Denton Community Primary School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Denton Community Primary School and Nursery has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love learning at this inclusive community school.

They show this through their positive attitudes to learning and purposeful work in lessons. Teachers have high expectations of pupils. Pupils work hard to meet them.

They share their learning excitedly with each other. Pupils generally achieve well and are prepared for their next steps.

Pupils behave well.

As a result, the school is calm and orderly. They know the school values of respect, resilience and kindness. Pupils say th...ese help them to try hard and to work well together.

They show high levels of respect for all. Pupils are happy and proud to attend the school. They have trusted adults they can share any concerns with.

The effective school council works well with leaders. School council members listen to the views of other pupils and take action to respond to these. Pupils are proud of these roles and take their responsibilities seriously.

As a result of this pupil voice, the school has significantly improved breaktimes. Pupils use a wide range of equipment to organise exciting activities. All pupils take part in these, but pupils encourage others to join in if they are on their own.

Older pupils act as positive role models, and all pupils play together happily.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum. It has thoughtfully identified the skills and knowledge pupils need and when they should learn them.

Teachers mostly check pupils' understanding carefully and respond to misconceptions quickly. However, this is not always done consistently across all subjects. As a result, some pupils do not always learn the curriculum content as well as they could.

Children begin to develop a love of reading in Nursery. They encounter stories, rhymes and letter sounds in planned activities. Staff model communication well when working with children in early years.

Teachers of phonics are well trained to teach sounds and letters precisely. As a result, pupils become fluent readers by the start of key stage 2. Teachers quickly identify if pupils fall behind.

They use high-quality interventions that help pupils catch up. The vast majority of pupils recall their prior learning and apply it effectively. Pupils write at length and accurately.

They recall key number facts and apply mathematical reasoning skills to solve problems.

Teachers have strong subject knowledge that helps them deliver the curriculum well. They explain learning clearly.

As a result, pupils learn the important skills and knowledge they need. Teachers generally select activities that help pupils to build their skills and knowledge. However, on a small number of occasions, some of the activities chosen do not always help pupils to build on their learning.

There are high expectations for all pupils to achieve well, including pupils with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff identify the needs of pupils accurately. They use this to adapt their teaching to reduce any barriers to learning.

Pupils in the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND learn a carefully amended curriculum. As a result, they achieve well. Staff enhance these pupils' learning further through well-considered access to mainstream lessons.

The school is a happy place. Staff build warm and supportive relationships with pupils. The school has clear routines that start in early years.

These help pupils to meet expectations of behaviour. The school quickly identifies pupils who may require additional guidance to behave well. They use a range of therapeutic support effectively.

For example, pupils enjoy their time with the school therapy dog. Pupils enjoy school and attend frequently. The school carefully tracks absence and identifies those pupils who may require additional help to attend well.

The school's work is effective, and attendance is improving over time.

The school prioritises pupils' personal development. As a result, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Pupils have positive attitudes to difference and diversity. As one pupil said, 'We respect everyone.' Pupils are taught to be hardworking and resilient learners.

They are given the opportunity to apply these skills, for example through forest school activities. They visit a local university to learn about a range of future careers. Pupils know how to stay safe online and the wider community.

They know how to stay fit and healthy and enjoy attending the wide range of sports clubs the school offers.

The school works well with others to improve the standards of education. For example, the school has recently refined the writing curriculum with support from external experts.

Governors have improved their impact since the last inspection. They now hold leaders to account and support them effectively.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, teachers do not support pupils well enough in recalling prior learning. This means some pupils do not build their knowledge as securely as they could. The school should ensure that strategies to ensure pupils remember their learning are applied consistently well across all subjects.

• Occasionally, some of the activities given to pupils do not always help them build on their learning. As a result, a small number of pupils do not learn curriculum content as well as they could. The school needs to ensure that teachers design activities that allow pupils to deepen the important skills and knowledge they need.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in April 2015.