Inspection dates: 22 to 24 November 2022

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good

Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding

Personal development Outstanding

Leadership and management Good

Overall effectiveness at previous

inspection Not previously inspected

Does the school meet the independent

school standards? Yes

Pupils love coming to Damara. They thrive here and want to attend school, often

after lengthy periods of disruption to their previous education. Pupils feel safe. They

build confidence and self-esteem because they trust the adults who work with them.

Respectful and caring relationships are at the heart of pupils’ success. They get on

well with each other and learn how to manage their own behaviour and anxieties

exceptionally well. Pupils say that bullying does not happen. They know it would be

stopped quickly if it did.

Every school experience is a planned learning opportunity. Everyone is included.

Pupils practise their spellings and times tables together in sociable break and

lunchtime activities. They enjoy learning important life skills, such as how to cook

and manage a budget. Visits, for example, to museums and the zoo, help to remind

pupils of the things they are learning in school.

Pupils are polite and welcoming to visitors, even though some find it hard to meet

new people. They know there is always an adult they can go to if they are worried.

Pupils like talking about the stories they are reading and how the school has helped

them to enjoy learning again.

The trust and school leaders are ambitious for every pupil in the school. They have

designed a broad and aspirational curriculum that captures pupils’ interest and

readiness to learn. High expectations and purposeful routines are reflected in all

aspects of daily life in Damara. Pupils quickly begin to respect the clear boundaries

that leaders set. As a result, they achieve well, often from very low staring points.

Reading is a high priority. Pupils in the early stages of learning to read practise the

sounds that letters make regularly. The books they use are well matched to the

sounds that they are learning and so they gain confidence in reading and spelling

new words. Older pupils are encouraged to read often, at home as well as in school.

They are introduced to a wide range of high-quality texts. While all pupils are

supported to improve their reading, interventions for older pupils who need to catch

up are not always as precisely targeted as they could be. This means that a few

pupils do not read and spell as accurately as they need to.

Leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn, in what order

and when they want them to learn it. Across most subjects, the curriculum

highlights the small steps needed to personalise learning from pupils’ different

starting points. Occasionally, the important content that leaders want pupils to know

is not broken down in precise enough detail in a few subjects. When this happens,

pupils do not learn as much as they could.

Pupils improve their behaviour and attitudes to learning hugely over their time in the

school. The crystal-clear boundaries, high expectations and trusting relationships

Inspection report: The Damara School

22 to 24 November 2022 3

result in calm and purposeful classrooms. No learning time is wasted. Break times

are sociable events where pupils and staff eat, play and learn together. Adults take

time to get to know pupils well. They are well trained, so they understand how to

help pupils manage anxieties that might lead to challenging behaviour. Pupils use

their ‘anxiety maps’ very effectively to develop strategies to regulate their own

behaviour.

Pupils’ personal development is a ‘golden thread’ woven right through the

curriculum. Adults are strong role models. A wide range of exciting experiences

underpin pupils’ growing confidence and independence. Pupils of all ages enjoy

learning about the world of work and the opportunities to be ‘Young Entrepreneurs’.

Older pupils speak confidently about how they would be expected to behave at

work. The principles of tolerance and respect are exceptionally well promoted.

Leaders ensure that all the independent school standards are met. Their ambition

for Damara pupils is mirrored across the whole-school team. They check that staff

have a manageable workload and that their well-being is secure. Trustees and trust

members are skilled and experienced. They are effective in holding school leaders to

account for the quality of provision.

Premises are bright and carefully maintained. All the necessary health and safety

checks are completed. Risk assessments are detailed and reviewed regularly. Pupils

are well supervised. Admissions and attendance registers meet requirements.

Information for parents and commissioning agencies is available through the

school’s website, including procedures for handling complaints.

The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that the strong culture of safeguarding they promote is well

embedded. Regular, effective training means that staff know what to do if a pupil is

at risk of harm. Staff are mindful of supporting pupils’ social, emotional and mental

health, alongside any wider safeguarding needs. They work closely with parents and

professionals so that individuals and families get the help needed. Pupils are taught

how to make safe choices, including when playing games online.

The school’s single central record of pre-employment checks on new staff meets

requirements. Safeguarding records are detailed and closely monitored.

◼ Some inconsistencies in phonics teaching mean that a few older pupils do not

improve their reading and writing fluency as much as they could. Leaders should

ensure that any further training needed is implemented quickly so that all pupils

achieve consistently and well.

◼ In a few aspects of the foundation curriculum, plans are not always explicitly clear

about the specific knowledge that pupils need to practise and apply. This means

that teachers occasionally focus on assessing the completion of tasks, rather than

checking that the precise detail of important content has been remembered.

Leaders should ensure that curriculum plans are consistently clear and that

assessment routinely focuses on the important knowledge that pupils need to

secure in their long-term memory.

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