Dovecot Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy belonging to the 'Dovecot family'. They said that this makes them feel happy and cared for.

Pupils told inspectors that staff help them to become independent learners.

Pupils understand and follow the school's vision and behave well. They champion each other to make sure that they can 'learn and grow together'.

This makes the school a safe haven for many pupils. It is a place where pupils know that their peers and the staff will be there for them when they most need it.

Pupils have not experienced a good quality of education over time.

The achievement of some pupils has been negatively affected by historically low expectations a...nd turbulence in previous leadership. Pupils now benefit from more settled leadership. They are following new subject curriculums which reflect higher expectations for their achievement.

However, these higher expectations are not embedded for all pupils in all subjects. Consequently, some pupils are still underachieving.

Pupils relish the variety of opportunities that the school offers them.

They are passionate about the charity work that they do. It teaches them to be responsible citizens. They are proud of their litter picking, which was featured on a national television programme.

Through roles such as school councillors and buddies, pupils contribute well to school life.

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

After a period of instability, leaders and governors have worked together to prioritise attendance, behaviour and pastoral support for families. Most pupils now attend school regularly.

The school works closely with parents and carers to improve pupils' attendance, which for this year has significantly improved.

The school has successfully prioritised the teaching of reading. Children in the early years, including those in the pre-school class, enjoy listening to a range of songs and rhymes.

From the Reception Year, children benefit from a carefully constructed phonics programme that is implemented by well-trained staff. Staff ably provide pupils with extra support with their learning in phonics if they need it. Most pupils read fluently by the end of key stage 1.

Older pupils are immersed in a range of interesting texts. This helps them to develop a love of reading. Pupils were particularly keen to point out that the new library books include diverse themes and cultures.

Virtual and in-person author visits have inspired them to become writers.

The school has carefully organised the curriculum so that it is aspirational. However, there are not consistently high enough expectations of how well pupils can achieve across the curriculum.

Some staff's own written communication does not reliably help pupils to develop their own language skills. There are pupils throughout the school who are not ready for the next stage in their learning.

In some subjects, it is clear what pupils should know and when they should learn it.

However, there are some subjects in which the school has not identified the most important knowledge that pupils should acquire. As a result, teachers are unclear which subject content to introduce and when they should introduce it. This has a negative impact on the depth of pupils' learning.

In some subjects, for example early reading, staff quickly address misunderstandings. However this is not the case in some subject areas. In some subjects, checks are not precise enough to identify gaps in learning.

This hinders the progress that some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), make through the curriculum.

The school identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND swiftly. Staff work with outside professionals as well as parents to build the right educational support for pupils at the school.

Relationships between adults and pupils are warm and respectful. Pupils work conscientiously. Pupils, and many families, feel well supported by the provision that the school puts in place to help them.

For example, regular coffee mornings help to form a productive bridge between home and school.

The programme to promote pupils' personal development is well thought out. Staff have carefully designed it to ensure that pupils have the knowledge and skills to become successful citizens of modern Britain.

Pupils told inspectors that staff help them to understand and celebrate cultural diversity. They said that having pupils from different backgrounds makes their school more interesting. Staff provide pupils with a wide range of enrichment activities that broaden their horizons.

Governors know the strengths and weaknesses of the school. However, they do not evaluate the school's curriculum well enough. This means that they do not challenge the school as effectively as they should.

Staff feel valued. They are proud to work at the school. They have welcomed the changes to the curriculum.

The school takes their well-being into account when making any changes.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the school is not sufficiently clear about essential subject content and the order in which pupils should learn it.

This prevents pupils from gaining the depth of knowledge that they should. The school should finalise its curriculum thinking from early years to Year 6 so that teachers have enough information and guidance to design learning effectively. ? The checks that the school makes on pupils' learning, including for pupils with SEND, do not identify gaps in knowledge sufficiently well.

This means that some pupils move through the curriculum with ongoing gaps in learning and misconceptions. The school should ensure that teachers are equipped to use assessment strategies well so that pupils' learning is secure before they introduce new concepts. ? The school does not ensure that teachers have consistently high expectations of what children can achieve.

Alongside this, some teachers do not set a good example of accurate written communication. These factors contribute to the underachievement of a significant number of pupils and their consequent lack of readiness for the next stage in their learning. The school should ensure that teachers' expectations of pupils' achievement match the ambition of the new curriculums so that all pupils reach their full academic potential.

• Governors do not evaluate the school's curriculum well enough, therefore they do not challenge the school as effectively as they should. Governors should use information that they gather about the curriculum to challenge the school appropriately. In this way they can fully support the school's actions to improve the quality of education for pupils.