Four Dwellings Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Four Dwellings Primary Academy. They know that staff want the best for them and feel confident to talk about any issues, as well as their hopes and wishes.

Pupils behave very well in lessons.

They remain focused and want to learn. The behaviour of pupils at breaktimes is orderly. Pupils make friends easily and feel safe in school.

Pupils' well-being and personal development are paramount. The school provides a wide range of enrichment activities for pupils. This allows pupils to enhance the skills and talents they already have or learn new ones.

Every opportunity that the school provides is open to all pupils, including those with... special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils can apply to become reading ambassadors, academy councillors, rights respecting champions and sports leaders. Pupils take these roles seriously, enjoying the responsibility this brings.

There is a wide range of clubs and after-school opportunities for pupils, both sporting and non-sporting.

Opportunities to explore a variety of careers start in Nursery and increase as pupils move through the school. This helps pupils to understand the wide range of career options available and be aspirational.

The school has high expectations of all pupils, who do well in school.

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

The leadership of the school has changed recently, resulting in rapid improvement. The school is ambitious for all its pupils and has carefully considered the curriculum it offers.

This has contributed to pupils doing much better than in the past.

The school places a high priority on developing pupils' vocabulary and language skills. Children settle quickly into a language-rich environment in early years classes.

Staff model and develop children's language through rhyme, stories, play and at social times. Pupils take part in discussions and debates in lessons to support their learning. Each week, they take part in 'Vote for Schools' activities, debating topical issues such as homelessness or voting for the story at the end of the day.

Reading is at the heart of the school. At the entrance is a well-equipped, attractive library that all pupils visit regularly. Appealing book corners feature in classrooms and corridors.

The teaching of early reading skills is a strength of the school. Pupils who need support receive it quickly. Pupils love reading and make good progress in their phonics learning.

The school plans the curriculum in a coherent, logical way. All subjects, including those at an earlier stage of development, follow a successful approach that includes checking pupils' understanding in lessons and at the end of each unit of work. Adults quickly remedy any gaps or misunderstandings pupils may have.

This ensures pupils make good progress. The school identifies adaptations they need to make to the environment or curriculum to ensure pupils with SEND receive the support they need. As a result, all pupils access the curriculum, thrive and become successful and confident.

Pupils take pride in their work. They present their work beautifully. Pupils do particularly well in subjects such as English and mathematics.

However, in a few subjects, the work given to pupils is not always well matched to pupils' ability and does not meet the ambitious end-points the school has set out.

The school has worked hard to improve attendance. Pupils are positive about the certificates and awards they receive for attending regularly.

The school provides support and workshops led by external agencies who explain the difference that attending daily can make to a child's outcome in life. The school invites parents to join their children in learning workshops and provides other events on areas such as phonics and starting school. As a result, parents feel confident in supporting their children and in how they can work with the school to help them achieve.

Pupils talk eagerly about their 'Remarkable Passports'. They earn awards for their work and for demonstrating the school values: 'Be Unusually Brave, Push the Limits, Be Big Hearted, Discover What is Possible'. The rewards build to badges and, finally, a gold 'Dylan the Dinosaur' badge.

Pupils proudly display these on their uniforms or in pride of place at home. Pupils have an impressive knowledge and understanding of fundamental British values and can relate them to their school values and the way they treat others.

Staff enjoy working in the school.

The trust offers effective support and challenge to leaders. This has all contributed to helping the school improve.

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 foundation subjects, the work given to pupils does not consistently enable them to achieve the aims of the curriculum. This means that pupils do not always secure a depth of knowledge and understanding across all topics. The school should ensure that the work given to all pupils is well matched to the ambitious end-points set out in each subject.