Cheswick Green Primary School

Cheswick Green Primary School Cheswick Way, Shirley, Solihull, B90 4HG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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.  As a result of consistently good teaching, pupils achieve well. They make good progress throughout the school and attain above average standards in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The proportion of outstanding teaching is steadily rising. Lessons engage pupils’ interest and enthusiasm and help them to become confident learners.  Behaviour and safety are outstanding. Pupils have a very mature understanding of how to stay safe and their excellent attitudes to learning prepare them extremely well for secondary school.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive appropriate individual support so that they make similar progress to other pupils.  The pupil premium is spent effectively on the eligible pupils to improve their attendance, boost their self-confidence and quicken their progress. As a result any gaps in attainment between these and other pupils in the school

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

are closing.  The headteacher and senior teachers, supported by the outstanding governing body lead and manage the school well. They ensure high expectations for performance are met and as a result the quality of teaching and provision is improving strongly.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always make it clear enough to pupils what they need to do to make good or outstanding progress.  Pupils do not learn enough about the range of cultural traditions represented in the local area.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors visited 12 lessons, mostly accompanied by the headteacher or one of the assistant headteachers, and observed a range of activities, including break and lunch times, the breakfast club and a physical fitness training session.  Meetings and discussions were held with staff, groups of pupils, governors and a representative of the local authority. The inspectors took into account the 82 responses to the Parent View questionnaires that were available, the responses to the governing body’s recent parents’ questionnaire and comments by a number of parents and carers spoken to around the school.  The inspectors heard pupils read in the classroom, talked to them about their experiences of school and looked at the work in their books. They examined a range of documents including safeguarding policies and procedures, the school’s view of its own performance, lesson plans and records of the progress of past and current pupils.

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Inspection team

Peter Kerr, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Anthony Green Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Cheswick Green is an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium ( additional government funding, which in this school is allocated for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals) is low compared to most schools.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported at school action plus or with statements of special educational needs is slightly above the national average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is similar to that found in the majority of primary schools. Nearly all the pupils speak English as a first language.  The school meets current floor standards, whereby the government sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  An independently run pre-school, which operates on the site in premises shared with the school’s before-school and after-school care provision, is inspected and reported upon

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make teachers’ marking and feedback to pupils more effective in raising achievement by:  providing clearer and more accurate guidance for pupils on what constitutes good or outstanding progress in lessons.  Help pupils to learn more about the different cultural traditions represented in the locality.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with good levels of development for their age. They make rapid progress across the areas of learning and start in Year 1 with above average attainment.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress is good in each year-group and attainment is above average in English and mathematics at the end of Year 2 and Year 6. The Year 6 national test results in 2012 and 2013 indicated average progress from Year 2 to Year 6. The school’s teacher assessments provide convincing evidence that a number of pupils performed below par in the tests in 2013, and that progress was in fact good.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The learning seen in lessons during the inspection and the work in the pupils' books confirms that progress is good in English and mathematics and attainment is rising. Increasing proportions of pupils in the current Years 5 and 6 are on track to reach the higher levels than was the case in 2013, reflecting good progress for the most able pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The results of the Year 1 screening check in phonics (linking letters and sounds) were below average in 2013. The inspection evidence showed, however, that pupils at all reading levels in Year 1 have good phonics skills which they use confidently to read unfamiliar words.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enjoy reading and read widely. Progress is good in spelling, punctuation and grammar throughout the school and pupils develop confidence in speaking aloud because of the many opportunities they have to do so. They also have good information and communications technology skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Learning in mathematics is good because lessons challenge pupils to use their skills to solve problems. Lower attaining pupils receive good support while the most able learn well because their tasks make them think hard.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils know their attainment levels and targets and what they need to do next to improve in their work. They sometimes think they have done better than they have in lessons, however, because the descriptions they are given to measure their progress by are not always clear and accurate.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because work is set for them at just the right level. The support given helps them to make quicker progress and catch up.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Only a few pupils are eligible for the pupil premium and a sizeable proportion of these are either already at a similar level of attainment to their peers or are also in the category of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs. It is therefore impossible to make a meaningful general judgement about closing the attainment gap between pupils eligible for the pupil premium and others. The school’s data shows, however, that the progress being made by eligible pupils in each class is at least equal to and sometimes better than that of their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils have a sound knowledge of the religions they have studied in religious education lessons. They have also learned about some aspects of the different cultures represented in the school. They are less well-informed about the various cultures and religions strongly represented in the nearby city and wider region. The school has already acknowledged this and included it in the school improvement plan.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is nearly always at least good and sometimes it is outstanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is of the same high quality reported at the previous inspection. Teachers and teaching assistants plan and deliver highly enjoyable lessons and activities indoors and out that enable the children to learn confidently and rapidly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All lessons throughout the school are well prepared and resourced and teachers make it very clear to pupils what is expected of them in terms of behaviour, effort and learning outcomes. They set tasks at appropriate levels of difficulty for different groups in the class, including the most able, and work closely with teaching assistants to ensure that all pupils receive the degree of support and challenge they need to complete their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ marking is thorough and helpful. Teachers ensure that pupils correct mistakes and provide individual pointers for improvement. Pupils are expected to regularly mark their own work and that of their classmates and they say they enjoy doing this because it helps them to improve.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Phonics, spelling and grammar are taught well so that as they move through the school pupils’ reading and writing become more accurate and fluent. Regular drama lessons develop the pupils' self-confidence and improve their performance skills. This was clearly evident in the outstanding performance by Year 3 and 4 pupils in the play observed during the inspection.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan a good variety of activities to keep the pupils engaged and active, including weekly outdoor learning sessions, art and music. Pupils say that as well as being enjoyable, many lessons make even the most able think and work hard.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The system by which pupils gauge their progress in lessons is less helpful because the descriptions provided by teachers do not always accurately describe what would be expected to achieve good or outstanding progress. As a result, pupils sometimes say they have made outstanding progress when in fact they have made expected progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Relationships between pupils and between staff and the children are excellent. The school is a very friendly, welcoming place for pupils and their families.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The pupils' outstanding attitudes in lessons ensure that their learning is not interrupted by distracting behaviour. Their exceptional enthusiasm for learning is a key feature in their good and improving progress and achievement.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils and their parents and carers feel that the staff know and value them as individuals and this helps them to feel very safe in school. They have an outstanding knowledge of how to reduce risk to themselves in a range of situations, both within and beyond school, including road safety and safe use of the internet.  Pupils enjoy taking on responsibilities for example, as school councillors or working to improve their environment. They are particularly proud of the contributions they have made to establishing and maintaining the Jubilee garden.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils play a leading role in producing the regular school magazine; including selecting the contributions, setting the selling price and determining how any profits will be spent. This contributes greatly to their personal development and preparation for the world of work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The great majority of pupils have a good attendance record. The school provides good support for those parents and carers who find it difficult to maintain good attendance. Exclusions from school are exceedingly rare and only ever used to ensure the safety of pupils and staff.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The pupils have a very mature understanding of the values that the school promotes and a sincere wish to live by them. This greatly enhances their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and contributes to the very positive learning environment in the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils understand some of the different forms that bullying can take and are confident that members of staff will listen to them and deal quickly with any incidents that arise. They say that bullying is very rare. School records confirm this.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides good leadership. Together with the effective senior leadership team she has established a clear plan for school improvement. Staff strongly support the school leadership, as was evident from the unanimously positive responses to the staff questionnaire.

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The leadership and management are good

 Subject leaders in English, mathematics and technology are effective in improving the quality of teaching and achievement in their subjects throughout the school, working very closely with senior leaders. They lead by example and give good support to colleagues.

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The leadership and management are good

 Plans for improving the school are based on leaders’ accurate view of its strengths and weaknesses and focus strongly on raising pupils' achievements. Leaders continually check the quality of teaching. They successfully challenge teachers to improve their performance and ensure that they have appropriate training and support to do so.

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The leadership and management are good

 Independent checks by external consultants confirm that leaders are successfully increasing the amount of outstanding teaching in the school. The local authority agrees that procedures are good but has yet to independently confirm the quality of teaching by direct observations in lessons.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders and governors work hard to establish and maintain positive relationships with parents and carers. Newsletters are regular and informative and parents are invited to events in school and to help in the classroom, for example by hearing readers. A large number of parents attended the highly enjoyable play performed by pupils in Years 3 and 4 during the inspection.

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The leadership and management are good

 A number of parents responding to the parent view questionnaire expressed negative views about some aspects of the school’s leadership and management. All the parents spoken to during the inspection expressed positive views. A good number of parents contribute positively to improving the school, for example by developing the Jubilee garden and helping to publish the excellent regular school magazine.  The curriculum is well planned to provide a good balance of activities to cater for a wide range of interests. Provision for information and communications technology is well managed, enabling pupils to keep up-to-date with emerging technologies and develop interests and skills, such as writing computer programs. This helps to prepare them well for secondary education and the world of work.

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The leadership and management are good

 The additional sports funding (provided by the government to all primary schools) has been used wisely to implement an interim fitness programme pending the appointment of a new subject leader for physical education. The pupils spoken to say they like having individual fitness targets. The lunchtime coaching session that was observed during the inspection was well-attended by enthusiastic pupils who were clearly getting a lot of benefit from the activity.

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The leadership and management are good

 Arrangements for keeping pupils safe meet current requirements. The staff work very effectively with outside agencies to ensure that pupils who are most vulnerable receive a high level of support.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are highly effective in supporting the school and holding the headteacher and senior leaders to account for the quality of teaching and achievement of the pupils. They check the work of the school through focused visits and provide well-informed constructive feedback.  The governing body makes sure that the process of setting and monitoring of targets for teachers operates effectively so that pay is linked to the performance of staff and their management responsibilities.  Governors have an exceptionally clear grasp of the data on individual pupil’s progress and use this information well to ensure that all pupils have equal opportunities to succeed. They acknowledge and value the significant role the headteacher and assistant headteachers play in keeping them well informed and enabling them to fulfil their roles.  Governors are very aware of how the pupil premium is spent to support eligible pupils’

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The leadership and management are good

progress and the impact this has on their attainment.

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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 104074 Local authority Solihull Inspection number 431508

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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 Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 212 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Deborah Smith Headteacher Carol Mason Date of previous school inspection 25 March 2009 Telephone number 01564 703336 Fax number 01564 702074 Email address office@cheswick-green.solihull.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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