Davies Lane Primary School

Inspection of Davies Lane Primary School Davies Lane, Leytonstone, London E11 3DR

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The executive principal of the school is Jason Cook. This school is part of Arbor Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Maureen Okoye, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Marcia Douet.

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Ofsted has not previously inspected Davies Lane Primary School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Davies Lane Primary School to be outstanding, before it opened as an academy. 18 and 19 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Davies Lane is a welcoming and inclusive community where pupils feel secure and are kept safe. Pupils feel valued and enjoy coming to school. Staff know pupils well and have very high expectations for them. The school and trust provide an ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They learn a broad range of subjects in line with what is expected nationally. Pupils work hard and achieve highly, including in national assessments.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. This begins in early years where children learn to cooperate and take turns, enjoying the range of activities available to them. There is a strong focus on encouraging pupils’ kindness, independence and responsibility. Across the school, pupils consistently demonstrate these qualities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers build strong relationships with pupils, which allows them to thrive. Bullying is rare and pupils know who to speak with if they have any concerns. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the support their children receive at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from an extensive range of extra-curricular opportunities. These include eco-warriors, contemporary dance and a wide range of sporting clubs. Pupils enjoy taking up responsibilities, such as playground advocates and learning ambassadors.

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better?

Trust and school leaders are determined to provide the best possible experiences for pupils. Throughout the school, staff are experts in the delivery of the curriculum. The school provides many opportunities for staff to develop professionally. Leaders have carefully considered staff workload and well-being. Consequently, morale is high and there is a strong team spirit.

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better?

Leaders have designed a curriculum that clearly sets out the knowledge pupils will learn. This has been carefully broken down into small steps and sequenced in a logical order. As a result, pupils are well supported to make deep links with previously learned content. Teachers use assessment with rigour to identify and correct any misunderstandings and gaps in learning. Consequently, pupils learn well and build extensive knowledge as they progress through the curriculum. Pupils work hard and produce work of exceptional quality from early years onwards. For example, in mathematics, the youngest children swiftly learn to count and use rulers to measure with accuracy. Older pupils build on this knowledge when measuring angles using a protractor and solve increasingly complex problems using concepts they have already learned. 18 and 19 June 2024

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From the beginning of Nursery onwards, there is a sharp focus on developing children’s communication and language. From the start of the Reception Year, staff deliver the school’s chosen phonics programme with expertise. Pupils gain confidence as they read books that contain the sounds they know. Staff make regular checks on pupils’ reading. Any pupils who fall behind benefit from effective support to catch up quickly. Older pupils are avid readers and have access to a wide range of books from the school’s well-stocked library.

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The school identifies pupils’ with SEND with precision and shares this information with staff. This helps teachers to ensure that activities are adapted, where necessary, to help pupils access the same ambitious curriculum. Pupils who attend the specially resourced provision are very well supported by specialist staff to access a more bespoke curriculum that builds on their individual starting points towards clearly defined goals. Leaders check carefully that the additional support pupils receive is having a positive impact. Consequently, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Pupils behave exceptionally well in and out of lessons. This starts in early years where children learn how to play safely, take turns and share. This helps to ensure a calm and orderly environment with clear routines and expectations across the school. Pupils are friendly and tolerant. They accept that everyone is different and deserving of respect. Pupils appreciate the rewards they can earn in the ‘going for gold’ system and when they are ‘caught being kind’.

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The comprehensive personal, social and health education curriculum gives pupils a thorough understanding of healthy relationships and what it means to stay safe online. Pupils are also taught through assemblies and visiting speakers about road safety and first aid, as well as how to stay physically and mentally healthy.

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The school provides many opportunities to develop pupils’ character. These include charity fundraising activities, contributing to the zero-carbon club and helping each other as a member of the ‘lunch bunch’. There is a high take-up of the many clubs that are on offer. Pupils benefit from a wide range of educational visits, which underpin the ambitious curriculum.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 18 and 19 June 2024

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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 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). 18 and 19 June 2024

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School details

Local authority London Borough of Waltham Forest

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School details

Headteacher Jacalyn Cheeseman (head of school) Jason Cook (executive principal) Website www.davieslane.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The head of school was appointed to the post in September 2023.  Davies Lane Primary School is a four-form entry school.  There is a specially resourced provision for 28 children with autism spectrum disorder.  The school does not currently make use of any alternative provision.  The Nursery includes provision for two-year-olds.

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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. 18 and 19 June 2024

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 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 carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and art. For each deep dive, inspectors spoke with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils and looked at samples of their work. Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum and visited lessons in some other subjects.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school and priorities for improvement.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, a selection of subject leaders, teachers and support staff.  Inspectors met with members of the local governing body. They also held discussions with representatives from the trust.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors spoke with leaders about the provision for pupils with SEND and visited the specially resourced provision on site.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents, including records related to attendance, behaviour and pupil movement.  Inspectors considered the views of parents, pupils and staff, including through their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Robert Grice, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Katerina Christodoulou Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 June 2024

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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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