Denbigh Community Primary School

Inspection of Denbigh Community Primary School Denbigh Avenue, Howdon, Wallsend, Tyne and Wear NE28 0DS

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The headteacher of this school is Mark Holt. This school is part of the Centurion Multi Academy 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), Louise Guthrie, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Darren Starling.

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Ofsted has not previously inspected Denbigh Community Primary School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Denbigh Community Primary School to be outstanding for overall effectiveness, before it opened as an academy. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 25 and 26 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Denbigh Community Primary School is an inspirational place. There is an unwavering commitment to every pupil achieving their full potential. Pupils are very happy and thrive exceptionally well across the curriculum and in their personal development. The school’s core values of communication, opportunity, reasoning and experience, and the character curriculum underpin everything. Pupils love to learn and appreciate all of the opportunities they have. As a result, pupils leave this school with confidence, self-belief and the ambition to succeed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is exemplary. Right from the early years, the school teaches clear routines, rules and expectations. Expectations are consistently high. There is a culture of mutual respect between staff and pupils. The school is a very calm and purposeful place to learn. Exceptional pastoral support and staff expertise ensure a high level of nurture and care for families. Families feel well supported and value what the school does for the pupils and the community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a voice at this school. They have been instrumental in sharing the new anti- bullying strategy and the purchase of new playground equipment to make playtimes more exciting.

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

Building from strong foundations in the early years, the curriculum offer is exceptional. Very well considered sequences of learning ensure pupils build on prior learning and make meaningful connections. For example, countries and continents in geography have been very carefully linked to the location of Viking and Anglo-Saxon settlements in history. In all subjects, the school has carefully identified the key knowledge and vocabulary the pupils should learn and remember. Through quizzes and challenges, the school swiftly identifies gaps in knowledge and puts targeted support in place to help pupils to catch up. Learning is brought to life through educational visits and experiences. Pupils talk about different places they have visited and how it helps them to remember what they have been taught, such as a recent visit to a Victorian school house, the coast and local museums.

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

Staff are highly skilled subject experts. Staff access appropriate training to provide bespoke support for pupils’ varying needs. As a result, lessons are expertly adapted to ensure the curriculum offer is fully inclusive. This means that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from exceptional support and achieve well.

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

Reading is a high priority. Phonics is expertly delivered. Reading books are well matched to the sounds pupils know, and pupils enjoy daily opportunities to read. This means pupils become confident and fluent readers quickly. The reading curriculum is carefully planned and exposes pupils to a wide variety of high-quality texts which include a range of authors, cultures and genres. Class novels are cleverly woven into the wider curriculum to support children to build connections, including texts chosen in history to help enhance 25 and 26 March 2025

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pupils’ knowledge of Victorian Britain. Pupils love to visit the ‘Denbigh Reading Bus’, and this further promotes the love of reading.

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Children in the early years have an exceptional start. Children have access to a range of language-rich, purposeful learning activities which encourage independence, imagination and curiosity. Children are fully immersed in learning through play, adult-supported learning and independent exploration. Role play is exciting, and children practise their new vocabulary by pretending to board a plane and go on holiday, for example. Children are well prepared for the transition to Year 1.

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Pupils attend well, and the school uses a range of strategies to support pupils to attend school regularly. This work is having a very positive impact.

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The curriculum for personal development is exceptional. Through the ‘Denbigh Character Curriculum’, the work to develop pupils’ character is exemplary. Pupils have a deep understanding of different religions, faiths and cultures and have the opportunity to visit different places of worship. Knowledge of equality and fundamental British Values ensures pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils attend a wide range of extra- curricular clubs, including those for football, basketball, astronomy, gymnastics and science. The school carefully monitors attendance at these clubs and refines the offer to meet pupils’ ongoing interests and talents. Pupils know how to keep themselves healthy and safe, including the importance of mental health. Pupils have high aspirations for future education and careers.

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Leaders at all levels are highly effective. Staff workload and well-being are high priorities. Trustees and governors know the school well and share the same high ambition for the school and the trust.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 25 and 26 March 2025

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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). 25 and 26 March 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Denbigh Community Primary School converted to become an academy in January 2024. When its predecessor school, Denbigh Community Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding for overall effectiveness.  The school is part of the Centurion Multi Academy Trust.  The school uses one registered alternative provision for its pupils.

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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. 25 and 26 March 2025

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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 this into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors reviewed the curriculum for reading, writing, science and the wider foundation curriculum.  Inspectors met with the trust CEO and members of the board of trustees and of the local governing body.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents, including the school’s self-evaluation

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and improvement plans.  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 considered the views of parents through the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View, and the free-text responses. Inspectors considered the views of pupils through meetings and at social times.  Inspectors considered the views of staff through meetings and through their responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Emma Watson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sonia Fraser Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 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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