Enderby Danemill Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Enderby Danemill Primary School is a happy place to be. Pupils enjoy coming to this caring and friendly school. They appreciate their helpful teachers.

Pupils relish taking on responsibilities as school councillors and well-being ambassadors. They typically say they feel proud to 'make their school an even better place'.

Pupils behave well and follow the 'Danemill Way'.

Pupils are proud to receive praise for being ready, respectful and resilient. If they find this difficult, they get extra help. Pupils say that bullying is rare.

They appreciate that staff are quick to help them to resolve problems. Pupils say they feel safe and listened to.

...The school aims to put its motto of 'only the best is good enough' into practice.

Pupils study a wide range of interesting topics and books that enthuse them to learn new and ambitious vocabulary. They practise their arithmetic so they can solve problems accurately in mathematics. They learn from their mistakes.

The school makes sure pupils have many valuable experiences, including in sports and music, to help pupils discover and nurture their talents.

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

The school has an ambitious vision for every child to receive the best possible education. There have been several staff changes during the past year.

Everything possible has been done to bring this new enthusiastic team together quickly and move forward from this time of transition.

The school has made many recent changes. This has included refining some wider curriculum plans.

Some of this work is still to be completed. The school is providing training and support to new curriculum and phase leaders. This work is having a positive impact on pupils' learning and remembering more over time.

However, it is not consistently embedded across all subjects.

Reading is always a priority at Danemill. There is a rigorous and consistent approach to teaching pupils to read.

Pupils begin to learn to read as soon as they join in the Reception Year. Children in the pre-school class develop important listening and sound discrimination skills to be ready for Reception. The school ensures that carefully selected books are used as part of the curriculum.

The school has focused on ensuring that pupils become confident readers who can study texts in detail. They are shown how to use evidence from what they read carefully to support and deepen their understanding. Adults read frequently to and with pupils.

Pupils enjoy using the well-stocked library and are developing a love of reading.

The school has further refined the mathematics curriculum to give clear guidance for teachers to teach pupils systematically how to investigate and deepen their learning. Pupils say they are feeling more confident to take on harder challenges this year.

The school ensures that pupils learn increasingly sophisticated vocabulary across all subjects. As a result, pupils' confidence to explain their understanding increases as they move through the school.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in the life of the school.

The school has improved its checks on the gaps in knowledge that pupils with SEND may have. The school puts in place strong pastoral support to help pupils be ready to learn and is quick to put in place additional support for learning when needed. Sometimes the support is not precise enough to ensure that pupils improve their independence and fluency as quickly as they could.

Children settle well in the pre-school and Reception classes. This is because the school makes strong links with children and their families. Children enjoy the engaging activities and clear routines that are getting them ready for Year 1 and beyond.

Adults work as a team to provide a calm and purposeful environment. Pupils' attitudes to their learning are positive. Their learning is rarely disrupted.

Pupils enjoy their time in school and most attend regularly. When this is not the case, the school takes robust steps to improve attendance.

The school prioritises pupils' mental health and physical well-being.

Pupils learn about different beliefs and family structures. Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of relationships. Pupils care about the world around them, both locally and beyond.

They are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Parents appreciate the approachability of school staff. The vast majority feel confident their children are safe and happy.

Staff are proud to work at Enderby Danemill Primary. They say that they feel fairly treated as part of this supportive team. Staff appreciate that leaders have been mindful of their well-being, particularly during many recent changes.

Staff value the range of training provided and the opportunity to grow and develop their roles in the school and within the trust.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Many subject leaders are new to their role.

The school has a clear and ambitious vision for providing high-quality education. In some subjects, this is not yet embedded. The school should ensure that teachers receive the support they need to embed this fully across all subjects so that pupils from across the school, including in the early years, achieve as well as they can.

• Some pupils with SEND do not always receive the precise adaptations and support they need to access learning consistently well in all subjects. This does not help them to make as much progress as they could. The school should ensure that pupils who need additional support receive the precise support they need to become increasingly fluent and independent learners.