Durdans Park Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Durdan's Park Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Durdan's Park are happy and enjoy coming to school. Pupils work hard in lessons and understand the significance of the school's values of equality, excellence and enjoyment. Staff have high expectations for pupils.

This, combined with the well-thought-through curriculum, motivates pupils to achieve well.

The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve highly, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). There is an aspiration for pupils to meet their full potential and flourish.

Pupils work hard to achieve this aim.

...>Pupils feel safe here because adults in school care for them well. They know who to talk to if they have any worries.

Pupils said that bullying is not tolerated and any disagreements on the playground are quickly resolved by the staff looking after them. Pupils respect each other and work and play nicely together.

The school ensures that there is a range of wider opportunities for pupils that enhance the curriculum.

Learning is brought to life with workshops and subject days. Pupils talked enthusiastically about these opportunities and what they have learned. Many pupils attend clubs after school.

They particularly enjoy being able to take part in football, basketball and cricket clubs.

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

The school has established a well-designed and broad curriculum based around five themes linked to social, political, emotional, economic and environmental issues. These themes are explored with purpose alongside the learning of key concepts in each subject.

The curriculum is well structured, increasing knowledge logically from early years to Year 6. The school has specifically identified the skills, knowledge and vocabulary that they want pupils to learn. Teachers have good subject knowledge.

They deliver concepts and information to pupils confidently. The activities and resources chosen help pupils to grasp what they are studying. In science, for example, Year 6 pupils enjoyed learning about circuits by using models to understand how electricity flows.

They passed tennis balls to each other to represent the movement of electrons. However, in some subjects, there are instances where teaching does not routinely reinforce key knowledge or check how well pupils have retained what they have learned. As a result, at times, some pupils find it hard to readily remember what they have been taught.

Pupils with SEND access the full curriculum. The school identifies pupils' needs accurately and then provides suitable additional support and adaptations to teaching. Pupils with SEND progress successfully through the curriculum and their needs are met effectively.

The school has introduced a new phonics programme. All staff have received training in how to deliver phonics sessions. As a result, pupils benefit from consistent approaches to learning and practising phonics.

Children in Reception get off to a good start in acquiring a secure knowledge of the sounds that letters make. This continues into Year 1, with pupils building and applying knowledge well. Additional support is provided daily for pupils who struggle with reading.

Reading is given a high priority across the school. The curriculum includes a rich range of core texts that have been carefully selected. These core texts aim to ensure that pupils experience a broad range of authors and read books that foster their awareness of the diverse world that they live in.

Reading for pleasure is promoted. For example, pupils are encouraged to be avid readers through the 'every day and every night' reading reward initiative.

Children in the early years have a positive start to their education.

The newly improved outdoor area is used effectively in order to develop learning, including children's early writing skills and mathematical knowledge. For example, children enjoy painting numbers in the outside area and counting toy cars and then parking them in numbered spaces.

Leaders have high expectations of pupils' behaviour.

Pupils behave well in lessons and work well with each other. Pupils demonstrate respect for each other.

Leaders prioritise pupils' wider development.

Pupils have carefully planned experiences beyond the academic curriculum. They especially enjoy taking part in film making and having the opportunity to have their films screened at The British Film Institute. Pupils also enjoy music tuition and a range of sports clubs, including karate.

These extra-curricular opportunities are popular and well attended. A programme of assemblies aims to develop pupils' empathy and understanding of other faiths and cultures. Pupils are knowledgeable about fundamental British values.

They show an interest in and respect for how other people in modern Britain live. Pupils enjoy taking part in unique events such as a recent project celebrating the Windrush generation and a performance at The Royal Albert Hall.

Leaders value the well-being of staff.

Staff feel appreciated and well supported. They receive regular training and speak highly of the 'connecting classrooms' initiative, which enables them to observe colleagues to share and develop practice.

The school has undergone significant changes in leadership and teaching staff during the last year.

Leaders have a clear vision, and are well supported by the governing body, which has an accurate view of the school.

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, there are instances where teaching does not reinforce the key knowledge being taught as well as it could do.

As a result, there are gaps in what some pupils know and can remember with fluency. The school needs to ensure that the curriculum consistently provides pupils with regular opportunities to retrieve prior learning and demonstrate their understanding.

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 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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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 in December 2013.