Dorridge Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Dorridge Primary School Station Road, Dorridge, Solihull, West Midlands B93 8EU

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Outcome

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

Dorridge Primary School is a welcoming, happy and friendly school. The school’s motto, ‘Together we play, learn and succeed’, threads through school life. Everyone gets on well with each other and there is a real family feeling between pupils and staff. Pupils know what kindness and politeness look like because their teachers model these to them. Pupils are polite, confident and mature.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have very high expectations that pupils will gain the knowledge, skills and experiences they need to be well prepared for the next stages of their education. As a result, pupils are highly focused on their learning. This includes in the early years, where children listen attentively and follow familiar routines. Pupils enjoy taking part in educational activities and events, such as the ‘Great Dorridge Bake Off’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from the school’s nurturing approach. Everyone involved with the school is a valued member of its community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well, even when no adults are watching. They know, appreciate and adhere to the rules. They take responsibility for their own behaviour. Pupils feel safe. They can explain what bullying is and they confirm that it is not tolerated at school.

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

The school is led and managed extremely well. Leaders have developed a highly ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum. All pupils benefit from this curriculum. Leaders have precisely mapped out the knowledge and skills that pupils should learn from Nursery through to Year 6. Teachers enrich pupils’ learning by making helpful links between 23 and 24 May 2023

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subjects and productive use of resources. Staff promote pupils’ use and understanding of subject-specific vocabulary, for example by focusing on retrieval and inference skills in reading lessons.

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Teachers break down learning into manageable chunks so that pupils build towards learning more complex ideas in a logical order. Teachers frequently check how well pupils understand new content and knowledge. Leaders regularly review the curriculum and consider how to make it the best it can be for all pupils. Consequently, all pupils achieve well.

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Leaders ensure that staff benefit from high-quality professional development. Subject- specific training focuses on ways to deepen pupils’ understanding of topics and concepts. Consequently, staff develop strong subject knowledge, which enables them to teach the curriculum with confidence.

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Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Leaders have established a consistent approach to the teaching of reading in the school. Children in the early years learn phonics as soon as they start school. They develop the skills required to read with fluency and accuracy. The words in their reading books contain the phonics that they know. This helps them to read successfully. The small number of pupils who need additional help receive effective support from adults to catch up. Pupils read with increasing confidence and expression as they progress through the school. Carefully selected texts used in lessons, and books read to pupils by class teachers, help to foster a love of reading. Pupils have a wide knowledge of books and authors.

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Pupils settle and focus in lessons because they have the motivation to learn. Leaders are ever-present and supportive. They have very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. In lessons, teachers’ consistent use of routines protects and maximises pupils’ opportunities to listen, discuss and work quietly. This helps all pupils to focus and stay on task. Everyone knows what to do and what is going to happen next. Low-level disruption is very rare.

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Leaders are very ambitious for pupils with SEND. They identify pupils with SEND quickly and accurately. Leaders provide teachers with helpful information. They support teachers in adapting the delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND. They secure early support and expert help for pupils when needed. This ensures that pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers and achieve well.

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The school offers a very impressive range of opportunities that support pupils’ broader development. Visits to school from artists and poets and taking part in sports competitions provide pupils with a wealth of experiences that help to develop their confidence. Pupils gain skills in leadership through roles such as school councillors and eco-councillors.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. Leaders consider the well-being and workload of all staff members. Morale is high. 23 and 24 May 2023

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Governors know the school well and have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and next steps. Leaders work well with governors to further develop and strengthen the quality of education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

A strong culture of safeguarding underpins leaders’ intentions to ensure pupils are safe. Leaders complete all the required checks when recruiting staff to the school. Staff are adept at recognising pupils who may need help or who are at risk of abuse. Staff know the potential risks that pupils may face and report all concerns, which are followed up quickly. Leaders act to keep pupils safe. They work with a range of external agencies, when necessary, to protect pupils at risk of harm. Pupils learn how to recognise unsafe situations. They learn how to protect themselves online and offline.

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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 February 2018.

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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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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. 23 and 24 May 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Antoinette Fisher

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 6 and 7 February 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.

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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 her evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and members of the senior leadership team to discuss their work to develop the school. The lead inspector also spoke with the special educational needs coordinator.  To evaluate the school’s curriculum, ‘deep dives’ were conducted in early reading, mathematics and science. The inspectors spoke to curriculum leaders, visited lessons and reviewed pupils’ work with them.  The inspectors also spoke to pupils and staff separately.  Inspectors spoke to leaders about pupils’ behaviour and policies and procedures. Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during playtimes. 23 and 24 May 2023

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 Inspectors spoke with pupils, including pupils with SEND, to hear their views about their education as well as about behaviour and safety.  Inspectors reviewed the effectiveness of the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures. They evaluated safeguarding by speaking with leaders, staff, pupils and parents. The lead inspector reviewed a sample of leaders’ records.  Inspectors reviewed information about other areas of learning and the wider curriculum.  The lead inspector met with the chair of governors and other governors.  The lead inspector also spoke with an external consultant and the school improvement adviser from the local authority.  Responses to Ofsted’s survey of parents, Ofsted Parent View, were considered alongside Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Lynda Townsend, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sally Snooks Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 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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