Chetwynd Spencer Academy

Chetwynd Primary Academy Chetwynd Road, Toton, Nottingham, NG9 6FW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher has communicated her vision clearly. She has been supported by her committed staff and unswerving in her drive to ensure that all pupils succeed.  Pupils behave well. They say they feel safe here. They say bullying is most unusual and they know it would be dealt with promptly if it occurred.  An atmosphere of calmness, tolerance and respect for each other pervades the academy. This underpins pupils’ very good spiritual, social, moral and cultural development.  The quality of teaching is good, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  The academy now tracks pupils’ progress meticulously.  The quality of marking in some books is good, and helps pupils to move forward rapidly.  Pupils make consistently good progress through the academy in mathematics, reading and writing. Many make more than expected progress. No group of pupils underachieves.  Pupils are attentive and keen to learn. They help

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

each other well. They enjoy coming to the academy, as their high attendance shows, and benefit from a wide range sporting and other activities.  Standards at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 in 2014 were much higher than they were in 2013.  Children make a positive start to their education in the effective Reception classes, because adults regularly engage them in thoughtful conversation.  Governors know the academy well and support or challenge leaders and managers effectively to bring about improvements.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The proportion of outstanding teaching is not yet high enough. There is some inconsistency in the challenge provided for the most able pupils.  Marking does not always give pupils clear guidance on what they need to do to get better.  Some parts of the curriculum are repeated from one year to the next in mixed-age classes.  Development plans lack precision. Actions for improvement are not detailed and measures of progress are not always clear.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors’ observation strategy to test the quality of learning included visiting all classes and looking at many pupils’ books. They visited 25 lessons, watched smaller supported groups, and attended an academy assembly. They also heard a number of pupils read.  Inspectors met with staff, members of the governing body, and a representative of the Academy Trust.  They took account of 25 staff questionnaires and spoke to parents at the start of the day. The 100 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were also considered. The lead inspector received two letters from parents.  Inspectors observed pupils moving around the academy and talked to pupils in the playground and in the classrooms. One inspector held a formal discussion with a group of pupils from Year 6.  They looked at a range of the academy’s documents including its self-evaluation, the development plan, records of governing body meetings, and reports from external consultants. They examined documents

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Information about this inspection

relating to the behaviour and safety of pupils.

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Inspection team

Terry McDermott, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This academy is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Chetwynd Primary Academy converted to become an academy school on 1 April 2012. When its predecessor school, Chetwynd Road Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted in March 2010, it was judged to be good.  It is a partner academy within the Spencer Academies Trust and a member of the George Spencer Academy Teaching Schools Alliance.  A new principal was appointed in February 2014.  All classes except Reception are organised as three mixed age groups: Years 1 and 2; Years 3 and 4; Years 5 and 6.  A much greater proportion of pupils enter or leave the academy during the year than is usual. This is because a significant number of pupils are from service families stationed nearby.  The very large majority of pupils are of white British origin. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding is much lower

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Information about this school

than average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, and those children that are looked after by the local authority).  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported by school action is below the national average. The proportion supported through school action plus or by a statement of special educational need is well-below average.  The academy meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of lessons where learning is outstanding, so that all pupils make consistently good or better progress by ensuring that:  lessons are planned to provide challenge to all pupils, but particularly the most able, so that they are not given work which is too easy  overall planning takes account of what pupils have covered in earlier years so that work is not repeated unnecessarily  marking is always carried through in a consistent manner and provides pupils with consistent support and guidance, subject by subject and year group by year group.  Further improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by ensuring that:  curriculum planning over the longer term avoids unnecessary repeat work  academy development planning details the actions needed to secure improvement and clearly specifies what measures will be used to identify success when it happens.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, supported by the governing body, the Spencer Academy Trust, and newly appointed senior leaders, has successfully led the academy through a period of leadership changes. She has established a professional culture among the staff where expertise is beginning to be shared and where there is a united commitment to continuous improvement. Team working is a real strength and adults are now ensuring that all pupils have the chance to do as well as they can.

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The leadership and management are good

 Members of the senior leadership team are relatively new to their role, but they are developing their skills well and are increasingly involved in checking performance, particularly pupils’ progress, and leading improvements in their areas of responsibility.

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The leadership and management are good

 The reviewing of the academy’s performance by its leaders is accurate and thorough. Leaders, staff and governors know what the academy does well and where it could be improved. The academy development plan identifies the areas for improvement accurately. However, it does not clearly specify what will be done to bring the improvement about nor how the improvement will be measured.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy now has accurate systems for measuring and checking pupils’ progress. Leaders hold teachers to account for the progress of the pupils they teach. Teachers can be rewarded for improvements in pupils’ progress through pay progression linked to target setting.

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The leadership and management are good

 Links with outstanding academies within the Trust are productive and successful. Teachers are able to see best practice in other settings to extend their skills in ensuring that pupils are competent and confident in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The leadership and management are good

 A wide range of subjects and topics are taught, including French, in order to promote good achievement for all pupils. This caring academy works hard to ensure that all pupils feel valued and are able to access everything it has to offer. Participation rates in lunchtime and afternoon clubs, such as ‘Glitter Maths’, mini-marathon training, and ‘Bricks for kidz’ are consistently high.

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The leadership and management are good

 In addition to leading to standards which are markedly higher than in 2013 in mathematics, reading and writing, the curriculum is also having a strong influence on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Transition arrangements towards using age-related assessments are already being implemented. Nonetheless, the academy is aware that some higher attaining pupils do not always reach the high standards of which they are capable

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The leadership and management are good

 The Spencer Academy Trust has provided effective support during times of significant recent leadership changes.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy has robust safeguarding procedures for keeping pupils safe and secure. Staff are well trained in child protection procedures.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Members of the governing body are knowledgeable, enthusiastic and hard working. The Chair sits on the Trust Board. Governors have a clear understanding of the standards pupils reach and how much progress they are making. They are well informed about the quality of teaching. They know about the accuracy of the academy’s current assessment methodology. They use this information to challenge leaders and to hold the academy to account for its performance. Governors are familiar with the procedures used to make sure that teachers’ performance in the classroom is managed well and making a difference to pupils’ learning. They know how the pupil premium funding is spent and how effectively it is used. All safeguarding requirements are met.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Their attitudes to learning are never less than good. Their behaviour in lessons and around the building is commendable.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils readily become absorbed in learning when they are set challenging tasks which make them work things through for themselves.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 They are unfailingly polite and respectful to each other and to adults. They take very good care of their books, their classrooms and the equipment they use. They provide good support to other pupils who join the academy part way through their education.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The academy’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say that bullying is not an issue ‘because everyone knows you won’t get away with it’. They are very confident that they could approach a trusted adult to help them deal with any problems they might be worried about.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The overwhelming majority of the large number of parents who responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View) felt that the academy keeps their children safe and happy. Pupils’ consistently above average attendance confirms this.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The academy takes its responsibilities for safeguarding pupils well-being very seriously. Staff training is updated annually and rigorous checks are in place to minimise risk around the building and within activities. Many adults supervise playtimes.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils know how to keep safe. The academy’s taught curriculum and excellent assemblies include regular advice, guidance and role-playing on, for example, firework safety, road safety, the misuse of substances, and particularly on the dangers posed by computers and the internet. The pupils in this academy are even taught about the dangers of unexploded ordnance.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted very well. There is low key but relentless modelling by adults of tolerance and fairness in classrooms and playgrounds. Pupils also experience personal charity by helping shoppers at the nearby supermarket to load their bags without seeking any donations.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Large numbers of pupils take part in charitable fund raising activities including ‘Children in Need’, ‘Walking with the Wounded’, and ‘Water Aid’ as they strive to uphold the academy motto, ‘Better than our best’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 When the pace of learning occasionally slows in lessons, pupils sit waiting patiently and politely for the next task to be allocated, rather than seeking out the next challenge.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good. It is having a positive impact on pupils’ rates of progress and their attainment. Examples of outstanding teaching can be seen in all phases of the academy.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching successfully engages pupils and promotes good learning for all groups. Teachers establish very positive relationships with pupils and expect their behaviour to be at least good. Classrooms are vibrant, well equipped and stimulating. They generate a very positive environment for learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ crisp explanations and instructions help to ensure that pupils know unequivocally what they are going to learn about. Pupils’ thinking is challenged and their understanding of new learning checked by skilful questioning which enables teachers to respond quickly to misconceptions.

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The quality of teaching is good

 This was seen to excellent effect in a Year 3/4 mathematics lesson where the pupils were solving word problems. After a rapid start, the teacher maximised the impact of his introduction by setting different tasks well-matched to different pupils’ learning needs and by challenging pupils to ‘have a go’ on their own. Working skilfully with a very able teaching assistant, and using only technically correct subject language, he then sustained their impressive intellectual efforts over time. All pupils, of all abilities, were totally engaged in the lesson, their learning was rapid and their understanding secured.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are accurate and thorough in assessing pupils’ attainment. They now analyse this information well to plan their teaching and to set challenging work for different groups of pupils. As a result, pupils engage fully in their learning. Their interest is sustained and they make good gains in acquiring knowledge, deepening their understanding and acquiring new skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Occasionally, work is not set at the right level of difficulty. When this happens, pupils’ learning can slow down because the work is too easy, especially for higher-attaining pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is successful because skilful teaching assistants are well deployed around the classroom, allowing the teacher to focus attention on where it is most needed, particularly with literacy and numeracy.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and support staff ensure that pupils new to the academy settle in quickly. Their skills are rapidly assessed and appropriate work set.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The marking of pupils’ work is often a very strong feature of good learning. At its best it is challenging, informative and encouraging. Constructive comments help guide the next steps of pupils’ learning. Pupils told inspectors how they found detailed marking helps their learning. However, this quality of marking is not always applied consistently, sometimes even by the same teacher.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils normally enter the Reception classes of the academy with knowledge skills and understanding typically found in children of their age nationally. They make good progress because they are taught well in all phases and have positive attitudes to learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All pupils in all age groups throughout the academy are making at least good and sometimes outstanding progress. This is clear from looking at their books.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 More-able pupils do not make as much progress as they might because teaching does not always offer sufficient challenge to them

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The apparent fall in the standards pupils reached in reading, writing and mathematics in Key Stage 1 in 2013 reflects an accurate measure of what they knew and could do compared with previous years.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The proportion of pupils from Year 6 in 2014 making expected progress and more than expected progress is likely to compare favourably with the national average. However, the apparently high standards they reached at the end of Key Stage 1 in 2010 will limit the measure of more than expected progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2013, every group of pupils in Year 6 of the academy underachieved. The causes have been rectified. There is no evidence that any group of pupils currently on the roll of the academy underachieves. Work seen in many pupils’ books indicates that pupils, including those few eligible for support through the pupil premium, are now making faster progress over time than that typically made by other pupils nationally. The small number of eligible pupils in Year 6 in 2013 means that it is not possible to comment on their progress or attainment without risk of identifying them. No group of pupils now underachieves.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Reading is taught well. There are effective strategies throughout the academy to ensure that pupils’ essential reading skills, including phonics (letters and the sounds they make) are secure. Pupils read widely and often, and apply their reading skills well when solving word problems in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in speaking and listening because adults constantly require them to explain their thinking in full sentences using the technical language of the subject they are working in. For example in mathematics, pupils routinely say ‘subtract’, not ’take away’ and ‘multiply’ rather than ‘times’.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because of the high level and challenging support they receive from skilful teaching assistants.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 When pupils reach year 6, they are mature, considerate and happy young citizens.

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The early years provision is good

 Children join the academy from a range of different settings. Some children have no experience of pre- school. Their levels of skill and knowledge are usually around that typically found in children of their age.

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The early years provision is good

 Children quickly feel at home in the very well equipped classes. The outdoor areas provide a range of particularly attractive environments to stimulate role-playing and conversation. The many subtle mathematical challenges and reading opportunities unobtrusively but very successfully stimulate children’s curiosity.

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The early years provision is good

 Teachers and other adults quickly find out what the children can already do and use this knowledge very effectively to direct attention to those children who might need additional support.

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The early years provision is good

 Because teaching is always at least good, and often better, children make very good progress in all the areas of learning. By the time children left the Early Years Foundation Stage in 2014 well over two thirds of them had reached a good level of development, with about half exceeding that. They had made good progress.

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The early years provision is good

 Children move seamlessly between indoor and outdoor activities which are always linked to a common theme, for example ‘fishing’, and which always have an intended learning outcome. Questions asked by adults always seek an explanation described in sentences. This works harmoniously with teacher directed phonics in building children’s communication skills.

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The early years provision is good

 The recently restructured leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage are good. All adults are fully familiar with an accurate and reliable system for assessing children’s learning gains. Succession planning is integral to the working of this strong phase of the academy.

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The early years provision is good

 Safeguarding safety and welfare requirements are very well met.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 138070 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 443946

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 299 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Malcolm Batchelor Principal Lorraine Tonks Date of previous school inspection n/a Telephone number 0115 9177353 Fax number 0115 9177352 Email address office@chetwyndroad.notts.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 and 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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