Dallow Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Dallow Primary School Dallow Road, Luton, Bedfordshire LU1 1LZ

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Outcome

Dallow Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like attending this friendly and happy school. They are confident, polite and welcoming to visitors. Pupils can explain what they have learned and how this helps them to develop their interests and talents. They are kind and considerate of each other. This means that pupils feel happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In well-planned and embedded subjects, pupils achieve well, and their knowledge develops securely. A few subjects are under development. In these developing subjects, pupils’ knowledge is less secure, and they miss learning some important knowledge.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well during lessons and at playtimes. Occasionally, a few pupils are less engaged with their learning. Most teachers stop this immediately and have high expectations of pupil behaviour. Pupils understand what bullying is. Bullying is rare, and pupils know that if it does happen, adults will sort it out quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have various jobs they can apply for, such as prefects, librarians, and school councillors. Pupils take their roles and responsibilities seriously. Older pupils enjoy being role models for the younger pupils. This helps to develop their self-confidence. Pupils learn to consider their future careers, which helps them to prepare well for the next stage in their education.

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

Leaders are both developing and further embedding their curriculum. In most areas of the curriculum, leaders have thought about the important knowledge they want pupils to know. Some subjects are more embedded. Leaders have more accurate and defined plans to support teaching and planning. In these subjects, teachers explain tasks clearly to pupils, who achieve well. Teachers check pupils’ learning through pre-learning and post- learning tasks. Teachers use these tasks to check that pupils fully understand important knowledge and use them to inform future teaching. 10 and 11 May 2023

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In some subjects, however, key knowledge is not outlined as clearly. Leaders’ subject planning does not always start from the early years. This means that teachers sometimes do not know the exact skills and knowledge they need to teach. Pupils do not make as much progress in these subjects, as teaching does not help them to remember some important knowledge or build on this consistently well.

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Children in the early years follow a broad and rich curriculum. Their learning starts with engaging stories, which sparks the children’s interests. Staff skilfully create activities that help to develop children’s language and social skills. For instance, children use ‘medical’ language in the pretend ‘hospital’ and take turns to be the doctor. Children are well prepared for learning in Year 1.

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Leaders prioritise the teaching of early reading. Pupils learn to read early in Reception Year. Well-trained staff support pupils to build on their reading knowledge effectively. Checks by staff ensure that pupils who fall behind are spotted and helped to catch up. Pupils read books that support them with their reading knowledge. This means that pupils, including older pupils, grow in confidence and fluency.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) follow the same curriculum as their peers. Staff know the pupils well and adapt learning to help pupils if needed. Some pupils have individualised timetables. This helps to further remove barriers to learning. As such, pupils with SEND are successful in their learning and achieve well.

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Leaders have high expectations of behaviour. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They have positive attitudes to learning. Most staff deal with any behaviour issues well. A few staff need further support to ensure they use and follow the school’s behaviour and rewards system consistently.

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Pupils learn about relationships and how to get on with each other. They develop a sense of right and wrong. Pupils learn about various cultures and religions. They show a good understanding of difference and how this should be valued and celebrated. Leaders provide opportunities for pupils to develop into responsible and well-rounded citizens.

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Governors and the trust support leaders with curriculum development. Middle leaders have regular training, and they receive support from the trust’s ‘subject knowledge experts’. While governors and trustees keep a close eye on the core areas of the curriculum, their work on some other subjects is more recent. This means that, in some subjects, secure curriculum development is more recent and has not been developed as securely, so pupils do not experience the same high-quality teaching as they do in other subjects.

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Leaders support staff with their workload and well-being. Staff appreciate this. Leaders and staff also provide effective and much appreciated support to pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 10 and 11 May 2023

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Leaders ensure that all staff have received the necessary safeguarding training. They carry out checks to make sure that everyone follows the school’s safeguarding procedures. Staff understand how to report concerns. Staff know pupils well. As such, they can identify when a child is not themselves and may need help. The school’s family support workers work closely with families to provide early help and support.

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Pupils learn how to keep safe. For instance, they learn about fire and online safety. Pupils clearly say they will talk to staff if they have any worries or concerns.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subject areas, leaders have not planned the small steps of knowledge that pupils need to learn from Reception Year to Year 6. As a result, some teachers do not plan and teach these subjects as effectively as they do most other subjects. Teachers have not helped pupils to build on and remember some important subject knowledge. Leaders should ensure that, in all subjects, they identify clearly the important knowledge that pupils should learn and break this down into smaller steps. They should ensure that they support teachers to implement the curriculum consistently well in all subjects.  A few teachers do not use the school behaviour strategies as consistently as others. This means that, in a few cases, pupils are not clear in how they should behave or that the same behaviour is dealt with differently by different teachers. Leaders need to be sure that all teachers use the school’s behaviour strategies and policy consistently.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually, this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2017.

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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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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 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10255184 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 07 June 2017

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.  The school is part of the Chiltern Learning Trust.  The school has two new deputy headteachers.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors carried deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, physical education and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the arrangements that are in place to safeguard pupils, the lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding leader, considered school records and spoke with staff and pupils. The lead inspector scrutinised the single central record of pre- employment checks. 10 and 11 May 2023

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 The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector also held a meeting with representatives from the trust.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at playtime. They spoke with pupils to seek their views.  The inspectors viewed a range of documents, including governor meeting minutes and information on the school website.  The inspectors considered the 67 responses and 38 free-text responses made by parents to the survey, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also considered the 67 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for school staff.

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Inspection team

Jessie Linsley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Emma Breckenridge Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 May 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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