Dennington Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Dennington Church of England Primary School Laxfield Road, Dennington, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 8AE

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 January 2023

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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 Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 10 and 11 January 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe, happy and well cared for at this school. They enjoy excellent relationships with adults and their peers. Pupils say bullying does not happen but, if it did, they know adults would stop it immediately. Pupils are kind and supportive of each other. For example, the eldest enjoy taking care of younger pupils during their regular walks to church.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is consistently good. They work well in lessons because there are very few distractions. Play time is calm and orderly. Pupils show high levels of respect for each other and their physical environment. They listen to others’ views with interest. They are courteous and speak positively about how everyone is included in the school. Pupils are confident that every child is welcomed and supported to do well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the high expectations that adults have for them. They enjoy work that challenges them in different subjects. Pupils like reading and the wide range of books they can choose from the school library. They speak passionately about the large number of trips that the whole school goes on. Pupils are rightly proud of their sporting success in a range of sports including dance.

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better?

Leaders have developed a curriculum that is ambitious for pupils from early years to Year 6. Work builds on prior learning, introducing new skills and knowledge gradually to support pupils’ development. For example, in art, younger pupils learn to use one type of pencil to create tone and shading. Older pupils are then able to confidently explore line and tone using pencils of different hardness, inspired by the work of L.S. Lowry.

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better?

Leaders use assessment carefully to monitor what pupils have learned. Support from adults helps pupils to understand their work. If pupils fall behind, leaders ensure that targeted support helps pupils to catch up. This means that the vast majority of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), access and enjoy the ambitious curriculum.

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better?

In most subjects, teachers are adept at supporting pupils. In mathematics, staff receive high-quality subject training. They are skilled at helping pupils to understand difficult concepts. This helps to ensure pupils are confident and achieve very well in this subject. In a small number of other subjects, training is less embedded. This means that teachers are not skilled at delivering these curriculum areas as well as they could. Therefore, a small minority of pupils, including those with SEND, are not supported in the most effective manner to access the challenging curriculum.

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better?

Reading is a priority. Leaders ensure that all pupils read high-quality books. This ensures that pupils get better at, and enjoy, reading. Regular assessment identifies 10 and 11 January 2023

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any pupils who may be falling behind. They are then quickly supported to catch up. Older pupils are excited about the stories they read and are very well prepared for secondary school. In Reception and Year 1, children are making progress in their reading. However, some adults are not sufficiently well trained in how to best support children to learn phonics. This means some children lack confidence in their reading and are not achieving as well as they could.

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In the early years, children are happy and well cared for. However, although the curriculum is well planned, it is not being delivered sufficiently well. Adults who support children in Reception do not always provide activities in the most appropriate way to enhance children’s curiosity or to develop their language and communication skills. This means that pupils are not consistently well prepared for their next stage.

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Pupils’ behaviour is extremely positive in lessons and social time. Leaders have very high standards for pupils’ conduct, and these are consistently met. The atmosphere in school is inclusive and friendly and pupils work very well together.

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Pupils access a rich set of opportunities for their wider development. These activities are carefully planned to build confidence and cultural capital. For example, the recent school trip to London to see ‘Matilda’ included tube travel so that pupils understand how to use public transport in the capital. Pupils are extremely positive about the wide range of trips they experience and how this brings their curriculum to life.

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Leaders, including trustees and governors, work closely together to improve the school. Staff are happy and feel supported by leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are appropriately trained to identify signs that any pupil may be at risk of harm. They are confident reporting concerns through the school’s recording system. Leaders follow up concerns and ensure that pupils are safe. Leaders liaise with external agencies appropriately when needed.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is constructed appropriately so, for example, pupils know how to stay safe on and offline in an age-appropriate manner.

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Safeguarding

Appropriate safer recruitment processes are in place and monitored by the trust. 10 and 11 January 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Adults who support children in Reception are not consistently knowledgeable in how to plan and deliver activities that enhance children’s learning. This means that children’s curiosity and language and communication skills are not developed as well as they should be. Leaders need to ensure that appropriate training and monitoring is in place to make sure that children are well prepared for Year 1 in all areas of their development.  Leaders are not routinely monitoring the impact of curriculum delivery. This means that pupils, including those with SEND, do not consistently gain the same depth of knowledge across all subjects. Leaders need to ensure that subject leaders are supported to develop the expertise of all staff, including teaching assistants, to deliver content and support pupils in the different subject areas.

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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. 10 and 11 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255143 Type of school Primary

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School details

Headteacher Paul Parslow-Williams (Executive Headteacher) Website www.denningtonprimaryschool.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Dennington Church of England primary school is a voluntary controlled school which joined All Saints Schools Trust in September 2018.  The school has a Christian religious character. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection took place in March 2019. The school’s next section 48 inspection will be within eight school years.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.  The school currently uses one unregistered alternative provider.

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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. 10 and 11 January 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in art and in design and technology, and scrutinised pupils’ work in these subjects.  The lead inspector met with staff responsible for the administration of the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead to discuss the arrangements that are in place to safeguard pupils. The lead inspector scrutinised the school’s safeguarding records and spoke to governors regarding safeguarding.  Inspectors met with pupils to discuss their experience of school, including behaviour and bullying.  An inspector met with leaders to discuss pupils’ personal development and

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enrichment opportunities as well as behaviour and attendance.  The lead inspector met with the school’s special educational needs coordinator.  Inspectors reviewed 23 pupil responses to Ofsted’s online survey. Inspectors took account of 30 responses to Ofsted Parent View, including 20 free-text responses. They also considered direct comments from parents and responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Bessie Owen, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sonia Innes Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 January 2023

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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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