Dixons Marchbank Primary

Inspection of school: Dixons Marchbank Primary Marchbank Road, Barkerend Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD3 8QQ

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Outcome

Dixons Marchbank Primary continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a section 5 inspection now. The school’s next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Dixons Marchbank Primary is a popular, exciting, and well-led school. Pupils enjoy their lessons and attend regularly. They are proud to be a part of the school community. They feel safe at the school and have many adults to speak to if issues arise. Pupils say that bullying happens rarely. They are confident that staff sort out problems when they arise.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Highly motivated, dedicated staff inspire pupils at the school to reach their potential. There are very high levels of mutual respect between teachers and pupils. Pupils are attentive in their lessons and are keen to work hard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Lessons are well planned, and teachers work hard to ensure pupils remember the most important content. As such, pupils can recall much of what they have learned in previous topics and in previous years. An entrenched culture of reading permeates the school. Pupils make a good start in the early years, with most pupils learning to read quickly and fluently. Pupils who need extra support get the help they need to succeed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have extensive opportunities out of lessons to be healthy, active and to enrich their learning. At lunchtime, pupils take part in a wide variety of sports. Pupils also have a wealth of opportunities to learn out of lessons, on school trips and during residential visits. Visitors also come into school regularly, including to inspire pupils with their future aspirations.

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

Improving the quality of the reading curriculum has been a major focus for school leaders since the previous inspection. Staff have been trained, more than once, as part of an approach to ensure absolute fidelity to a reading scheme. Leaders have allocated funding 26 and 27 April 2022

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to buy new reading books to ensure pupils can practise the sounds they have been taught. All pupils have access to a well-stocked and popular school library. Parents attend workshops to help embed the school’s approach to reading at home.

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The drive to raise standards in reading has been successful. Pupils can read confidently and fluently at an early age. Those pupils who require additional help to read receive the support they need. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported throughout school. Their needs are understood, and leaders have allocated additional staff to strengthen the support pupils receive.

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Leaders have designed a challenging and interesting curriculum for all pupils. Teaching plans are detailed and well thought through. Subject leads have thought carefully about how learning in the early years links to what pupils study in older year groups. They have also worked with colleagues from secondary schools to help ensure pupils are fully ready for learning in the next stages of their education. Teachers revisit topics regularly to ensure pupils are fully confident in what they have been taught. Leaders have improved the quality of assessment materials. However, in some subjects, such as science, assessments do not yet help teachers check that pupils have remembered the most important content.

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In addition to academic subjects, pupils are also taught various life skills during regular personal, social, health and economic education lessons. Pupils know about the values it is important to show when living in modern Britain. They learn about the similarities and differences between different faiths, including Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Sikhism, Hinduism and Buddhism. The school also provides many extra-curricular clubs and other enrichment opportunities. Almost all pupils benefit from these.

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The school’s values of ‘commitment’, ‘teamwork’ and ‘enjoyment’ are embedded throughout school. Pupils get on with each other impeccably in and out of lessons. They behave well and know the school rules. Lesson routines are in place, and these are used consistently well across all classes. When an incident of poor behaviour occurs, support is personalised to meet the needs of the individual pupils concerned. The school has recently been recognised for its work to promote mental health awareness.

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Leaders have worked tirelessly to involve staff with all aspects of school improvement. They are mindful of staff workload and well-being in and out of school. As a result, staff are exceptionally positive about working at the school. All staff who completed an inspection survey said they were proud to work at the school, and considered it to be well led and managed.

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Leaders have also established close relationships with parents, carers and the wider community. A dedicated member of staff works with the community and supports them with many of their individual needs. Leaders have also worked closely with the community to develop their relationships and sex education programme, carefully balancing the wishes of parents and carers with the statutory requirements. Leaders also work closely with parents on a daily basis to help maximise pupils’ attendance. 26 and 27 April 2022

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Leaders are supported by a group of dedicated school governors, and more widely by trustees, to support school improvement. These individuals know the school very well and challenge leaders on the information they receive. They visit school regularly to review aspects of school life and to help ensure the school is meeting its statutory obligations.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make all appropriate checks on new staff to ensure they are appropriate to work with children. All staff receive regular training on the latest safeguarding guidance.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught how to stay safe. They are taught about the risks they may face locally, and they know how to stay safe online. They are encouraged to share any concerns they may have with an adult.

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Safeguarding

Leaders keep detailed records on pupils who need additional help. They work with external agencies, when appropriate, to ensure pupils get the support they need. Governors complete regular safeguarding audits to quality assure these arrangements.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers check what pupils can remember from their lessons using end-of-topic tests and quizzes. However, these tests do not always align precisely with teaching plans. Sometimes, teachers to not fully check whether pupils have remembered the most important new content. Subject leaders should take steps to ensure assessments are closely aligned to their teaching plans.

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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 outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2016. 26 and 27 April 2022

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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.

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Further information

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. 26 and 27 April 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10200372 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15 and 16 November 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school became an academy in January 2014. It is part of the Dixons Academies Trust. The principal began her post in January 2017.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the principal and other leaders. The inspector spoke to many members of teaching and non-teaching staff, in addition to a representative from the school’s local governing body. The inspector also met with a number of leaders from the Dixons Academies Trust, and a representative from the board of trustees.  To evaluate the quality of education, deep dives were carried out in reading and science. In both subjects, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, talked to pupils about their learning and 26 and 27 April 2022

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looked at samples of their work. Aspects of other subjects, including mathematics and relationships and sex education (RSE), were also reviewed.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. He also spoke to pupils to discuss their experiences at the school. Records of attendance and behaviour incidents were reviewed.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the school’s policies and procedures, and other records, were reviewed. The checks that the school makes when appointing new staff were scrutinised.  The views of 52 members of staff who responded to Ofsted’s survey were considered. The small number of responses to the parent and carer survey were also taken into account, along with the views of parents spoken to on the school site.

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Inspection team

James Duncan, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 26 and 27 April 2022

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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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