Darley Dene Primary School

Darley Dene Primary School Garfield Road, Addlestone, Surrey KT15 2NP

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Weaknesses in senior and middle leadership have limited the headteacher’s capacity to improve the school. The headteacher carries the full responsibility for nearly everything in the school.  Safeguarding is not effective. Leaders and governors have not ensured that the school’s site is safe and secure.  Frequent changes of staff have hampered the pace of improvement in the school.  Standards are too low. By the end of key stage 2, too few pupils are working within the standards expected for their age. In 2018, only half of the pupils in Year 6 achieved the expected standard in their combined results for reading, writing and mathematics.  Teaching over time is inadequate. The curriculum is not well developed. Teachers do not have high enough expectations of pupils’ attainment and the progress that pupils can make.  Over time, the systems to measure pupils’ progress, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND),

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

have proved inadequate. Since joining the school in September 2018, the headteacher has introduced a new approach and is establishing an accurate view of pupils’ starting points.  Pupils make inadequate progress, including the most able and pupils in key stage 2 with SEND.  Additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils is not used effectively because pupils’ needs are not understood well enough. As a result, their progress is weak.  Leaders’ oversight of pupils’ behaviour is not good enough. For example, instances of poor behaviour and bullying are not recorded effectively. As a result, leaders do not have the information they need to be able to evaluate the impact of their actions to improve behaviour.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils are confident and self-assured. The school offers a friendly and welcoming environment.  Leaders are receiving helpful support from the local authority and a national leader for education (NLE).

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Leaders and governors must create a culture that keeps all pupils safe by ensuring that: – risk management plans and procedures are rigorous and effective – all access points to the school are safe and secure – all visitors are checked appropriately so that only those authorised to do so can gain entry to the school.  Improve the quality of leadership, management and governance by ensuring that: – a sustainable and effective leadership and staffing structure is in place – leaders use the newly established systems to monitor the progress of pupils effectively, including the progress of disadvantaged pupils, pupils with SEND and the most able, so that the impact of teaching and additional support can be clearly evaluated – pupils access a broad, balanced and well-planned curriculum – bullying and incidents of poor behaviour are properly recorded, and appropriate action is taken to resolve issues and promote improvement

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils is used effectively to improve their progress and outcomes – pupils attend school regularly.  Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that pupils, including children in the early years, the most able, those who are disadvantaged, and those with SEND, make consistently good progress in all aspects of learning by ensuring that: – teachers have consistently high expectations for the achievement of all pupils in reading, writing and mathematics – teaching deepens pupils’ understanding, so that they achieve the standards they are capable of – teaching caters well for pupils of all abilities and lessons are pitched to take account of pupils’ different starting points – teachers make effective use of their assessments of pupils’ progress to plan learning that builds on pupils’ prior knowledge and is suitably challenging – teaching assistants are deployed effectively so that they make a positive difference

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

to pupils’ learning – pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. An external review of the school’s use of pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 The headteacher joined the school in September 2018. The senior leadership team comprises the headteacher, assistant headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo). Currently, the school does not have a deputy headteacher, although an appointment has been made for September 2019. Therefore, the headteacher is responsible for almost every aspect of the school’s work. Over time, standards have declined, and the school has limited capacity to improve.  Subject leadership is weak. English is ably led by the subject leader and a member of staff is leading the teaching of computing. However, there were no other subject leaders in post at the time of the inspection. Consequently, the development of teaching and learning in other subjects, such as mathematics, is limited.  School leaders are currently reliant on external support from the local authority and an NLE to improve the school. External advisers have provided the staff with helpful

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

training and guidance. An example of the positive impact of this support can be seen in the improving provision in the early years.  The high turnover of staff and the prolonged absence of some staff have caused turbulence and slowed the pace of improvement in the school. Leaders have found it difficult to make the changes needed swiftly enough, because of the continued need to focus on recruitment. However, new appointments have been made and additional staff and leaders will be joining the school team in September.  The headteacher correctly spotted inaccuracies in the school’s assessment information about pupils’ achievement. These weaknesses are now being rectified and assessment systems are becoming more reliable. Leaders are now ensuring that they have an accurate understanding of pupils’ attainment and progress so that they can plan for further improvement.  Over time, leaders have not used additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

effectively. Furthermore, checks on how successful actions have been in improving pupils’ outcomes have not been systematic enough. Disadvantaged pupils have not been given the precise help they need to catch up with their peers in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, disadvantaged pupils are underachieving across the school.  The curriculum is underdeveloped. The systematic progression of pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding across a broad range of subjects is not well planned. Over time, the leadership of the curriculum has been weak. New approaches are being implemented but these are in the early stages of development.  The SENCo is receiving helpful support from the NLE to improve the provision for pupils with SEND across the school, including those attending the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. Pupils receive various types of help and support. However, leaders do not evaluate whether their interventions are improving pupils’

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

progress precisely enough. Consequently, leaders do not have a comprehensive understanding of the effectiveness of the provision for pupils with SEND.  Effective use of the sports premium funding is having a positive impact on pupils’ participation in sport. For example, pupils compete successfully in local football tournaments. Pupils enjoy using a variety of resources and equipment at breaktimes to keep themselves fit and active.  Staff provide pupils with helpful experiences to promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school’s values are successfully shared through the whole-school focus on a different value each month. Pupils enjoy a range of visits and experiences to enrich their learning, such as residential trips and outings to an art gallery. British values, such as democracy, are promoted through the school’s parliament. In addition, some pupils visited the local council’s chambers and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

participated in a debate about online safety. Leaders are sensibly planning to further strengthen this aspect of the school’s work.  The school should not appoint newly qualified teachers.

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Governance of the school

 Governors have not ensured that the school’s safeguarding procedures are fit for purpose. They had not recognised significant weaknesses in the school’s safeguarding arrangements.  Governors have not ensured that the additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is spent effectively. Governors have not evaluated the impact the funding has had on improving disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes with sufficient rigour. A governor has recently been appointed to take responsibility for disadvantaged pupils, but it is too soon to see the impact of this role.  This year, governors have intensified their oversight of the school’s work. Governors are making regular visits to the school to check for themselves what leaders tell them. Minutes of the governing body’s meetings show governors are increasingly offering both challenge and support to school leaders.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.  Leaders and governors do not ensure that the school’s site is safe and secure with sufficient rigour. During the inspection, extensive building work was being carried out to refurbish the school. At the point this inspection started, leaders had not undertaken a risk assessment to manage the safety of pupils and staff during this construction work. Additionally, there are no written procedures for the management of contractors, who have not undertaken safeguarding checks, while they work on the school’s site. By the end of the inspection, leaders had written a risk-assessment plan, although it had yet to be disseminated to staff.  Access points into the school are not secure. Visitors can gain access to the building without being checked and authorised through the school’s reception. Consequently, both pupils and staff are placed at risk.  Leaders ensure that staff are trained and understand their responsibilities to keep

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Safeguarding

pupils safe. Staff know how to report any concerns they may have about the welfare of a pupil. Leaders make referrals appropriately to external agencies. However, leaders’ oversight of the outcome of these referrals is not always tight enough. As a result, sometimes, leaders are not aware of the assessments that have been carried out or the precise support that a pupil is receiving out of school.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inadequate because pupils are rarely provided with work that is matched closely enough to their abilities. Frequent changes of staff have contributed to long-standing weaknesses in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. As a result, pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable, particularly in writing and mathematics.  Teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve, particularly for the most able pupils. Assessment information is not used well to support pupils’ learning to enable them to build on what they already know and can do. Consequently, work is often too easy for some pupils and too hard for others.  Teaching does not meet the needs of different groups of pupils effectively, including disadvantaged pupils. Teaching does not reliably meet different pupils’ learning needs and does not enable some pupils to overcome their individual barriers to learning. As a

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

result, different groups of pupils are not achieving well.  Additional adults are not deployed well enough. Sometimes, adults are used effectively to support pupils’ learning, and use questioning skilfully to further pupils’ understanding. However, too often, additional adults simply supervise activities rather than promoting pupils’ learning effectively.  Teaching in mathematics is inconsistent across the school. Typically, teaching focuses too heavily on acquiring and practising calculation skills. Work seen in pupils’ books shows very few examples of pupils being challenged to solve problems and develop their reasoning skills. Consequently, pupils do not achieve well in mathematics.  The effectiveness of the teaching of writing is variable. Typically, pupils are given few opportunities to write at length. Work seen in pupils’ books shows that writing tasks often lack challenge. Pupils frequently practise the same writing skills and there are too

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

few opportunities to learn new skills, which slows their progress.  Teachers introduce pupils to many interesting activities and experiences, linked to a range of subjects. However, teaching and the curriculum are not yet fully and systematically developed across a broad range of subjects.  Pupils respond promptly to requests made by teachers. Transitions between activities are typically well managed so that little learning time is lost. Relationships between adults and pupils, and between pupils, are warm and friendly. On the whole, classrooms are calm and orderly.  Pupils attending the school’s specially resourced provision are supported well by caring adults. Pupils’ individual communication needs are understood. Staff use helpful strategies to develop pupils’ language skills. For example, pupils were highly motivated by a group activity using cause and effect toys. Adults’ careful use of language enabled

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

pupils to successfully describe the actions of the toys.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate. This is because pupils are not safe due to weaknesses in leaders’ risk assessments and safeguarding procedures.  Pupils and parents told inspectors that they are worried about bullying. A sizeable minority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, noted their concerns about bullying, with 42% disagreeing that the school deals effectively with bullying. Current record-keeping systems do not provide leaders with sufficient information to fully understand whether their strategies to prevent bullying are effective.  Pupils are taught how to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Pupils understand the value of exercise and can discuss the benefit of healthy lunch options. Pupils can explain in basic terms how to keep themselves safe online. Year 6 pupils talked confidently about the responsible use of the internet.

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Personal development and welfare

 Breakfast club provides pupils with a relaxed and positive start to their school day. Pupils are well supervised by adults and enjoy friendly conversations with each other and staff. Pupils prepare their own breakfasts and then clean their own crockery and cutlery afterwards. As a result, pupils’ self-help and independence skills are being developed successfully.  Pupils are confident and self-assured. Pupils greet visitors politely. Most pupils say they like their school and enjoy their learning.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  During the inspection, a significant minority of pupils, parents and staff expressed concerns about behaviour. Some pupils and parents told inspectors that they are worried about the behaviour of a few pupils and they are not confident that leaders promote positive behaviour well enough. However, the behaviour seen by inspectors throughout the inspection was calm and respectful.  Leaders’ strategic oversight of behaviour is not strong enough. Leaders do not have a comprehensive overview of behaviour to help them with the planning of appropriate interventions, and then the evaluation of their effectiveness. Consequently, leaders find it difficult to pinpoint which strategies are most effective and where improvements are needed.  The proportion of pupils who attend school regularly is just below the national average. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school is reducing, although

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Behaviour

the figure remains above the national average. Well-considered procedures and strategies are in place to encourage pupils to attend school every day. However, record-keeping systems do not provide leaders with sufficient information about the attendance of different groups of pupils.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 Standards are too low, particularly in writing and mathematics. Too few pupils are working at their age-related expectations in both key stages 1 and 2. Pupils are not catching up quickly enough. In 2018, by the end of key stage 2, pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics was well below the national averages.  In 2018, only half of the pupils in Year 6 achieved the expected standard in the reading, writing and mathematics combined measure. Consequently, half of the pupils who left the school last year were not well prepared for their move to secondary school.  In 2018, at the end of key stage 1, the proportions of pupils achieving the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics were below national figures.  Across the school, disadvantaged pupils are not achieving the standards expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. They achieve less well than other pupils nationally and have not benefited well enough from additional funding.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 The most able pupils do not achieve the standards of which they are capable because teachers’ expectations are not reliably high enough. In 2018, at the end of key stage 2, the proportions of pupils achieving the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics were below those seen nationally.  In 2018, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check was just above the national average.  In key stage 1, pupils with SEND are making strong progress from their typically low starting points, including those attending the specially resourced provision. However, too few key stage 2 pupils with SEND are making good progress from their starting points, especially in mathematics.  Work seen in pupils’ books shows that, for some pupils, particularly in key stage 1, their achievement is improving. There are some early signs that leaders’ actions are beginning to make a positive difference.

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Early years provision Inadequate

 The early years is inadequate because weaknesses in safeguarding identified in the rest of the school also affect children in the early years provision.  In 2018, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development was below the national average. Many children join the setting with lower than typical starting points. Children’s progress, including that of disadvantaged children, is often weak. As a result, not enough children are well prepared for their move to Year 1.  The leadership of the Nursery and Reception classes is at an early stage of development. Leaders do not use assessment information rigorously enough to evaluate the effectiveness of the provision and to plan improvements, including for groups of children.  Leaders are receiving helpful support from external consultants to improve the quality of provision in the early years. For example, the outdoor area is being developed

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Early years provision Inadequate

successfully to promote children’s progress in all areas of learning. Children make effective use of the outdoor area to write, count, talk about their ideas and play cooperatively with others. However, the indoor environment is not yet as stimulating as the outdoor area.  Adults generally support children well and use questioning effectively to develop and extend children’s learning. They rightly focus on providing plenty of opportunities to encourage children to develop their speaking and listening skills. Adults know that children often join the setting with speech and language skills that are weaker than is typical. However, sometimes their questions do not sufficiently challenge children to deepen their learning and achieve as well as they could.  The teaching of phonics is a strength of the early years. Children begin to develop their phonics skills as soon as they join the setting. Children’s writing shows many examples

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Early years provision Inadequate

of them using their knowledge of letters and sounds proficiently to spell simple words.  Children behave well in the early years. Children quickly gain confidence and become self-assured. Children are happy and friendly. They are keen to talk to visitors about their play and learning.  Adults ensure that routines and expectations are well established. Resources are effectively organised and easily accessible. As a result, children quickly become independent in using the environment and equipment appropriately.

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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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website http://www.darley-dene.surrey.sch.uk

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School details

Email address head@darley-dene.surrey.sch.uk

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Information about this school

 The school is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is above average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is broadly average.  The school incorporates Owls Class, a specially resourced provision for up to 12 pupils in Reception and key stage 1 who have communication and language difficulties.  There is a breakfast club that is managed by the school.  The school includes a Nursery class.  An NLE is currently supporting the school.  The headteacher was not in post at the time of the previous inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 This section 5 inspection was conducted as a result of the short inspection on 3 July 2018, when inspectors identified a possible decline in the school’s performance.  Inspectors observed teaching and learning throughout the school. Most of these observations were carried out with the headteacher or assistant headteacher. A sample of pupils’ workbooks was also examined.  Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, the SENCo and a group of staff.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors met with pupils to discuss their views about the school and heard some of them read. The views of 57 pupils who responded to Ofsted’s online pupil survey were also considered.  The lead inspector met with a representative of the local authority and with the NLE.  The views of 105 parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View,

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Information about this inspection

including 14 free-text comments, were considered. Inspectors also spoke informally with parents at the start of the first day of the inspection.  Inspectors considered the views of 24 staff who responded to Ofsted’s staff survey.  Inspectors scrutinised documentation, including: leaders’ evaluation of the school’s effectiveness; minutes of the governing body’s meetings; and notes of the local authority’s monitoring visits.  Safeguarding procedures were also reviewed.

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Inspection team

Claire Prince, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Liz McIntosh 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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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.gov.uk/ofsted

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