Chingford CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that teaching, learning and assessment and pupils’ outcomes are good across classes and subjects by:
  • making sure that teachers make use of their knowledge about what pupils know and understand to help them provide the right level of challenge for pupils of differing ability increasing the opportunities for pupils to extend and apply their writing and mathematics skills in science, history and geography
  • enabling the most able pupils to make good progress by not repeating work they have already mastered
  • giving less-able pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or
  • disabilities, work that enables them to learn quickly improving writing, especially for boys, by having higher expectations for their spelling, handwriting and presentation of work.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders and governors have managed the amalgamation of the two schools successfully. They are ambitious for the school and have a clear understanding of what remains to be done to ensure that it becomes good. They have established a bright and lively learning environment to help support learning. Leaders are making sure that members of staff focus on developing the aspects of their work that will most readily improve the pupils’ outcomes.
• There have been several changes in staffing, including in the leadership team, over the last three years. Senior leaders monitor teaching thoroughly. Rigorous performance management has secured improvements in teaching and middle leadership by providing extensive coaching and training. For example, leaders have secured above-average attainment for children by the time they leave the early years provision. The teaching of reading and phonics has been strengthened and pupils make good progress in reading.
• Leaders provide good role models with their own teaching. They have been strategically placed to support colleagues across the school and the school is improving. Strategies to develop teaching and learning are starting to have a positive impact but are not yet consistently successful.
• Funding for disadvantaged pupils provides effective emotional and academic support. These pupils do well, although some of these pupils also have special educational needs and/or disabilities limiting their attainment.
• Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is allocated in line with the correct identification of their needs. These pupils do not consistently receive the right level of support when working in class.
• The sports funding is used successfully to promote healthy lifestyles and physical education. The funding has supported staff training, specialist coaching and access to a wide range of activities. Pupils are highly successful in competitive sport and games, and enjoy keeping fit by taking part in the ‘daily mile’.
• The curriculum provides a good breadth and balance of subjects. A wealth of extra-curricular activities, including clubs, trips and working with visitors, motivate learning. Leaders are constantly evaluating and refining the curriculum so that it provides pupils with the best opportunities to learn.
• Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are promoted well and pupils have good opportunities to learn about British values. For example, pupils have visited City Hall and Parliament to learn about democracy.
• Most parents are positive about the school and make comments such as ‘children are happy and enjoy coming to school’ and ‘the staff are approachable’.

Governance of the school

• Governance is good.
  • Governors have made effective use of an audit to help identify how they can develop their roles in supporting and challenging the school.
  • They have a clear understanding of strengths and the next steps for whole-school improvement.
  • The way the school checks up on the progress of groups of pupils is sharper than in the past and enables governors to ask the right questions to improve teaching and learning.
  • Governors are aware that inconsistencies remain and they are tackling these robustly.
  • They know how well various funds are being spent to improve pupils’ outcomes.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All members of staff and governors are trained in how to keep children safe and are checked for suitability for working in schools. There is a culture of safety at the school. Members of staff are knowledgeable about what they need to do if they are approached by a worried pupil. Leaders work closely with parents and external agencies to ensure that pupils are supported and kept safe.
• Pupils have a thorough understanding of how to stay safe, including why they should not share personal information on the internet. They understand the colour-coded badge system used for visiting adults, so they are aware of whom they can speak with freely.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching, learning and assessment require improvement because they are not consistently good across classes and subjects. Several teachers do not use the information on how well the pupils are doing well enough to provide harder work for the most able pupils. When this happens, these pupils do not have the opportunity to apply what they have learned, use their reasoning and work at greater depth.
• In addition, the learning needs of the less able pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, are not always being met. While their needs are being identified more quickly than in the past, provision remains inconsistent. Sometimes teachers give these pupils work that is insufficiently demanding and pupils complete it without having to put in much effort. At other times, teachers do not check that these pupils have understood what they are to learn, and their misconceptions and mistakes are not corrected soon enough.
• Teachers miss opportunities for pupils to extend their writing and mathematical skills by using them to support learning in other subjects, such as science, history and geography.
• Recent improvements in the way that teachers are teaching phonics is having a positive impact. Pupils are learning new skills and are applying them well to their reading. Teachers help pupils to choose books that provide the right level of challenge and support them effectively in their enjoyment and understanding of new texts.
• Teachers manage the pupils’ behaviour well because they form good relationships with them and motivate them to want to learn. Topics are interesting and resources are used well to support learning.
• Teachers give pupils good opportunities for discussing and sharing their work with each other, helping them to develop their speaking and listening skills effectively.
• When teachers and teaching assistants are working with a small group of pupils they use questioning well to support learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Members of staff know the pupils well and are sensitive towards their emotional needs. The school provides valuable additional support for those who are finding life difficult.
• Pupils are confident, know how to stay safe and say that they feel safe at school. They are clear about potential sources of danger, such as the internet and busy roads. Parents are pleased that their children are happy at school and feel safe.
• Pupils say that bullying is rare and when they have a worry it is usually dealt with straight away. They are clear about what to do if they have any concerns. As one pupil in Year 2 said, ‘You can talk to the teacher if you have a problem.’
• Teachers provide pupils with good opportunities to improve their health. Pupils appreciate the wide range of physical activities, including clubs, competitions and physical education lessons.
• Pupils enjoy school and are keen to help others by taking responsibility for additional tasks and helping each other with their learning. For example, they enjoy being book monitors and school councillors. They show their respect for others in their polite and friendly attitudes.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Parents agree that behaviour at the school is good and records show that good behaviour is typical. Pupils move around the school sensibly and are well-mannered. They listen carefully in most lessons because they know that this helps them to learn. They enjoy school and are keen to improve.
• Leaders monitor attendance rigorously and consequently attendance is broadly average. The school is working successfully with the few families who find frequent attendance difficult. Most absences are for genuine medical reasons. Pupils arrive punctually at the start of each lesson.
• Pupils understand the importance of caring for others. They resolve most of their playtime disagreements by following the ‘fix it’ guidance they have received. Pupils are proud of their school and look after resources carefully.
• Occasionally, there is some low-level disruption in Years 1 and 2 in the afternoon when a few pupils find it difficult to concentrate after lunch break.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• The outcomes for pupils require improvement because progress is not consistently good across classes and subjects.
• The most able pupils do not always make progress quickly enough because they often repeat work they have already mastered. Most-able pupils have too few opportunities to apply what they have learned in various ways so that they learn at greater depth.
• Less-able pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, make variable progress. They often do well when members of staff are working closely with them, but at other times they are not always working on tasks that build on what they already know and understand.
• Pupils, especially the boys, do not make enough progress with their writing. The presentation of work is variable and often includes spelling mistakes. Spelling and handwriting badges and more engaging topics are starting to have a positive impact, but the quality of writing remains inconsistent.
• The progress of disadvantaged pupils matches others of similar ability. Provision for these pupils is improving because their needs are being identified more quickly and progress is being checked more rigorously than in the past. Funding is being focused more sharply on their areas of greatest need.
• Pupils make good progress in reading. Pupils read widely and are knowledgeable and fluent. They are successful in learning a range of strategies, including phonics, to help them read unfamiliar texts. By the end of Year 6 in 2016, attainment was above average in reading and mathematics.
• Pupils are sufficiently well prepared for the next stage of their education because they are keen to learn and their personal development is good.

Early years provision Good

• Provision for children in the early years has improved since 2014 and attainment was above average in 2016. Attainment has risen year on year and children make good progress from their starting points. Leaders use information on the children’s progress to adapt the curriculum. All members of staff are involved in checking up on the children’s learning and information is thorough and accurate.
• Teaching is good. Members of staff have good relationships with the children and promote good behaviour for learning successfully. Areas where children do less well are tackled swiftly. Phonics teaching has been given a greater focus and children are now well prepared for their transition into Year 1.
• Teachers take care to choose topics that motivate girls and boys equally well, because in the past boys did not always do as well as the girls. Additional funding for disadvantaged children is spent wisely to support learning.
• Arrangements for safeguarding are robust and effective. The school has strong links with external services and parents to keep the children safe and to help them to learn. Parents are encouraged to share the children’s successes outside school in the ‘scrapbooks’ and ‘proud clouds’.
• Children enjoy school and behave well. Members of staff use praise well to support good learning and to maintain a calm atmosphere in class. Routines are well established and children are keen to help those they are sitting with. For example, children were keen to help each other make shapes from dough and are good at waiting for their turn.
• Leaders are clear about how they can develop opportunities for children to learn about literacy and knowledge and understanding of the world when they are working outside.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority 103084 Waltham Forest Inspection number 10023565 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 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 409 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address David Dooks Lindsey Lampard 020 8529 7601 www.chingfordcofe.org.uk school@ccofe.waltham.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• Chingford Church of England Primary opened in April 2014 when the infant and junior schools of the same name amalgamated. It is larger than an average-sized primary school.
• Children in the early years provision are taught in two reception classes.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is broadly average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.
• The school meets the requirements for the publication of specified information on its website.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 24 lessons, 13 jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.
• Meetings were held with leaders, other members of staff, a member of the local authority and members of the governing body.
• Inspectors held informal discussions with parents and scrutinised 91 responses from the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire.
• Pupils in Years 2 and 6 were heard reading.
• A range of information supplied by the school was checked, including the school’s own information about how well pupils are doing, planning documents and checks on the quality of teaching. The inspectors also looked at the school development plan and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding procedures.

Inspection team

Alison Cartlidge, lead inspector Nick Turvey Jennie Bird

Ofsted inspector Ofsted inspector Ofsted inspector