Dewstow Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Dewstow Primary is an inclusive school that places a strong emphasis on supporting the well-being of its pupils and engaging well with their families. Leaders and staff at all levels provide a warm and welcoming learning environment for pupils that is set out over four plazas, each containing two year groups of pupils. In these vibrant learning spaces, staff collaborate well to promote a sense of community and belonging.

However, across these spaces and the wider school, there is too much variation in their approaches to teaching and learning. Often, teachers' expectations are too low and most lessons are not well-paced. Teachers do not inform pupils well enough about what they need to do next to improve their work.

Leader...s, staff and the governing body are starting to work closely with parents to improve the culture of reading across the school. As a result, many pupils are now starting to make strong progress from their starting points. Parents appreciate the opportunities to be involved in their children's learning.

However, there is too little focus on improving pupils' skills across the curriculum as leaders do not evaluate their progress well enough or the quality of the school's provision. The school is beginning to develop its approach to the Curriculum for Wales and is working well with other schools. However, the planning for and design of the school's curriculum, as well as the mapping of skills to ensure pupil progress, is at a very early stage.

Recommendations R1 Improve leadership at all levels R2 Improve evaluation and improvement processes R3 Improve the quality of teaching and learning experiences across the school R4 Plan for the progressive and systematic development of pupils' skills across the curriculum, including regular opportunities for them to develop their writing skills R5 Strengthen assessment processes and feedback to pupils R6 Provide regular opportunities for pupils to develop pupils as independent learners R7 Improve pupils' progress in Welsh and support them to apply their skills across the school What happens next In accordance with the Education Act 2005, HMCI is of the opinion that special measures are required in relation to this school. The school will draw up an action plan to show how it is going to address the recommendations. Estyn will monitor the school's progress on a termly basis.