Christ Church Primary School

Christ Church Primary School Dale Street, Burton-on-Trent, DE14 3TE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 and other teachers are well supported by governors. They are successfully promoting effective teaching and good achievement for pupils and have had a positive impact in bringing about improvement.  Children in the early years settle in quickly and are taught well. From starting points that are below those typical for their age, they make good progress and are well prepared for Year 1.  Pupils continue to achieve well in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Their progress in writing is particularly good.  Teaching is good across the school because lessons are made interesting for pupils, and so they are eager to succeed in their learning.  Pupils with special educational needs, those who speak English as an additional language and disadvantaged pupils all make good progress, because they receive high-quality support.  In this inclusive and harmonious school, pupils’ behaviour in lessons is good and they are very keen

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

to work hard and to learn. Pupils have pride in their school, in their work and in themselves. Relationships are good and pupils feel safe and secure.  Pupils say they feel safe and learn how to keep themselves safe at all times.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Pupils make a positive contribution to the local environment and the school’s cohesive community.  The subjects taught promote pupils’ achievement well. Pupils participate in the extensive sporting and musical activities on offer to them.  The school is not complacent and is very well placed to continue to thrive and to raise standards further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ progress in mathematics is not as good as it is in reading and writing.  Not enough pupils achieve the higher levels at the end of Key Stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics.  Marking does not consistently make it clear to pupils how to improve their work, especially in mathematics.  Subject and other leaders are not fully involved and held to account over the progress of all groups of pupils, making sure they all achieve their potential.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 18 lessons, three of which were seen jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with staff, a group of pupils and the Chair of the Governing Body.  Inspectors heard pupils read and talked to them formally and informally at break and lunchtime.  Inspectors took account of letters from parents, and the 71 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. They had conversations with parents and carers as they dropped off their children at the start of the school day. Inspectors also considered the 29 responses to the staff questionnaire.  School documentation was examined, including data on pupils’ current progress and records of governing body meetings, teachers’ performance, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding. Documentation relating to the care of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs was also carefully reviewed.

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Inspection team

Andrew Stafford, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Christ Church Primary was previously an infant school but it became a full primary school in September 2013. It currently has Key Stage 2 pupils in Years 3 and 4. In April 2014, the school moved into a new building.  Christ Church Primary School is an average-sized primary school. There are two classes in Years 3 and 4 and in Nursery and Reception. There is one class in each of Years 1 and 2, and one mixed-age class of Year’s 1 and 2 children. Reception children all attend on a full-time basis; the 60 children in the two nursery classes attend either in the morning or afternoon.  Pupils come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. The largest group, around two in five of the pupils, is of Pakistani heritage. Seven out of ten pupils speak English as an additional language, with an increasing number at an early stage of learning English in the younger age groups.  Many more pupils than seen nationally join the school partway through Key Stage 1.

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Information about this school

 At 20%, the proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average. A very small number of pupils have an education, health and care plan.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (the additional funding allocated by the government for pupils previously known to be eligible for free school meals) is average, at 22%.  In September 2013, the governors appointed a leader for Key Stage 2 and three newly qualified teachers. In September 2014, they appointed a new leader for the early years and two newly qualified teachers.  There is a before-school breakfast club and an after-school club. These are managed by the governing body and formed part of the inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the good teaching so that pupils make more rapid progress, particularly in mathematics, and more pupils reach the higher levels by making sure that:  all lessons contain a suitable level of challenge, especially for the most-able pupils  marking of work and advice to pupils is clear and consistently helps them to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by developing the role of subject and other leaders so that they are fully involved and held to account over the progress of all groups of pupils to make sure they all achieve their potential.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides effective leadership in raising pupils’ achievement, developing teaching and continually improving the school. The success of the school’s commitment to every pupil is shown in the good progress pupils are making and the rate at which standards are rising in Years 3 and 4.

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The leadership and management are good

 All leaders, staff and governors share the headteacher’s ambition, vision and expectations for the school. They work together in promoting good-quality teaching, good behaviour and safety, and good achievement for pupils. Leaders and staff are successful in promoting care, respect, responsibility and tolerance. These lead to pupils’ outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils are developing an excellent understanding of different cultures and faiths. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, backed by all school staff, managed the change to keeping Key Stage 2 pupils, and at the same time managing the move to the new building, extremely well. Standards for pupils in Year 2 at the end of 2014 were not affected adversely, and progress for all pupils, including those who moved on to Year 3, has continued to accelerate.

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The leadership and management are good

 The pupil premium funding is used to help eligible pupils to take a full part in school life and to benefit, where appropriate, from specific resources and additional help from adults. This has been very successful in raising the achievement of disadvantaged pupils so that their current progress is often better than other pupils in the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The systems for checking the school’s performance are clear. The headteacher involves staff in identifying what the school does well and what needs to improve. Training is well chosen to meet the particular needs of staff and of the school. Leaders make sure that new initiatives are monitored and lead to improvements. There have been recent improvements made to pupils’ attendance and to pupils’ achievement in mathematics.

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The leadership and management are good

 The wide range of subjects and topics offered in the school’s curriculum promotes good achievement for pupils and contributes well to their learning. Pupils take part in the full range of additional activities, including music, sport and educational visits. There is no sign of discrimination at this school and all pupils have full and equal access to the learning activities provided. The school is making good progress in implementing new assessment and curriculum arrangements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The primary sports funding is used well and provides extended opportunities for pupils to engage in sport and to promote their physical development. A sports partnership has been created with the Robert Sutton High School, from which a specialist sports coach works with teachers to develop pupils’ skills, health and well-being, fully reflecting the school’s Healthy School status. Pupils participate well in a range of local tournaments, including netball, football and hockey.

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The leadership and management are good

 Arrangements for appraising the performance of teachers by senior leaders are rigorous. Targets for teachers are linked to pupils’ progress, school improvement priorities and their professional development needs. Actions taken have made sure that teaching is at least good. Newly qualified teachers are particularly well supported throughout their first year of teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided basic support to the school through a termly visit, but it has a clear overview of the school’s performance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and staff have established outstanding partnerships with parents and families. Parents hold very positive views about the school. Almost all parents attend the parents’ consultation evenings twice a year.

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The leadership and management are good

 The arrangements for safeguarding pupils are rigorously checked by leaders and governors. Together, they have ensured that the school’s work to keep pupils safe is outstanding.  Some subject and other leaders are still at an early stage in developing their skills and are not yet fully involved or held to account over the progress of all groups of pupils to make sure they all achieve their potential. They do not evaluate the impact of their actions on pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body supports the headteacher and staff well. Governors show a keen interest in the school’s work and are proud of the school community. They bring a wide range of relevant and useful skills to the school. They have a good understanding of data and how the school is performing compared to other schools nationally. Governors receive accurate information about the quality of teaching. They understand requirements relating to the management of staff performance and the importance of promotion and salary increases reflecting the progress that pupils make. They ensure the management of the headteacher’s performance is robust through external checks. They are aware of how additional funding is spent and its impact on pupils’ progress. Governors help to ensure that good decisions are made about allocating finances, including the primary sports funding, and rewarding

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. The school is a harmonious community and relationships between pupils and staff are good. Pupils learn and play well together in the new building. The strong relationships between adults and children, and the children’s good behaviour, contribute strongly to the good progress pupils make in their learning.

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Behaviour

 Pupils in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 show an enthusiasm for learning. Pupils’ very positive attitudes to learning and their often very good behaviour in lessons contribute considerably to their good progress. Conduct is very good at playtime and lunchtime, as well as in the classrooms.

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted exceptionally well. Pupils are considerate, courteous, and respectful and relate extremely well to adults and other pupils. Pupils show a good understanding of different religions, cultures and of what it takes to be a good member of the diverse school community. By accepting, understanding and valuing everyone’s differences, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Behaviour

 The wide range of rewards celebrates the school’s vision of ‘Love to Learn, Learn to Love’. Pupils’ good attendance, behaviour, work or reading are regularly celebrated and pupils are encouraged to take pleasure in the success of others.

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Behaviour

 The school’s records of incidents show that behaviour is typically good over time. Very occasionally, some minor disruption occurs when pupils are not involved and motivated in their learning.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. The child protection policy is reviewed annually and staff attend child protection training regularly. This contributes to ensuring that all pupils are kept very safe.

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Safety

 Pupils feel very safe and very well looked after by the staff. Through assemblies and the curriculum, they learn how to keep themselves safe, in and out of school.

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Safety

 The procedures for ensuring good behaviour and safety of disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and disadvantaged pupils are of a high standard. Specialist support assistants and the family support worker have been trained to meet pupils’ academic needs, and give excellent care and support for pupils and families. Parents say that this is an important reason for their choosing this school.

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Safety

 The school provides excellent opportunities for pupils to develop their social skills in a safe and stimulating environment, both at the beginning and end of the school day in the breakfast and after-school clubs.  Pupils show a very clear understanding of bullying and the different forms it might take, such as cyber- bullying, name-calling and making others feel isolated.

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Safety

 Attendance is rising and is now above the national average. There has been a corresponding fall in the number of pupils who are persistently absent. Punctuality is excellent because pupils are eager to get to school; as one parent commented about her daughter, ‘She does not want to miss one minute at school.’

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Safety

 All parents and carers who completed Parent View responses stated that the school makes sure that pupils are well behaved and that it deals effectively with rare instances of bullying. All parents and carers who responded also believe their children are happy, safe and well looked after at school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good over time and leads to pupils learning well and making good progress. Work in pupils’ books from the first few weeks of this term, as well as checks carried out by leaders and evidence gathered throughout the inspection, demonstrate that the quality of teaching is improving.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers display good subject knowledge and generally have high expectations of pupils’ effort and commitment to learning effectively.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers set clear individual learning targets for pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result, pupils know how well they are doing and know what they are aiming for next. Pupils are keen to get on with their work and try to learn successfully by following their teachers’ instructions.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most lessons engage and interest pupils. Clear explanations, well-chosen activities and skilled questioning generally ensure that pupils of all abilities build on previous learning and make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Interesting activities encourage pupils to write regularly and at length. Good writing is modelled well and additional resources are provided to help pupils who need them. Pupils in Year 3 were taught how to write lively descriptions about extreme environments using adjectives and adverbs. During the inspection, Year 4 pupils were observed being taught well about ‘Raging Rivers’, their geography topic, and how to convey information forcefully.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils enjoy reading. Year 2 pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are competent enough readers to use their skills to research new information to support their subsequent learning. The support staff keep detailed records of individual pupils’ progress. Pupils are helped to move their learning forward rapidly and so accelerate the progress they make in reading.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers focus on using the correct mathematical vocabulary and ensure that any gaps are being filled and pupils are now making good progress during lessons. Key Stage 2 pupils were able to quickly understand median, mean and range in data handling because they were given an excellent explanation of the strategies required.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of presentation in books is good. From an early age, pupils are expected to present their work well. Books are neat, tidy, and well set out.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is successful. Learning support assistants are well deployed and make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning through the expert guidance and additional help they give.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils who speak English as an additional language, and those who join the school during the course of the year, are taught effectively, make good progress and fulfil their potential.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Homework is linked to the work pupils complete in school. It is set and marked regularly. Overall, the quality of marking is good but it is better in writing than in mathematics. Some pupils are given clear guidance on how they can make their work better and the teacher checks that they respond by improving their work. However, this is not a consistent feature of marking in all classes.

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The quality of teaching is good

 While most teachers have high expectations of their pupils, occasionally, some teachers have lower expectations of what pupils can achieve in mathematics. As a result, pupils’ progress in mathematics is not as rapid as in reading and writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teachers regularly check on pupils’ progress in lessons. However, evidence from lesson observations and work in pupils’ books indicate that work is not always providing sufficient challenge for the most-able pupils. As a result, too few of these pupils reach the highest levels.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in Key Stage 1 and standards in reading, writing and mathematics are broadly average by the end of Year 2. This represents good progress given that these pupils’ starting points were generally below those typical for their age when they joined the school in the early years.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Year 2 results for reading, writing and mathematics in 2015 are predicted to rise. Additionally, more pupils than in the past now have the skills to achieve the higher standards.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 As a result of the school’s focus on phonics (letters and the sounds they make), the development of pupils’ early reading skills, assessed in the Year 1 phonics check, were exceptionally high in both 2013 and 2014.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All groups of pupils in Key Stage 2 are continuing the good progress they have made so far in the school. Standards in Year 4 in reading, writing and mathematics are broadly in line with those expected for pupils’ ages. The attainment of some pupils is ahead of age-related expectations.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The vast majority of pupils enjoy reading. Pupils read a variety of books and older pupils are able to make deductions and inferences from books that they choose from the school’s reading scheme.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ writing books show that the large majority make good progress across many different writing skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 As the quality of teaching has improved, pupils are making good or better progress in mathematics. However, gaps in some pupils’ calculation skills prevent them from reaching higher standards.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs all make at least good progress, and some make outstanding progress from their individual starting points. This is because they receive tailored support and teaching that helps them to learn well.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Many pupils are from minority ethnic groups, speak English as an additional language, or join the school partway through the year. Extra support, such as additional phonics work and speech and language support for reading, ensures that these pupils make similar progress to their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most-able pupils usually make good progress in lessons because they are set challenging work. However, when they are set work that is too easy for them, as is occasionally the case, their progress slows. As a result, they do not all reach the higher standards of which they are capable.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 From generally lower starting points, disadvantaged pupils make better progress than their classmates. In 2014, at the end of Year 2, disadvantaged pupils were roughly half a term ahead of their classmates in reading, writing and mathematics. Their attainment was in line with pupils nationally in reading and mathematics, but they were almost six months ahead of pupils nationally in writing. This is being maintained across the school and inspection findings show that all disadvantaged pupils are making good progress throughout the school as a result of the expert support they receive.

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The early years provision is good

 Good leadership and management of the early years ensure that children settle into school very quickly and that they achieve well. Right from the start, supportive links are established with parents. This has a positive impact on children’s learning and their personal, social and emotional development. All safeguarding policies and procedures are good and implemented consistently so that children are kept safe.

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The early years provision is good

 In 2014, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year was below the national average. However, this was an improvement over the percentage achieved in 2013. For both groups, this represented good progress from their below-average starting points

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The early years provision is good

 In both the Nursery and Reception classes, the children are taught well and engage in a variety of interesting activities covering all areas of learning. This prepares them well for Year 1. The adults assess children’s skills frequently and adapt their planning to meet the specific learning needs and interests of all children.

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The early years provision is good

 Both the indoor and outside areas provide children with a vibrant learning environment. Resources are easily accessible and well chosen to stimulate the children’s interest. Activities contribute well to children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, such as encouraging imagination in the role-play areas. The safe and secure outside area supports all areas of learning. The children love using the equipment to count; for example, moving teddy along the number line, ‘starting from zero’, as one child pointed out.

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The early years provision is good

 Supportive relationships between adults and children help develop each child’s confidence and positive attitude to learning. The children enjoy being together, sharing equipment and taking turns. This was observed during the inspection in the joyous children’s Nursery Rhyme Nativity production for their parents. Children make good progress in speaking and listening because all adults are successful in encouraging them to talk about their learning. They follow routines and their behaviour is always good and often exemplary.

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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 124034 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 447789

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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 3–9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 277 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sue Marbrow Headteacher Victoria Anderson Date of previous school inspection 22 September 2011 Telephone number 01283 239445 Fax number 01283 239445 Email address office@christchurch-burton.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 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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