Dimple Well Infant School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Dimple Well Infant School and Nursery.

This is a nurturing and friendly school. Kindness is demonstrated through the school vision: Dimple Well 'CARES'. This permeates throughout all aspects of the school.

There is a tangible ethos of high aspiration, respect and success. Most parents and carers are highly positive about the school. Many praise the sense of community.

Parents were eager to tell inspectors of their positive experiences.

Leaders are determined that all pupils will reach their full potential. They have high expectations of what pupils will achieve and have designed a curriculum that interests pupils.

As a re...sult, pupils have positive attitudes to their learning.

Staff foster a culture of thoughtfulness. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and respectful.

Pupils strive to meet adults' high expectations of behaviour. They behave well in lessons and around school. Low-level disruption is rare.

Pupils understand what bullying is. They say it has happened in the past, but detailed records show that adults dealt with it effectively and sensitively.

Pupils have an opportunity to enjoy a range of extra-curricular activities.

These activities include Tai Kwando, football and choir.

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

The school is led and managed well. Senior leaders and governors are clear in their high ambition for pupils.

Every staff member plays their part in helping pupils to achieve their best.

Children in the early years get off to an impressive start. Leaders have developed the provision for children in the Nursery and Reception classes effectively.

They have ensured that the early years curriculum precisely identifies the important knowledge that children will learn. Pupils throughout the school benefit from an interesting, ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum. This helps them to build detailed knowledge in a wide range of subjects.

Pupils have regular opportunities to practise and develop their subject-specific skills. For instance, in art and design, pupils develop their drawing skills through using a range of tools and skills such as colour mixing. They are then able to apply these to good effect in completing self-portraits.

Teachers' use of assessment is variable. Where this is good, it gives teachers a strong understanding of what children can do and what they need to do next. Where this is less effective, it is due to missed purposeful assessment opportunities.

This can hinder pupils' progress.

Leaders prioritise reading. Staff benefit from high-quality training and deliver a relatively new phonics programme with confidence.

Children in the early years, and pupils in key stage 1, learn new sounds in a logical order. Pupils use the sounds they know to read books with confidence and increasing fluency. Pupils practise their reading using books that are matched well to their phonics knowledge.

Where leaders and teachers have identified that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge, staff ensure appropriate support is put in place to enable these pupils to catch up quickly. All staff are passionate about reading and the importance of being able to read well. Leaders foster a love of reading.

For instance, pupils use the school's outdoor reading area enthusiastically in their own free time.

Leaders have recently introduced a new approach to the teaching of mathematics. This approach has aspirational goals for pupils.

It is coherently built and makes clear the important knowledge that pupils need to learn. Leaders continue to develop staff confidence in this new approach. Leaders' monitoring of this subject supports staff to develop their skills further.

Where this practice has been embedded for longer, for example in the early years, the teaching of mathematics is particularly strong.

Leaders are passionate about ensuring that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities learn the full curriculum. Staff know these pupils well and meet their needs effectively.

Leaders give careful consideration to pupils' personal development. This is woven throughout the curriculum. While this is integral to the life at the school, leaders recognise that there are aspects of this offer which would benefit from discrete teaching in defined personal, social, health and economic education sessions.

Pupils are active members of the local community. The school council was instrumental in organising donations of Christmas baubles to a local care home.

Staff are proud of their work and proud of their school.

Leaders consider the well-being of all staff members. Staff are positive about the actions taken to reduce their workload. Governors share the ambition of the school's leaders and are knowledgeable about all aspects of their work in the school and the impact of this.

Local authority representatives work closely with the school. As a result, they know the school's strengths and development points. Leaders from the school are actively involved in the local authority's work to support schools locally.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders, including governors, take safeguarding seriously. They ensure that staff have relevant and up-to-date training, so they know how to identify any signs of concern.

Staff are confident that leaders take all concerns seriously. Systems for reporting are effective. Leaders work well with external agencies to offer support to vulnerable pupils and their families.

Leaders carry out appropriate checks on the suitability of staff to work with pupils.

Pupils know how to stay safe. Leaders have ensured that the curriculum supports pupils' understanding of risk.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• At times, teachers do not use ongoing assessment effectively to ensure that pupils build on what they already know. This means that pupils do not always achieve as well as they should. Leaders need to ensure that staff use assessment to identify precisely what pupils know and remember, and then adapt the curriculum accordingly.