Devonshire Road Primary School

Inspection of Devonshire Road Primary School Devonshire Road, Bolton BL1 4ND

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 4 and 5 October 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and their parents and carers who spoke with inspectors were complimentary about the school. They told inspectors that everyone is made to feel welcome. Pupils benefit from a wide range of high-quality experiences to enhance their personal development. Staff provide effective support, especially to pupils who are new to the country or have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy. They told inspectors that they enjoy coming to school. They look forward to breaktimes with their friends. Older pupils nurture younger pupils and children in the early years in their role as play leaders. Pupils carry out roles of responsibility with pride. They said that there is always someone to talk to if they have any worries or concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that standards of behaviour are high. Pupils are respectful towards each other. They follow the school motto of ‘being kind, curious and the best that you can be’. Pupils resolve any fallings-out with their friends amicably. They described how leaders deal with any rare incidents of bullying thoroughly and effectively. This helps pupils to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. They provide a high- quality curriculum. Pupils and children in the early years achieve well.

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that captures pupils’ interests and enables them to achieve well. A high proportion of children begin in the Reception Year without any previous experience of early years education. Many older pupils join the school from other countries. Most of these pupils speak English as an additional language. Despite the initial challenges that these children and pupils might face, they learn well. Children and pupils are well prepared for the next stages of their education.

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better?

Leaders provide clear guidance and support for teachers in most areas of the curriculum. This ensures that staff have the support that they need to deliver these subject curriculums effectively. However, in a small number of subjects, teachers are less clear about how to build on what pupils already know. This is also the case in some areas of learning in the early years. As a result, some children and pupils do not learn as well as they should.

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better?

Teachers introduce pupils to new subject-specific vocabulary as they progress through the school. This helps pupils to understand and to learn new concepts. In most subjects, staff regularly check how well pupils are learning the curriculum. Teachers use this information well to plan the next steps of pupils’ learning.

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better?

Leaders ensure that all pupils develop secure reading knowledge. Children and pupils benefit from staff’s effective delivery of the school’s phonics programme. 4 and 5 October 2022

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Younger pupils in key stage 1 practise by reading books that match the sounds that they have learned. Children and pupils build secure phonics knowledge. This includes children at the early stages of learning to speak English.

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Older pupils continue to make effective use of their phonics knowledge to work out how to read unfamiliar words. By the end of key stage 2, pupils develop into confident and fluent readers. They relish reading new books or books from their favourite authors.

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Leaders identify pupils across the school who need additional support quickly and accurately. Staff work well with specialist external agencies to assess and to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. This ensures that these pupils access the same curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils’ positive attitudes contribute well to their learning. In lessons, pupils are attentive. They learn without disruption. Pupils behave well throughout the school day.

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All pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, benefit from the exceptional experiences that leaders plan for them to enhance their personal development. All pupils take part in a wide range of carefully selected trips and other activities. This programme enables pupils to develop their appreciation of the rich and diverse society that they belong to. Pupils are inspired and motivated to be aspirational for their future lives. They take part in many activities that introduce them to new interests, such as the theatre. Pupils develop confidence in their own abilities. These attributes set them up well for later life.

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Leadership is strong. Governors diligently carry out their statutory roles. They enhance the work of leaders by providing effective support and challenge. Staff share leaders’ determination to provide a high-quality education for all. Leaders are mindful of staff workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide regular high-quality training for staff and governors. All staff are clear about how to keep pupils safe. Staff know their pupils well. They are vigilant to signs of potential safeguarding concerns. Staff make detailed records of their concerns. These records enable those leaders responsible for safeguarding to keep a close eye on the most vulnerable pupils. Leaders ensure that these pupils benefit from a wide range of appropriate support.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including potential risks that they may face and how to manage them. Pupils are well informed about how to keep themselves and others safe while online. 4 and 5 October 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of foundation subjects and areas of learning, leaders have not clarified what children and pupils need to learn. As a result, some teachers are not clear about the key knowledge that children and pupils must learn or the order in which this needs to happen. Senior leaders should ensure that teachers have all the information that they need to deliver the curriculum well. This is to enable pupils to develop a secure body of knowledge across the curriculum.

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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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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. 4 and 5 October 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241851 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17 May 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher and chair of governors have been appointed.  A large proportion of pupils have lived in other countries before they began at the school. Many pupils speak English as an additional language.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 spoke with the headteacher and other leaders in the school. They spoke with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body. They also spoke with a representative of the local authority. 4 and 5 October 2022

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 Inspectors looked at a range of documentation relating to safeguarding. This included: the school’s central record of staff and visitors; staff training records; records of safeguarding and samples of the records kept on individual pupils.  An inspector listened to pupils reading.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, physical education, art and design, and history. They spoke with the curriculum leaders of these subject areas. Inspectors also visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work, held discussions with teachers and talked with pupils.  Inspectors also spoke with leaders from other areas of the curriculum.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They observed pupils’ behaviour as they moved around the school. Inspectors scrutinised leaders’ records of pupils’ behaviour.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school.

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 Inspectors spoke with parents as they dropped their children off at school. They considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey. This included the free-text responses.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils and to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Claire Cropper, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

David Lobodzinski Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 October 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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