Dell Primary School

Dell Primary School

Address: Dell Road, Oulton Broad, Dell Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR33 9NU Unique reference number (URN): 141736

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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 Expected standard

Leaders have a detailed overview of attendance. They take a rigorous and focused approach to improving it. For example, they hold a daily attendance meeting to discuss pupils who are absent from school. Leaders work closely with parents and carers to help ensure that pupils attend regularly. When attendance starts to cause concern, leaders act quickly. They typically provide the right support or challenge where needed. These actions are having a positive impact. For example, persistent absence is currently below the national average and overall attendance is in line with national averages.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders and staff have high expectations for behaviour. They consistently promote the importance of being ‘ready, respectful and safe’. These expectations have contributed to improvements in pupils’ behaviour over the last academic year. Pupils show positive attitudes to learning and are keen to do well. This starts in the early years. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are supported to behave well and engage successfully in learning. Pupils learn about bullying and know it is wrong. If concerns arise, pupils are confident that staff act quickly to support them. Leaders ensure that discrimination, harassment and unkind behaviour are addressed promptly. Staff are consistent in their approach to supporting pupils who have more difficulty in managing their emotions.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders have established a clear and ambitious vision for the early years. They have designed a well-sequenced curriculum that enables children to build knowledge and skills progressively across all areas of learning. Staff promote children's curiosity, creativity and physical development.

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Early years Expected standard

Staff quickly build warm and trusting relationships with children. They benefit from staff’s calm and nurturing approach. They feel safe, learn to share and begin to manage their emotions successfully. Children develop learning behaviours such as listening and being patient. Teachers provide regular opportunities for children to develop speaking and listening skills through discussion, play and shared activities. As a result, children communicate confidently and participate in learning well.

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Early years Expected standard

Reading is prioritised from the start. Children learn through a systematic phonics programme. They apply their phonics knowledge when reading and writing. They read with increasing fluency and write simple sentences about familiar topics. Children also develop secure mathematical understanding. For example, they confidently use concrete resources to solve addition calculations independently.

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Early years Expected standard

Children, including disadvantaged children and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, achieve well from their starting points. Staff check carefully what children know and can do to identify needs and adapt provision accordingly. Positive partnerships with parents further strengthen children’s learning and transition. As a result, children are typically prepared appropriately for Year 1.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have a clear and detailed understanding of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, those who are disadvantaged and those who are known or previously known to social care. Leaders provide staff with clear guidance that helps them identify pupils’ needs quickly and accurately. This work begins in the early years and ensures that support is put in place at an early stage.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils. They seek professional advice when needed and work closely with parents and carers to understand pupils’ strengths and needs. As a result, support is usually tailored well to individual circumstances. This helps pupils to overcome barriers to learning and participate fully in school life.

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Inclusion Expected standard

In lessons, staff provide effective support that helps pupils understand new learning and work independently. Leaders have strengthened this provision in recent months. Pupils with more specific barriers to learning benefit from personalised plans that are detailed, regularly reviewed and adapted when needed. Parents are actively involved throughout this process. This helps to ensure that support remains relevant and effective.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders use pupil premium funding appropriately. Disadvantaged pupils benefit from academic and pastoral support that helps them engage positively with school and learning. As a result, pupils typically access the curriculum successfully and are supported to achieve increasingly well from their starting points.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have successfully navigated a recent period of change in senior leadership. School and trust leaders have provided continuity during this period. Leaders understand the school’s context and have identified appropriate priorities for improvement. For example, they have improved behaviour, inclusive provision and how teachers check what pupils know and understand. However, staff require further support and guidance so they teach the curriculum with greater accuracy and precision.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are visible and approachable. They model professionalism and maintain high expectations for pupils and staff. Staff share these expectations and demonstrate a collective belief in pupils’ ability to succeed.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Trust leaders, local governors and trustees provide focused support and challenge. They work closely with school leaders to strengthen key systems, particularly in achievement, attendance and safeguarding. Regular monitoring helps trust leaders evaluate the impact of leaders’ actions. Trust support has also helped leaders identify where further work is needed, including securing stronger achievement in key stage 2 national assessments in mathematics and writing.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders prioritise staff wellbeing. Local governors use visits and regular discussions with staff to understand workload and respond to concerns. Annual trust wellbeing surveys further support this process. Professional learning is carefully planned. Staff, including early career teachers, benefit from training provided by leaders. Opportunities to work with colleagues from other trust schools are also available. These developing opportunities help strengthen subject knowledge and leadership expertise.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders build positive relationships with parents and the wider community. For example, teachers are available at the start of each day to liaise with parents who have questions or concerns.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have a sharp vision for pupils’ personal development and wellbeing. They have designed a carefully planned programme that is woven through the curriculum and enriched through wider experiences. Pupils take part in activities such as careers week, mental health day and residential visits. Leaders have also introduced the ‘Dell experience’ to broaden pupils’ aspirations and extend enrichment opportunities before they move to secondary school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The personal development programme is thoughtfully constructed. All pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, access the full offer. Leaders take practical steps to remove barriers. For example, they work with parents and provide support for residential visits and extra-curricular clubs. As a result, pupils have equal opportunities to engage successfully in the wider life of the school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders ensure that pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is threaded through the curriculum. Staff consistently promote the school’s values of respect, passion, collaboration, integrity and ambition. This work typically helps pupils become confident, articulate and increasingly independent learners. Pupils demonstrate respect for others and an understanding of diversity.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The personal, social, health and economic education curriculum is well sequenced from the Reception Year through to Year 6. Relationships and health education are taught in an age- appropriate way. Pupils talk confidently about how to stay healthy and safe. They understand online and offline risks, healthy relationships, personal boundaries and consent.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils understand the fundamental British values. They can explain the importance of fairness, equality and democracy. For example, they talk confidently about elections for pupil leadership roles.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pastoral support is responsive to pupils’ needs. Staff build positive relationships with pupils. Support begins in the classroom and includes soft starts and regular check-ins. When needed, more bespoke pastoral support is provided, such as small-group nurture support or social skills programmes. These support pupils well. Leaders work effectively with external agencies when specialist help is needed.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils’ achievement in national assessments varies. Over recent years, pupils’ outcomes in key stage 2 reading have been close to national averages. However, achievement in writing and mathematics has declined over the last 3 years. As a result, in 2025, pupils achieved below the national averages in both mathematics and writing. Disadvantaged pupils have consistently achieved close to national averages in reading, writing and mathematics over the same period. This reflects the work leaders are doing to reduce attainment gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their peers.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils develop the core skills they need in early reading. However, pupils do not develop core skills in early writing as well as they should, particularly in handwriting. This means that some pupils are not fully prepared for the next stage of their learning.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face additional barriers to learning, typically progress suitably from their starting points. For example, pupils spoke confidently about what they had learned recently in science and religious education.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders typically have an accurate understanding of curriculum and teaching. The curriculum is ambitious. Leaders ensure that there are clear end points in all subjects and that learning is sequenced logically. However, the quality of teaching varies. Teachers do not always adapt curriculum activities with enough precision. This limits the progress that pupils, including pupils with higher prior attainment, make.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

In addition, teachers do not always provide timely support when pupils have gaps in their knowledge. For example, some pupils with gaps in their handwriting skills have not received enough support to help them catch up. As a result, they continue to make similar errors in their work. They do not develop fluency and accuracy in writing as well as they should.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have provided some opportunities for staff to develop their subject knowledge and skills. They recognise that further support and guidance is still required because teachers are not yet fully confident and knowledgeable in teaching all curriculum subjects across year groups.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff teach the early reading curriculum effectively. They successfully deliver a systematic phonics programme. Pupils read books that match their knowledge. Extra support is provided quickly when pupils fall behind. As a result, pupils are developing reading fluency well.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Teachers provide suitable adaptations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face additional barriers to learning. This enables them to access their learning and build on what they already know.

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

Pupils typically enjoy coming to school and attend regularly. They arrive positively in the mornings and quickly settle. Pupils benefit from the school’s core values. These include respect, passion, collaboration and integrity. These values help shape the daily life of the school and are central to maintaining a positive learning environment.

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

Staff establish positive relationships with pupils. This helps them to feel safe and confident and included in the daily life of the school. Pupils behave well in lessons and at social times. Clear routines and expectations help pupils understand what is expected of them. Pupils understand what bullying is because it is discussed regularly. When concerns do arise, pupils are confident that staff deal with them promptly.

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

Pupils typically learn a broad and balanced curriculum. Recent improvements in writing and mathematics are beginning to strengthen pupils’ learning. However, some variation in teaching means that pupils continue to have gaps in their knowledge, particularly in writing. This means that they do not build as securely on their prior learning as they could.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged pupils and those who face additional barriers to learning are supported well. Staff provide step-by-step support, following the school’s ‘the way we do things here’ guidance. Additional personalised support is provided for pupils who have additional barriers to their learning.

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

Pupils are appropriately prepared for life in modern Britain. They speak confidently about fairness, equality and democracy. For example, they explain how the elections for pupil leadership roles ensure that everyone has a voice. Pupils also benefit from wider experiences, such as careers week, mental health day, residential visits and the ‘Dell experience'. Additionally, the school's pupil parliament organises school events and competitions such as ‘which class could grow the longest carrot’. These fun opportunities further help pupils to develop their teamwork and determination skills.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure the curriculum is adapted more precisely across subjects so that pupils, including those with higher prior attainment, build securely on prior learning. Leaders should strengthen staff expertise across the curriculum so that all subjects are taught effectively. This includes the teaching of pupils to develop secure handwriting skills and ensure they receive timely support where needed so that they write fluently and accurately. Leaders should ensure that recent improvements in writing and mathematics are embedded consistently so that pupils achieve well by the end of key stage 2.

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Team inspectors:

Tracy Walker, Ofsted Inspector Rachael Johnston, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 30 June 2026

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About this inspection

This school is part of Evolution 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), Dr Craig Avieson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Mr Drew Whitehead.

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

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with school leaders, including the headteacher, pupils and parents. They also spoke with representatives of the trust, local governors, and trustees during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school uses no alternative provision.

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About this inspection

Acting Headteacher: Samuel Keeler 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 6 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 needs support 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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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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average

2023/24 (final) 54% 61% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 63% 60% Close to average

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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

2024/25 (final) 75% 75% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 69% 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

2022/23 (final) 75% 71% 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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average

2023/24 (final) 74% 73% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 75% 73% Close to average

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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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average

2023/24 (final) 44% 46% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 55% 44% Close to average

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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) 67% 62% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 70% 60% 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) 48% 59% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 56% 58% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 65% 58% 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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average

2024/25 (final) 52% 61% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 65% 59% Close to average

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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) 5.4% 5.5% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 5.5% 5.9% 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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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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