Dovecote Primary and Nursery School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 October 2024

The school wants the best for all its pupils. It has implemented many improvements recently. However, the quality of education that pupils receive is not yet good enough. Many pupils do not achieve what they should in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they reach the end of key stage 2. Pupils are safe. There are strong relationships between pupils and staff. Pupils say that the teachers make them feel good about themselves. Pupils know that staff will listen to them if a problem arises. There is high-quality pastoral support available if pupils need it, such as 'The Treehouse'. Pupils like earning rewards for working hard and behaving well. They are proud when they receive the 'star of the week' award. Pupils and staff recognise that behaviour is improving. However, some pupils lose concentration quickly and distract those around them. Pupils are not always kind and respectful. Poor behaviour hinders pupils' learning and affects their enjoyment of school. Pupils enjoy tending to the 'secret garden'. They describe it as a unique, calming and special place where they get to grow their own produce and enjoy the benefits of the natural world.

What the school should improve

• Too many pupils do not achieve the standard expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics in key stage 2. This leaves them unprepared for secondary school. The school must embed the recent improvements it has made to the core subjects, ensuring that pupils attain well in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.
• Learning is not always well matched to the aims of the school's curriculum. Sometimes, the work given to pupils is too easy and sometimes it is too hard. Learning does not always build on pupils' prior knowledge. Consequently, pupils do not always gain the knowledge and skills that they need. The school must ensure that all staff implement the school's curriculum effectively so that pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• The school does not check closely enough on how well pupils are learning the curriculum. In some subjects, there is little assessment of what pupils do and do not know. Teachers do not always pick up on pupils' misconceptions in lessons. As a result, pupils do not always have a secure understanding of the important curriculum content that they need to remember. The school must ensure that any gaps in pupils' learning are identified and resolved swiftly.
• Some staff have low expectations of pupils' behaviour. They do not always deal with disruptive and disrespectful behaviour well enough. Poor behaviour hinders pupils' learning and affects their enjoyment of school. The school must ensure that staff's behaviour expectations are consistently high, so that they deal with low-level disruption effectively and encourage all pupils to develop positive, focused and respectful attitudes to learning.
• The proportion of pupils absent from school is falling, but remains too high. By missing out on important learning, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The school should embed its new attendance systems so that pupils attend school more often.
• The intended learning outcomes for some of the activities in the early years are not always clear. As a result, children gain little knowledge from some of these activities. The school must ensure that children are engaged in meaningful learning throughout the early years setting.
• Pupils have limited understanding of the fundamental British values and the differences between people. Consequently, they are not prepared well enough for life in modern Britain. The school should review its personal development provision to ensure that pupils develop their understanding of equality and diversity appropriate to their age.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)