Chickerell Primary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Increase the progress that pupils make, especially disadvantaged pupils and the most able, by:
  • ensuring that teachers accurately assess whether pupils are finding work too easy, in order to provide more challenge when needed
  • making sure that pupils’ thinking is sufficiently challenged in mathematics to deepen their understanding
  • ensuring that teachers raise their expectations of what pupils, especially the most able in key stage 2, can achieve
  • sharing the effective teaching at key stage 1 across the school.
• Improve the impact of leadership and management at all levels, including governance, by:
  • rigorously and accurately evaluating the work of the school in order to address the long-standing weaknesses in writing in key stage 2
  • analysing, with greater rigour, the information about pupils’ achievement to judge the impact of planned actions

further developing the role of recently appointed governors so that they quickly develop the skills that will enable them to challenge leaders effectively. An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Despite some improvements since the previous inspection, leadership and management continues to require improvement. Teaching is not good enough, over time, particularly for the most able pupils and disadvantaged pupils, in writing and mathematics, within key stage 2. As a result, pupils do not make consistently good progress and very few reach their full potential.
• The pupil premium is not used well enough to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. Actions are not sharply focused on accelerating the learning and progress of disadvantaged pupils. Governors and senior leaders have not evaluated the impact of the funding systematically or rigorously enough. In contrast, however, the physical education (PE) and sport premium for primary schools is used well to increase pupils’ participation in a wider range of sports. For example, several pupils who attended the basketball club, from an external provider, have gone on to represent their county. Pupils report that the school provides them with a wide range of extra-curricular activities that they enjoy, ranging from the arts to sporting opportunities.
• Senior leaders have not been rigorous enough in comparing the school’s performance to that of other schools nationally. As a result, the school’s self-evaluation is overly positive and not sufficiently focused on specific groups, such as the most able and disadvantaged.
• The school’s improvement plan does not identify the key factors that will help achieve rapid and sustained improvement for the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. For example, writing at the end of key stage 2 has been in decline for a significant period of time and this has not been addressed to reverse the trend.
• The headteacher has ensured that performance management arrangements are in place. Teachers are set appropriate targets that link to the school priorities as identified by the school. Many professional development opportunities are offered to staff and the impact on their performance over time is evaluated accurately.
• The curriculum provides a broad and balanced experience for pupils. Subjects including physical education, geography and history are taught well across the school. In one Year 2 wider reading session, pupils were able to effectively recall their prior history learning. They were able to articulate their understanding of the battle of Hastings, including the features of castles, with great pride, using vocabulary above age-related expectations.
• The recently appointed inclusion leader has ensured that more accurate information is available on pupils identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• School leaders at all levels share a strong commitment to providing support for pupils’ emotional needs and well-being. Leaders have the full confidence and support of staff and parents to achieve this aim, as their responses to the Ofsted questionnaires confirm. For example, a typical response from parents is that the school has a ‘family culture’. As a result, pupils say that they feel well cared for and enjoy coming to school and parents feel welcomed.
• The school’s nurturing ethos supports pupils’ development and well-being effectively. There is a strong and supportive culture through the school’s approach to providing a network of provision for all families and pupils.
• The school’s work to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a growing strength. The extent to which pupils think about their roles and responsibilities in ‘Modern Britain’ is displayed proudly around the school. This is complemented further by the school’s adoption of and the higher recognition by Unicef’s ‘Rights Respecting Schools’ programme.

Governance of the school

• Governors are fully committed to their roles. However, they do not yet have a full understanding of how groups of pupils are progressing across the school. As a result, they do not challenge school leaders well enough about the underperformance of disadvantaged pupils and the most able pupils.
• Furthermore, governors have not monitored the use of the pupil premium and its impact on outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. As a result, the school’s actions have not had the impact of diminishing the gap in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally.
• The governing body carries out its statutory responsibilities.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Rigorous procedures for checking on the suitability of staff and visitors are in place and thoroughly checked by governors. All records relating to staff are appropriately documented. The work of the recently appointed inclusion leader and attendance officer provides effective communication between home and school to ensure that pupils are safe. Consequently, information relating to pupils’ safety and welfare is picked up quickly and support provided through the school’s nurturing system.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching is too inconsistent across the school. Teaching in Years 3 to 6 is not consistently good. Teachers in these year groups do not consistently provide sufficient challenge for disadvantaged pupils and the most able pupils so that they are stretched appropriately according to their ability. This view is also echoed by several parental responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire.
• Teachers’ expectations of pupils’ learning, and of the work that they produce, are not high enough. Several pupils’ mathematics work books scrutinised by inspectors showed that the most able pupils are not being challenged sufficiently to deepen understanding of mathematical concepts.
• Teaching is not consistently matched to the needs of pupils. Work planned does not build on what pupils can and cannot do. Sometimes work is too easy for pupils and this limits pupils’ ability to deepen their knowledge and understanding. This means that some pupils are not making the progress that they are capable of, particularly in mathematics and writing by the end of key stage 2.
• Information about pupils’ prior learning is not used to match work to their different needs. For example, in two writing lessons observed by inspectors pupils were asked to identify clauses in a passage of text. However, pupils clearly demonstrated that they did not have a secure understanding of ‘a clause’. As a result, their progress and understanding was slowed.
• Some teaching is effective, especially for pupils in key stage 1. Expectations of pupils are high and pupils respond with mature attitudes that are typically above age-related expectations, and with a more focused level of application, thereby progressing well.
• There are positive relationships in all classes with all adults. Teaching assistants consistently provide meaningful support and guidance to the pupils they work with, and they are clear about their roles and responsibilities.
• Pupils enjoy reading and read with confidence. All pupils spoken to report that the school promotes a ‘love of reading’. Pupils are able to use reading skills in line with expectations for their age and showed pride when reading to inspectors. When challenged by the text, they are able to draw effectively on strategies that they have learned, in order to read unfamiliar words.
• Pupils value their homework and reported to inspectors that they enjoy the homework challenges that they are set across the school.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils’ well-being is given high priority across the school. Leaders ensure that the school provides specialist counselling and support for the most vulnerable pupils. All pupils have access to a school system for sharing their concerns, worries or fears through a ‘trusted adult’ approach. As a result, pupils report that they feel safe knowing that they have access to an adult who they feel confident to talk to.
• The school’s caring family ethos is evident at break and lunchtimes, where many adults sit and talk to the pupils, listening carefully with genuine tenderness and care.
• Pupils have a good understanding of how to be healthy. They can clearly articulate the need for a healthy diet containing fruit, vegetables and plenty of water, and why you should not eat too much sugar. Pupils explained the importance of exercise and felt that the range of extra-curricular clubs and lunchtime games provided by the school supported their physical well-being.
• Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including when online.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are friendly, polite and confident and relate well to each other, to staff and visitors to the school. Pupils’ good manners are impressive; they helped inspectors find their way around the school with a warm and welcoming smile.
• Pupils have a good understanding of what bullying is and the different types of bullying, including name-calling and racist bullying. Behaviour logs, along with pupil discussions, show that cases of bullying are rare.
• Attendance has improved since the previous inspection for groups of pupils and is now in line with the national average. Historically some pupils have not attended school regularly enough. As a result of the meticulous work of the school’s attendance officer persistent absence has reduced significantly, and particularly for disadvantaged pupils.
• Most parents agree that the school makes sure its pupils are well behaved.
• Occasionally, pupils lose concentration when the work set is too easy or too hard.

Outcomes for pupils Require improvement

• Outcomes require improvement. Despite standards improving in key stage 1 since the previous inspection, not enough pupils are making consistently good progress across key stage 2 in writing and mathematics.
• Leaders do not have a clear overview of the progress that pupils, and groups of pupils, make. As a result, underachievement by the most able pupils and disadvantaged pupils is not identified quickly enough.
• The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in phonics by the end of Year 1 has increased and is now broadly in line with the national average. By the end of Year 2, almost all pupils achieve the expected standard in phonics.
• In 2015, Year 2 pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics was similar to the national averages. However, over time too few pupils exceeded the expected standard for reading and mathematics and school information indicates that this will continue for the current more able pupils.
• Year 6 pupils’ attainment for reading and mathematics was similar to the national averages in 2015. However, over time, writing has been below the national average and the school’s own assessment information indicates that this trend is not reversing.
• In other year groups across key stage 2, pupils make variable progress because the quality of teaching is not consistently good. Pupils’ work demonstrates that where teachers’ expectations are higher, such as in Years 1 and 2, pupils are making better progress.
• Too few of the more able pupils make at least good progress and exceed the expected standard for their age in writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2. They do not make fast progress because the work they are set is not challenging enough.
• Disadvantaged pupils do not make good enough progress when compared to other pupils nationally, especially by the end of key stage 2. Attainment gaps are not diminishing over time, particularly in writing and mathematics.
• The achievement of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is monitored closely by the inclusion leader. These pupils receive the support they need to enable them to make good progress towards achieving their targets.

Early years provision Good

• Children usually start in the Nursery with skills which are typical for their age in all areas of learning.
• The leader of the early years is experienced and knowledgeable, and has a clear overview of the strengths and areas for development within the early years setting. Consequently, there has been a two-year increase in standards, to above the national average. The school’s own assessment information indicates that it is highly likely to continue. Furthermore, disadvantaged children are also making strong progress when compared with other children. Consequently, the vast majority of children are ready for the next stage in their education.
• Relationships between staff and children are extremely good. Children report that they enjoy their time in Reception and are clearly happy and feel safe. They show an inquisitive nature in their work because of well-organised learning opportunities designed by staff.
• Teaching is consistently good in Reception. The attitudes and resilience of children when engaged in a wide range of activities are impressive. Teachers and teaching assistants listen attentively to children and act swiftly to help them when necessary to clarify understanding. For example, when teaching children the dangers of road safety, adults intervened well to challenge the children’s thinking to ensure that their understanding was secure.
• Assessment systems are rigorous, and information gathered is used to good effect to plan a wide range of well-organised and well-resourced activities that cater for all the areas of learning and children’s needs.
• The environment is bright, fun and lively, and yet orderly. Children clearly enjoy what is provided here. One child took great pride in explaining to an inspector about the materials that he had used to make his den.
• Parents are happy with the provision in the early years. They feel well informed and comfortable about coming in to school and talking to the staff if they have any queries or difficulties. As in the rest of the school, they are encouraged to approach teachers in the weekly open drop-in sessions and parents report to inspectors that this helps them to stay well informed about the progress of their children.
• Robust arrangements ensure that children’s safeguarding and welfare needs are met fully.
• However, learning activities are not always corrected quickly enough. For example, children were observed learning to form their letters, and several children were not doing this correctly and yet this went unchecked by adults. As a result, children’s understanding of letter formation is not secure.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 139147 Dorset 10017412 This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy converter 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 408 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address David Tattersall Jody Harris 01305783876 http://www.chickerell.dorset.sch.uk office@chickerell.dorset.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 11–12 September 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with DfE guidance on what academies should publish.
• Chickerell Primary Academy opened in January 2013. When the predecessor school, Chickerell Primary, was last inspected it was judged to be good.
• This is a larger than average-sized primary academy. The early years consists of a Nursery and two Reception classes.
• The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils for whom English is an additional language is below average and the proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is low.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average. However, the proportion with education, health and care plans or statements of special needs is low.
• There have been changes in leadership since the last inspection, with the appointment of a new chair and vice-chair of the governing body.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed learning in 26 part lessons.
• A meeting was held with different groups of pupils to discuss their views about the school and to listen to pupils read in Years 1, 2 and 6.
• Inspectors held discussions with senior leaders, middle leaders and three governors, including the chair of the governing body.
• Two meetings were held with representatives from the school’s external support service.
• Inspectors viewed a range of documents, including information on pupils’ achievement, the school’s current assessment information, self-evaluation report and pupil premium report. They also looked at the school’s improvement plan, documents relating to safeguarding, and records of behaviour and attendance.
• The inspectors took account of the 59 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, 22 responses to the staff questionnaire, and 46 responses to the pupil questionnaire. Furthermore, the lead inspector also took account of three letters received from parents.

Inspection team

Matt Middlemore, lead inspector Duncan Heryett Robert Lane Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector