Dallimore Primary & Nursery School

Age group 3–11 Inspection dates 6–7 May 2009 Inspection number 325659 Dallimore Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 112675 Local Authority Derbyshire Inspection number 325659 Inspection dates 6–7 May 2009 Reporting inspector Sheelagh Barnes

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 under pilot arrangements; it was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act .

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number on roll School (total) 297 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Christopher Phillips Headteacher Mr Glyn Julian Date of previous school inspection 23–24 March 2006 School address Dallimore Road Kirk Hallam Ilkeston Derbyshire DE7 4GZ Telephone number 0115 932 0741 Fax number 0115 944 0292 Email address info@dallimore.derbyshire.sch.uk Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk 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

This pilot inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. The inspectors visited 13 lessons, and held meetings with the chair of governors, staff and pupils. They observed the school’s work, and looked at the school’s improvement plan, self- evaluation documents, pupil assessment information and key policies, including those for ensuring pupils’ safety and welfare. Inspectors also looked at 16 parental questionnaire responses and a survey of parents and pupils’ views undertaken by the school.

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Introduction

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school’s work. It looked in detail at the following:

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Introduction

 how well boys and potentially higher attaining pupils in particular achieve in developing skills across all subjects

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Introduction

 what the impact is of pupils’ behaviour around the school

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Introduction

 whether teachers use information from assessment consistently well in all lessons to promote the development of writing and numeracy skills in the non- core, as well as core subjects.

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Introduction

 how effectively coordinators and governors monitor the school’s work and how this feeds into planning for improvement.

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Information about the school

This is a larger than average sized school. Almost all pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils known to be entitled to free school meals is broadly average. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is also average, but varies across year groups, For example, over a half of pupils in the current Year 6 have emotional and behavioural, moderate learning or speech and language needs. Attainment on entry to the Nursery covers the full range but overall is significantly below that expected for children of this age. The school has Healthy school and Eco school status. There is other provision for children of pre-school age on the school site that is not run by the governing body. This is inspected separately.

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Inspection judgements

Grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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Main findings

Dallimore Primary School provides a sound education for its pupils. Staff and governors work well together to create a welcoming and secure community in which pupils can develop social and academic skills. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are given a good start to their education. Pupils feel safe and secure and talk with enthusiasm about their work and the activities provided for them. Attendance has improved significantly in recent times and is now in line with national figures. Similarly, the school has worked successfully to improve behaviour. Currently, systems are effective and lessons proceed smoothly. All adults work in a consistent way and have high expectations of pupils’ response. Classrooms, corridors and playgrounds are pleasant places to be. Pupils who have difficulty concentrating are given suitable support. The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall. Teachers use assessment securely. However, standards by the end of Year 6 in English and

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Main findings

mathematics are below average. There has been a recent impetus to raise standards and the school has succeeded in radically improving the quality of teaching in literacy and numeracy lessons. The teaching seen during the inspection in these lessons was good as was the use of assessment. However, this is not yet consistent across all subjects and classes and pupils do not always remember to use their assessment targets. The result being that overall, the progress made by pupils across the school is satisfactory. Leaders have a clear picture of standards across the school and a clear understanding of what the school does well and what needs to be improved. There has been a satisfactory rate of improvement since the previous inspection overall. Current monitoring and tracking systems ensure that priorities for school development are correctly identified and followed through. However, coordinators of subjects are relatively new to their posts and systems for analysing data in more

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Main findings

detail are labour intensive. As a result, the school has plans to streamline the approach so that trends in different aspects of each subject can be spotted quickly.

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Main findings

A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. [

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the rate of pupils’ progress, particularly in developing skills in writing and mathematics, so that more than 80% attain the expected Level 4 and 15% the higher Level 5 by 2010.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that at least half of lessons are good or better by the start of 2010.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate the rate of improvement of pupils by developing the skills of middle leadership in regular and rigorous monitoring of all aspects of their subjects. Monitoring systems should be fully implemented by the end of the next academic year.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Encourage pupils to improve their numeracy and literacy skills in all subjects by remembering their targets so that, by the end of the current academic year, this practice is embedded into daily work.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Pupils start from levels which are significantly below those expected and make satisfactory progress. Too few attain at or above the expected level by Year 6. Consequently, despite recent improvements to the progress made in literacy and numeracy, standards are below average.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

The school has placed a recent emphasis on accelerating pupils’ learning and progress, initially in literacy and numeracy. This has had a demonstrably good impact, especially in timetabled literacy and numeracy lessons. Pupils generally enjoy their learning, behave well and are attentive in these lessons. Teachers and other adults manage pupils’ behaviour effectively to ensure this is the case. The success of the careful management was exemplified when one pupil proudly went to his teacher with a certificate, which was awarded by another member of staff.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

There is little difference in the progress of boys and girls when taken overall. Vulnerable pupils and those with learning difficulties do as well as others. This is particularly the case for pupils who visit ‘the lighthouse’ or ‘the beach-hut’ where they are provided with good quality support to enable them to concentrate and take full advantage of what the school provides. Pupils progress well in specific literacy and numeracy lessons but progress is only satisfactory in other subjects. For instance, pupils are given ample opportunities to write in history, science and religious education lessons but the focus is mainly on the subject rather than on extending and practising what is taught in English.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Pupils are tolerant, polite and considerate in the main and they have a sound understanding of spiritual, moral and social issues. They gain a satisfactory understanding of cultural and religious ways of life. Attendance has improved and is average. The proportion of exclusions and incidents which require the attention of senior staff has declined significantly in recent months. Most pupils eagerly take responsibility and contribute to the school and wider community in many ways, such as through litter collection, ecological awareness initiatives such as gardening and the school council and through being play leaders. They acquire sound basic skills to prepare them for their next stage in education and are developing skills in learning to work collaboratively and independently.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

These are the grades for pupils’ outcomes Pupils’ attainment 1 4 The quality of pupils’ learning and their progress 3 The quality of learning for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities and their progress How well do pupils achieve and enjoy their learning? 3 To what extent do pupils feel safe? 3 How well do pupils behave? 3 To what extent do pupils adopt healthy lifestyles? 3 To what extent do pupils contribute to the school and wider community? 3 Pupils’ attendance 1 3 How well do pupils develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being? What is the extent of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development? 3

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How effective is the provision?

Teaching is satisfactory. During the inspection, three quarters of lessons observed were good. This indicates that there is a significant amount of good teaching, especially in literacy and numeracy on which to build further. A key feature of the good teaching seen was the way in which teachers used assessment information to adapt work to match pupils’ interests and ability. The school is in the process of revising its assessment and tracking system in order to monitor the progress pupils make more closely. Lessons usually proceed at pace and good use is made of learning support assistants to encourage and help pupils to remain on task. In addition, each pupil has clear targets to remind them of the most important things to improve. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. However this good practice is not yet consistent across the teaching of all subjects. The scrutiny of work in books, conducted with senior leaders clearly showed that many lessons, in other

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How effective is the provision?

subjects, are of satisfactory quality. In these satisfactory lessons, opportunities to remind pupils of the expectations of their writing and mathematics are sometimes missed.

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How effective is the provision?

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4 is low The curriculum has improved since the last inspection, principally through an increased allocation of time to physical education and a greater emphasis on extra- curricular activities. The curriculum meets most pupils’ needs reasonably. There are specific modifications in terms of support and challenge for those who find learning more difficult and those who are potentially gifted or higher attaining. The many well attended clubs and out of school visits add interest and help to promote pupils’ well- being. The school works effectively with parents to guide pupils through transition when starting and leaving the school. The very effective arrangements for promoting improved behaviour and attendance are already having a very positive impact. The staff work well with outside agencies, families and carers to help reduce barriers to

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How effective is the provision?

vulnerable pupils’ progress and inspectors learned of some striking examples in this respect. Staff work hard to create attractive displays that celebrate pupils’ achievements and contribute effectively to improving the learning environment.

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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision The quality of teaching 3 The use of assessment to support learning 3 The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils’ needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships The effectiveness of care, guidance and support 2

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How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher and newly appointed deputy headteacher work well together, providing sound leadership. Staff and governors provide good standards of care and at the time of the inspection there were effective systems for safeguarding pupils’ welfare. Subject leaders are relatively new to their roles. They have made a good start in planning their monitoring. Leaders and managers communicate their aims and drive improvement forward competently. Since the last inspection, there has been demonstrable improvement, for example, to the curriculum and through establishing clear systems to monitor behaviour and attendance. Because standards have been slower to improve, particularly in writing and mathematics, the school has rightly placed emphasis on improving the quality of provision. The school has a good amount of accurate data on the overall progress each pupil makes in reading, writing and mathematics. The rigorous application of these systems ensures that all pupils

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How effective are leadership and management?

have an equal chance to make progress and have full access to the school’s provision. The data is not yet specific enough to compare and analyse progress in different aspects of subjects, for example in mathematics, and steps are being taken to improve the quality of such assessments.

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How effective are leadership and management?

Governors understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses and fulfil their statutory duties. They are involved in planning priorities and are developing skills in monitoring how well the school is tackling them. The school has a good understanding of the local community and works diligently to build links with parents and other agencies in the community. Pupils work well together in the school community. Leaders have begun to evaluate the impact of strategies to promote community cohesion and the school is currently working to extend links to provide pupils with a better understanding of community and world issues. There are good partnerships with other agencies and schools which benefit pupils, especially those in need of extra support in their learning. Links with parents and carers are satisfactory and the school works hard to involve them in their children’s learning and to consult them regularly about their opinions.

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How effective are leadership and management?

These are the grades for leadership and management The effectiveness of leadership and management in communicating ambition and driving improvement The effectiveness with which the school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination The effectiveness of safeguarding procedures 3 The effectiveness of the governing body in challenging and supporting the school so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory responsibilities met The effectiveness of the school’s engagement with parents and carers 3 The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well-being 2 The effectiveness with which the school promotes community cohesion 3 The effectiveness with which the school deploys resources to achieve value for money

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Provision for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage in the Nursery and Reception classes is good. Good leadership and management ensure that children settle quickly and happily from their first days in school. They make overall good progress in the six areas of learning for their age. The good quality of teaching ensures activities are effectively matched to the needs and interests of boys and girls alike. There is a particular emphasis on developing children’s personal and social and communication, language and literacy skills. Teaching assistants work effectively alongside children and make a good contribution to the progress they make. A good curriculum is in place and staff make full use of indoor and outdoor areas, so that children find new and exciting things to do each day. Some examples of these include ‘writing’ in shaving foam indoors and ‘counting furry caterpillars’ on the outdoor magnet board or playing in the garden. A good range of interesting and fun

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Early Years Foundation Stage

toys and equipment is carefully rotated around so that there is always something new to explore. Staff all work hard to incorporate basic management systems, such as points and rewards to encourage children to take turns and consider others. Pastoral care and welfare are good and, as a result children grow in confidence and consider school a pleasant place to be. Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2 The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of leadership and management in the Early Years Foundation Stage Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Views of parents and carers

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Dallimore Primary School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. If a parent has more than one child at the school, we ask them to record an answer against all the questions, for each of their children. The inspection team received 16 completed questionnaires. Not all responses answered every question. In total, there are 297 parents and carers registered at the school. The school had, however only recently conducted its own survey of parents’ views.

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Views of parents and carers

Always Most of the time Occasionally Never Overall, I am happy with my child’s experience at this school 10 5 0 0

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. In 2007-8, 15% of schools were judged to be outstanding. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. In 2007-8, 49% of schools were judged good. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. In 2007-8, 32% of schools were judged satisfactory. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves. In 2007-8, 5% of schools were judged inadequate.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, training or development. This may refer to the acquisition of skills, knowledge, understanding or desired attributes. Attributes include qualities or personal competencies which are important to the development of the pupil; for example personal, social, cultural, emotional or health.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school. 8 May 2009

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Inspection of Dallimore Primary School, Kirk Hallam, DE7 4GZ

Thank you for the welcome you gave us when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to you, watching your assemblies and lessons and looking at your work. Yours is a satisfactory school and overall you are making the progress that is expected. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage get a good start to their learning and all staff look after you well. We know that you have been trying hard, with your teachers, to make your writing and number work even better. We saw you make good progress in literacy and numeracy lessons. We now want you to make that same progress in all of your lessons. We have asked the school to change some things slightly to try to help even more of you to reach Level 4 in your English and mathematics at Year 6.

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Inspection of Dallimore Primary School, Kirk Hallam, DE7 4GZ

We are asking teachers to make more of your lessons in subjects like science and topic and religious education as good as those in literacy and numeracy.

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Inspection of Dallimore Primary School, Kirk Hallam, DE7 4GZ

To help make sure this happens, we have asked teachers who are in charge of subjects to build up their skills and the systems they use to keep track of how well you are doing, so that they can see who needs extra help. Some of these changes will take time and we think they will all be in place by 2010.

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Inspection of Dallimore Primary School, Kirk Hallam, DE7 4GZ

We also think it would be a huge help if you made sure you remembered to use your targets for improving your number work and writing in lessons other than literacy and numeracy. Perhaps you could all try to remind each other to look at them before you start, or when you read through your work before showing it to your teacher.

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Inspection of Dallimore Primary School, Kirk Hallam, DE7 4GZ

With good wishes for you future at Dallimore primary

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Inspection of Dallimore Primary School, Kirk Hallam, DE7 4GZ

Sheelagh Barnes Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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