Chawson First School

Chawson First School Wych Road, Droitwich, WR9 8BW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 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 good leadership and management of the headteacher, governors and senior leaders have helped the school improve rapidly since the last inspection.  Leaders, managers and governors have had a positive impact on improving the quality of teaching. It is now good, and this has led to pupils’ good achievement.  Pupils of all abilities make good progress. Standards at the end of Year 4 in reading, writing and mathematics are above the levels expected nationally.  The vast majority of parents are positive about the school and talk knowledgeably about how it has improved. They say their children are safe.  Behaviour is good and pupils are highly enthusiastic about their school. They show a real pride in their learning.  Leaders very carefully plan, monitor and evaluate the use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils. This has a positive impact on their progress.  All staff are positive about the improvements made

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

to the school. They appreciate the efforts senior leaders make to provide effective training to extend their skills.  The governing body has recruited governors effectively and now holds the school to account more robustly.  The Reception classes provide children with a good start to their school lives. Progress in all areas of learning is good.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally pupils do not understand exactly what is expected of them in lessons, when teachers do not explain the tasks they are given clearly enough.  Although pupils know their individual targets in English and mathematics, they are not always clear about exactly what they have to do to achieve them. This is particularly holding back Year 2 standards in mathematics.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 19 lessons or parts of lessons. A number of lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and special educational needs coordinator.  Inspectors held meetings and discussions with the headteacher, members of the governing body, staff, pupils and parents.  Inspectors examined samples of pupils’ work, some with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and the leaders of literacy and numeracy. Several pupils read to the inspectors.  Inspectors took account of 41 responses to the online parent survey, Parent View, as well as a recent survey of parents’ views carried out by the school. The inspectors also talked to parents and took account of 35 questionnaires completed by staff.  The inspectors looked at a range of documents produced by the school, including data on pupils’ progress and attainment, procedures for safeguarding, the school’s own evaluations of its work, reports to the

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Information about this inspection

governing body and minutes of their meetings, and the action plans for raising attainment.

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Inspection team

Geof Timms, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Chawson First School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Most of the pupils are from a White British background, and almost all speak English as their first language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is broadly average.  An average proportion of pupils are disadvantaged and supported by the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority.  Children in the early years attend one of the two Reception classes on a full-time basis.  The school hosts a privately run before- and after-school club each day. This is inspected and reported on separately.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and achievement further by:  ensuring that pupils understand exactly what is expected of them when they are given individual or group tasks  helping pupils understand clearly what they need to do to achieve their targets so that even more pupils reach the standards they are capable of, particularly in mathematics in Year 2.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership and management have improved rapidly since the last inspection. The headteacher and deputy headteacher form a strong and complementary team. In addition, a lot of work has been put into developing the skills of other leaders. This has had a positive impact on leadership at all levels. There is a very positive culture in which imaginative teaching and pupils’ good behaviour can flourish.

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The leadership and management are good

 The good leadership has had a very positive impact on the quality of teaching. Leaders use effective systems for checking teachers’ performance. Where extra challenge or support are needed they are provided, and positively accepted by the staff. Because of this, for example, there have been clear improvements in the way teachers ask pupils questions to extend their learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 Under the enthusiastic leadership of the headteacher and deputy headteacher, the school has developed an excellent system for assessing pupils’ progress. This helps all leaders, governors and teachers to understand clearly how well pupils are learning and to rapidly recognise and respond to any underachievement. The resulting information is used in regular meetings between leaders and teachers to check on the success of their teaching. The assessment system has been promoted in other schools.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has made comprehensive plans for further improvements and raising attainment. These plans are detailed and contain appropriate priorities. This is because the school’s view of its work is accurate and honest. All leaders and governors share a clear ambition to continue improving the school. Because of this, the school has a good capacity to improve still further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has provided good support and challenge since the last inspection. A range of initiatives has been used to improve teaching and learning and to support strong leadership. Training for the governing body and expert consultancy on how to improve pupils’ learning of spelling, punctuation and grammar have had a positive impact.

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The leadership and management are good

 A senior leader controls and monitors the support for disadvantaged pupils and has responsibility for the performance of the adults working with these pupils and the progress pupils make. The impact of the funding money is tracked robustly, and the school’s detailed records show that it is used successfully to improve the achievement of eligible pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have worked closely with a group of other schools to ensure efficient use of the extra money for sport and physical education. The joint appointment of coaching staff across the schools has had a good impact on pupils’ participation in a range of sporting opportunities and on teachers’ expertise.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is well planned to ensure pupils can use their basic skills across a range of subjects. In particular they have good opportunities for writing in different subjects. A good range of clubs and extra activities enhances and enriches pupils’ learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and has a high profile in much of the school’s work. Pupils are taught about a range of faiths and cultures, including respecting the small number of pupils in the school who are from minority ethnic backgrounds. They learn tolerance for others, and in this way, leaders ensure there is no discrimination and that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership of the early years is good. Effective use is made of resources, especially the ‘forest school’ and outdoor areas. This prepares children for the learning they will encounter further up the school very well.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has worked well since the last inspection to improve the support and challenge it provides for the school, which are now good. The governing body has taken on new members with specific skills. Well-chosen training has strengthened their role.  Governors check the school’s work through a range of activities including analysis of data and planned visits. For example, recent checks have been made on the quality of the sports coaching to ensure value for money. They know how good teaching is and check how well school leaders are improving its quality and impact. The governors make sure decisions about teachers’ pay are appropriately linked to their performance and responsibilities.  Governors track finances well and have a major role in deciding how to spend additional money, such as that provided to support disadvantaged pupils.  Together with leaders, governors ensure that all safeguarding requirements are fully met through the

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The leadership and management are good

school’s meticulous and effective systems.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Relationships between pupils and adults are very positive throughout the school. This results in a positive culture that supports learning and in which pupils can talk about how much they ‘love school’ and enjoy making new friends.

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Behaviour

 Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. In assemblies, for example, they sit quietly and attentively but also participate well when required. Their good behaviour in lessons supports their learning and the good progress they make. Just occasionally, they do not fully engage in learning because teachers have not made clear exactly what is expected of them.

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ response to the school’s expectations of their behaviour and social development is consistently good. They have good opportunities to take responsibility, such as on the school council or as ‘Playground Friends’ for the Reception children. They take these responsibilities very seriously.

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Behaviour

 Pupils, including the youngest children, are polite and very interested in other people. They work together well when given joint tasks, such as creating three-dimensional shapes from construction apparatus. Pupils are very supportive of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. They show a genuine pride in their learning and love sharing the results of their efforts with others.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. All of the parents who responded to the online questionnaire said their children are safe at school. All staff work hard to ensure pupils’ safety. In areas such as the ‘boot camp’ and forest school sites, supervision is very good. Pupils’ own positive attitudes to keeping themselves safe ensure that learning in these areas can be enjoyed safely.

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Safety

 Pupils have a suitable understanding of what constitutes bullying and how to deal with it. They know how to keep themselves safe when using computers. They are aware of possible dangers from, for example, strangers, and are confident there are adults in school who they can trust and would talk to if they had any worries.

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Safety

 Attendance is average. Most families ensure their children attend school regularly and are punctual. The school deals with any significant persistent absence appropriately.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved since the previous inspection. This has been the result of strong leadership, especially from the headteacher and deputy headteacher. The good teaching is resulting in rapidly improving progress and rising standards.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching has a positive impact on pupils’ learning in literacy and numeracy. In addition, teachers are good at giving pupils opportunities to use and practise their literacy and numeracy skills in other subjects such as geography or science.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The marking of pupils’ work has been a major focus for improvement. Teachers’ comments and written feedback are usually well linked to the objectives for the lesson. Pupils enjoy the praise they are given and this is a clear motivation for them to work hard. They understand the symbols used and what they need to do when they respond to the feedback.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make good use of other adults to support pupils’ learning, often very effectively. The progress of small groups working with teaching assistants is well tracked. Not all of these groups are for pupils who find learning more difficult. In one session some particularly able Year 4 pupils worked with an adult to develop ways of using questions in their writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make good use of assessment information. The school’s tracking system provides clear information about pupils’ progress. Teachers use this to group pupils and to provide work that challenges them. Just occasionally in mathematics, the most able pupils are given work that is too easy for them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers ensure that the learning environment is tidy and interesting. Materials and resources are arranged so that they are easily accessible for pupils. In mathematics in particular, good use is made of a range of resources to cover the requirements of the new curriculum. The school has worked on improving displays recently, to ensure their purpose is clear. They now support pupils’ learning, both in and out of classrooms, and celebrate their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 At times teachers do not explain sufficiently clearly what pupils are expected to do when they move to group or individual work. This wastes time as teachers have to repeat their instructions. However, many of the teachers are adept at recognising misconceptions and altering what they are doing to deal with them as lessons progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers provide pupils with appropriately challenging individual targets in English and mathematics. However, they do not make clear to pupils exactly how they can achieve the targets or what steps they need to follow to reach the next stage in their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment at the end of Year 4 is improving rapidly. In 2014 pupils were well on course to exceed the nationally expected level in reading, mathematics and writing by the end of Key Stage 2 as they had made good progress through Years 3 and 4. Current pupils are making good progress and achieving well. This is evident from the school’s data, the quality of the work in pupils’ books and the learning evident in lessons observed during the inspection.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Many children start at the school with levels of development below those typically found, especially in their writing, knowledge of the world and creative development. Good progress is evident and children are learning good skills that will help them make progress in the future.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards in the national tests at the end of Year 2 in 2014 were broadly average. Progress is improving and is now good. Standards in mathematics are rising, though not yet as high as those in reading and writing because not all pupils are clear about how they can achieve their targets to reach the highest level.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The results of the most recent Year 1 check on pupils’ skills in phonics (how sounds in words are shown by different letter combinations) were broadly average. Pupils’ basic reading skills are good across the school. The pupils inspectors heard reading made good use of their phonic skills to decipher unknown words. Some talk enthusiastically about the books they enjoy reading. The support provided for them at home is often very positive and promotes their learning well.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress in reading, literacy and numeracy is good throughout the school. Pupils also achieve well in other subjects and use their skills in different ways. This was evident when pupils wrote well about the decline in rainforests. The presentation of their work and the quality of their handwriting were particularly good.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress made by disadvantaged pupils is particularly good. At the end of Year 2 these pupils are typically behind their classmates and pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. However, by the end of Year 4 gaps have almost completely disappeared. This is because they are well supported and their progress is tracked and monitored in detail.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most able pupils make good overall progress throughout the school, especially in reading and writing. As yet, too few pupils reach the higher levels in mathematics by the end of Year 2. Nevertheless, the school’s data, and the work in their books, show that currently pupils are making good progress in mathematics in Years 3 and 4.

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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 good teaching they receive and the effective additional help the school provides. This aspect of the school’s work is led and managed very well by a skilled senior leader. Any gaps in pupils’ knowledge and skills are being reduced in all classes and year groups.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years provision is led and managed well by the teachers, who have a clear understanding of its strengths and areas for improvement. Other adults are deployed effectively and this adds greatly to the children’s learning. This ensures children, including those with disabilities or special educational needs, are well prepared for their work in Year 1.

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The early years provision is good

 The accuracy of teachers’ and other adults’ assessments of children’s learning is ensured through good checks between staff within the school and externally. For example, writing was checked externally at the end of 2014 and assessments were accurate. The assessments confirm that progress is good.

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The early years provision is good

 The outdoor areas are used very effectively to support children’s learning. For example, during the inspection children in the forest school created a dinosaur skeleton out of logs. Meanwhile, others measured out what the length of a real dinosaur would have been on the playground. The outdoor areas are well resourced and are used for a wide range of activities linked to the children’s current topic.

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The early years provision is good

 Teaching is good. Teachers have created bright and interesting displays to create an environment that is rich in language and number. Activities are interesting. The topic about dinosaurs has captured children’s imagination and they enthusiastically shared their work with inspectors. In one case, children were able to sort dinosaurs into carnivorous or herbivorous types. Books have a high profile and children use them confidently and with interest. Teachers impart good phonic knowledge and skills. Because of this children were able to recognise and write a number of words using the ‘ow’ sound as in ‘cow’ and clearly enjoyed the challenge of some of the more complex words.

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The early years provision is good

 Children behave well, including when outside or in a different environment such as the forest area. They use resources carefully and play and work together well. The adults all promote children’s safety through careful supervision and the regular checks they make when children choose their own activities.

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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 116672 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 453414

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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 First School category Community Age range of pupils 4–9 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 377 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jon Hoare Headteacher Helen Wallace Date of previous school inspection 5 March 2013 Telephone number 01905 773264 Fax number 01905 775641 Email address office@chawson.worcs.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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