Dauntsey Academy Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Dauntsey Academy Primary School Sandfield, West Lavington, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 4HY

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Outcome

Dauntsey Academy Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive on the opportunities Dauntsey Academy offers. They talk excitedly about the many trips and visitors they have. They travel locally and far afield, including to museums in London and Bristol. Teachers choose these experiences carefully to support pupils’ learning as well as their personal development.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils listen carefully and learn well. They are fascinated by what the teachers are telling them and the activities they do. They develop maturity in their thought, reflecting teachers’ high expectations. Year 6 pupils talk with real depth about Hitler and his rise to power in Germany.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe. They say bullying seldom happens. When it does, adults sort it out. Relationships are strong. Pupils told me, ‘everybody is friendly, no matter which class you join.’ A very small number of pupils need help to get on with others, and they have special plans which help them with their behaviour.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The teaching of early reading is strong. Children start to learn their phonics quickly in the Reception Year, and move on to read simple words. Along with learning how to read, pupils also develop a real love of books. They speak with great excitement about the books they would recommend.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Improving writing was a priority after the last inspection, and Year 6 results initially rose. However, they dropped in 2018 and 2019. Pupils now in key stage 2 are doing much better. The subject leader has ensured that teachers know what to teach, and by when. This means that pupils build their knowledge in a carefully sequenced way. Pupils learn spellings every week, and teachers give them practice in using the words they have learned. 3–4 March 2020

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Leaders make sure that all the required subjects are being taught. Some of these are taught every week, such as English and mathematics. Pupils learn other subjects as a special focus for several weeks at a time. The school is in the middle of revising its planning for these special focus subjects. Leaders have been working on science and history this year, leaving the detail of design and technology, music and geography to review next year. Because some subjects are waiting to be developed, pupils are not consistently using knowledge that has been covered in other subjects to help their learning. Leaders have not yet taken enough account of the secondary curriculum in order to understand how subjects can feed into Year 7 work.

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Like writing, history is very well planned. Teachers have worked on writing, history and science together. Because of this, they really understand how learning should develop between Reception and Year 6. They check pupils’ understanding carefully and put right things that have been misunderstood. As a result, pupils of all abilities, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, remember what they have learned. Pupils remember some of their previous work in geography too, but their understanding is patchier.

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The school is committed to the inclusion of all. The school’s ethos helps pupils realise that they can succeed whatever their gender or background. For example, on a rainy lunchtime when older pupils had chosen to go out and play football together, there were almost as many girls joining in as boys. The headteacher demonstrates care for staff as well as pupils. She demands good performance, but pays effective attention to staff welfare and controlling workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are alert to the needs of pupils, and know exactly what they should do if they have a concern. Administrative staff follow through procedures for checking and vetting staff with close attention.

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Safeguarding

Where a concern is identified, the safeguarding leader goes above and beyond her duties to make sure pupils have the support they need. She perseveres in contacting external services and supports families effectively.

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Safeguarding

The responses to questionnaires show that staff, pupils and parents have confidence in the school’s safeguarding procedures. Pupils trust staff and know that they can discuss worries with them.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The planning for subjects that have been a focus for development this year is very effective. In other subjects, plans do not yet have the same level of coherent sequencing, so learning is less effective. Leaders need to ensure that the very good 3–4 March 2020

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practice developed this year is extended, as scheduled, to geography, music and design and technology next year.  Decisions about what must be taught in the different year groups have not been made yet in geography, design and technology and music. Some of the things taught in these subjects provide knowledge for or demand knowledge from other subjects such as science and history. Because these links and their sequencing are not fully thought through, learning is less effective. Leaders need to ensure that, as the other subjects are planned, the links between subjects should be exploited and formalised to strengthen learning even further.  Leaders have not checked the detail of what pupils will learn in the different subjects when they go to secondary school. This means that teachers’ understanding of how subjects are developed at secondary level is not secure and so progression from Year 6 to Year 7 is not as strong as it could be. Leaders need to make sure that subject plans

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lay all the right foundations for key stage 3, to support pupils’ transition from Year 6 to Year 7.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good, or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Dauntsey’s (Aided) Primary School, to be good on 11–12 January 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 3–4 March 2020

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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. 3–4 March 2020

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School details

Chair of trust Deborah Handforth (Acting)

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School details

Website http://www.daps.wilts.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 3 February 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school became an academy on 1 August 2013.

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Information about this inspection

 I did deep dives in these subjects: reading, writing and history. This entailed discussions with the headteacher and subject leaders, visits to lessons, discussions with teachers in all year groups, discussions with pupils and study of their work. I also listened to pupils reading and demonstrating to me the sounds they knew.  I met with the headteacher and other senior leaders.  I met with three governors, and spoke by telephone to the school’s improvement adviser.  I spoke to pupils informally as well as formally. I observed playtime and talked to staff working at lunchtime.  I reviewed documents relating to behaviour and exclusions.  I checked the school’s single central record and looked at other safeguarding documents, discussing systems with the safeguarding leader. 3–4 March 2020

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 I reviewed the 93 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, along with the many comments parents provided. I also looked at the 22 responses to the survey for staff and the 161 responses to the survey for pupils.

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Inspection team

Deborah Zachary, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 3–4 March 2020

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regulates and inspects to 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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