Dussindale Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Dussindale Primary School Vane Close, Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich, Norfolk NR7 0US

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Outcome

Dussindale Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The executive headteacher of this school is Louise Norgate. This school is part of Broad Horizons Education 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), Owen Jenkins, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Chris Snudden.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending a school which endeavours to help them set sail on a ‘journey of discovery’. Adults want the best for pupils, setting high expectations. Pupils strive to live up to these expectations and do well in school, both in their learning and social development. The school is abuzz with laughter and happiness. Whatever their age, pupils mix and get on well with one another.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a positive environment for pupils to learn and develop in. Positive relationships sit at the heart of the school. Lessons are calm and orderly, and pupils have highly positive attitudes to their learning. Children in Reception quickly get the hang of how things work in school. They share equipment, listen carefully and move from task to task quickly and with purpose.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are guided extremely well to be responsible and active members of society by the time they leave the school. Opportunities such as attending a West End musical, learning first aid or supporting older members of the community through the school’s Kindness Club benefit pupils enormously. As new pupils join, their soon-to-be friends welcome them into the school with warm smiles and open arms regardless of their background, religion or beliefs.

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

Pupils learn well in school. In recent years, the improvements to the curriculum ensure 11 and 12 March 2025

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pupils learn important knowledge in a sensible order. Teachers possess secure subject knowledge in the subjects they teach. They explain new concepts clearly and make regular checks to ensure pupils remember much of what they are taught.

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Leaders take the right action at the right time to continue to improve the school. They make decisions in the best interests of pupils. For example, the work over the past few years to strengthen the provision for pupils’ writing and consolidate high-quality work in mathematics is all bearing fruit.

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Teaching writing now follows a clear and agreed system. Staff understand this well as a result of the training and support they have received. Pupils learn and use new vocabulary, benefiting from regular opportunities to talk about what they intend to write. Younger pupils write well when explaining information in subjects such as history and science. Some older pupils, though, do not always apply their knowledge of writing as well in other subjects and when writing independently.

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Staff have a clear and accurate understanding of the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers make careful adaptations to the curriculum for pupils with SEND, making sure they learn the important knowledge they need. Pupils who access the Lighthouse provision benefit greatly from the highly skilled staff, precise curriculum and nurturing environment.

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Reading plays a central part in the life of the school. The youngest children learn to read well. They become fluent and confident readers because staff are experts in teaching the school’s phonics programme. As pupils develop their phonics knowledge, opportunities are plentiful for them to practise their newly found skills. Those pupils who find learning to read tricky receive very effective support to help them catch up, which, in the main, they do.

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Pupils attend very well. The school keep a very close eye on attendance. If a pupil’s attendance slips too low, effective action is taken to turn this around. Leaders know pupils and their families extremely well. Therefore, the actions leaders take are appropriate, measured and highly effective.

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There is a richness to the provision for pupils’ wider development. The Dussindale Discoverers programme ensures pupils develop a broad experience of the wider world. Leaders consider this carefully to ensure pupils’ experiences build over time. The successful ‘Bystander’ programme helps pupils speak out if they see or hear something happening that they know is wrong. As a result, pupils develop a strong moral code.

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Pupils with particular roles such as school councillors, Digi leaders or welfare ambassadors take great pride in these duties. Those on the school council make a real difference to the life of the school. They, too, make a difference in the lives of people outside of the school. For example, the recent ‘cereal domino’ initiative ensured the school could donate around 300 boxes of cereal to the local food bank.

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Trustees hold an accurate view of the performance of the school and take a strategic view. They are ‘eyes on, hands off’ in their approach. This means school leaders are held 11 and 12 March 2025

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accountable and supported in appropriate measure.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s approach to teaching writing is not fully established. At times, some older pupils do not readily apply their knowledge of writing in some other subjects to express their learning in an effective way. The school should continue to provide teachers with the skills and knowledge to fully implement its approach to teaching writing.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 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. 11 and 12 March 2025

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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). 11 and 12 March 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Broad Horizons Education Trust.  The school does not currently make use of any 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.  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.  The inspector held meetings with the executive headteacher, other senior leaders and a range of other school staff. The inspector held meetings with members of the trust board, the CEO and the deputy CEO of the trust.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 11 and 12 March 2025

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 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’ interests first.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents, including attendance records, pupil records, records of governing board meetings, school development plans and school self-evaluation documents.  The inspector considered the responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, and Ofsted’s online staff survey.

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Inspection team

Nathan Lowe, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 11 and 12 March 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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