Chilton County Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve outcomes, by strengthening pupils’ progress in mathematics.
• Reduce the few remaining weaknesses in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, by ensuring that planned work consistently builds on pupils’ prior knowledge and understanding.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Despite significant changes to the school’s context in recent years, leaders have worked as a cohesive and ambitious group to provide a good quality of education for pupils in the school. They have recruited and galvanised a strong team of staff who all work together to provide pupils with a rich and varied learning experience. This is a good school.
• Leaders know the school well and have identified the right areas for development. They are creative and work collaboratively to find the right solutions to any problems they find. As the school grows, leaders are now refining systems to record and share their evaluations. The school is well placed to develop further.
• Middle leaders form an ambitious and driven team. They possess impressive skills and use these to improve all aspects of the curriculum. For example, leaders successfully applied for national funding that has enabled them to offer wider opportunities in science. In religious education, leaders have developed schemes of work to educate pupils about festivals such as Diwali, Christmas and Hanukkah. As a result, the opportunities for pupils to enjoy and learn a range of interesting subjects and skills continue to grow.
• Physical education (PE) and sport premium funding is used well to promote physical education and activity. Specialist teachers provide excellent tuition for pupils as well as effective professional development for teachers. Pupils enjoy the wide range of clubs and activities that help them to have healthy lifestyles. During the inspection, the girls’ football team was particularly buoyant after a recent win.
• Additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils is used well. Staff work with pupils and their parents and carers, and teachers, to understand how best to use the funding and direct resources accordingly. The impact of this funding is closely monitored by leaders who adapt and refine their plans when needed. As a result, disadvantaged pupils make strong progress.
• The leadership of SEND is a strength. Staff work closely with parents and external agencies to identify pupils’ needs. Collectively, they develop, trial and review these plans to make sure that pupils with SEND can access and understand their learning, and make strong progress through all aspects of the curriculum.
• The curriculum is lively and interesting. Pupils learn a broad range of subjects and their learning is further enhanced by the wide range of trips and visitors to the school. For example, a local scientist visited the school to teach pupils about electricity through experiments using lemons, zinc and copper. Pupils throughout the school learn to appreciate, play and create music on a range of instruments. The breadth and opportunity the curriculum offers contribute greatly to pupils’ enjoyment and progress.
• Staff receive useful feedback on their work to help them improve their teaching. For example, last year, leaders put in place support for staff that helped them to develop the resilience and independence of pupils with SEND. Leaders are aware of minor inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, and have plans in place to reduce these.

Governance of the school

• Governors know the school well and use their extensive visits to check that the work of leaders is having the desired impact. For example, governors attended recent progress meetings to see, first-hand, how leaders work with staff to identify any pupils who fall behind and the plans to strengthen their progress. As a result, governors possess an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Governors’ work to ensure pupils are safe is a strength of the school. They have received extensive safeguarding training and put this to effective use, working with leaders to check that concerns are appropriately addressed. Their efforts to keep the school site safe during recent building work ensured the safety of pupils and staff.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff receive useful training to help them understand the national, regional and local dangers to pupils. They use this to notice the small things and, when they do, pass these concerns immediately on to leaders. Leaders gather and evaluate all available information on pupils to ensure they have a clear understanding of the needs of families, and offer the right support when it is required. As a result, pupils and families are kept safe from harm.
• Safeguarding is incorporated into the wider curriculum. Pupils learn, at an age-appropriate level, the dangers posed by taking unnecessary risks. For example, pupils worked with local fire fighters to learn about how to prevent fires in the home and what to do if they discover a fire. Pupils are confident that they can speak to adults if they have any worries or concerns.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Staff and pupils enjoy excellent relationships throughout the school. Staff have high expectations and pupils do their best to meet these in lessons. As a result, classes are typically enthusiastic spaces where pupils can share, compare and develop their thinking and ideas.
• Staff possess a clear understanding of how to teach phonics and use this to help pupils make a strong start to their reading. Younger pupils learn to identify and verbalise sounds and commit them to paper with confidence. Teachers guide older pupils to consider the meaning and intention of texts. As a result, pupils throughout the school read well and are able to understand and interpret increasingly complex texts.
• Pupils write well and use their extensive skills to write at length for a range of purposes. For example, pupils in Year 2 wrote considered and descriptive texts describing the observations and feelings of the Inuit people. Pupils throughout the school make strong progress in writing.
• Teachers possess strong subject knowledge in a wide range of curriculum areas. For example, in geography, pupils considered the similarities and differences between the North and South Poles, identifying how differences in climate and vegetation encourage different animal species to inhabit these areas. Teachers’ willingness and ability to teach the broad and ambitious curriculum help pupils to research and evaluate topics and to progress well in a range of subjects.
• Lessons are typically well planned and closely matched to pupils’ starting points. For example, in Year 2, teachers taught pupils how to handle and interpret data using logical sequences of lessons, culminating in pupils plotting their own histograms. Nevertheless, in a small proportion of lessons, tasks do not allow pupils the opportunity to develop or apply their prior learning. This limits their progress.
• In mathematics, pupils use their strong calculation skills to solve a range of complex problems. They reason well and are happy to consider and test their thinking before settling on a final answer. Nevertheless, in key stage 2, some pupils have not made strong progress in previous years, which means they have gaps in their understanding.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils are deeply respectful and welcoming of those with views and religious beliefs that are different from their own. Their exceptional levels of tolerance and respect underpin the ethos of this harmonious and happy school.
• Pupils care for, and take pride in, the environment. The eco-team keeps the grounds looking tip-top. They have studied ornithology to support the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in their ‘great British birdwatch’ project. Pupils understand that they have an impact on their environment and do their best to minimise this.
• Pupils benefit greatly from the outdoor learning environment. Under the watchful eye of skilled staff, pupils learn to keep themselves safe around fire and water, as well as developing their understanding of how to manage wild plants. After their considerable physical efforts, pupils enjoy the opportunity to sit and reflect on their learning with hot chocolate, and to make toast on the fire.
• The Chilton pupil learning committee plans events to raise funds for the school and to support those less fortunate than themselves. Pupils support a charity in Kenya that provides meals for young people and families who cannot afford such necessities. Pupils are well prepared to be respectful and responsible global citizens.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning are excellent across the school. Pupils show great respect for all adults and listen attentively to their instructions and suggestions. Lessons are typified by pupils’ strong desire to do their best and get on with the task at hand. As a result, pupils are highly productive and able to learn unencumbered by distractions or interruptions.
• Pupils’ attendance is above the national average. Leaders’ work to encourage strong attendance has ensured that all groups of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and pupils with SEND, rarely miss their learning. Rates of persistent absence are also lower than the national average.
• Behaviour at breaktimes is excellent. Pupils enjoy the opportunity to play together, dance and make structures using the building equipment in their well-equipped playground. Pupils report that bullying is extremely rare and, when it does occur, leaders give them all the help they need to overcome their differences.
• While incidents of poor behaviour are infrequent, leaders maintain a keen eye to identify and address any small issues before they grow into bigger ones. As a result, incidents of repeated poor behaviour are extremely rare.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils write well throughout the school and many attain at a high standard. They are happy to write at length and use their skills to produce interesting and informative texts. For example, pupils in Year 5 wrote diary entries, considering the different viewpoints of Romeo and Juliet. Pupils throughout the school make strong progress in writing.
• In recent years, there has been a decline in the reading progress made by pupils in key stage 2. In response to this, leaders revamped the reading curriculum to ensure that pupils learn the basics and quickly move on to read and interpret a range of challenging and mature texts. Pupils now consider and record their thoughts and findings more clearly, and have strengthened their understanding of authorial intent. As a result, pupils’ progress in reading has strengthened.
• Disadvantaged pupils make good progress because staff give them the right support. Leaders check to ensure that pupils have all the help they need and adapt their plans when required. As a result, disadvantaged pupils make strong progress throughout the curriculum.
• Pupils with SEND make strong progress because staff make sensitive and well-judged adaptations to help them access the learning. Pupils are supported well by teaching assistants and teachers who encourage and enable them to develop their independence. This helps these pupils to undertake challenges with minimal adult support, which further develops their confidence and skills.
• Pupils make strong progress and develop a broad understanding of the arts. For example, Year 4 pupils learned about Kandinsky and skilfully mimicked his work in watercolours. Year 5 pupils created striking silhouettes to depict World War Two soldiers. Year 6 pupils learned about the work of the artist Megan Coyle, and explained in detail how she recycles old products to form her collages. Pupils’ artistic development helps to underpin their strong cultural understanding.
• While progress is now consistently strong throughout the school, some pupils in key stage 2 have not made sufficient progress in the past. As a result, they have gaps in their mathematical understanding, which staff are now helping them to fill. The progress of these pupils needs to strengthen to ensure that they achieve their potential in mathematics.

Early years provision Good

• Children enter the school with skills just below those seen typically. By the time they finish Reception, a higher proportion of children reach a good level of development than is seen nationally. This represents strong progress from their starting points.
• Leaders possess a strong understanding of the effectiveness of the early years provision and use this to form plans to drive further improvement. In recent years, they have secured support from local businesses to improve and enliven the outdoor space. In line with the priorities of the main school, leaders have focused on developing phonics and early reading, which has led to improvements in children’s outcomes.
• Children in early years share the excellent behavioural attitudes of older pupils in the school. They settle quickly and show a willingness to help and be part of the class. As a result, the early years is a vibrant and friendly environment that helps children to feel settled and safe.
• Staff skilfully support children to develop their understanding of the links between letters and sounds. For example, children labelled a diagram of a polar explorer to identify the parts of the body and the clothing they might wear to protect them from the cold. Staff question children skilfully to ensure they are sounding out their words correctly before recording them on paper. This gives children a strong foundation on which to build their reading and writing skills.
• There are ample opportunities for children in early years to count and explore how numbers can be used in everyday life. Children record their thinking regularly and many can write simple number sentences that demonstrate their understanding in addition and subtraction. Children are well placed to tackle the mathematical challenges they will face in key stage 1.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 123057 Oxfordshire 10084279 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 246 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Stan Gilmour Sandra North 01235 834263 www.chilton.oxon.sch.uk head.2555@chilton.oxon.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 14 July 2009

Information about this school

• This is an average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium is lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with SEND is slightly lower than the national average.

• Since the previous inspection, the school has expanded its pupil admission numbers.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in 26 parts of lessons, many with senior leaders.
• In addition to discussions with parents, responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, were taken into account.
• A range of the school’s documentation was scrutinised to gather information on: leaders’ evaluation of the school’s performance; systems for managing the performance of teachers; behaviour and safety of pupils; safeguarding; the progress and attainment of pupils; and curriculum leadership.
• The inspectors scrutinised the school’s website to evaluate the quality of information for parents and whether the school meets statutory publishing requirements.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils to gather their views about the school, and heard pupils read.
• Inspectors met with school leaders, governors and officers from the local authority.

Inspection team

Dan Lambert, lead inspector Christopher Crouch Rachel Goplen

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector