Dell Primary School

Inspection of Dell Primary School Dell Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 9NU

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 12 and 13 May 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Dell Primary School benefit greatly from how leaders have improved their school in recent years. Pupils recognise that leaders and staff have high expectations of their conduct and their learning. Pupils like to read because staff teach them well. Many pupils partake in the ‘reading race’. They like exchanging the tokens they achieve for reading for books, stationery and other rewards.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like the incentives to attend school often, including the weekly ‘attendance breakfast’ reward. In school, pupils behave kindly and politely. Again, they feel encouraged by the rewards they receive for showcasing the school values. Pupils understand what bullying is, but most find it hard to think of a time when they or a friend experienced it. Pupils speak confidently about staff resolving issues when they occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and their parents appreciate the wide range of extra-curricular clubs on offer. To name but a few, pupils may attend clubs for archery, film and yoga. There are also lots of other in-school workshops and school trips to expose pupils to experiences they may not otherwise come across.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where pupils feel happy and safe.

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better?

Reading is the highlight of the school’s curriculum. Children in the early years get off to a strong start. Staff work determinedly to help children make strong progress from their starting points. This strong practice continues into key stage 1 and beyond. Leaders’ astute monitoring informs staff training and curriculum development. Beyond the phonics programme, teachers are well supported with curriculum plans and resources that help pupils read fluently and widely. The support for the weakest readers is particularly shrewd. It helps many progress well.

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better?

Much of the curriculum, including in the early years, is well considered. Where it works best, curriculum plans provide helpful direction for teachers. However, curriculum plans for some subjects lack clarity. Teachers may lack the confidence or experience to turn broad objectives into a clear sequence of learning. This can mean they provide somewhat muddled instruction, making it difficult for pupils to complete activities well. As a result, pupils’ ability to discuss what they learned in these subjects is not as strong as it should be.

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better?

Leaders have an astute understanding of how to use assessment effectively. They support teachers well with this. Many teachers use the assessments they make within lessons to offer support to pupils, including same-day catch-up sessions. The tests pupils complete help teachers identify what pupils know and can do. Teachers use this information to inform their planning. 12 and 13 May 2022

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How leaders changed provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) works well. With leaders’ support, teachers identify what prevents pupils from learning. Teachers set precise, time-focused and measurable targets. They oversee dedicated teaching assistants who offer additional support to pupils. Teachers evaluate this carefully. Through an online system, parents offer feedback on the help their child receives. There are opportunities, too, for parents to meet with leaders and teachers to discuss the support on offer.

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Pupils’ behaviour has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Staff say this is due to leaders’ clear policy and its system of rewards and sanctions. Staff build warm, supportive relationships with pupils. Pupils, in turn, behave respectfully towards staff and one another. Pupils feel enthused by incentives to behave well, including the ‘always award’ to recognise those pupils whose behaviour is impeccable.

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The personal development programme is a strength in the school. Aside from the wide array of before- and after-school clubs, there are many responsibilities for pupils. Pupils who take on these roles help affect change in school. For example, the health and safety leaders check the premises are kept in top condition while the junior leadership team lead assemblies, celebrating pupils’ achievements. Assemblies and the wider curriculum, too, teach pupils to be caring, informed citizens.

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Leaders rightly feel proud of how the school has developed. Parents and staff both report positively on changes that have made the school better. Parents appreciate the information they receive about the curriculum and school life. Staff find leaders’ monitoring and training helpful for ensuring that they do their job well. Staff feel valued. All this ensures that the school is a happy place to work and learn in.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that necessary checks are completed for staff working or volunteering in the school. Frequent training for leaders and staff alike keeps all vigilant in identifying pupils at risk of harm. When staff do raise concerns, leaders act in a timely manner. They manage support carefully and correctly.

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Safeguarding

Staff teach pupils wisely about how to keep safe. This includes aspects that relate to the school’s locality, such as railway safety. Pupils know how to share their worries, be it in person, through the ‘worry bear’ or ‘worry box’, or by emailing leaders directly. 12 and 13 May 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have set out the knowledge they want pupils to learn. This is not always realised in clear curriculum documentation. Because of this, some teachers are not well supported in planning a sequence of lessons with clear instruction and activities that will help pupils understand important knowledge in these subjects. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied. Leaders need to ensure that all curriculum plans are clear and train teachers to implement these well.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 12 and 13 May 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227313 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 and 21 June 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Dell Primary School is in the Evolution Academy Trust.  The school uses the services of one registered alternative provider.  The school has a breakfast club and after-school wraparound care overseen by school staff.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with leaders, including the chief executive officer, director of education, headteacher, deputy headteacher, and two SEND coordinators. The lead inspector also met with the chair of trust and two governors. 12 and 13 May 2022

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science, religious education and physical education.  For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leads, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to a sample of pupils read to a familiar adult.  An inspector also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors reviewed a range of other school documentation and policies, including records of meetings.  To inspect safeguarding, the lead inspector spoke to the designated safeguarding lead. The lead inspector viewed records relating to safeguarding and reviewed the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks. Inspectors also spoke with teachers and pupils.  Inspectors spent time observing and speaking to pupils. Inspectors also

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considered the 29 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  Inspectors gathered parents’ views by reviewing the 38 responses and 31 free- text responses submitted to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. An inspector also spoke to some parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors gathered staff members’ views by speaking to several of them. Inspectors also took account of the 39 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Daniel Short, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tim McLoughlin Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 May 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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