Deanshanger Primary School

Inspection of Deanshanger Primary School The Green, Deanshanger, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire MK19 6HJ

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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The executive headteacher of this school is Karen Morris. This school is part of The Grand Union Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Phil Webster, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Andrew Brodie. 2 and 3 July 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend well and embrace all the school has to offer. The school caters well for pupils’ personal growth. However, the school’s ambition for pupils’ academic achievement has not been high enough. While its ambition has increased recently, pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are friendly and polite. They demonstrate good manners around the school. Pupils are energetic and throw themselves into all the activities at playtimes. Older pupils support younger ones to play well together. Playtimes are an enjoyable experience, and incidents of poor behaviour are rare. Likewise, pupils behave well in the classroom. Mostly, they are keen to learn and engage well with their work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school encourages pupils to be responsible members of the school community. Pupils proudly wear their ‘sunflower award’ when recognised for demonstrating the school’s values. They hold responsible roles eagerly such as school councillor, prefect, ‘mini-medic’ or club leader. Pupils develop talents through clubs and activities, including sports, music and games, which pique their interest. The forest school promotes pupils’ love of the outdoors and nature. Pupils are fascinated by newts and water snails when pond dipping. Activities such as climbing trees and building dens help develop their character and resilience.

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

Children get off to a strong start in the early years. The ambitious curriculum provokes children’s fascination and supports all areas of their learning purposefully. Activities are well considered and enable children to build a secure understanding of the world around them. There is a strong emphasis on early language and writing development. Children soon become confident and willing writers.

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

Although reading is a priority, there is some inconsistency in how well staff support pupils to become fluent readers. This is because the school does not sufficiently check the teaching of phonics and reading and ensure that all staff have the right expertise. Pupils enjoy reading and many read avidly. Younger pupils enjoy books that are matched to their knowledge of phonics. Older pupils find books that interest them in the well-stocked library. They have a growing knowledge of authors.

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious and identifies the knowledge pupils need to learn over time. However, the curriculum is not effective in building pupils’ knowledge due to a lack of consistency in how teachers deliver it. As with reading, the school does not carefully check the implementation of the curriculum and its impact on pupils. This means that the school does not identify which aspects are weaker and where staff need more support. The school recognises this and is making changes to address this.

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

Even where curriculum delivery is stronger, pupils often do not receive helpful feedback. Their misconceptions are not consistently identified and addressed. When pupils do receive clear feedback, staff do not support them consistently well to act on this. 2 and 3 July 2025

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The standards that pupils achieve in mathematics have been weak. Recently, the school changed the mathematics curriculum in response. Staff receive effective support to deliver this well. There are clear signs that pupils’ mathematical knowledge is improving, although the developments are too early to see the full impact.

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The school has been slow and imprecise in identifying the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Although recent improvements have led to clearer targets and some staff training, the adaptations to learning are frequently not well aligned with pupils’ identified needs. Consequently, pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should.

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The school recently increased its expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils understand the school’s system, which is followed consistently. Staff support pupils well to live up to higher expectations. The school’s culture enables pupils to develop positive relationships with both staff and their peers.

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The school’s provision for pupils’ personal development is well considered. Pupils learn successfully about health and well-being, including the benefits of physical activity. Pupils understand the sentiment of fundamental British values and are keen to uphold equality. They learn to treat everyone fairly and respectfully, and that discrimination should not be tolerated. Pupils’ growing understanding of different religions and cultures help instil their strong appreciation of difference.

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The school has not maintained an accurate view of its strengths and weaknesses. Challenge and accountability for the standard of pupils’ education have not been sufficiently robust. Therefore, weaknesses have not been addressed swiftly. The school now has a clearer vision and is enacting its plan for rapid improvement. As a result of these recent changes, those responsible for governance regularly check the progress the school is making. They are strengthening their support of the school’s improvement. Staff feel well supported to make the improvements. The positive impact of recent action is evident.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Those responsible for governance have not maintained a strong enough oversight of the school. This means that they have not held the school to account for the impact of its actions and decision-making, and some improvements have not been enacted swiftly enough. The school must ensure that leadership at all levels has an accurate understanding of its strengths and weaknesses so that issues can be addressed swiftly. 2 and 3 July 2025

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 The school does not check carefully enough the implementation of the curriculum and its impact on pupils. It has not identified the lack of consistency in curriculum delivery and what needs to be improved. Consequently, staff do not get the support needed to implement the curriculum effectively, and pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The school must check curriculum implementation more rigorously and ensure that staff receive the support they need to deliver it consistently well.  The school has not ensured that teaching addresses pupils’ misconceptions consistently. Additionally, teaching often does not provide pupils with clear and helpful feedback. Therefore, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and do not build new learning as well as they should. The school must ensure that teaching addresses misconceptions and provides pupils with clear feedback to help them progress well through the curriculum.

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 The school has not ensured that teaching is adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND consistently. This means that these pupils do not learn as well as they can. The school must ensure that staff secure the skills and expertise needed to support pupils with SEND so that they can learn with greater success.

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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). 2 and 3 July 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 May 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school joined The Grand Union Partnership in September 2022.  The executive headteacher joined the school in September 2024.  The school does not 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 provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 2 and 3 July 2025

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The lead inspector met with a member of the board of trustees and several governors from the local academy committee. She also met with the CEO and a trust representative.  Inspectors met with senior leaders of the school and considered a range of documentation.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, history and physical education. 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 also considered evidence about some other curriculum subjects.  Inspectors listened as some pupils read to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single

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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 inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site during breaktimes.  The inspectors spoke with groups of pupils and staff. Inspectors spoke to parents and carers and considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Claire Stylianides, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Phil Abbott Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 July 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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