Duloe CofE VA Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. The headteacher provides strong and effective leadership. Her vision to provide the very best education for her pupils is shared by all staff and governors.

As a result, the school is continuing to improve. Pupils make good progress because teaching is typically good. Teachers plan lessons which interest and engage pupils so they achieve well.

Pupils achieve results in national tests, at the end of Year 2 and Year 6, which, over time, are in line with national averages and improving fast. Leaders have created a caring and supportive atmosphere where pupils thrive. Behaviour is outstanding.

The early years is outstanding. Childre...n get off to an excellent start and make very good progress. They are extremely well prepared for Year 1.

The school's Christian distinctiveness is at the heart of its caring ethos. Relationships between pupils and staff are very strong. Pupils eligible for free school meals achieve as well as their peers in reading, writing and mathematics.

Staff know every pupil very well. They prioritise pupils' safety and provide exceptional care, guidance and support. Pupils feel very safe at this school.

Teaching assistants are well trained and support learning effectively. They successfully support disabled pupils and those with special educational needs to help them make good progress in their personal and academic development. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school's work.

There is a very strong sense of community. Parents value the frequent opportunities to come into school and be fully involved in their children's education. Governors have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and areas for improvement.

They challenge and support leaders to ensure continued improvement. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Not enough pupils reached the higher levels of attainment in mathematics tests taken at the end of Year 6. Leaders do not always check that teachers challenge pupils sufficiently well in every lesson to ensure they are able to reach the higher levels.

Leaders, on occasions, accept work which is not of the highest quality when checking pupils' learning and progress in their subjects.

Information about this school

This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school with three mixed-age classes. The school provides education for pupils from Reception to Year 6.

Children in the Reception class attend full time. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is just above average. The pupil premium is additional funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those in local authority care.

No pupils who took the national tests at the end of Year 6 in 2014 were eligible for the additional funding. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above the national average. Almost all pupils are White British.

The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress by the end of Year 6. The school is led by a headteacher who also has the headship responsibility of another local school. This arrangement has been in place since September 2013 and is set to finish at the end of this term.