Denbury Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at Denbury Primary School. They are proud of their school values: 'sensitive, motivated, attentive, responsible, truthful'. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are included in all aspects of school life.

Adults create a safe and nurturing environment that builds pupils' confidence. Older pupils enjoy helping younger pupils, for example by reading to each other in the new library.

Leaders and staff are ambitious for pupils.

Most pupils learn well across the curriculum. Children in early years flourish with an impressive start to their education journey. They respond well to the high e...xpectations leaders have of them.

Pupils behave well and respect others. They show positive attitudes to learning in lessons and conduct themselves well around the school. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong.

Bullying sometimes happens, but staff act quickly to sort it out. Pupils say that staff prioritise their well-being. They enjoy the support of the 'chill and chat' room.

It is a safe place for pupils to share their concerns or worries.

Parents appreciate the support staff provide for pupils. They value staff knowing pupils well as individuals.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum. They have considered what they want pupils to learn. For example, the development of vocabulary is well considered across subjects.

Knowledgeable subject leaders support teachers to improve their subject knowledge. This helps teachers to consider how to break learning down into smaller steps so that pupils can build their knowledge well.

Teachers use a variety of strategies to help pupils learn.

These include opportunities for pupils to revisit prior learning and practise new learning. This helps pupils to deepen their understanding. However, teachers do not always use assessment precisely enough to determine what pupils know and remember.

Consequently, some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge. This makes it difficult for them to build their knowledge and learn as well as they could.

Leaders prioritise reading.

Children develop a love of reading as soon as they start in Reception. Leaders give careful consideration to the books teachers share with pupils. They identify the stories they want pupils to know well.

Pupils learn to read well because staff have a secure understanding of the phonics programme. Staff match pupils' reading books to the sounds they know. Older pupils talk with confidence about the books they have read and enjoyed.

Teachers identify the needs of pupils with SEND with accuracy. Pupils' needs are well known and understood. Teachers make suitable adaptations to learning to help pupils to access the same curriculum as their peers.

Leaders set routines for pupils to follow that make the school calm and orderly. Leaders and staff know pupils' individual needs and respond to them well. However, some behaviour records lack accuracy.

Leaders do not monitor patterns of behaviour with enough rigour to identify any adaptations needed in the curriculum for pupils.

Leaders have a well-thought-out offer for pupils' personal development. This extends beyond the academic curriculum.

For example, pupils in Year 6 take part in a 'backpack day' and other activities in preparation for their next stage. Pupils understand how to be responsible, respectful and active citizens in modern Britain. Leaders provide individual support to pupils when needed.

This ensures that pupils have the strategies they need to support their mental health.

Children get off to a flying start in the early years. They learn through an exceptional curriculum.

Staff maintain a sharp focus on a language-rich environment. This supports all children to excel. Staff design learning activities that capture children's enthusiasm and interest.

Children learn with confidence and show curiosity about the world around them. They connect their ideas, showing a love of learning. For example, children enjoyed being bug detectives outside with their wellies on.

This helped them to make bug books labelling pictures of what they had found.

All staff are proud to work at the school. They have no concerns around workload and well-being.

Staff feel well supported by leaders. Governors are passionate about making a difference to the school. However, leaders do not share some key information with governors.

This makes it hard for governors to hold leaders to account effectively.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff know pupils and their families well.

They know the procedures to use to follow up a concern about a pupil. Leaders record the safeguarding checks made during recruitment with diligence.

Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of risk.

This includes knowing what healthy relationships and consent are. Pupils know that adults will listen to them if they have any worries or concerns

Records are not routinely monitored with rigour. As a result, leaders, including governors, are not clear on patterns or trends.

This makes it hard for them to further strengthen systems and procedures.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers do not always use assessment precisely enough to understand what pupils know and remember. Some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge.

This makes it difficult for them to build their knowledge over time. Leaders need to ensure that there is a consistent and effective approach to assessment. This will help teachers to adapt learning based on what pupils know.

• Leaders, including governors, do not monitor some important aspects of the school's work in sufficient detail, such as behaviour and safeguarding records. Therefore, they are unable to identify trends and patterns to inform adaptations to the curriculum and some aspects of the school that need to further improve. Leaders and governors need to ensure that monitoring and evaluation are effective to make informed decisions about priorities for improvement.