Great Dunmow Primary School

Inspection of Great Dunmow Primary School Walnut Walk, Woodlands Park Drive, Great Dunmow, Essex CM6 1ZR

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 5 and 6 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish at this happy inclusive school. They are incredibly proud of their school. Pupils value that they have friends who are kind and staff that care for them. Pupils appreciate how staff listen and quickly resolve any worries they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary in classrooms and during social times. Pupils delight in receiving a special school badge for ‘doing the right thing’. They enjoy celebrating the achievements of their classmates. Pupils work well together across the school. This makes classrooms purposeful places to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils celebrate faiths and cultures that may be different from their own. For example, they discussed the festival of Diwali with respect because their teachers have taught them the importance of learning about others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a range of educational experiences to enrich the curriculum. There are a wide range of clubs here, such as dodgeball, gardening and cookery club. These clubs are very well attended. Pupils take part in a high number of sporting competitions with success. These opportunities support pupils to develop resilience.

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

Reading is a priority here. Pupils are eager to talk about their favourite authors. Staff read aloud to pupils regularly and authors visit the school to share books with pupils. These experiences develop a love for reading.

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

Staff have received effective training to teach reading. There is a consistent approach to the teaching of reading across classes. The school wants pupils to develop confidence in reading. Therefore, children begin to learn phonics as soon as they join the Reception Year. The school is successful in ensuring that pupils recall sounds well. Pupils practise reading daily. They develop reading fluency by reading books with letters and sounds they know. This means that pupils read with enthusiasm and access reading well, across the curriculum. Those pupils at risk of falling behind are quickly given help to keep up.

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

The school has in place an ambitious curriculum. The school has identified the key content for pupils to learn from Reception to Year 6. Teachers present this content in a logical order. For example, in the Reception Year, children confidently recognise small amounts of objects without counting. This is because the school has taught them what each number is made up of.

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

Teachers have good subject knowledge. They explain new concepts clearly and correct misconceptions promptly. For example, in history, Year 4 pupils explained how artefacts help them to understand the past. This is because teachers have taught them about the reliability of different historical sources. 5 and 6 November 2024

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The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) as early as possible. Teaching staff are well trained. They effectively make adaptations to teaching so these pupils can achieve well.

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Pupils achieve highly in mathematics and English. Over time, high pupil outcomes in the national assessments at the end of Year 6 reflect this. However, pupils’ achievement in some wider curriculum subjects is not as high. This is because the checking of what pupils know and remember is not always effective. This means staff cannot pick up on mistakes and misconceptions as quickly as they might.

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The school has extremely high expectations of pupils. Pupils’ attitudes to their learning are excellent. This starts from the Reception Year, where children learn to follow routines and to share. Learning is not interrupted by any silly behaviour.

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The programme for personal development is exceptional. Pupils visit the Houses of Parliament and magistrates visit the school to discuss the importance of rules. These experiences help pupils to understand the values of honesty and respect. Pupils learn about consent and healthy relationships in an age-appropriate manner.

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The school has identified significant individuals that pupils will learn about. Through assemblies, carefully chosen visitors share their journey of being different. This helps pupils to appreciate the uniqueness of everyone.

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The school provides opportunities for pupils to take on roles of responsibility. Pupils in Year 6 are ‘buddied’ with children in the Reception Year. This helps children to settle into school quickly. Pupils learn to look after their environment. Eco-warriors show responsibility by reminding staff of the importance of conserving energy. Pupils plant seeds to grow vegetables. They look after, harvest, and cook them. These opportunities enable pupils to show the school’s values of respect and effort.

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Governors have an accurate understanding of the school. They have appropriate systems in place to check the effectiveness of the school. Staff are extremely proud to work here. They value the initiatives to support their well-being and manage their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the school’s checks on how well pupils have learned the curriculum are not fully effective. This means that some pupils have gaps in their learning which 5 and 6 November 2024

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staff have not addressed. The school needs to strengthen this aspect of its work so that pupils achieve highly across the breadth of the curriculum.

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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). 5 and 6 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Christine Hemming

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 June 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast and after-school club daily.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school is part of the Dunmow Excellence in Education Partnership consisting of nine primary schools.

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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. 5 and 6 November 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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 held meetings with the senior leadership team to discuss school development. In addition, they met with subject leaders, groups of staff and pupils.  An inspector met with representatives of the local governing board and with a representative from the local authority.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the

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curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took into consideration Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Deborah Walters, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rebecca McCutcheon Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 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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