Duffield the Meadows Primary School

Inspection of Duffield the Meadows Primary School Park Road, Duffield, Belper DE56 4GT

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 1 and 2 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers overwhelmingly support this caring school. They value the warm welcome the school extends to pupils and families. One parent, reflecting the views of many, said: ‘The staff are dedicated, focused and kind…they expect the best from all children and this shows in the high standards of behaviour, manners and care they show each other.’ Pupils demonstrate this positive behaviour during social times. They are good friends to each other. They are safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school nurtures the personal development and well-being of pupils. Pupils thrive from the quality of wider opportunities that the school offers. They enjoy the choice of clubs such as sports, gardening, choir and sewing which broaden their interests. Pupils are confident and flourish through the activities and events provided by the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well, and many pupils do. They take pride in their work and enjoy demonstrating what they have remembered. Pupils achieve well in the core subjects of English and mathematics but their depth of understanding in other subjects is sometimes less secure. Pupils are motivated to work hard and do well.

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

The curriculum sets out essential knowledge that all pupils must learn. It aims to help pupils understand how knowledge is connected across subjects. The school inspires pupils’ curiosity and joy of learning through guest speakers and museum trips. However, pupils do not always build a secure depth of knowledge over time. Some pupils struggle to retain what they have been taught, while some others find it difficult to grasp the distinctiveness of different subjects. In the early years, the curriculum is well structured and that lays firm foundations for children’s learning. However, sometimes, the activities chosen do not deepen children’s understanding as much as they could.

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

Teachers have a strong knowledge of the curriculum subjects. They select resources effectively to make concepts explicit to pupils. For example, in mathematics, pupils use practical equipment to understand numbers. In the early years, practical objects ensure pupils recognise mathematical patterns. Teachers explain new vocabulary clearly and use precise questions to check pupils’ understanding. Occasionally, staff do not make the best decisions, based on checks of pupils’ understanding, about when to move forward or revisit learning. Opportunities to deepen pupils’ understanding or reinforce new knowledge are sometimes missed.

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

Pupils enjoy learning phonics. They are taught well using clear steps to learn new sounds effectively. Appropriate objects are selected to illustrate new words and to secure pupils’ understanding of initial letter sounds. Pupils who need extra help are supported well to break down and blend sounds together. Books are matched accurately to the sounds that pupils are learning. Many pupils do well with early reading, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who achieve as well as they can. The school celebrates pupils’ love of reading with popular reading rewards. Pupils are keen to explore a range of diverse authors from the school’s ambitious recommended reads lists. 1 and 2 October 2024

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Pupils with SEND are fully included in school life. The school accurately identifies their learning needs and provides support to ensure they can access learning alongside their peers. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Pupils develop their character through leadership roles. House captains help the dinner hall to run smoothly. They enjoy this responsibility. Similarly, pupils elect each other to the school parliament, where they share ideas to improve school life. Environmental representatives take pride in their role, especially in reducing plastic use. Pupils understand important features of modern Britain such as protected characteristics. They do not accept discrimination of any kind. Pupils know how to stay safe online.

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The school promotes positive values effectively through its ‘Attitude Acorns’ assemblies. It nurtures pupils’ ‘can-do’ approaches and mutual respect. These values are lived out in pupils’ daily behaviour. Pupils’ attitudes to their learning are strong. They concentrate well on their studies.

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Staff appreciate the training and support that they receive and the consideration the school gives for their workload and well-being.

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Governors are knowledgeable. They understand their statutory duties. They respond well to the views of the school community, such as shaping the school’s approach to equality. They understand the school well. Leaders have navigated successfully the significant challenge of the site being flooded. Parents appreciate the school’s resilience and its extra efforts to support their children.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 While leaders have specified the knowledge that they want children and pupils to learn, this is not always clearly translated into sequences of learning that secure depth of understanding over time. As a result, some pupils are not learning everything that was intended and are not making explicit connections with previous learning. Some do not understand the distinction between subject disciplines. The school should refine the curriculum implementation to ensure that all pupils are building their knowledge in a coherent way both within and across subjects. This will help them to deepen their understanding and achieve higher standards.  While staff check on pupils’ learning with effective questioning, they are not always agile in determining whether learning can be moved on quickly to the next stage or where concepts need to be presented differently or revisited to help pupils understand. This can result in pupils revisiting learning unnecessarily or gaining misconceptions.

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The school should ensure that teachers’ skills to evaluate their checks on pupils’ learning are precise to maximise learning time while ensuring that pupils’ needs are met where they lack understanding.

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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’ 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). 1 and 2 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.duffieldmeadows.derbyshire.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 July 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school suffered upheaval from a significant flood in October 2023 that caused the school building to close to pupils for a period of time. As a result, pupils were educated off site in temporary premises until school reopened in April 2024.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic 1 and 2 October 2024

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began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with senior leaders from the school. The lead inspector met with local governors and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to some pupils read.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum in some other subjects and considered the support provided for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors discussed pupils’ attendance and behaviour with school leaders.  Inspectors considered the views of parents who responded to Ofsted Parent View. They also spoke with parents at the school gate.

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 Inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s survey of school staff. They held discussions with staff and pupils.  Inspectors considered a wide range of evidence, including the documentation published on the school’s website.  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.

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Inspection team

Donna Moulds, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Helen Atkins Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 October 2024

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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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