Dodford First School

Overview

Dodford First School is rated ‘Good’ across all inspection categories. The report describes a school where pupils “very much enjoy their learning” and benefit from staff who know them as individuals within a small community. Leaders maintain high expectations for behaviour, resulting in a calm environment where disruption is rare and pupils feel safe.

Strengths

• Pupils develop into “confident and enthusiastic readers” through a structured phonics programme and frequent reading to adults.
• Staff provide a “high quality of pastoral care” and take effective steps to promote pupils’ mental health, ensuring any bullying is resolved immediately.
• The curriculum is “broad and ambitious,” with subject leaders designing learning that builds logically on prior knowledge.
• Teaching assistants make a “highly effective contribution” to supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• The governing body has been strengthened and is now “holding leaders to account” effectively.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must provide clear guidance on how to implement the curriculum in mixed-age classes for foundation subjects to ensure learning builds over time.
• Subject leaders need to complete their evaluation of all subjects they lead to make necessary amendments that would further improve learning.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” with staff being well trained, vigilant, and capable of taking the right action to support vulnerable pupils.