Davies Lane Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Davies Lane is a welcoming and inclusive community where pupils feel secure and are kept safe. Pupils feel valued and enjoy coming to school.

Staff know pupils well and have very high expectations for them. The school and trust provide an ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They learn a broad range of subjects in line with what is expected nationally.

Pupils work hard and achieve highly, including in national assessments.

Pupils' behaviour is excellent. This begins in early years where children learn to cooperate and take turns, enjoying the range of activities available to them.
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There is a strong focus on encouraging pupils' kindness, independence and responsibility. Across the school, pupils consistently demonstrate these qualities.

Teachers build strong relationships with pupils, which allows them to thrive.

Bullying is rare and pupils know who to speak with if they have any concerns. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the support their children receive at the school.

Pupils benefit from an extensive range of extra-curricular opportunities.

These include eco-warriors, contemporary dance and a wide range of sporting clubs. Pupils enjoy taking up responsibilities, such as playground advocates and learning ambassadors.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Trust and school leaders are determined to provide the best possible experiences for pupils.

Throughout the school, staff are experts in the delivery of the curriculum. The school provides many opportunities for staff to develop professionally. Leaders have carefully considered staff workload and well-being.

Consequently, morale is high and there is a strong team spirit.

Leaders have designed a curriculum that clearly sets out the knowledge pupils will learn. This has been carefully broken down into small steps and sequenced in a logical order.

As a result, pupils are well supported to make deep links with previously learned content. Teachers use assessment with rigour to identify and correct any misunderstandings and gaps in learning. Consequently, pupils learn well and build extensive knowledge as they progress through the curriculum.

Pupils work hard and produce work of exceptional quality from early years onwards. For example, in mathematics, the youngest children swiftly learn to count and use rulers to measure with accuracy. Older pupils build on this knowledge when measuring angles using a protractor and solve increasingly complex problems using concepts they have already learned.

From the beginning of Nursery onwards, there is a sharp focus on developing children's communication and language. From the start of the Reception Year, staff deliver the school's chosen phonics programme with expertise. Pupils gain confidence as they read books that contain the sounds they know.

Staff make regular checks on pupils' reading. Any pupils who fall behind benefit from effective support to catch up quickly. Older pupils are avid readers and have access to a wide range of books from the school's well-stocked library.

The school identifies pupils' with SEND with precision and shares this information with staff. This helps teachers to ensure that activities are adapted, where necessary, to help pupils access the same ambitious curriculum. Pupils who attend the specially resourced provision are very well supported by specialist staff to access a more bespoke curriculum that builds on their individual starting points towards clearly defined goals.

Leaders check carefully that the additional support pupils receive is having a positive impact. Consequently, pupils with SEND achieve well.

Pupils behave exceptionally well in and out of lessons.

This starts in early years where children learn how to play safely, take turns and share. This helps to ensure a calm and orderly environment with clear routines and expectations across the school. Pupils are friendly and tolerant.

They accept that everyone is different and deserving of respect. Pupils appreciate the rewards they can earn in the 'going for gold' system and when they are 'caught being kind'.

The comprehensive personal, social and health education curriculum gives pupils a thorough understanding of healthy relationships and what it means to stay safe online.

Pupils are also taught through assemblies and visiting speakers about road safety and first aid, as well as how to stay physically and mentally healthy.

The school provides many opportunities to develop pupils' character. These include charity fundraising activities, contributing to the zero-carbon club and helping each other as a member of the 'lunch bunch'.

There is a high take-up of the many clubs that are on offer. Pupils benefit from a wide range of educational visits, which underpin the ambitious curriculum.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.