Dunnington CofE Primary School

Inspection of Dunnington C of E Primary School Dunnington, Alcester, Warwickshire B49 5NT

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 8 and 9 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Dunnington Primary School is a friendly and inclusive place. Pupils enjoy attending and appreciate the wide range of experiences they have at school. These include interesting trips to enhance learning and a wealth of after-school clubs that develop pupils’ talents and interests. Many pupils enjoy learning to play a range of musical instruments and enjoy singing in the school’s choir. Pupils benefit from learning in the forest school. It is an exciting and valued part of the school’s provision.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know who to talk to about any concerns they may have and appreciate the care adults give them. As a result, pupils are happy and safe. However, the school’s expectations of pupils’ behaviour are sometimes too low. Consequently, some pupils do not show enough respect towards others. At times, this leads to learning being disrupted. Pupils say that bullying sometimes happens, but they are confident that staff will deal with it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s curriculum is not as carefully thought out and structured as it should be. As a result, pupils experience variability in the quality of education they receive and do not achieve as well as they should. The school is reviewing many aspects of its curriculum and is committed to getting it right for pupils.

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better?

Instability in staffing, including leadership, has impacted the school’s work to ensure that the curriculum is delivered in a way that supports good learning. The school has recently taken decisive action to revise its curriculum, including mathematics and early reading. Much of the curriculum development is being undertaken by staff who are new to the school or leaders who are temporarily covering due to staff absence. Improvements are in the early stages of development. Therefore, some aspects of the curriculum are not taught as effectively as they should be.

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better?

Staff choose a range of interesting and high-quality texts for pupils to read linked to the curriculum. These help pupils to enjoy reading. Pupils who need help to learn to read are provided with books containing words that they can read and sound out. This helps these pupils to develop their fluency.

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better?

The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively. However, some staff do not make appropriate adaptations for pupils with SEND to help them to learn well. Some of the targets on pupils’ learning plans are too general. They do not set out clearly enough what pupils should achieve. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should.

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better?

Children settle quickly into the early years. They learn to share and independently access resources. Children benefit from a well-thought-out curriculum that identifies the key knowledge children should learn. Staff in the early years deliver the 8 and 9 May 2024

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curriculum effectively. Staff use their in-depth knowledge of how children develop to design learning activities suited to children’s needs and interests.

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The school has prioritised the behaviour and safety of pupils. Leaders are tenacious in ensuring pupils receive the pastoral support they need. The school has introduced clear rules and routines for behaviour. However, some pupils do not behave well. Sometimes, expectations of pupils are too low. This is reflected in the variable quality of pupils’ work. Changes to the school’s approach to improving pupils’ attendance are beginning to make a positive difference.

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The personal, social and health education curriculum is planned carefully and content is ordered in a way to build pupils’ understanding. Pupils learn to keep safe online, eat healthily and maintain healthy relationships. However, due to staff absences, some pupils have missed out on some lessons. Therefore, they have not developed a deep understanding of the intended content. Pupils excel in their various roles and responsibilities. These include acting as school councillors and library champions. Pupils make a tangible contribution to school life through these roles.

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Many parents and carers praise the caring ethos of the school. However, some parents feel that communication systems need to improve so that they are better informed about the changes in school.

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Many staff are proud to work at the school. However, some staff feel that not enough is done to reduce their workload or support them in managing the behaviour of some pupils.

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Following changes to strengthen the knowledge and expertise of the governing body, governors provide effective challenge and support to the school. They have a clear strategic vision and are committed to improving further the quality of education pupils receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s intended curriculum improvements in several subjects have not been fully implemented yet. Consequently, some pupils do not learn as well as they should and have gaps in their knowledge. The school should ensure that revised curriculum plans are implemented effectively and evaluated to ensure that pupils achieve well across the curriculum.  Some staff do not make appropriate adaptations for pupils with SEND to help them learn well. In addition, targets on pupils’ individual learning plans lack 8 and 9 May 2024

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clarity. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure that teachers are clear about specific learning targets and adapt activities when needed so pupils with SEND achieve well.  Some staff do not apply the school’s behaviour policy with the agreed consistency. When this happens, there is disruption to learning and pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff have the same high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. They should also ensure that staff consistently apply the agreed approaches to managing behaviour so that learning is not disrupted.  Communication between the school and home is not as effective as it could be. Some parents and carers do not feel fully informed about their child’s learning or changes taking place at the school. The school should ensure that it improves communication between school and home so that parents are kept fully informed.

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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 SEND; pupils who meet the definition of children in need 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). 8 and 9 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 March 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a Church of England primary school in the Diocese of Coventry. The school’s most recent section 48 church school inspection was in October 2017. The next inspection is due within eight years of the previous inspection.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The former interim headteacher took up her substantive post in February 2024.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher and senior leaders. 8 and 9 May 2024

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 The lead inspector met with representatives from the governing body.  The lead inspector talked to representatives from the local authority and the diocese.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors considered a range of documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans. Minutes of governing body meetings were also scrutinised.  The inspectors looked at records of pupils’ attendance and behaviour. They observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school and talked to them about behaviour, bullying and welfare.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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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.  Inspectors talked to parents at the start of the school day and considered the Ofsted Parent View survey and free-text comments. The inspectors also reviewed the responses to the staff survey and gathered the views of staff and pupils through discussion.

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Inspection team

Cathy Young, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sam Cosgrove Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 May 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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