Derbyshire school maintains 'good' Ofsted rating despite being flooded out last winter

A Derbyshire school has maintained its overall rating of "good" despite upheaval from "a significant flood" in October 2023 that caused the school building to close to its 288 pupils for a period of time. As a result, pupils from Duffield the Meadows Primary School were educated off site in temporary premises until school reopened in April 2024.

Ofsted inspectors visited on October 1 and 2, and their newly-published report mentions the seven months out of their normal building and added: "Parents and carers overwhelmingly support this caring school. They value the warm welcome the school extends to pupils and families".

One parent, reflecting the views of many, said: "The staff are dedicated, focused and kind…they expect the best from all children and this shows in the high standards of behaviour, manners and care they show each other." The inspectors said that "pupils demonstrate this positive behaviour during social times. They are good friends to each other. They are safe and happy".

Ofsted no longer - since September 1 this year - gives a single grade judgement. Instead it judges each area individually - quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; leadership and management and early years provision.

The new report also says that "the school nurtures the personal development and well-being of pupils. Pupils thrive from the quality of wider opportunities that the school offers. They enjoy the choice of clubs such as sports, gardening, choir and sewing, which broaden their interests.

"Pupils are confident and flourish through the activities and events provided by the school. The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well, and many pupils do. They take pride in their work and enjoy demonstrating what they have remembered. Pupils achieve well in the core subjects of English and mathematics but their depth of understanding in other subjects is sometimes less secure. Pupils are motivated to work hard and do well."

What the school does well:

• The curriculum sets out essential knowledge that all pupils must learn. It aims to help pupils understand how knowledge is connected across subjects. The school inspires pupils’ curiosity and joy of learning through guest speakers and museum trips.
• Teachers have a strong knowledge of the curriculum subjects. They select resources effectively to make concepts explicit to pupils.
• Pupils enjoy learning phonics. They are taught well using clear steps to learn new sounds effectively. Appropriate objects are selected to illustrate new words and to secure pupils’ understanding of initial letter sounds.
• Pupils develop their character through leadership roles. House captains help the dinner hall to run smoothly. They enjoy this responsibility. Similarly, pupils elect each other to the school parliament, where they share ideas to improve school life. Environmental representatives take pride in their role, especially in reducing plastic use.

In order to improve further, the school was told by inspectors to refine the curriculum implementation to ensure that all pupils are building their knowledge in a coherent way both within and across subjects. This will help them to deepen their understanding and achieve higher standards. The school should ensure that teachers’ skills to evaluate their checks on pupils ’learning are precise to maximise learning time, while ensuring that pupils’ needs are met where they lack understanding.

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020.