Dorchester Primary School

Overview: Dorchester Primary School is a good school where pupils are happy, safe, and engaged in their learning. They are well-supported to develop their skills and knowledge, and leaders have created a caring and inclusive environment.

Strengths:

• Pupils are happy, safe, and speak excitedly about the wide range of activities they can participate in.
• Staff expect all pupils to achieve well, and pupils rise to these expectations.
• Leaders have put in place a broad curriculum in line with national expectations, and the curriculum is sequenced so that pupils revisit and embed their understanding of key ideas.
• Pupils are well-supported to develop their vocabulary in different subjects, and they are encouraged to discuss sensitive topics with maturity.
• Leaders provide a wide range of after-school clubs, including for several sports, creative activities, and coding skills.

Areas to improve:

• A small number of staff are not using the school's chosen phonics resources and strategies with confidence, which impacts on how quickly some pupils catch up with their reading.
• In a small number of foundation subjects, the curriculum does not clarify the most important knowledge and skills that pupils should develop over time, and leaders should ensure that essential concepts are clearly defined and sequenced in these subjects.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with leaders training all staff to know how to help keep pupils safe, and records showing that any concerns are followed up thoroughly.