Loders CofE Primary Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Loders CofE Primary Academy Loders, Bridport, Dorset DT6 3SA

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Outcome

Loders CofE Primary Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Claire Pooley. This school is part of the First Federation Trust which means other people in the trust have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Paul Walker, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Alexander Walmsley.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Loders Church of England Primary is a school that promotes a ‘love for learning’ at the heart of everything it does. Staff work as a team to ensure they consider and meet the needs of individual pupils in every decision they make. This reflects the school’s values, which include equality, respect and perseverance. The warm and nurturing relationships between staff and pupils are impressive. There is a strong sense of community. As a result, pupils are happy and safe. They enjoy coming to school. The school has high expectations for its pupils. Pupils are keen to learn and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is impressive in lessons and during social times. They demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. Pupils show high levels of respect and kindness towards one another. They are polite and well mannered. Pupils accept each other’s differences and show tolerance and empathy when their friends experience challenges. Instilling the school’s expectations of behaviour starts in the Nursery, where staff teach children to be kind and respectful.

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

The school is ambitious for all of its pupils. Staff are persistent in their work to ensure that the curriculum is well designed to meet pupils’ needs. Since the previous inspection, staff have strengthened the curriculum. They have identified the key knowledge and vocabulary pupils need to know and remember across all wider subjects. For example, 26 November 2024

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Year 4 pupils confidently talk about the Iron Age and how, during those times, people made tools by melting and shaping iron. In addition, improvements have been made to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff carefully consider the requirements of pupils with SEND. They adapt the curriculum effectively so that pupils access their learning with success. This ensures equal opportunity for all pupils to develop a broad body of knowledge.

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Pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the school recognise that checks on what pupils know and remember are not fully in place across all subjects. This means that in some subjects, gaps remain in pupils’ knowledge, including for children in the early years beyond early reading and mathematics.

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From the moment children start in the Nursery, they learn how to socialise, work together and become independent. They also build their early reading, writing and mathematical knowledge well. Behaviour and personal development in the early years are impressive. This is because staff form positive relationships with children. Children rapidly learn the behaviours expected of them. This means that they are prepared for the demands of Year 1.

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The school’s work to develop pupils’ personal development is effective. It provides pupils with rich developmental experiences, such as residential trips to outdoor education cen- tres. These opportunities develop pupils’ resilience and team skills. The school carefully considers trips to enhance pupils’ learning experiences, including visits locally. The school encourages pupils to develop their interests and talents. A range of clubs are on offer, in- cluding cross country, computing, dance and outdoor adventure activities.

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Pupils relish the roles and responsibilities the school provide. These include being school councillors, play leaders and Christian vision leaders. These allow pupils to have a say in and develop their leadership skills.

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Pupils learn how to become thoughtful and caring citizens. They respect and appreciate the diversity of the world in which they live. They enjoy their involvement in and support for charities such as homelessness and their work to reduce pollution. For example, younger pupils were eager to collect the plastic during lunchtime for recycling.

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The school is proactive in finding out what children and families need and how best to provide it. The school promotes positive mental health across the community and offers effective support and guidance for those who need it. For example, the positive impact of ‘storm breaks’ and ‘zones of regulation’ enables pupils to manage their emotions successfully. Parents and carers are delighted with the school. They appreciate all that it does for them and their children. They typically comment on how the school, ‘truly cares about each pupil and their wider family’. As a result, pupils love school and attend regularly.

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The trust offers strong support, guidance and challenge, which the school welcomes and embraces. Staff are proud to work at the school they call ‘our little family’. 26 November 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some wider curriculum subjects, the school has not established rigorous systems to assess how well pupils remember the knowledge they have been taught. As a result, pupils’ recall of some prior learning is not secure. The trust need to ensure assessment is used effectively in order to check what pupils know and remember across all subjects.

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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 grade 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 outstanding 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in 26–27 March 2019.

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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. 26 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). 26 November 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 – 27 March 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the First Federation Trust.  This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Salisbury. The school received its section 48 inspection under the Education Act for schools of a religious character in January 2019, when it was judged to be good. These inspections usually take place every five years. The school is due their next section 48 inspection during the next academic year.  There is an on-site nursery and pre-school for children aged two years upwards.  The school provides wraparound care through breakfast and after-school clubs.  The school uses no alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 26 November 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 visited a sample of lessons, heard pupils read, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with the head of school and staff.  The lead inspector met the link director, the school improvement officer and other leaders for the trust.  The lead inspector met with trustees and held a telephone call with a representative from the Diocese of Salisbury.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; 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 considered key documentation, including the school improvement plan and trustees’ minutes.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Inspectors met with school leaders to discuss and review how they respond to behaviour incidents and pupils’ attendance.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys. They considered the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Ryder Ofsted Inspector 26 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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