Chasetown Community School

Chasetown Community School Church Street, Chasetown, Burntwood, WS7 3QL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Chasetown Community School has improved substantially since the last inspection.  Teaching is now good and this enables pupils to make good progress. Many pupils join the school at various times through the primary phase, but over relatively short periods of time they make good academic progress.  Teaching has many strengths. Staff have high expectations of pupils and specialist teachers have helped to raise standards, for example in science. Technology is often well used to make learning stimulating for pupils.  The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding. Many pupils make vast improvements in their behaviour and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning.  The subjects and wide range of interesting opportunities offered to pupils are excellent and this does much to provide enjoyment and lay the foundations for the good progress they make.  The development of a nurture group meets the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

needs of those pupils who face particular difficulties and this helps them to blossom and to start to make good academic and personal progress.  The headteacher together with the governing body has worked hard to make sure that teaching and pupils’ achievements have improved since the last inspection and knows what needs to be achieved to make the school outstanding.  The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is promoted extremely well. This is because they are given numerous opportunities to work with each other constructively.  With the aid of a family support worker, the school develops effective links with parents and carers.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Targets set in lessons are not individual enough and on occasions this limits pupils’ learning.  The marking of pupils’ work is inconsistent.  Sometimes, teaching lacks flair and pace and as a result pupils are not as engaged in learning as they could be.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed eight lessons, as well as four, part lessons. Five lessons were joint observations with the headteacher.  Discussions were held with senior leaders, pupils, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  There were insufficient responses from parents to the online questionnaire (Parent View), but the team also considered the school’s recent survey, where 20 parents replied.  The inspection team looked at a range of documentation including the school’s information on pupils’ progress, its self-evaluation, development plans and information relating to the safeguarding of students, as well as responses to a staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Frank Price, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Rosemary Mackenzie Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Chasetown Community School educates pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties and associated learning difficulties such as speech and language needs and pupils on the autistic spectrum disorder. All pupils have a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding (additional funding allocated by the government for certain groups of pupils, in this case, those who are known to be eligible for free school meals and who are looked after by the local authority) is above average. Six Year 7 pupils are eligible for the Year 7 catch-up premium.  More than three quarters of the pupils are boys. Nearly all pupils are White British almost all have a statement of special educational needs.  The school population is constantly changing, as many pupils join the school towards the end of their primary education and some pupils move back to other schools.

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any form of alternative provision.  The school holds a number of awards for its use of information and communication technology, its international links and its dyslexia friendly approach.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that more is outstanding and raise pupils’ achievement by:  making sure the targets that teachers set at the start of lessons are sharper and personalised for each pupil, so that pupils make as much progress as they can  making learning more stimulating through the use of activities which fires pupils’ enthusiasm and improves the pace of learning  improving how pupils’ work is marked, so pupils understand what they need to do next to improve.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress, often from low starting points. They are assessed when they start school and this enables the school both to measure their progress accurately and to identify where pupils have gaps in their knowledge and understanding. Where pupils have deficits in their learning, then additional help and support is made available to them.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 As a result of this targeted support, pupils start to catch up with their peers. Many of these pupils are eligible for the pupil premium or the Year 7 catch–up funding. This funding has been used to accelerate pupils’ learning, so that they make up lost ground and close gaps in their in attainment in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils perform well in English, as the school has had a strong focus on improving pupils’ reading, writing and spelling abilities. As a result pupils have made particularly good progress in reading. Many pupils enjoy reading and speak with pride that they are ‘free readers’, meaning they can read any book they choose in the school library. Many pupils read with fluency, enjoyment, confidence and understanding, although some more-able pupils do not evaluate the books they have read to give reasoned opinions on authors or stories.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school identified a dip in pupils’ progress in mathematics. This has led to changes in the way the subject has been taught and managed across the school. As a result, pupils’ progress is improving rapidly and last year pupils made good gains.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress of pupils who have different learning disabilities, such as those on the autistic spectrum disorder, or those with speech and language difficulties, is carefully checked. Pupils, regardless of their background, gender or special educational needs, make equally good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most pupils enjoy lessons. They regularly work independently or in groups and get along with each other well. In a science lesson for example, pupils worked in groups of three, to establish a simple food chain and work out which animals were prey and which were predators and in a cookery lesson pupils worked very well in pairs to make gingerbread biscuits.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Some pupils, who make good academic and personal progress, are able to return to mainstream schools through the appointment of a transition worker.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers set high expectations for pupils, both for behaviour and their academic performance and pupils respond well to these. Classes are calm, orderly and pupils are keen to learn. Classrooms are warm and vibrant with pupils’ work well displayed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Particular strengths of teaching are the numerous planned opportunities for pupils to work co- operatively and this helps to improve their personal and social development very effectively.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Technology is used very well to make learning interesting for pupils. Many are confident in using laptops or tablets to record or research their work and help to develop their independent learning skills.  At the end of lessons teachers routinely use questioning well to check not only what pupils have learned but also to extend their thinking and verbal skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff are very skilled at managing pupils’ behaviour and this is done sensitively so that disruptions to learning are minimised.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers set out targets for pupils at the start of lessons, but these are too broad and not individualised enough and some pupils stated that sometimes work was too easy for them. Occasionally, the pace of learning is too slow and activities do not enthuse pupils as much as they could do to fully capture their motivation. There are some examples of good marking of pupils’ work, so that they know how to improve, but this practice is not consistent across the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils arrive and leave school in a calm, orderly and safe manner. Their behaviour in lessons and around the school is excellent. This is a remarkable achievement given that many pupils are referred to the school for behavioural reasons. Pupils’ make considerable progress in becoming more mature and working well together.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ co-operative and interaction skills are actively encouraged through regular group work in lessons. For example, at lunchtimes, pupils play board and card games to develop social skills such as turn taking and following rules. Many display positive attitudes to learning and they enjoy lessons and the varied experiences they receive.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils feel safe from bullying and one pupil said, ‘We don’t do bullying’. The school has an exceptionally strong focus on keeping pupils safe on the internet. It recognises that pupils use technology out of school and they are taught the importance of protecting passwords and how to use social media responsibly and sensibly.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ attendance is average and there are no exclusions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is developed exceptionally well. For example, the school has a link with a school in India and pupils have explored various aspects of this culture, including its food and music. Pupils appreciate nature through outdoor activities and trips, as well as enjoying the sight of deer in the school grounds. Pupils benefit from a range of visitors to the school who demonstrate new or unusual experiences such as playing the Australian Aboriginal musical instrument, the didgeridoo.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils understand the reward and sanction systems. The most eagerly anticipated reward for excellent behaviour is the opportunity to fly in a small plane, piloted by a member of staff, and pupils fly over the school, their house and familiar landmarks, such as Alton Towers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

The school council is vocal and makes suggestions for improvements and arranges fundraising events.

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The leadership and management are good

 The key issues from the previous inspection have been addressed well and the school has made good improvements. The headteacher together with the governing body provides ambition and drive for the school ultimately to be outstanding.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has the support of staff and nearly all parents feel the school teaches their children well and the school is well run.

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The leadership and management are good

 The pupil premium has been spent appropriately on providing additional teaching support so that pupils can receive targeted help which has provided opportunities for pupils to explore creative experiences. This has helped them to make good progress in literacy and numeracy and has improved their behaviour and attendance at school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has invested in a family-support worker who works closely with families and carers. Part of this role involves taking pupils out on visits or outdoor activities to develop their social skills, as well as working with families to address specific areas of concern.

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The leadership and management are good

 Targets set for teachers have helped to secure good teaching across the school. Staff have good opportunities to develop their practice further. The checking of teaching has been thorough and there is a suitable relationship between the quality of teaching and pay.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school offers pupils an excellent range of subjects and experiences. Many opportunities that pupils experience are memorable events such as theatre visits, which are successful in building pupils’ self-esteem and social skills and often lay the platform for improved learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided good support to the school. It has confidence in the school and headteacher and would like to extend its provision to incorporate Key Stage 1 pupils. Helpful support has been made available to improve teaching and address the dip in mathematics.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has strong procedures to see that pupils are protected and are safe. The Headteacher is a member of Staffordshire Children's Safeguarding Board. The school works closely with other services to address concerns relating to safeguarding.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management are good

 The governing body contributes well to the effective leadership and management of the school. Governors support the school well and also provide challenge. Each governor is linked to an aspect of the school and this helps them to be well informed about the strengths and weaknesses of the school. For example, governors were aware of the dip in mathematics and have overseen improvements to the teaching of the subject. The governing body has recently developed an action plan for itself to drive the school forward further. Governors are involved in setting the priorities for the school and are involved in the self-evaluation process. They have made sure that the setting of targets and the quality of teaching matches appropriate pay. Weaknesses in teaching have been tackled effectively. They know how additional funding has been used and the impact it has made and are confident it provides value for money.

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The leadership and management are good

They have received good training in areas such a safeguarding, financial management and understanding the school’s assessment information. As a result they are well informed and in a good position to provide effective strategic leadership to the school.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 132731 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 402555

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Special School category Community Special Age range of pupils 7–13 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 63 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Steven Norman Headteacher Linda James Date of previous school inspection 26 May 2010 Telephone number 01543 686315 Fax number 01543 675984 Email address headteacher@chasetowncommunity.staffs.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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