North Duffield Community Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 18 January 2023

Pupils are at the heart of everything that takes place at North Duffield Community Primary School. Leaders work hard to ensure that decisions are made in the best interest of pupils and the community they serve. Their detailed knowledge of the school community and the local area informs their plans. This has resulted in a rich and diverse personal development curriculum that prepares pupils well for life beyond the school gates. Leaders are ambitious for their pupils. They strive to fulfil their vision of 'Growing Learners for Life'. Pupils access a wealth of opportunities across the curriculum, such as the annual Year 6 enterprise competition, where children are able to design, make and sell products. Through the school's 'Metacognition Mascots', pupils are encouraged to develop attributes such as confidence and resilience. Pupils are cheerful and polite. They are proud of their school and enjoy discussing it with visitors. Pupils are safe and happy at school. Pupils and staff have very positive relationships. Pupils report that there is no bullying and say they are confident that adults would deal with any issues should they arise.

What the school should improve

• The early years environment does not support children in developing their knowledge and skills across the early years foundation stage. Children have limited opportunities to consolidate their learning, develop their independence or to practise new vocabulary. Leaders need to ensure the environment is planned purposefully and that resources are selected to meet the needs of children.
• Curriculum thinking in the early years is not precise across the seven areas of learning. Some children are not well prepared for the next stage in their education. Leaders must review the early years curriculum so that it is coherently planned and sequenced to prepare children well for Year 1 and beyond.
• School leaders' record-keeping processes are not systematic. This prevents leaders from tracking trends and patterns easily. Leaders must ensure that record-keeping processes are formalised to support the gathering of detailed information that is easily accessible.
• In some foundation subjects, planning is not precise. Some teachers are unclear exactly which aspects of the curriculum planning they should teach and when. Pupils do not always have the prior knowledge necessary to access new learning. Leaders need to make sure that all curriculum plans clearly say what pupils need to learn and in what order.

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