ensure that these pupils attend school regularly.  There is a broad and balanced curriculum in place which pupils enjoy and which is enhanced by trips and visitors to the school. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strong feature of the curriculum, which has contributed to ensuring that pupils are responsible young people and the school is a welcoming and caring place. Funding provided to increase participation in sports has been well used and pupils commented on the good opportunities provided for engaging in sports clubs at lunchtime and after school and in taking part in sports competitions.  Parents are mostly very supportive of the school and particularly of the pastoral support provided. The

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

majority of parents spoken to during the inspection and who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire said that they would recommend the school to another parent. A small minority of respondents, however, were disappointed with aspects of the school, such as how leaders respond to concerns they raise.  The governance of the school Governors are very committed to the school. A number have held their positions since the school first opened and all have supported the school over its continued development, as additional classes were added and the school has grown both in numbers and in physical size due to building works. Governors question leaders about pupils’ achievement during meetings but accept that they do not always ask questions which probe sufficiently, for example about the achievement of the most able. Governors are sometimes too ready to accept leaders’ explanations of lower achievement instead of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

challenging them to ensure that achievement rises. Governors know how funding provided for disadvantaged pupils is spent, but have not questioned leaders sufficiently regarding some spending decisions and the impact these have had. For example, they have not ensured that the provision of additional teaching support has been closely focused on the needs of those pupils for whom funding is provided. They have not asked leaders to explain how the needs of more-able disadvantaged pupils are being met.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Keeping pupils safe is taken very seriously by all staff at Dussindale Primary School. All statutory requirements are met and checks on staff are carried out carefully. Staff training is kept up to date, for example with recent training in the ‘Prevent’ duty around tackling the risk of extremism. All staff know what to do if they have a concern about a pupil and all

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Effectiveness of leadership and management requires improvement

concerns are recorded carefully by the lead professionals for safeguarding. Leaders follow up with external agencies any serious concerns and show tenacity in ensuring that action is taken when needed.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

 The good teaching evident in some classes, for example in Year 6, is not yet consistently the case in all classes. There is variability in the quality of teaching and learning between parallel classes and between year groups.  Teachers do not have equally high expectations of all pupils. For example, in Year 2, teachers do not ensure that during writing sessions, pupils understand that they should sit appropriately for writing and concentrate fully on their work. As a result, the quality of the work produced is not as high as it should be.  Time is not always well used. In some classes, pupils sit for too long at the beginning of the lesson when the teacher’s input is either too easy for them or too challenging. Pupils are sometimes asked to repeat tasks, for example writing out the same piece several times, without sufficient input to enable them to improve on the first draft. As a result, pupils end up copying out the same piece of writing and this does

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

not extend their learning.  Teachers do not consistently plan lessons which meet the needs of all pupils, including the most able. Occasionally, the learning objectives for the lesson do not match the tasks and the most able pupils are not extended and challenged. For example, in Year 1, teachers planned a carousel of activities including clay modelling, writing and science tasks. However, all pupils completed the same task without any additional challenge.  Feedback, while well used in some classes to move learning on, is not having a consistently positive impact because in some classes, teachers do not clearly identify what pupils need to do to improve further. Teachers are not always careful in their marking of pupils’ work, for example sometimes marking work as correct when it is not.  Sometimes teachers do not identify misconceptions and errors during lessons quickly enough. For example, teachers in Year 1 asked pupils to record words and did not identify when a number of pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

had done so incorrectly. As a result, pupils practised incorrect spellings of words, reinforcing misconceptions. However, in some classes, teachers are quick to identify misconceptions and address these rapidly. For example, in Year 3, the teacher identified some pupils who still struggled to understand the concept of division in mathematics, and provided a separate practical task for them to carry out, supported by a teaching assistant.  Questioning, while inconsistent across classes, is used effectively by some teachers and its use has a positive impact on learning. For example, in a Year 6 class, pupils are questioned closely and expected to explain their thinking.  Pupils are keen to learn and behave well in lessons. Where teachers expect more of pupils, they very willingly comply and give of their best, making more rapid progress in their learning. For example, in a Years 4 and 5 class, different levels of challenge were provided by the teacher and pupils confidently

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

selected the level which would extend their learning, making good progress in their understanding of multiplication of decimal numbers.  Pupils enjoy working in groups and, when given opportunities to discuss their learning, do so sensibly and learn from each other. This was particularly evident in some of the older classes where pupils made the most of these opportunities and made good progress during lessons.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability are well supported in lessons. Teachers and teaching assistants are well aware of the needs of these pupils and make appropriate provision for them through the tasks provided and by providing additional resources to support learning.  Some teaching assistants make a positive impact on learning, working with individuals and groups well to ask questions, and encouraging pupils to think more deeply. For example, in Year 3, pupils were well

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment requires improvement

supported by a teaching assistant while using practical mathematical resources; they were asked questions which helped them to understand concepts. Some teaching assistants record pupils’ comments so that these can be used to assess pupils’ understanding. However, occasionally, teaching assistants are too passive, or focus on managing pupils’ behaviour rather than extending learning.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Staff are quick to identify pupils’ emotional and health needs and to take steps to support pupils. The inclusion team meets with parents and with staff regularly to identify barriers to learning for vulnerable pupils such as those who have special educational needs or disability.  Pupils are proud of their school and say that adults take good care of them. They say that the school is a safe place to be and that, if they had any concerns, there is always an adult who will listen to them and take what they say seriously.  Pupils from different backgrounds are welcomed and the school has a strong ethos of inclusion. For example, in a Year 1 class where pupils were making Diwali lanterns, one pupil indicated a girl nearby, saying, ‘she is an expert because it is her religion’. Pupils spoken to by the inspector were confident that

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Personal development and welfare

pupils from different backgrounds and cultures were always made to feel part of the school community.  Pupils told the inspector that the school is a safe place. They learn about how to keep themselves safe, including when using technology such as mobile phones and the internet, and understand what they should and should not do when online.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. For example, pupils in Year 6 researched Martin Luther King and used his dream to prompt discussion about racism, the environment and how to create a peaceful world. Pupils learn about other religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism and other countries and cultures through different topics studied, exploring, for example, differences in wealth and poverty and thinking deeply about injustice.  Pupils are encouraged to take on responsibility, for example as buddies and members of the school

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Personal development and welfare

council. They enjoy these responsibilities and take them seriously.  In some classes, pupils are encouraged to select different challenges within lessons. This is helping to further promote positive attitudes to learning where pupils are keen to extend their skills, and to do their very best. However, in some classes, pupils are not expected to work as hard as they could or to really extend their learning when they are able to do so.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Leaders have ensured that the school’s code of conduct is evident throughout the school and that pupils abide by this throughout the day in lessons and at playtimes.  Leaders frequently reinforce the message that good behaviour should be ‘the norm’. A few parents said that there were not enough rewards for good behaviour, but leaders are adamant in their view that pupils should behave well because this is what is expected, rather than for any rewards, and this has proved effective in ensuring good behaviour in lessons and at playtimes. The majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire agree that behaviour is good in school.  Pupils say that behaviour is good in school and that if there are any minor problems at lunchtime, that adults quickly sort these out. Pupils who are buddies say that they rarely have to intervene with any arguments and so often lead games and other activities to make playtimes even more fun.

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Behaviour

 In lessons, pupils behave well. They are respectful towards each other and to adults, listening to each other’s views and working sensibly in groups.  When teachers have high expectations, pupils respond accordingly, producing work of a high standard and making good progress. However, where expectations are not as high, such as in Year 2, pupils do not work as hard as they could and do not always do their best in lessons.  Attendance is above national averages because pupils enjoy coming to school and because leaders follow up absences with individual parents rigorously. Leaders are aware that pupils who have special educational needs or disability had lower attendance rates last year but are confident that this was due mainly to medical issues. They carefully track the attendance of these pupils, and attendance this year has improved.

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

 Progress and attainment are variable across the school. Pupils do not make equally good progress in all classes and the most able pupils do not achieve as well as they could because teachers’ expectations are not all equally high.  In 2015, too few pupils in Year 2 achieved the expected standard in mathematics, and very few achieved above this standard in writing or mathematics. Current assessment information shows that achievement for pupils currently in Year 2 is likely to be similar as in 2015, and this is confirmed by work in pupils’ books. This is because the quality of teaching and learning and teachers’ expectations in Year 2 are not high enough.  In 2015, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in writing and mathematics in particular was below that found nationally. However, pupils currently in Year 6 are generally making good progress from their starting points and the proportion on track to achieve the expected standard is set to meet

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

national averages. This is because teachers in Year 6 have raised their expectations of pupils. Leaders and class teachers have carefully tracked the progress of pupils, putting in place additional support for pupils, to help those pupils who started Year 6 at a lower level to catch up. However, the proportion of pupils set to exceed the expected standard in writing remains low because less focus has been placed on ensuring that the most able pupils are challenged.  In other year groups, pupils make variable progress because the quality of teaching is not consistently good. Pupils’ books demonstrate that where teachers’ expectations are higher, such as in Year 3, pupils are making better progress, although some pupils have much ground to make up to reach the expected standard.  The proportion of pupils achieving above the expected standard, or who are making more than expected progress in most year groups, particularly in writing and mathematics, is too low because teachers and

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

leaders have not expected enough of the most able pupils.  Pupils who are disadvantaged are making faster progress because the inclusion team is now providing better support for these pupils. This is helping the gap between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and that of others in school to begin to narrow.  Pupils in Year 1, in 2015, achieved well in the Year 1 phonics assessment and the proportion on track to pass the phonics assessment this year is set to rise further because phonics teaching is carefully planned and pupils make good progress in their understanding of letters and the sounds they represent.  In some subjects, such as art and science, pupils in key stage 2 are making good progress. For example, pupils’ books showed that regular opportunities are given for pupils to carry out scientific investigations, make predictions and draw conclusions. Consequently, pupils are developing a good understanding of, for

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Outcomes for pupils require improvement

example, what a fair test is. However, in these subjects also, the most able pupils are not challenged sufficiently, only being expected to do the same task and to the same level of depth as others in the class.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 Children join the Reception classes with varying skills, and some with skills that are below those found typically, particularly in writing and the development of fine motor skills. Teachers’ assessments of children’s abilities at the beginning of the year are generally accurate, although, for a few, teachers underestimate children’s skills. By the end of the Reception Year in 2015, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development was around that found nationally.  Learning journeys record children’s skills as they go through the Reception Year. For children currently in the school, these give a mixed picture of achievement. Children who start with skills below those that are typical make good progress and many are reaching the standard expected, but some children who are capable of more, whilst making progress, are not making as rapid progress as they could. The proportion of children on track to achieve above the standard expected by the end of the year is not as high as it

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Early years provision requires improvement

could be. This is because teachers have not ensured that the most able children are given sufficient challenge. For example, children are encouraged to count to 20, and a classroom display supports this, but there is no encouragement for children who are more able to count beyond 20, or resources provided to support children in doing so. This limits children’s achievement.  Activities inside the Reception classes cover a range of areas of learning. Children are given opportunities to be creative, for example to paint and draw, to use construction equipment, and to engage in reading and writing activities. However, activities provided do not always make the best of use of learning opportunities. For example, a painting activity was provided where children were painting fruits and vegetables using purple and orange, and children were given the colours rather than being encouraged to explore how they could mix them.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 Activities in the outdoor area are not always used sufficiently to develop learning across a range of areas; for example, few opportunities for developing children’s writing and mathematical skills were available in the outdoor area, despite these being key areas that staff are promoting to improve achievement.  Children enjoy a balance of adult-led and independent activities. Adults support learning well in adult-led activities, asking questions that move learning on.  Children in Reception are happy and enjoy their learning. They are sociable and play together sensibly. Most sustain their interest in activities for periods of time. They show independence in their learning. For example, children were independently asking each other about their favourite fruit and recording this on a chart, with one child thinking hard about what to do when someone chose a fruit not listed on her chart.  Behaviour is good because adults reinforce their expectations of behaviour regularly. Children know that

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Early years provision requires improvement

they need to share and to respond when asked by an adult, and they do so willingly.  Children are given opportunities to learn about the wider world, for example learning about Chinese New Year, and to learn about how to be healthy, for example exploring which foods are healthy and how to exercise.  Adults know children well and take good care of them. They take all necessary steps to ensure that children are kept safe.

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School details

Unique reference number 128067 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 10000506

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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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 367 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dave Montgomery Headteacher Jane Worsdale Telephone number 01603 436180 Website www.dussindaleprimary.co.uk Email address office@dussindale.norfolk.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 26–27 January 2012

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The majority of pupils are from a White British background.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability supported by an education, health and care plan or a statement of special educational needs is average.  Most pupils are taught in single-age classes, with the exception of pupils in Years 4 and 5 who are taught in three mixed-age classes.  The school meets the government’s floor standards for pupils’ achievement, which is the minimum standard expected of schools for pupils’ achievement at the end of Year 6.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed lessons across all year groups. Some joint observations were carried out with senior leaders.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ books, school assessment information, the headteacher’s evaluation of teaching and learning and a range of school documents.  Inspectors spoke with a small number of parents, took account of 69 responses to the Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View, and met with some pupils from Years 4 to 6.  Inspectors heard a small number of pupils read.  Inspectors met with a representative from the local authority and with two members of the governing body. Inspectors met with the inclusion leader, the leader for special educational needs and a member of the literacy team.  Policies and procedures for the safeguarding of pupils were examined, including mandatory checks made during the recruitment of new staff, arrangements for e-safety (keeping children safe online when using

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Inspection team

Maria Curry, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Susan Heptinstall Ofsted Inspector Debbie Flowerdew Ofsted Inspector Stephen Cloke Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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