Doveridge Primary School

Doveridge Primary School Inspection report

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112537 Unique Reference Number DERBYSHIRE Local Authority 289316 Inspection number 21 °22 March 2007 Inspection dates Geof Timms Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 81 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Matthew Bradley Chair Mrs Natasha Clark Headteacher 2 December 2002 Date of previous school inspection Chapel Green School address Doveridge Ashbourne Derbyshire DE6 5JY

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01889563346 Telephone number 01889563346 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 21 °22 March 2007 Inspection dates 289316 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Doveridge Primary is a small village school. Although it takes pupils aged up to 11, many leave at nine and move to nearby middle schools. The majority of pupils are from a White British background. The proportion that has learning difficulties or disabilities is below average overall, although high in some year groups. A well below average number of pupils is entitled to free school meals. The school has an Activemark award. The headteacher has been in post for almost a year after a period of time when the school lacked a permanent headteacher or a description of what was happening.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 10 Inspection Report: Doveridge Primary School, 21 °22 March 2007

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Grade: 3

The school currently provides a satisfactory education and this is improving rapidly under the current headteacher. One parent praised her 'positive leadership and cheerful energy' and this is evident in the number of new initiatives that have been put in place over the last twelve months. A particular strength has been the improved accuracy and use of data to ensure that pupils make the progress that they should and to indicate any underachievement. This has been instrumental in halting the fall in standards since the last inspection. Attainment on entry to the Reception class varies from year to year but is mostly typical for this age group. Children then make satisfactory progress in their Reception year, owing to satisfactory provision, and most of them reach nationally expected goals. They continue to make satisfactory progress through the school and standards are broadly average by the time pupils leave in Year 4. However, the rate of progress is not smooth. It varies between year

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Grade: 3

groups and subjects. Nevertheless, overall achievement is satisfactory. Standards are higher in mathematics than they are in English, especially writing where pupils do not get enough opportunities to write at length or with purpose. In the 2006 Year 2 assessments, girls achieved much better than the boys. The school has recognised this and has made a number of changes to improve boys' progress, albeit too recently for much impact to be evident. Pupils' personal development is good and they have good, positive attitudes towards learning. They know well how to keep healthy and safe, and they clearly enjoy school. Opportunities to contribute to the local and wider community are satisfactory. Pupils are also developing adequate skills to help them in the world beyond school. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory, based as it is on strong relationships. The best teaching is well planned and paced,

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Grade: 3

resulting in attentive, interested and enthusiastic learners. However, too often teachers accept work that is poorly presented and do not provide more able pupils with sufficiently challenging work. The curriculum is planned appropriately for mixed age classes although opportunities are sometimes missed to make links between subjects which limits pupils' development of problem solving skills. The school provides a good level of enrichment activities and after-school clubs. These are popular and well attended. The school provides good care for its pupils and ensures that safeguarding requirements are met. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. The headteacher's strong leadership is having a good impact on raising standards and improving provision. The staff are growing into an effective team and show a willingness to take on new ideas and initiatives, and to build good partnerships with others to help raise standards. Subject leadership is at an early stage of

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Grade: 3

development and is yet to have an impact on achievement. The governing body offers the school good support and their personal expertise is used well, such as in financial matters. Improvements such as increased and effective staff training and the involvement of outside expertise, pupil tracking and data analysis are beginning to show a positive impact pupils' progress towards challenging targets. This shows that the school has a sound capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Provide more opportunities for pupils to write at length and for a range of purposes. 4 of 10 Inspection Report: Doveridge Primary School, 21 °22 March 2007 • Ensure that lessons have sufficient challenge for the more able pupils and that all pupils' work is neat and well-presented. • Make more links between subjects so that pupils can use their skills in different and more practical situations. • Develop the influence of subject leaders, so their work has a positive impact on improving teaching and learning.

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Grade: 3

Overall achievement is satisfactory. Although there is a range of attainment on entry, and it differs from year to year, the majority of children join the Reception class with broadly average levels of skills, knowledge and understanding. They have good attitudes towards school and good levels of personal and social development, but weaker skills in their knowledge of letter sounds, and their creative and physical development. They make satisfactory progress in the Reception class and the majority achieve expected goals by the time they start Year 1. The leadership of the school has focused on improving the achievement of pupils which has been weak. This has now been addressed and the progress currently being made by most pupils across the school is satisfactory, including those with learning difficulties. Standards in mathematics are often above average but standards in reading and writing are lower.

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Grade: 2

Attendance is well above average and this reflects the enjoyment and positive attitudes towards school shown by pupils. This view is also shared by most parents. Pupils are enthusiastic and take a full part in lessons, willingly answering questions and joining in discussions. However, the lack of care taken in the presentation of their work does not reflect this enthusiasm. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They take responsibility well when it is offered, such as by taking part in the school council, although the school does not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to show independence and take initiative. Pupils' spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is good. They have more opportunities to learn about other cultures than was evident at the last inspection. When given the opportunity pupils work together well and are able to co-operate and collaborate effectively.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning are satisfactory, and support the current levels of satisfactory achievement. Strengths include good relationships with pupils, which encourage them to take a full part in question and answer sessions. Teaching assistants support the less able pupils well. Lessons have an appropriate pace and are divided into segments that keep pupils on task and regularly reinforce learning. However, expectations of pupils are not yet high enough to produce sufficient good teaching to promote a good rate of progress and thereby to raise standards further. For example, teachers do not insist sufficiently on neatly presented work. They do not always provide sufficiently challenging work, especially for the more able pupils. Teachers use the available space well but, particularly for older age groups, the accommodation is not helpful to learning. Displays are good and often celebrate pupils' work or provide

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Grade: 3

5 of 10 Inspection Report: Doveridge Primary School, 21 °22 March 2007 opportunities for them to learn new things. Teachers are positive about the new developments in the school and have proved willing to take on new ideas, such as sharing with pupils the learning expected in the lesson, and the use of discussion between children.

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Grade: 3

This aspect of the school is satisfactory. The curriculum meets statutory requirements and takes mixed age classes into account. It is extended through opportunities to learn a modern foreign language. What is taught in the Reception class is well planned with effective links between its children and those in Year 1. The school does not yet make sufficient links between subjects to help pupils see how their learning in one subject can be of use elsewhere. The school makes effective use of the expertise of visitors, and visits relevant places of interest. One parent commented that their child 'enjoys the involvement of people from our wider community.' A good range of extra-curricular activities helps pupils to extend their skills and interests. For example, a good art club provides pupils with time to improve their knowledge and technique.

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Grade: 2

Care, guidance and support are good. This is a caring school and all staff work hard to look after and support the pupils. When health issues arise they are well dealt with and procedures are robust. The support offered to those with learning difficulties or disabilities has improved and is good, and their targets are more appropriate to their needs. The school works hard to ensure the safety of the pupils and the requirements for checking the backgrounds of adults helping or working in school are met. Child protection arrangements have been updated and improved recently through good whole staff training. The setting of targets to help pupils improve is new but is already having a positive impact, and pupils are more aware of what they need to do to improve. Pupils say they feel safe in school and that there are adults they can turn to if they are worried or have concerns about things in or out of school.

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Grade: 3

The effective leadership of the headteacher has improved the quality of provision and halted the decline in achievement. She has introduced a wide range of important and necessary reforms which are beginning to have a positive impact, but are yet to be fully reflected in higher standards. The school now has a clear purpose and educational direction. The self-evaluation has led to appropriate priorities for improvement focused on the quality of teaching and learning, and on raising standards. Subject leadership has also been recently reviewed and reorganised. Teachers have taken on a number of new positive roles that are, nevertheless, still not fully developed. The governing body provides good support but has not fully developed its role in evaluating achievement or the success of new initiatives. 6 of 10 Inspection Report: Doveridge Primary School, 21 °22 March 2007 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 7 of 10 Inspection Report: Doveridge Primary School, 21 °22 March 2007

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements No Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 8 of 10 Inspection Report: Doveridge Primary School, 21 °22 March 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 9 of 10 Inspection Report: Doveridge Primary School, 21 °22 March 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

23 March 2007 Dear Children Inspection of Doveridge Primary School, Chapel Green, Doveridge, Derbyshire, DE6 5JY I want to say thank you for the way you made me feel welcome when I visited your school. I enjoyed my time with you and found you very friendly and helpful. I enjoyed looking at your work and talking to you, and I particularly liked Class 1's giant fruit! I especially want to thank the school council for the discussion we had. You have had some difficult times at the school recently with different people in charge, but since Mrs Clark was appointed things have settled down. Mrs Clark and the staff have a lot of good ideas for how the school can improve in the future. You can help by carrying on behaving as well as you do now, because this helps your teachers teach you. You are lucky to be at a school in such a lovely place, and you have good fields and play areas. Your building is sometimes difficult to work in, especially for Class 3, but you do work hard to

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

try and concentrate. The school provides a lot of clubs for you to join and it is nice to see that so many of you go to them, and obviously have a lot of fun when you do. Like most schools, there are things that can be done to make it even better. I have asked the teachers to do the following. • Help you get better at literacy, especially writing • Make sure you are given work that is hard enough for you and makes you think. You can help by taking much more care to make your work neat and tidy • Make links between subjects so that you use what you have learned in one subject to help you in another • Make sure teachers keep a close check on the subjects for which they are responsible. Once again, thank you for your help and I hope you carry on working hard and enjoying your time at Doveridge. Yours sincerely Geof Timms Lead Inspector 10 of 10 Inspection Report: Doveridge Primary School, 21 °22 March 2007

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