Chapel-en-le-Frith CofE VC Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Accelerate pupils’ progress in reading and writing by ensuring that:
  • teachers consistently provide more challenging activities for the most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged
  • teachers and teaching assistants match tasks more closely to pupils’ abilities so that pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are appropriately challenged.
• Improve attendance by working with parents and external agencies to support the regular attendance of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Improve the quality of leadership and management by:
  • middle leaders using information about pupils’ attainment more rigorously to evaluate the impact of interventions and to help determine actions for further improvement
  • leaders making more use of information about the progress of different groups of children in the early years to identify quicker those who are falling behind and put in place strategies to support them.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has acted decisively to implement wide-ranging actions that have secured considerable improvements since the last inspection. She has made good use of external support and advice, which has enabled senior leaders to make rapid improvements in teaching, learning and assessment.
• Leaders have an accurate picture of the school’s performance. They work with staff in other schools to check the accuracy of their evaluations of how well the school is doing. Their plans for further improvement of the school are targeted on accelerating the progress of all pupils.
• Leaders have a clear and consistent focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning. They engage well with the highly effective support, challenge and training that have been provided by the local authority and teaching school alliance.
• Leaders have ensured that the management of teachers’ performance is rigorous. They follow through identified actions to improve teachers’ practice and provide good support where needed, drawing on internal and external expertise. School leaders know where teaching is strongest and where additional support is required. They use this information well to ensure that all pupils make at least good progress.
• The school’s curriculum offers a wide range of opportunities for pupils to learn and develop new skills. A recent review, which took into account the views of pupils and staff, has helped leaders to ensure that teaching engages pupils’ interest and that English and mathematics skills are widely practised in other curricular areas.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is developed well. This is evident in their positive attitudes to their work and the good relationships they have with each other. The values of ‘trust, justice, friendship, service, reverence, peace, compassion and forgiveness’ are reinforced and celebrated in everyday activities, where pupils are encouraged to reflect and engage in philosophical discussion.
• Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They show tolerance and respect towards adults and their peers. Pupils understand democracy and the importance of rules and laws. They study a wide range of different faiths and cultures as part of the improved curriculum. One pupil told the inspector, ‘Learning about the importance of laws helps us to understand how to behave when we grow up.’ Another pupil explained, ‘We have been looking at Genesis 1 and relating it to the Big Bang theory.’
• Leaders use the pupil premium to support disadvantaged pupils effectively. Leaders carefully target support for academic and emotional progress of particularly vulnerable pupils. As a result, these pupils are making good progress.
• The enhanced resource provision is a strength of the school and pupils are supported effectively by well-trained staff. Leaders understand the importance of developing the expertise of staff to meet the increasing demands that stem from the complex needs of these pupils.
• Leaders use the additional funds provided through the physical education and sport premium to good effect. In addition to training for teachers to improve their teaching and coaching skills, the school has provided a wider range of sporting activities. Pupils benefit from specific sporting activities at lunchtimes, which have improved their behaviour.
• Leaders plan effectively for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Funding for this group of pupils is used for specific interventions. These pupils make good progress from their starting points but activities are not always correctly matched to pupils’ abilities so they are sufficiently challenged.
• Leaders work effectively with alternative providers to support the specific needs of pupils. Pupils who attend alternative provision are well supported and their progress is carefully monitored. Communication between leaders and the integrated pathways team was not precise enough, however, for leaders to have sufficiently detailed information about the provision made for these pupils. Changes to the system of communication were made during the inspection so that it now includes that detail.
• Leaders have implemented a new system for assessing pupils’ attainment and tracking their progress. This has helped teachers to plan more precisely the next steps for learning. In the early years, however, assessment information is not analysed succinctly enough to provide information about different groups of learners.
• Senior leaders support and challenge middle leaders effectively, and middle leaders have a clear understanding of their roles. Effective training has had a rapid and positive impact on their confidence to make a significant contribution to school improvement. Middle leaders do not, however, evaluate rigorously the extent to which their actions are effective in accelerating pupils’ progress.
• Leaders are not effective enough in checking whether the school’s support and intervention programmes are making a big enough difference to pupils’ learning. Pupils make quicker progress where leaders make checks on the precise impact of interventions, such as with spelling and phonics. These are not universal, however, and leaders are not making regular enough checks on the impact of interventions for the more able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Governance of the school

• Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development, particularly the need to continue to ensure that all pupils make faster progress. Their knowledge and understanding of the school is increasing rapidly. They make regular checks to ensure that the information they receive from school leaders is accurate.
• The governing body is well organised and uses governors’ skills and expertise well to work with school leaders. Governors challenge information about pupils’ attainment and progress and are increasingly rigorous in checking the impact of improvement actions. For example, the recent introduction of focused workshops within meetings of the governing body is helping governors to become more informed.
• The governing body carefully checks the impact of the use of additional funds such as the pupil premium. Governors work closely with the newly appointed pupil premium leader to plan effective provision. They challenge leaders to further improve provision for the most able disadvantaged pupils and recognise this as a continued focus for improvement.
• The governing body understand its responsibilities in relation to safeguarding. It supports the headteacher in her use of performance management to hold staff accountable for the effectiveness of their teaching and the progress of pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective and leaders have ensured that statutory requirements are met. Clear procedures and systems are in place. Leaders keep precise records to ensure effective work with external agencies. Staff and governors receive relevant training and regular updates.
• The culture of safeguarding within the school is evident in the way pupils feel safe. Care for pupils in the enhanced resource provision is specific and appropriate. Pupils in Year 6 talk knowledgeably about how the school keeps them safe, including how to keep safe online. Pupils trust adults in the school and say the introduction of playground buddies supports them even more.
• Leaders have taken effective action to reduce episodes of poor behaviour. Pupils say that bullying is now rare but, if incidents do happen, they are dealt with quickly and efficiently by staff.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Since the last inspection there has been a considerable improvement in the quality of teaching. Leaders have successfully elevated expectations among staff of what pupils can achieve.
• Teachers know their pupils’ learning needs well. They use questioning effectively to check pupils’ understanding and then use this information to correct misconceptions. As a result, pupils remain focused on learning and know what they need to do to improve their work.
• Teachers and teaching assistants are effective in developing pupils’ phonics skills. Following poor phonics results in 2016, leaders have successfully improved the early reading skills of pupils in key stage 1 through staff training and regular monitoring by leaders. Progress since the beginning of the year has been rapid. During lessons, pupils confidently used their phonics skills to read to inspectors.
• Writing is taught consistently throughout the school in line with school policy, which ensures that pupils make good connections between reading, creative writing and guided use of their grammar and punctuation. For example, pupils in Year 3 were planning carefully to describe the opposing traits of a character in a story. Teachers throughout the school ensure that pupils use ‘fix-it’ tasks to extend or deepen their understanding.
• Pupils’ writing has significantly improved since the previous inspection. Grammar, spelling and punctuation are strengths of the school and pupils attain well in these areas. Pupils get frequent opportunities to write at length across a range of subjects and genres.
• Presentation in all year groups and subjects is of a high standard and pupils are proud of the work they do.
• Pupils’ achievements in mathematics have continued to improve as a result of better teaching and learning. Teachers plan lessons that are well structured and build on pupils’ prior learning. Pupils regularly practise and apply their skills and have frequent opportunities to use reasoning and explain what they have done and why.
• Teaching assistants throughout the school support pupils well and use questioning to check and develop pupils’ understanding. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils receive skilled support. Teachers and teaching assistants do not always ensure that activities are sufficiently challenging for these pupils.
• Too few pupils achieve at the highest levels in reading and writing in key stages 1 and 2. This is because teachers’ expectations of what some pupils can achieve are not high enough. Teachers are not yet sufficiently adept at identifying the next steps in pupils’ learning to ensure that they are fully challenged. Particularly for the most able pupils, this means that they do not achieve the high standards of which they are capable.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. The strong ethos of respect, care and ambition promote the school’s purpose of ‘learning for life’ well. One pupil in the Reception Year told the inspector of his ambitions to attend college, followed by university and then, ‘I can choose whatever I want to be!’
• Pupils are well looked after and staff are good role models. There is a calm and happy atmosphere throughout the school that is conducive to learning.
• Pupils enjoy positions of responsibility, such as being members of the school council or playtime buddies. Pupils who use the school breakfast club enjoy spending time with their peers and are well prepared to commence formal learning at the start of the school day.
• From the early years onwards, pupils are taught to respect each other and their environment. As a result, older pupils express opinions and ideas that show a deeper understanding of society. Pupils’ ability to empathise with others from different backgrounds or cultures was demonstrated by a Year 6 pupil, who said, ‘We treat everyone equally regardless of their ability or faith or where they come from.’
• Pupils say they feel safe and know who to talk to if they have concerns. They understand risks in the wider world, including consequences for breaking the law and the possible effects on their long-term health of alcohol and smoking.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils show consideration and courtesy for others. Pupils speak highly of the school’s behaviour system and its impact on improving the environment and making the school safer.
• Pupils’ conduct and self-discipline is strong. They take great pride in their school and talk positively about the improvements that have occurred. They enjoy receiving rewards and understand the sanctions should they choose to misbehave. Pupils appreciate that behaviour has improved as a direct result of the introduction of the new behaviour system.
• Leaders take appropriate action to improve attendance and this has been effective in reducing persistent absence. Leaders know, however, that their efforts to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities attend school regularly have not been as successful.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils are now making faster progress than they were in reading, writing and mathematics in all year groups. Leaders have set high expectations and have made sure teachers focus on the essential skills pupils need to reach or exceed age-related expectations. These skills are now promoted consistently across the curriculum.
• The attainment and progress of pupils at the end of key stage 2 in 2016 were broadly in line with national averages, which was an improvement on the previous year. The attainment and progress of pupils at the end of key stage 1 was below national averages in reading and writing, however. Leaders have swiftly taken effective action to remedy this and pupils are now making at least good progress.
• In 2016, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the national phonics screening check in Year 1 was too low. Leaders acted promptly to retrain teachers and teaching assistants in developing pupils’ phonics skills. Leaders’ regular checks on pupils’ progress show rapid improvements so that, currently, the proportion of pupils working at the expected standard is higher than it was last year.
• Current pupils are making at least good progress and securing age-appropriate skills and knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders are also ensuring that these skills are consistently used in other subjects, such as science and history.
• The pupil premium is used effectively to improve the attainment of disadvantaged pupils. Leaders’ increasingly close scrutiny of disadvantaged pupils’ attainment and progress, and the rising levels of accountability leaders place on class teachers, mean that checks on these pupils’ progress are now more rigorous. Nevertheless, leaders are not yet accurately measuring the impact of interventions for these pupils to ensure that the next steps in learning are appropriately matched to pupils’ needs.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities achieve well in relation to their starting points because of the additional support they receive from teachers and teaching assistants. Personal education plans for these pupils show that leaders and external specialists undertake regular reviews to ensure that any barriers to learning are addressed quickly and effectively. Leaders are not yet ensuring that work is pitched appropriately to pupils’ needs so that they can achieve their best.

Early years provision Good

• Children enter the early years with skills and abilities below what is typical for their age. By the end of the Reception Year, the proportion of children attaining a good level of development is above the national average. Children are well prepared to enter Year 1 as a result of the good progress they have made from their starting points.
• Children settle quickly into the welcoming environment because the adults provide a variety of interesting, stimulating and well-organised activities. This means that children are enthusiastic learners and maintain their concentration on tasks, with or without adult support. Indoor and outdoor spaces are effectively shared between Nursery and Reception classes. This ensures that Nursery children are benefiting from learning alongside the Reception children, which is supporting their language development.
• The teaching of phonics has become a strength and pupils are making rapid progress in the early years. Teachers’ high expectations for pupils, combined with high-quality learning experiences, mean that pupils are developing stamina for learning. For example, pupils in the Reception Year sustained their concentration while making and writing their own books. The most able children are challenged well, for example when independently creating and writing calculations involving money.
• Teachers and key workers know the children well. They use careful, ongoing assessment to plan targeted and structured opportunities to develop children’s skills, particularly in language development. Teachers use careful questioning to involve children in critical thinking and challenge their understanding.
• External support has helped teachers to gain a better knowledge and understanding of how they can meet particular needs of children. Training for staff in speech and language strategies is showing early promise.
• The leader responsible for the early years sets high expectations across the whole early years team. She models highly effective teaching. Through effective training, she has ensured that there is clear consistency and progression across Nursery and Reception classes.
• Adults encourage safe play and use of resources, so children are kept safe at all times and are well looked after by the caring staff. This ethos ensures that children play happily and fairly together. Parents speak highly of the provision their children receive.
• The early years is well led. Teachers’ professional knowledge is now strong and they provide pupils with carefully prepared learning experiences which results in a learning environment that is overflowing with enthusiasm. The leader has motivated staff to drive further improvement. The early years leader does not yet analyse information about the achievement of groups of pupils, however, to identify patterns in achievement that would help to further refine improvements in learning.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 133538 Derbyshire 10023083 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary controlled 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 432 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Matthew Berry Jacqueline Barber Telephone number 01298 812000 Website Email address www.cps.derbyshire.sch.uk/ enquiries@cps.derbyshire.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 25–26 February 2015

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. Most pupils attending the school come from the immediate area.
• The vast majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds.
• Nursery pupils attend half days and are taught alongside Reception pupils who attend full time.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• The school includes specially resourced provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This enhanced resource provides 19 places for pupils on the autistic spectrum, as well as pupils with learning and physical disabilities. It currently has 18 pupils drawn from a wide area around the school.
• A few pupils are educated offsite through the local authority’s integrated pathways team.
• In 2016, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress at the end of Year 6.
• The school runs a breakfast club.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching in all year groups. They observed the quality of teaching and learning for pupils attending the enhanced provision. They observed the teaching of early reading skills, including phonics, and listened to pupils reading. Inspectors talked with pupils about their school and scrutinised examples of their work across different subjects.
• Inspectors considered the range and quality of information provided on the school’s website.
• Inspectors held discussions with the school’s senior leaders and middle leaders, members of the governing body, a representative of the teaching school alliance and a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors spoke with parents informally at the start of both days and considered the 62 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View) and a staff survey. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.
• Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans, records of leaders’ checks on teaching and learning, the most recent information on pupils’ attainment and progress, and information relating to safeguarding, behaviour, attendance and the school’s involvement with outside agencies for pupils educated offsite.

Inspection team

Stephanie Innes-Taylor, lead inspector Nicola Walsh Jo Ward Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector