Damers First School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher leads an effective team with a relentless drive so that pupils are successful academically, emotionally and socially. Leaders and teachers know the pupils exceptionally well.

This enables them to cater well for pupils' individual needs, including those in the resource base. Leaders, including governors, strongly promote the school's inclusive values and principles. As a result, pupils show genuine care, tolerance and respect towards one another.

Senior leaders effectively check the impact of their own work. Consequently, their evaluations are accurate and they take the right actions to improve the school. Leaders are scrup...ulous in holding others to account.

As a result, they are effective in improving the quality of teaching across the school. The school's curriculum is good. It provides a range of high-quality activities to enable pupils to apply their skills and knowledge in a variety of contexts and for a range of reasons.

Governors are increasingly confident in their own skills to challenge leaders. However, their ways of working are not linked to priorities in the school's learning development plan (LDP).This slows improvement in some areas.

Teachers know pupils well. They use accurate assessment information effectively to build on pupils' prior skills, knowledge and understanding. Pupils typically make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics as they move through the school.

This includes those with low starting points or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including in the resource base. Parents have much confidence in the school's leadership team. They particularly appreciate the approachability of staff and the support their children receive in reading.

The early years is effectively led and managed. As a result, teaching and learning are strong and children make good progress. Children are well taught so that they are ready for Year 1, especially in their personal, social and emotional development.

The teaching of phonics and spelling is not consistently strong. As a result, some pupils are not gaining the skills, competence and confidence to spell. This holds some pupils back in their writing.

Mathematics teaching does not consistently challenge the most able pupils sufficiently to deepen their thinking and reasoning. This slows their progress and impedes their ability to use and apply their knowledge to reach the standards and levels of understanding they are capable of.

Information about this school

The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

As a First school, it is not compared to the government's floor standards. The school is part of the Dorchester Area Schools Partnership (DASP) trust which consists of 18 schools who provide mutual support. Damers First School is much larger than the average primary school.

In each year group there are three classes. Damers First School has a specialist resource base for pupils who have complex communication needs. This can cater for up to 10 pupils.

The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs is significantly above the national average, particularly in some year groups. The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium grant is below the national average. The school moved into its new location in April 2017.

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