Denton Community Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Denton Community Primary School and Nursery Acacia Road, Denton, Newhaven, East Sussex BN9 0QJ

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 November 2024

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Outcome

Denton Community Primary School and Nursery has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love learning at this inclusive community school. They show this through their positive attitudes to learning and purposeful work in lessons. Teachers have high expectations of pupils. Pupils work hard to meet them. They share their learning excitedly with each other. Pupils generally achieve well and are prepared for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. As a result, the school is calm and orderly. They know the school values of respect, resilience and kindness. Pupils say these help them to try hard and to work well together. They show high levels of respect for all. Pupils are happy and proud to attend the school. They have trusted adults they can share any concerns with.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The effective school council works well with leaders. School council members listen to the views of other pupils and take action to respond to these. Pupils are proud of these roles and take their responsibilities seriously. As a result of this pupil voice, the school has significantly improved breaktimes. Pupils use a wide range of equipment to organise exciting activities. All pupils take part in these, but pupils encourage others to join in if they are on their own. Older pupils act as positive role models, and all pupils play together happily.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum. It has thoughtfully identified the skills and knowledge pupils need and when they should learn them. Teachers mostly check pupils’ understanding carefully and respond to misconceptions quickly. However, this is not always done consistently across all subjects. As a result, some pupils do not always learn the curriculum content as well as they could. 12 and 13 November 2024

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Children begin to develop a love of reading in Nursery. They encounter stories, rhymes and letter sounds in planned activities. Staff model communication well when working with children in early years. Teachers of phonics are well trained to teach sounds and letters precisely. As a result, pupils become fluent readers by the start of key stage 2. Teachers quickly identify if pupils fall behind. They use high-quality interventions that help pupils catch up. The vast majority of pupils recall their prior learning and apply it effectively. Pupils write at length and accurately. They recall key number facts and apply mathematical reasoning skills to solve problems.

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge that helps them deliver the curriculum well. They explain learning clearly. As a result, pupils learn the important skills and knowledge they need. Teachers generally select activities that help pupils to build their skills and knowledge. However, on a small number of occasions, some of the activities chosen do not always help pupils to build on their learning.

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There are high expectations for all pupils to achieve well, including pupils with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff identify the needs of pupils accurately. They use this to adapt their teaching to reduce any barriers to learning. Pupils in the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND learn a carefully amended curriculum. As a result, they achieve well. Staff enhance these pupils’ learning further through well- considered access to mainstream lessons.

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The school is a happy place. Staff build warm and supportive relationships with pupils. The school has clear routines that start in early years. These help pupils to meet expectations of behaviour. The school quickly identifies pupils who may require additional guidance to behave well. They use a range of therapeutic support effectively. For example, pupils enjoy their time with the school therapy dog. Pupils enjoy school and attend frequently. The school carefully tracks absence and identifies those pupils who may require additional help to attend well. The school’s work is effective, and attendance is improving over time.

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The school prioritises pupils’ personal development. As a result, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils have positive attitudes to difference and diversity. As one pupil said, ‘We respect everyone.’ Pupils are taught to be hardworking and resilient learners. They are given the opportunity to apply these skills, for example through forest school activities. They visit a local university to learn about a range of future careers. Pupils know how to stay safe online and the wider community. They know how to stay fit and healthy and enjoy attending the wide range of sports clubs the school offers.

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The school works well with others to improve the standards of education. For example, the school has recently refined the writing curriculum with support from external experts. Governors have improved their impact since the last inspection. They now hold leaders to account and support them effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 12 and 13 November 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, teachers do not support pupils well enough in recalling prior learning. This means some pupils do not build their knowledge as securely as they could. The school should ensure that strategies to ensure pupils remember their learning are applied consistently well across all subjects.  Occasionally, some of the activities given to pupils do not always help them build on their learning. As a result, a small number of pupils do not learn curriculum content as well as they could. The school needs to ensure that teachers design activities that allow pupils to deepen the important skills and knowledge they need.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in April 2015.

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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. 12 and 13 November 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). 12 and 13 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4 April 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school’s headteacher and senior leadership team has changed since the last inspection.  The school currently uses no alternative provision.  The school manages breakfast clubs and after-school clubs for pupils.

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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 began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher and other leaders. They also met members of the governing body.  The inspector focused inspection activity on the following groups of subjects: early English and mathematics, and art, computing and music. For each group of subjects 12 and 13 November 2024

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the inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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’ interest first.  Throughout the inspection, the inspector met with groups of staff. They also considered the opinions expressed through the staff survey.  The inspector met some parents at the start of the school day and had regard to the views expressed through Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Gavin Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 12 and 13 November 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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