Dogmersfield Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Dogmersfield Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning at Dogmersfield; they rise to the high expectations leaders set for them. They are keen to embody the school's values of love, courage and respect. Parents and carers agree, with one commenting that the school is 'a loving, nurturing school with fantastic teachers that try to instil confidence, tolerance and core values in the pupils regardless of their abilities'.

Pupils behave well and are polite and welcoming. They hold doors open for adults and wave 'hello' to visitors. We saw pupils talking, playing and working together happily.

The...y understand the school's inclusive nature and are tolerant and respectful of one another. Pupils know about different types of bullying. They say that bullying can happen but that it is dealt with quickly.

Pupils told us that they feel safe in school. They have an adult they would share their worries with. Pupils experience lots of exciting things during their time at the school; they enjoy a range of visits and residential trips.

They also enjoy the clubs on offer, such as football and dance. Pupils relish their work within the local community such as visits to the local care home and planting bulbs around the village.

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

Leaders show great integrity and want a great education for every pupil.

They have ensured that the school is inclusive for all. They act with courage and determination to secure this. After a period of change, staffing is now stable.

Staff feel motivated, supported and respected by senior leaders. Staff know that leaders do all they can to reduce workload. They are proud to be part of the team.

The school's work on the curriculum has had a positive impact on the quality of the pupils' learning. Leaders have sensibly phased this work over a number of years. In subjects that the school has focused on for longer, for example science and art, teachers are clear about what they want pupils to know after each series of lessons.

Teachers plan with great thought for their mixed-aged classes. From early years to the end of Year 6, teachers build pupils' knowledge and skills so that, over time, they know more and remember more. Teachers have high expectations of pupils' work and behaviour and this helps them achieve well; for example, pupils use a range of skills to create pictures of apples, landscapes and of the Iron Man, in art.

Leaders now need to make sure all subjects, such as history and PHSE, are well implemented so that knowledge and skills develop over the pupils' time at the school.

Phonics teaching is a strength of the school. Leaders make sure children in the early years learn to read from the very start of their time at school.

Teachers make phonics learning vivid and fun by setting much of the work in an imaginary world which the children interact with. Teachers quickly spot if a child is unsure about the link between any letters and their sounds. They give them immediate support to help children, and extra sessions if needed.

Children falling behind quickly catch up. This good start is built on across the school. With the library at its heart, reading is a clear priority for the school.

Leaders are passionate about ensuring that all pupils become confident, fluent readers.

Teachers work hard to meet the needs of all groups of pupils. They adapt the curriculum well so pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) can access lessons appropriately.

Additionally, the leader responsible for this group of pupils organises well-tailored individual support. For example, in mathematics pupils received 'pre teaching' on times tables before the class focused on multiplication. There is an individual approach for many pupils.

Sometimes, the teaching of the curriculum for the most able is not as precise. This leads to this group of learners not always achieving what they could.

Pupils' education goes beyond curriculum subjects.

Pupils are taught that anything is possible, they just haven't achieved everything yet. They develop thinking skills in a range of scenarios through specially planned sessions on problem solving and teamwork. Pupils also have many opportunities to undertake responsibilities in school, such as being a member of the school council and being a 'play leader' who helps others at breaktimes and lunchtimes.

Most pupils embrace the many clubs on offer to them.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff know it is their responsibility to keep pupils safe.

Regular training and updates keep safeguarding issues at the forefront of people's minds. As this is a small school, staff know the pupils very well and are alert to any welfare concerns. The safeguarding leader keeps thorough records, making sure that issues are followed up quickly.

Staff give pastoral support to pupils and families experiencing times of difficulty. Staff work well with external agencies. Governors take safeguarding seriously and carry out their own checks on school procedures.

Employment checks are complete and meet statutory requirements.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders need to complete the implementation of their curriculum. They should build on their well thought out long term plans, ensuring that all foundation subjects are as well taught as subjects such as art and science.

. Leaders should ensure that their ambitious plans for the curriculum are implemented as intended, enabling able learners to achieve their best across the whole curriculum.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged Dogmersfield Church of England Primary School to be good on 14–15 September 2011.