Dee Point Primary School

Inspection of Dee Point Primary School Blacon Point Road, Blacon, Chester, Cheshire CH1 5NF

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 October 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 10 and 11 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, are proud of their school. Staff greet them with a warm smile and welcoming words as they arrive in the morning. Staff are keen to ensure that each pupil makes a positive start to the day. For example, pupils talked fondly about the ‘bagel bus’ and the activities that they enjoy at the breakfast club.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils chat happily with their friends as they make their way to classrooms. They told inspectors that they feel safe in school. This is because they trust that staff will listen to any worries or concerns that they may have and that staff will help when needed. Most pupils repay staff’s kindness by following the high expectations that the school has set for their behaviour. Pupils conduct themselves appropriately.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, some children in the early years, and pupils in Years 1 to 6, do not achieve as well as they should. This is because, in some subjects, the school’s revised curriculums are in the early stages of being implemented. As a result, some teachers are not clear enough about what they want pupils to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils participate well in the many clubs on offer. These clubs vary throughout the year and they provide pupils with plenty of opportunities to develop their talents and interests beyond the classroom. Older pupils enjoy extra responsibilities such as acting as lunch-duty assistants. Those pupils who take on the role of nature ambassadors relish tending the school’s garden areas.

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better?

Pupils enjoy reading. The school ensures that pupils are exposed to a wide range of high-quality texts. Pupils were keen to tell inspectors about some of their favourite stories and authors.

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better?

The school’s refinements to the reading curriculum are helping to bring about improvements in pupils’ achievement. The school has ensured that teachers are suitably trained to deliver the well-designed phonics programme consistently well and with confidence. Teachers ensure that the books that children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 read are matched carefully to the sounds that they know. Teachers are well equipped to identify those pupils who need more help with reading. Teachers provide appropriate support for these pupils so that they catch up quickly.

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better?

In English and mathematics, the school’s curriculums are well established. Teachers deliver these curriculums as the school intends and they demonstrate secure subject knowledge. This helps teachers select appropriate activities and support pupils to 10 and 11 October 2023

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learn and remember new content. For the most part, pupils learn and achieve well in these subjects.

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In many other subjects, however, curriculums have been introduced more recently. This means that teachers in the early years and across the rest of the school are not sufficiently clear about the knowledge that children and pupils should learn. Some staff do not have secure enough subject knowledge to teach new curriculum content. This hinders teachers in designing appropriate learning activities for pupils in these subjects. As a result, pupils do not learn as well as they should. In addition, due to historic weaknesses in the curriculum, some pupils have gaps in their earlier knowledge. Some teachers do not identify or address pupils’ misconceptions as quickly as they should. This prevents pupils from having a secure foundation on which to build new learning.

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The school ensures that the needs of pupils with SEND are identified swiftly and accurately by well-trained staff. Staff support pupils in the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision) to learn the curriculum successfully.

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Staff receive appropriate training to enable them to adapt their delivery of the curriculum to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. This allows these pupils to learn the curriculum alongside their classmates. Nevertheless, due to weaknesses in how well the curriculum is delivered, some pupils with SEND in the main school do not achieve as well as they should.

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Typically, pupils’ learning is rarely disrupted. Pupils are clear about the expectations that staff have for their behaviour. For instance, pupils understand the importance of their ‘class charters’.

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The school provides support to ensure that the wider needs of pupils, such as their emotional needs, are met well by staff. The school has carefully crafted a well- thought-out programme to support pupils’ personal development. This programme also helps pupils to learn about life in the wider community.

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Pupils learn about different cultures, faiths and types of family. This helps them to respect each other’s differences and prepares them well for life in modern society. Pupils enjoy a range of trips and visits, including an eagerly awaited annual residential. This is a highlight of the school year for many pupils.

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Governors understand the school’s priorities. They provide appropriate challenge and support to the school when required. This ensures that those responsible for governance are well informed about the quality of education that pupils receive.

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The school engages well with parents and carers and encourages them to be active partners in their children’s learning. For example, the school ensures that parents know what activities are happening in school and how to support their children. Parents appreciate the ease with which they can speak with staff. For example, 10 and 11 October 2023

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parents explained to inspectors that they find staff to be approachable and highly supportive.

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The school considers the workload and well-being of staff in the decisions that it makes, for example about the curriculum. Staff also appreciate the support that they receive from leaders to carry out their roles effectively. As a result, staff said that they feel valued and that they enjoy working at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In those subjects where the school has introduced curriculums more recently, teachers are not clear enough about the knowledge that pupils, including children in the early years, should learn. This hinders teachers from designing learning for pupils. The school should ensure that teachers are clear about what content to teach and when this knowledge should be delivered.  Some staff do not have the skills and expertise to deliver recently introduced curriculums as the school intends. This prevents some pupils from learning the curriculum as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff are furnished with the knowledge that they need to select appropriate learning activities that enable pupils to learn the content of the curriculum.  Weaknesses in the design of the previous curriculum mean that some pupils have gaps in their prior knowledge. This makes it difficult for them to make connections and build securely on earlier learning. Leaders should ensure that

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

teachers identify and address gaps in pupils’ learning swiftly.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need 10 and 11 October 2023

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of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 10 and 11 October 2023

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School details

Local authority Cheshire West and Chester

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.deepointprimary.cheshire.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 2 and 3 October 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there have been some changes to the school’s leadership team.  The school has a specially resourced provision for 24 pupils in key stages 1 and 2. This provision caters for pupils with complex and moderate learning difficulties.  The school does not make use of any 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other members of staff. The 10 and 11 October 2023

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lead inspector spoke with representatives of the governing body, including the vice-chair of governors. She also spoke with representatives of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, history and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons and spoke to teachers and with some pupils about their learning. They also looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to pupils reading with a familiar adult. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum with leaders in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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 Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at various times in the school day. This included during lessons, as well as at lunchtime.  Inspectors considered the views expressed by parents in their responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text comments. Inspectors spoke with parents as they brought their children to school at the start of the school day.  Inspectors also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaires for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Pat Speed, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gill Jones Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 October 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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