Dursley Church of England Primary Academy

Inspection of Dursley Church of England Primary Academy School Road, Dursley, Gloucestershire GL11 4NZ

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

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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

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The headteacher of this school is Heather Gregory. This school is part of The Diocese of Gloucester Academies 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), Rachel Howie and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Craig Huxley-Jones. 28 and 29 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and grow in confidence at Dursley. They are encouraged to 'together shine brightly'. The school's new curriculum is helping pupils to exemplify this. Pupils benefit from a well-designed curriculum that is supporting them to know and remember more. They benefit from a high-quality education, although this is not reflected in historic outcomes in 2024. The school has high expectations for pupils, who are now rising to these.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The many caring staff and spaces in the school means pupils feel safe at school. They know that staff will listen to any worries they may have. Pupils follow the ‘ready, respectful, safe’ behaviour values. As a result, they are attentive and engaged in their learning. If pupils need help to manage their behaviour, staff provide effective support.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have opportunities to take on positions of responsibility. For example, they organise donations to the food hub and develop community spirit. Pupils were so moved about the human impact on the environment that they were inspired to raise money for the Wildlife Trust. They adopted three animals, including a turtle, who they can track. Pupils get to develop their interests through exciting clubs such as paper crafts, dance and calm club.

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

The school has developed an ambitious curriculum to suit the pupils it serves. For each subject, it has chosen the knowledge pupils need to learn at each stage over time. New leaders quickly recognised that the previous curriculum did not support pupils to achieve well enough. The revised curriculum is improving pupils’ knowledge, but these changes are not reflected in 2024 outcomes. The impact can be seen in pupils’ knowledge, with them connecting new knowledge to previous knowledge. For example, in geography, pupils can talk about tectonic plates and how mountains are formed, linking this to their knowledge about continents. Pupils’ work demonstrates this body of knowledge. They live up to the school’s high ambitions.

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

Expert staff teach pupils how to read daily. They carefully check pupils’ mouth movements to ensure they are speaking precisely. The school teaches pupils to track words, objects and people to help them develop the skills to communicate effectively. They check how well pupils are learning to read. Teachers use this information to provide swift support which helps pupils to keep up. Pupils read books that match the sounds they are confident with. This helps them develop fluency and a love for reading.

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

Teachers ask questions about previous learning to help pupils make links to new learning. They carefully present new learning and set the expectations for pupils’ work. Pupils meet these expectations. Teachers check how well pupils are learning. They make modifications to lessons as a result. Learning checks in subjects like mathematics are being used well to help strengthen the curriculum. In a minority of wider curriculum subjects, however, the checks the school makes are not used to help strengthen the curriculum to the same 28 and 29 January 2025

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effect. This means some pupils have gaps in knowledge as a result of the previous curriculum.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified and supported to learn the curriculum. The school is inclusive and pupils are highly respectful and understanding of one another’s needs.

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Children in early years learn the basics of writing, such as a secure pencil grip. Older pupils increase their stamina when writing stories, such as those based on Grimm’s fairy tales. On occasion, pupils move onto complex tasks too quickly before they are secure in the basics, such as letter formation. This means these pupils do not have legible handwriting before they complete more conceptually challenging tasks.

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There is a calm and orderly environment in lessons and at social times. Children in early years learn routines such as ‘hands up to share’. The school tracks attendance meticulously and forges strong relationships with families. This means pupils’ attendance is improving.

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The school has designed a comprehensive programme to develop pupils beyond the academic. Pupils learn about the importance of looking after their mental and physical health. They appreciate having a say through the lived democracy when voting for school leaders, such as the esteemed role of ‘pupil parliament representative’. Pupils are well- prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The trust and school ensure that staff receive the professional development they need to teach the curriculum well. Consequently, staff feel well supported by leaders. Those responsible for governance know the school well. They have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and areas to develop. Together, they are ambitious for every pupil.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not developed assessment well enough in some wider curriculum subjects. As a result, the checks the school makes are not being used as effectively as they could to help strengthen the curriculum and address historic gaps in pupils’ knowledge. The trust should support the school to further develop its use of assessment so that it helps deepen pupils’ knowledge in these subjects.  In some cases, pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to secure the fundamentals of writing before moving onto more complex tasks. As a result, some pupils do not develop proficiency in letter formation and handwriting. The trust must ensure that the 28 and 29 January 2025

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approach to teaching early writing is embedded so that teachers give pupils the support and guidance they need to develop fluent and legible handwriting.

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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). 28 and 29 January 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection 29 January 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been several changes in leadership since the school’s previous inspection. The current headteacher took up post in September 2024.  The school is designated as having a religious character. It is a Church of England school and is part of the Diocese of Gloucester. The most recent section 48 inspection of the school was carried out in March 2024. The school should receive its next section 48 inspection within five school years.  The school does not currently use 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 28 and 29 January 2025

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 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. 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 the headteacher, school staff, parents, pupils, representatives from the trust including the deputy CEO, a trustee and the chair of the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, 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 from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.

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 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 observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including at lunchtime and breaktimes. In addition, the inspectors met with pupils formally and informally to hear their views.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. They also looked at responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Lakmini Harkus, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lizzy Meadows Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 January 2025

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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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