I don’t think it’s on the Dalmain or Ofsted site, but I know there will be parents starting their children in Dalmain this September.
The inspection is complete, and the school has done well. This was a short inspection, meaning the school could not be upgraded from it’s current ‘good’ status. It has maintained it’s status and been recommended for a fuller 5 day inspection due to improvement in many areas, which may lead to an outstanding rating.
Letter sent by Ofsted Inspector (Edison David) (apologies for the formatting)
13 June 2018
Mrs Elizabeth Booth
Headteacher
Dalmain Primary School
Grove Close
Brockley Rise
London
SE23 1AS
Dear Mrs Booth
Short inspection of Dalmain Primary School
Following my visit to the school on 22 May 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s
Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection
findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was
judged to be good in January 2014.
This school continues to be good.
The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school
since the last inspection. Based on the evidence gathered during this short
inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice
and marked improvement in specific areas. This may indicate that the school has
improved significantly overall. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next
inspection will be a section 5 inspection.
You have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and the priorities for
further improvement. You lead by example and are determined to improve the
school further, having high expectations of what you and your staff can achieve.
Your leadership has been highly effective and you are ably supported by a very
capable team of senior leaders and expert teaching and support staff. You have
created a culture of success by providing clear direction, and cultivating a collective
responsibility and shared ambition among staff and pupils. Middle leaders are
passionate about the subjects they lead. They are strategic in driving improvements
within their areas of responsibilities. As a result, pupils’ outcomes across the
curriculum are consistently strong. In 2017, the proportion of Year 6 pupils
attaining the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was above the
national average.
Following the previous inspection, leaders were asked to further improve teaching
and thus the achievement of all pupils. You tackled this strategically by involving
staff and pupils in determining the most effective ways of strengthening teaching
and learning. This has played a key role in ensuring that pupils make strong
progress over time. Staff also appreciate how you considered their work–life
balance in the changes you have made.
At the previous inspection, inspectors also asked you to look at opportunities for
pupils in key stage 2 to apply their numeracy skills to solve real-life problems.
Across the school, pupils enjoy and excel in solving mathematical problems in reallife
contexts. They also have highly developed mathematical reasoning skills. As a
result, standards in mathematics are high. In 2017, the proportion of Year 6 pupils
meeting or exceeding the age-expected standard was higher than in other schools
nationally.
Despite the impressive progress made since the previous inspection, you are
constantly seeking to strengthen the school and capitalise on its successes. You
have very effective plans in place to build on the strong improvements that have
already been made. You identify that, despite improvements, more needs to be
done to ensure that the most able disadvantaged pupils are challenged to attain the
high standard in writing.
You and your team have fostered a caring, inclusive and welcoming atmosphere in
the school. Pupils’ behaviour is impeccable and they are a credit to the school and
their families. Pupils and staff get along very well. Parents and carers value the
quality of education the school offers to its pupils. As one parent commented: ‘The
broad and balanced curriculum, combined with high expectations and academic
rigour, has ensured my children receive appropriate challenge and excellent
outcomes.’
Governors know the school well. They use their collective skills to offer effective
challenge to school leaders. They are deeply committed to ensuring that pupils
receive a high-quality education. They deploy resources strategically to support the
areas for improvement. They fulfil their responsibility to ensure that all pupils,
including disadvantaged pupils, have full access to an enriched curriculum.
Safeguarding is effective.
Leaders, staff and governors share a common purpose to ensure pupils’ safety.
Pupils told me that they always feel safe in school. They say that they are confident
to speak with any adult in school whenever they have any troubles or worries. They
feel that the school site is safe and secure and that staff look out for them all the
time.
Pupils are clear about what constitutes bullying. They told me that bullying rarely
takes place but that if it happens, it is sorted out quickly and fairly. Pupils move in
and out of the school building sensibly. They know how to keep themselves safe at
school, at home and when online.
You have made sure that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. All the
school’s checks and procedures meet statutory requirements. Child protection
training for staff and governors is comprehensive and up to date. Through this
regular training, you ensure that staff fully understand their duties to safeguard
pupils and are vigilant to signs that a pupil is at risk of harm. Any concerns are
dealt with quickly and external agencies are involved as necessary.
Governors take their statutory duties related to safeguarding seriously. They have
put in place rigorous processes to monitor the effectiveness of the school’s
procedures to keep pupils safe.
Inspection findings
In our initial discussion, we agreed to look at writing as one of our key lines of
enquiry. This was because the teacher assessment results reported in 2017
showed that Year 6 pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, made below-average
progress during key stage 2. School leaders have acted quickly to improve
writing across the school. You have put in place plenty of well-planned
opportunities for pupils to develop their skills by writing in different subjects and
for a range of purposes. As a result of your focus in this area, progress and
attainment in writing have risen considerably and are strong across the school.
Work in books shows that pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are attaining
the standard expected for their age in writing. Most pupils are challenged
sufficiently to produce writing at the high standard. However, disadvantaged
pupils do not routinely apply their spelling, grammar, and punctuation skills
accurately when they are writing. Sometimes, teaching does not challenge them
enough. As a result, only a small proportion of disadvantaged pupils exceed the
standard expected for their age in writing.
For the second key line of enquiry, we agreed to look at pupils’ outcomes in
mathematics. Overall, progress in this subject has been strong over the last two
years. However, in 2017 the outcomes of disadvantaged pupils in the Year 6
assessments were not as strong as those of their peers in other schools. You
have wasted no time in tackling this effectively. This has included reviewing the
whole-school approach to the teaching of mathematics to ensure it is tailored to
the needs of all groups of pupils.
Across the school, pupils make strong progress in mathematics. This is because
expert teaching allows them to practise and consolidate skills in order to achieve
mastery. In key stage 1, for example, pupils did not settle for addition and
subtraction when asked to use calculation sentences to create numbers. Some
pupils decided to use their knowledge of fractions and division to make numbers.
This strong understanding of number and calculation extends to key stage 2.
When talking to pupils in Year 6, they expressed their fascination for algebra,
and they offered explanations on how knowing how to work out proportions
helps them in real life. Current assessment information shows that a high
proportion of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are meeting or exceeding
the standard expected for their age in mathematics.
Finally, we looked at the wider curriculum. Leaders have dedicated time and
expertise to design a rich, well-thought-out curriculum. Teaching in all subjects is
underpinned by academic rigour. This ensures that pupils make very strong gains
in their subject-specific skills and knowledge over time.
In art, pupils explore a wide range of art forms and techniques, covering both
contemporary and classical periods. For example, while studying the work of
Picasso in Year 1, pupils created portraits using a combination of the artist’s
techniques and their basic understanding of colour. This is complemented by
portraits in Year 4 where pupils use complex lines and hues to produce art work
of excellent quality.
Music education is at the heart of this school. From studying Mozart in Year 2 to
Verdi in Year 6, pupils make strong progress in this area. In key stage 1, pupils
develop their confidence in singing through a range of songs, chants and
rhymes. A clear music curriculum enables them to sustain achievement in this
area so that by Year 6 they are able to create their own composition, aided by
technology. Older pupils are also able to read music notation to a high standard.
Leaders, including governors, ensure that disadvantaged pupils benefit from free,
high-quality music tuition.
Achievement in the humanities is equally strong. The school’s history curriculum
allows for pupils to have a deep understanding of significant periods in the past.
Pupils’ writing in their topic books reflects a solid understanding of chronology,
knowing where people and events fit in history. Leaders also take pride in the
school’s first-rate provision for physical education, which is enhanced by a wide
range of extra-curricular sports clubs. Parents and pupils appreciate the school’s
sporting excellence.
Next steps for the school
Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:
teaching challenges the most able disadvantaged pupils sufficiently so that a
higher proportion of them achieve the high standard in writing.
I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools
commissioner and the director of children’s services for Lewisham. This letter will be
published on the Ofsted website.
Yours sincerely
Edison David
Ofsted Inspector
Information about the inspection
During this inspection I discussed the work of the school with you and with
members of the senior leadership team. I also considered 148 responses to Parent
View, Ofsted’s online survey. I analysed 101 responses to the pupil survey and 25
responses to the staff survey. I spoke to a number of pupils to discuss their
experiences in lessons, the extent to which they feel safe, and their views on
learning and behaviour. I held discussions with a representative of the local
authority. I met with members of the governing body, including the chair of the
governing body. I also considered documentation provided by the school and
information posted on the school’s website. I looked at the single central record of
staff suitability checks, and the school’s analysis of pupils’ attendance. Together
with school leaders, I visited classes to observe learning and I looked at samples of
pupils’ work across all subjects. I listened to pupils read from across the ability
range.