Chase View Community Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Strengthen the impact of leadership and management on school improvement by making sure that:
  • senior leaders are quick to challenge any underperformance
  • leaders keep a close eye on the content and quality of the school curriculum
  • newly appointed subject leaders receive sufficient guidance, support and training in order to develop in their roles
  • governors continue to develop the skills needed to evaluate the school’s performance and steer sustainable school improvement.
• Improve the quality of teaching and assessment in order to raise standards in reading, writing and mathematics by making sure that:
  • teaching is informed by reliable assessments of what pupils know and can do
  • teaching covers the whole of the planned curriculum
  • teaching encourages pupils to work hard and think for themselves so that they develop stamina, resilience and initiative
  • staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve
  • staff see and learn from effective practice in this school and elsewhere.
• Strengthen the early years provision by:
  • providing regular training for all staff so that practice continues to improve
  • making sure that teaching capitalises on children’s interests, fascinations and responses
  • building on the positive partnership with parents in order to help them support their children’s learning at home.
• Improve pupils’ personal development and welfare by making sure that teaching enables them to develop confidence in themselves as learners.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• The headteacher and senior leaders recognise that the school’s performance has declined. Evidence gathered during this inspection shows that key leaders took time to challenge underperformance and this is why academic standards slipped. When, in 2016, it became clear that teaching had not kept up with the requirements of the national curriculum, leaders began to take action. As a result, the quality of teaching started to improve. Standards, while rising, still have further to go if pupils are to achieve in line with their capabilities.
• Leaders have pushed through the inertia that held the school back previously but they have not solved all the problems. Here and there, pockets of maverick practice persist, with staff doing their own thing rather than following school policy. There is no doubt that staff would benefit from further training and from observing effective practice in this school and others. Currently, there is still a need to raise expectations of what can be achieved in the classroom. In addition, those new to leadership roles, for example in mathematics and special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities, are still getting to grips with their roles and developing their leadership skills.
• The increased expectations now coming from leaders are apparent in the way that pupils talk about their own aspirations. Pupils can explain how the school’s motto of ‘chase your dreams and view your possibilities’ encourages them to aim high and work hard to fulfil their ambitions.
• As already noted, the school’s curriculum had some gaps in the past. This has now been put right and, in the main, pupils are provided with relevant and meaningful work across a broad range of subjects. Furthermore, as leaders’ checks on teaching and learning start to involve more subject leaders, the potential for weaknesses in curriculum coverage and quality to go unchecked has been reduced.
• Specific funds, such as the pupil premium, SEN and/or disabilities and primary school sport funding, are spent appropriately. The bulk of pupil premium is used to employ extra help in classrooms or to fund enrichment activities. Indeed, the school provides numerous trips and events that improve pupils’ awareness of the wider world and how different people live.
• The sport funding has enabled the school to offer more physical activities and to provide sports camps in the holidays, which have proved very popular. Recent figures show that almost a fifth of pupils have attended a sports camp, where they can try new activities and develop new interests. In school, pupils have recently taken part in their own version of the Olympics, which, again, gave them opportunities to participate in different sports and games.
• The school leadership sets great store by the qualities of compassion, understanding and kindness. There are many inspirational quotes and pictures around the school that provide wise advice and prompt pause for thought. Through these influences and messages in stories, lessons and assemblies, the school helps pupils to develop healthy attitudes to life and to others.

Governance of the school

• Governance has had some ups and downs. In the period following the previous inspection, some governors took decisions without talking to other governors. This led to difficult situations, hindered the flow of information and restricted school improvement. Following a review of governance in March 2017, this changed.
• Since then, governance has improved and become more effective. Governors now receive more information, challenge the school in constructive ways and, collectively, have a better understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Governors have carried out skills audits and attended training, which has helped them reflect on the requirements of their role and their own effectiveness. They have also established links with governors from other schools in order to learn more. Governors still have limited awareness of the impact of some recent changes or the spending of specific funds. However, governors’ increasing ability to evaluate and plan for school improvement is moving governance in the right direction.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• This is a strength of the school’s work. Pupils are kept safe when they are in school and any concerns about a pupil’s safety are acted upon straight away. Staff and governors have received appropriate training and everyone knows what to do if a safeguarding matter arises. Records of incidents are kept and stored securely and shared with the right people in the right way at the right time.
• Parents have confidence that the school’s leaders will look after their children. Parents who spoke with inspectors said that they were impressed with the school’s work to keep their children safe. Pupils, too, could explain how the school teaches them to stay safe and act responsibly in different situations. Staff responses to inspectors revealed that they have a consistent and informed understanding of their duty of care.
• All the necessary checks on adults who work in or visit the school are carried out and entered on a central register. Governors routinely check this to make sure that it is up to date.
• First-aid treatment is available when needed and medicines in school are stored correctly.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• In the years following the previous inspection, the quality of teaching declined. Some teachers did not keep up with changes to the national curriculum. Instead, they carried on teaching what they were used to and, consequently, pupils fell behind in their learning. Furthermore, the school’s internal assessments of what pupils know and can do have been rather generous. This meant that teaching has not been pitched at the right level, so pupils have become confused or relied on adult help to get work done. In addition, low expectations of what pupils can do for themselves contributed to underachievement.
• For the most part, these problems with teaching and assessment have been solved, but not completely. In upper key stage 1, for example, teaching focuses on getting tasks completed rather than next steps in learning. To be fair, pupils do carry out some interesting tasks and staff pose thought-provoking questions. However, a heavy reliance on instructions and help from adults hinders accurate assessment of what pupils actually know and can do without support. It also holds back some of the most able pupils who could push on further. Consequently, pupils lack independence when they move up into key stage 2.
• In key stage 2, current teaching is informed by reliable assessments of what pupils can do without help. Indeed, classrooms are set up to encourage independent thinking, and teaching routinely requires pupils to apply their knowledge and skills to new situations. In lower key stage 2, for example, pupils have compiled their own reference booklets to help them improve their writing. In another example in upper key stage 2, Year 6 pupils were seen applying their arithmetic skills to a series of complex problems as they prepared for a fundraising project. They worked with a clear sense of purpose because teaching pushed them to think hard, persevere, learn from mistakes and reflect on the pros and cons of different solutions.
• Pupils in Year 6 report that teaching has improved and is more consistent than it used to be. They say that new work follows on logically from previous work, rather than jumping from one thing to the next, which happened in earlier years and led to parts of the curriculum being missed out.
• Work in books supports pupils’ views. It is clear that the previous erratic approach to teaching and the curriculum has limited some pupils’ stamina and ability to complete lengthy or challenging pieces of work. This is now changing as whole-school systems that assist pupils’ smooth progression from one class to the next are established. It is clear that pupils now have to work and think harder in lessons. However, there is still more to do to ensure greater consistency across the school so that pupils cover all the required work at the right level.
• Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to the quality of teaching. For instance, they play a pivotal role in the implementation of the school’s newly adopted phonics scheme. All have recently received phonics teaching training and have welcomed their new responsibilities. Looking ahead, a programme of regular training and opportunities to see and learn from effective practice in this and other schools would bring further benefits for all staff.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• While staff are attentive to pupils’ emotional and physical well-being, pupils have not been fully prepared for test situations or for learning at secondary school. On top of this, different staff have had different expectations for pupils’ learning behaviours and achievement. This is confusing for pupils and limits their confidence as learners.
• On a more positive note, the school is quick to notice and celebrate pupils’ achievements out of school. In the entrance hall, an eye-catching display records a variety of pupils’ successes in hobbies, sports and local activities. Staff know and understand pupils’ different personalities and regularly engage in good-natured chats about their interests and points of general knowledge. This helps pupils to feel relaxed and secure at school and to know adults care for them.
• Pupils and parents are confident that bullying is not a problem at school. They also report that any playground disagreements that do occur are resolved fairly and sensibly. Pupils who find it hard to cope in certain situations receive kind and constructive support.
• Parents are very appreciative of the school’s work to help and care for their children.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• In lessons and at other times, pupils’ conduct is usually calm and orderly. They are obedient in class and show respect to adults and to one another. During this inspection, pupils were keen to tell inspectors about the work they had done about the theme of equality. They showed a clear understanding of right and wrong and could explain why it is important to treat everyone fairly.
• Instances of poor behaviour can happen from time to time but they are not the norm and incidents are always recorded and followed up to reduce the likelihood of reoccurrence. Exclusions have been above average in the past but there has been only one fixed-term exclusion over the past year. School records show that proper processes are followed and that behaviour management routines are fair and proportionate.
• Attendance at school dropped to below average in 2017 but is now heading back up to its usual average figure. Parents report that pupils enjoy lessons and are keen to attend. Almost all pupils are punctual and come into school with a smile and a cheery greeting to the adults they see.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• In recent years, official measures of progress across key stage 2 have declined and standards at the end of Year 6 have fallen. The key stage 2 results for 2017 showed some improvement on the 2016 results. Even so, pupils still did not do as well as they should have done in English and mathematics, with mathematics lagging behind reading and writing.
• There are two main reasons for this. First, internal assessments, particularly those made at the end of Year 2, have not been wholly reliable. This led staff to believe that pupils were further ahead in their learning than they were. Second, there have been shortcomings in key stage 2 teaching. In particular, some staff did not keep up to date with the content and demands of the national curriculum. This meant that pupils were not taught everything they needed to know before moving on to secondary school, most noticeably in mathematics.
• As the teaching team has been refreshed and more training put in place, this decline has been halted and progress for current pupils has improved. Consequently, standards are rising. Nevertheless, in several year groups, pupils have gaps in their knowledge because of weak teaching and assessment in previous years.
• Work in books shows that, in almost all cases, pupils are now doing more work than they used to. Across key stage 2, pupils’ progress is picking up. In reading, writing and mathematics, an increasing proportion of pupils are on track to reach the expected standards for their age. The most able pupils are responding well to the higher levels of challenge now being set in most classes. Nevertheless, at times, pupils have to plod through undemanding tasks before they can start activities that move them on further. Currently, the proportion of pupils currently working above age-related expectations remains lower than it ought to be, given pupils’ capabilities and potential.
• Disadvantaged pupils are not doing as well as other pupils nationally. However, there are no striking differences between their achievement and that of other pupils in the school. Whether disadvantaged or not, all pupils have lost ground to make up.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities benefit from recently improved support when learning to read. Consequently, their fluency and comprehension skills are getting better. In other subjects, progress presents more of a mixed picture. Some in-class and small-group support is effective, some less so. In several cases, a lack of regular staff training has held back aspects of teaching and pupils’ progress.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Since the previous inspection, there have been several positive developments in the early years but there is still room for improvement in aspects of teaching. In both the Nursery and Reception classes, teaching does not make the most of children’s interests and responses in order to move learning on further. In addition, staff across the whole early years phase have not had enough opportunities to learn from practice elsewhere or to attend regular training.
• In the Nursery and Reception classes, teaching is planned at the right level because it is informed by ongoing observations and assessments of what children can do. Sometimes, however, adults are quick to accept limited verbal responses from children and do not prompt them to expand. Given that many children start school with underdeveloped language and communication skills, staff could do more to prompt children to talk, explain and develop their vocabulary and speaking skills.
• Similarly, building work and activities around children’s own interests could be taken further. This happens very well in the recently opened pre-school provision. Indeed, this part of the early years has got off to a flying start. Here, staff regularly seize upon children’s own fascinations and use themes as a springboard into worthwhile early language and number work.
• While there are aspects that could be improved, the early years staff are very receptive to advice and provide a good level of care. They treat children fairly and ensure that routines are in place so that children know what is expected. Consequently, children feel safe and secure and behave well at school. Any children who are worried or upset are attended to quickly and all are spoken to kindly and given plenty of encouragement.
• Staff ensure that parents are kept well informed about what is happening at school. In turn, parents are very pleased with the positive early start their children receive. There is now scope to build on this good relationship with parents in order to share information about children’s schoolwork so that parents can help them with their learning at home.
• The early years is going through a period of change. The early years leader is moving to another role in school and a new early years leader will start in September 2018. The current leadership recognises the need for further staff training and can be credited with overseeing several positive developments. For instance, the school has just implemented a new phonics scheme and, while it is in its early days, this is definitely a step in the right direction. Already, children’s reading skills have improved and this is reflected in the increased proportion of children who are ready for learning in key stage 1.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 134666 Staffordshire 10043151 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 Community 2 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 192 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Graham Townsend Andrew Minott 01889 228 750 www.chaseviewprimary.co.uk office@chaseview.staffs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 10–11 October 2012

Information about this school

• Chase View Community Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school. The number on roll has increased considerably since the previous inspection.
• Almost all pupils are White British.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils at the school is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• In 2017, the school met the government’s floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment by the end of Year 6.
• In September 2017, the school opened a pre-school provision which admits children from two years of age.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all year groups. The inspectors also examined pupils’ work in books and considered school test and assessment information.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour and the school’s routines at the beginning and end of the school day, at lunch and breaktimes and when pupils were moving about the school site.
• Meetings were held with pupils, staff, school leaders and governors. The lead inspector had a telephone conversation with an educational consultant and a local authority representative.
• By the end of the inspection, there were 28 recent responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and one free-text response. The inspectors considered these and also spoke with parents at the beginning of the school day. In addition, the inspectors looked at responses to the staff and pupil questionnaires.
• A number of school documents were examined. These included information about pupils’ achievement, evaluations of the school’s performance and several policy statements. Records relating to governance, staff training, SEN and/or disabilities, early years, external advice, behaviour, attendance, exclusions, safety, safeguarding and the quality of teaching were also scrutinised. The school’s website was also checked.

Inspection team

Martin Pye, lead inspector Chris Minton

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector