Dorchester Middle School

Dorchester Middle School

Address: Queen's Avenue, Dorchester, Dorset, DT1 2HS Unique reference number (URN): 138186

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Pupils attend school extremely well. Recent changes to school life and high expectations motivate all groups of pupils to want to be at school. Leaders work forensically to continually build attendance positively for all groups of all pupils, so that it continues to increase above the national average. Staff view pupil attendance as everyone’s responsibility. This means actions to support when there may be barriers to attending well, are quickly enacted.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

The school is a calm, happy and respectful environment. Bullying and unkindness are not usual occurrences. Pupils are highly confident in the work of staff to act quickly to resolve any issues. High quality pastoral care and pupils taking a leadership role as ambassadors help their peers to navigate friendship difficulties. The culture of the school has changed considerably. Pupils enact the high expectations of staff with pride. High expectations and nurturing strategies support pupils to thrive. The need for suspensions has reduced to very few. Pupils’ behaviours are highly positive. They take these attitudes into their lessons, where they are self-disciplined and highly engaged. Strategies to help all pupils build independence and manage their needs, means pupils quickly access adjustments that support them. If pupils need additional help, the ‘turnaround’ room provides support to reflect and be ready for learning in a caring and prompt way.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have re-designed the curriculum to ensure pupils learn a greater depth of knowledge. As a result, pupils learn the explicit knowledge and skills in different subjects that leaders have identified. For example, in history, pupils deepen their knowledge of monarchy and can talk about the qualities of historical figures.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

When they join the school, a number of pupils have gaps in the fundamental skills they need to learn the curriculum. Leaders work to identify these and address them through extra support so that pupils gain the skills they need. Pupils who are developing their early reading skills have appropriate support to build their fluency and knowledge of phonic sounds. Through working with external expertise, the mathematical curriculum is well sequenced. Teachers deliver the content more effectively so that pupils have better recall. However, some approaches to help pupils build their skills quickly are not precise enough, such as in spelling and handwriting.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff build on their teaching expertise through a high-quality programme of learning and coaching. This supports teachers to deliver the curriculum effectively. Teachers know pupils well. They use well-shared strategies and make appropriate adaptations to learning when needed. Sometimes, unclear instructions or expectations of the learning, means pupils do not have the clarity of what their next steps are. When this happens, misconceptions about learning creep in.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders work to prioritise and develop inclusive practices has led to well established approaches across the school. Staff build positive relationships with parents and carers so that pupils’ needs are understood. Staff identify and assess needs carefully so that they can plan appropriate strategies. They act quickly and work with external professionals and the local authority to apply for additional funding and support when it is appropriate. As a result of this work, funding and provision has increased. Resourced provisions within the school ensure that pupils with wider or multiple special educational needs and/or disabilities receive appropriate support.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders equip all classrooms with resources that pupils use autonomously, such as standing desks or wobble seats. This helps pupils to manage their needs with growing independence. Alternative provision is rarely used, but when it is, it is well matched to supporting the academic and pastoral needs of pupils.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders' work to refine the pupil premium strategy and funding is more recently implemented. Strategies focus around prioritising a culture of belonging for pupils who are disadvantaged. Leaders track this carefully to identify which strategies are most appropriate. This work is beginning to embed and make a difference for those pupils.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

After a period of instability, new leaders have started to bring about significant changes to improve the school. Having established a positive culture and high expectations of pupils and staff, leaders astutely identify the areas of school improvement they need to address quickly.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders work effectively with parents and carers and the community to build better relationships and a knowledge of the school’s work. As a result, parents recognise the improvements made and the positive impact this has had for their children.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff are especially positive about the efforts leaders make to support them and to take account of their workload when making decisions. Leaders share a clear vision for the school with its stakeholders that is well understood. They support subject leaders and staff with responsibilities to grow their expertise to develop their teams. This work informs a well- considered plan for professional learning which is collaborative and staff feel very motivated and invested in.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The governing body have strengthened how they operate. They make sure they have the detail they need to effectively support and challenge the school in its improvement work. Working with the trust, all leaders have clarity about the strengths and priorities for development. This is well tracked. Leaders take care to make decisions that provide solid foundations for future developments and are in the very best interests of the pupils.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff are proud of the work to implement a cohesive plan for the personal development of pupils. Pupils learn to look after their mental and physical health, such as the importance of sleep. They learn strategies to manage how they are feeling and are very well supported. As a result, pupils apply their learning to help them.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The personal, social, and health education curriculum ensures pupils learn the range of skills and knowledge they need to prepare them for the future. Pupils have a comprehensive understanding of how to keep themselves safe, both online and in the community. Learning about relationships, sex education and health education are sensitively and appropriately taught. Leaders work with the secondary school to make sure this learning is appropriately developed once pupils transition to their next school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school offers many clubs and activities, all designed to encourage the talents and interests of the pupils. Various creative groups, including the choir, the orchestra club and the performing arts club inspire pupils to learn instruments. Many pupils take part in performances to large audiences. Pupils enjoy the sports clubs and representing the school in fixtures. Leaders ensure there are no barriers for any pupils to fully participate in any part of school life. They check carefully to make sure all pupils experience a breadth of trips and experiences which complement curriculum learning.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The student council are active in their work to raise money for charity and building links with the community. This helps pupils to develop their understanding of fundamental British Values, and to understand how to act with respect and tolerance.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

A careers programme prepares pupils for their transition to secondary school and to think about option choices. The careers week highlights how subjects develop skills for future career pathways.

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Achievement Needs attention

Over time, pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 2 examinations are below national averages. Although there have been some recent improvements, such as in writing outcomes, mathematics and reading continue to have low outcomes. Pupils who are disadvantaged achieve significantly below pupils who are disadvantaged nationally.

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Achievement Needs attention

A number of pupils join the school without some of the numerical, reading, spelling or handwriting skills they need. Leaders identify where the gaps are. They plan appropriate support to teach those skills. For example, pupils who have not secured their knowledge of phonics develop their early reading skills appropriately. Additionally, a large number of pupils work on their handwriting skills.

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Achievement Needs attention

This planned support helps pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, or experience disadvantage, to develop the fundamental knowledge they need. Work in books shows most pupils make progress from their starting points. However, some of the work to secure skills is not as precise as it could be to improve pupils’ skills quickly.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils have seen many positive changes to their school, particularly those in key stage 3. Work to improve both the culture and the physical environment has created a school pupils enjoy coming to. They attend very well.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The ‘ROARS’ values of ready, original, ambitious, respectful and safe are well embedded throughout all aspects of school life. This help pupils to make positive decisions. Pupils feel safe and welcomed. They behave respectfully towards one another. Issues of unkindness or bullying have reduced considerably through leaders and pupils working together. Staff promptly manage any concerns.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Improvements to the curriculum means pupils build new knowledge on what they know. They enjoy their learning. In lessons, teachers use strategies which help pupils who face barriers to their learning, to overcome these. The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well understood. A specially resourced base and an additional provision for pupils who experience a wider range of complex needs, helps all pupils to fully engage with school life.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

At the end of key stage 2, pupils do not achieve well in the core subjects, particularly pupils who are disadvantaged. A number of pupils join the school with some gaps in their number facts, writing or reading skills. The school identifies what pupils need to know and put support in place to help them. This work is starting to help pupils make better progress from their starting points. Along with a well-planned approach to pupils’ personal development and work in key stage 3 to consolidate the knowledge and skills pupils need, their readiness for transition to secondary school is improving.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The school has a vast enrichment offer designed to extend the interests and talents of the pupils. Leaders check and adapt the offer carefully to encourage participation. Performing arts is a particular feature of school life, with many musical groups and school productions running throughout the year.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure teachers secure the skills to deliver all parts of the curriculum with clarity and clear instruction, so that pupils know what steps they need to take to improve their work successfully. Leaders should continue to evaluate and check the strategies they have put in place to make sure pupils achieve well, so that pupils achieve better outcomes in published results, especially pupils who are disadvantaged. Leaders should check the plans to teach pupils the foundational knowledge they have not secured are implemented precisely and effectively, so that pupils learn the skills they need

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Team inspectors:

Deborah Wring, Ofsted Inspector Kate Masters, Ofsted Inspector Robert Coles, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place. promptly and well.

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About this inspection

The school is part of the Wessex Multi-Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Mike Foley, and overseen by a chair of trustees, chaired by Martin Baker.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMI.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with senior leaders, the CEO, a trustee and chair of the local governing body and a representative from the local authority during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with the information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following about the school: The school includes a specially resourced provision for pupils with physical disability and medical conditions. There are places for 5 pupils.

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About this inspection

The school currently makes use of one unregistered alternative provision.

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About this inspection

The school has undergone a significant change since the last inspection with the appointment of a new head teacher and deputy headteacher.

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About this inspection

Headteacher: Mr Jon Webb This data is from 2 June 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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What does this mean?

The type of Special Educational Needs provision provided at the school (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 71% 74% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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average

2024/25 (final) 71% 72% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 55% 62% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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average

2024/25 (final) 50% 59% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 9.0% 8.9% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 20.1% 23.4% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 25.3% 25.6% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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