Chilvers Coton Community Infant School

Chilvers Coton Community Infant School Fitton Street, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV11 5RB

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Since the last inspection, the headteacher has made new appointments to key leadership positions in the school.  New leaders have worked closely with the headteacher to monitor the quality of teaching and to hold teachers to account for the progress that pupils are making.  Teachers plan lessons which allow all groups of pupils to make good progress from their starting points.  Children get off to a good start in early years as a result of well-planned activities which are interesting and engaging.  The headteacher ensures that the governing body has access to information about the progress that the pupils are making and about the quality of teaching. As a result, they are able to challenge school leaders and hold them to account for pupil outcomes.  Pupils respond well to staff expectations and are focused during lessons.  Teachers and governors have received the appropriate safeguarding training. Arrangements

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This is a good school

to keep pupils safe in school are effective.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The most-able pupils are not making as much progress as they could because teachers do not plan effectively enough to move them on more quickly to the next stage in their learning.  Pupils do not have ready access to a wide range of reading books to support greater depth of learning in reading and writing.  The recently appointed school leaders have not had sufficient time to embed fully the changes that they have introduced. As a result, rates of progress are not rapid enough.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve standards in reading and writing, particularly for the most-able pupils, by: – ensuring the most-able pupils make rapid progress by planning tasks that will provide appropriate challenge for them; – offering pupils greater access to a wider range of reading books that expand their reading experiences; – ensuring school leaders carry out regular checks on the progress the pupils are making.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The newly appointed school leaders share the headteacher’s determination to provide the very best opportunities for the pupils in the school. Working with the local authority representative, the senior team has tackled the areas identified in the previous inspection report successfully; changes have been introduced which have improved teaching and outcomes for pupils.  The progress that pupils are now making is better than it used to be. By the time the pupils leave Year 2, standards are broadly in line with the national average in reading and writing and better than the national average in maths.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as a second language is much higher than the national average. As a result, the headteacher has worked with the school staff to tailor the curriculum to meet the needs of these pupils. All classes in Key Stage 1 have a reading and writing programme which focuses

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

on basic reading and writing skills, ensuring that pupils develop a good understanding of English.  Exciting links are made in other areas of the curriculum which motivate and engage the pupils in their learning. For example, pupils in Year 1 dress up as pirates for the day; the excitement generated as a result of this has inspired the pupils to engage in a wide range of writing opportunities. In addition, in Year 2, the Polar Explorers theme has led to scientific investigations around the topics of reversible and non-reversible change which have captured their attention and nurtured a strong interest in learning.  The range of after-school clubs has increased and includes street dance, multi-skills, gardening, art, science, cooking and mathemagicians. The pupils grow their own food in the gardening club; when the crop is ready it is harvested and cooked by the same pupils! The mathemagicians club is so

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

oversubscribed that the school have had to add more sessions in order to cater for the huge number of pupils who wish to attend. The school’s breakfast club is calm and well run.  Strong links have been established between the neighbouring mosque and the church. Parents from different faiths accompanied the pupils to the church’s Christingle service, and regular visits are made to the mosque. In addition, the vicar from the local church conducts weekly ‘Open Book’ visits to the school. The way in which adults and children display tolerance of each other’s faiths is an excellent example of how the school is preparing pupils particularly well for life in modern Britain.  The funding provided to the school to support the development of sport has been used successfully. Sports specialists, such as Premier Sport and Dare2Dream, have led training sessions for staff which have developed their skills in the teaching of PE and sport. Subsequent lesson observations have shown an

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

improvement in the quality of PE and sports lessons delivered to the pupils by the teachers. Money has also been invested in an astro pitch, allowing sport to be played throughout the school year, and new line markings have been added to the playgrounds which encourage pupils to play active games during lunch and breaktime as well as during lesson time.  Funding provided to the school to support disadvantaged pupils is used effectively. As a result, the progress made by these pupils is better than the progress made by other pupils in the school and nationally.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported as a result of careful monitoring of their progress and make progress which is better than other pupils nationally.  The school keeps comprehensive records of pupils’ behaviour and swift action is taken, if required, to protect pupils from bullying. Staff have attended safeguarding training that has included keeping children

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

safe from radicalisation and extremism; they know what they need to do to keep children safe.  Parents are extremely positive about the experiences that are being provided for the pupils by the school. Parents spoke enthusiastically to the inspectors about the way in which they are welcomed into the school each morning, by the headteacher, and about the extensive range of after-school clubs. Information gathered via the Parent View questionnaire and the school’s own survey of parents’ views is very positive. Parents say that they feel that their children are safe and happy in school. One parent wrote that, ‘The staff at Chilvers Coton are friendly and professional, and the school is always kept clean and tidy, safe and secure. I am continually surprised by the sheer professionalism with which the staff conduct all areas of the school’s business.’  Pupils’ basic skills in English are now secure as a result of the changes introduced to the teaching of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

English. Now that this approach is having a positive impact on standards, pupils’ progress in reading and writing needs to be accelerated by allowing them access to a wider range of reading material.  Senior staff are regularly using the monitoring systems that they have established with the headteacher to improve the quality of teaching. However, these systems are not yet being used effectively enough to ensure that the most-able pupils make sufficient progress in reading and writing.  The governance of the school – Governors have worked closely with the headteacher to improve the quality of teaching and learning. – They know about the changes that have been made to assess pupils and can hold senior leaders to account for the progress that pupils are making. – They have ensured that there are clear links between performance management and teachers’ pay. – They have a clear understanding of how to keep pupils safe from radicalisation and extremism and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

have been supportive in building strong links between the neighbouring mosque and the local church. – Governors attend regular training events to improve their skills and know the amount of funding the school has received to support the development of sport and disadvantaged pupils, the way that money has been spent and the impact that it is having on improving standards.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong. This knowledge is used successfully to plan lessons in subjects other than English and maths which are exciting and which motivate and engage the pupils in their learning. As a result, pupils are making accelerated progress in reading, writing and maths.  Marking in pupils’ books follows the school’s marking policy using a ‘pink and green’ strategy. This strategy has been agreed by the whole staff and is understood by the pupils. Comments in green celebrate the work that has been done well; comments in pink say what needs to be done next in order to improve their work.  This marking informs the records of the progress that the pupils are making in each class. As a result, teachers know the stage of learning that the pupils are at and set work which is at the right level of difficulty for the majority of pupils; progress for these pupils is rapid.  Teaching assistants are deployed well in the school. They reinforce learning successfully during the

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

teaching part of the lesson and then work to help small groups of pupils with the work that has been set by the teacher. In addition, training has been provided which equips them with the skills to teach specific areas of English and maths, under the direction of the class teacher and monitored by the deputy headteacher, at regular times during the school day. This reduces the size of the teaching groups and is impacting positively on pupils’ learning.  The school has focused very much on the teaching of the basics of reading and writing in order to ensure that all pupils have a strong understanding of English. As a result, pupils for whom English is a second language make good progress from their starting points. In addition, the welcoming ethos of the school has developed a strong relationship between parents and the teachers and is a significant factor in involving parents in the education of the pupils and in raising standards.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching is not yet outstanding because some of the work that is given to the most-able pupils in reading and writing is not challenging enough to allow them to make as much progress as they could.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Parents enter the school before the start of each day with their children where they are greeted by the headteacher. There are opportunities for them to speak with their child’s teacher if they need to. Parents talk enthusiastically about this opportunity and the relationship between them and the school is extremely positive as a result.  The caring nature of the staff is a significant strength of the school and contributes to a very strong spiritual, moral and cultural experience for the pupils; the pupils feel safe; disabled pupils, those special educational needs and those who are disadvantaged are all supported well by the teachers and the teaching assistants.  Helping pupils to know how to stay safe, through the Taking Care Project, and how to use the internet responsibly, are key elements within the school’s curriculum.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils say that they feel safe in school and that they know who to go to if they have a problem. They say that teachers deal with any form of bullying very quickly. Responses to the online Parent View questionnaire were also positive about the fact that their children are happy and that they are kept safe in school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  In lessons pupils respond well to their teachers. The expression ‘magnet eyes’, used by the teachers, reminds the pupils of the need for them to stay focused on the teacher; disruption to lessons is minimal as a result of teachers’ successful strategies.  Pupils move around the school sensibly and are very quick to settle following breaktime and dinner time. Their behaviour during these breaks is good and they play well with each other.  In the past, there has been a level of absence that has been higher than the national average. This has been tackled successfully by the school; attendance has improved steadily over a period of time and is now much closer to the national average than it was and continues to improve.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Children enter the nursery at a level which is lower than that regarded as typical for their age.  As a result of improvements in leadership and management and teaching, the standards that pupils are reaching by the time they leave Year 2 are now broadly in line with the national average in reading and writing, and better than the national average in mathematics. This means that pupils are well prepared for their next stage of education as a result of these good outcomes.  Three years ago the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) was particularly low. The school’s approach to teaching basic English, and developing staff expertise in teaching phonetic knowledge, has seen pupils’ understanding of phonics accelerate quickly. The school’s own internal assessments predict that the proportion of pupils on track to achieve the expected level in phonics by the end of this year will be higher than the national average.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 The monitoring of the progress that the pupils are making has enabled school leaders to identify the standards that pupils in different year groups are expected to make. These areas are built into the school’s improvement plan. As a result, pupils identified as at risk of underperforming have been supported and their outcomes have been improved. This is the case with a group of girls who were underperforming in literacy in early years; they are now on track to make good progress by the end of Year 2.  Disadvantaged pupils are making accelerated progress. Their attainment at the end of Year 2 is higher than that being made by their school peers and higher than other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics.  Disabled pupils, and those with special educational needs, are also making accelerated progress and the standards they are reaching in reading, writing and maths is higher than the national average.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 The most-able pupils are not yet making as much progress in reading and writing as they are in mathematics.

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Early years provision is good

 Teachers in early years establish good routines and provide a range of stimulating experiences that foster curiosity and which enable all children, including those identified as requiring extra support and those disadvantaged children who receive additional funding, to make good progress from their starting points. This good progress means that children are well prepared for Year 1.  Children’s collaborative and critical thinking skills are developed from an early age through tasks such as rearranging tower blocks to build the largest tower possible.  The children confidently communicate with each other, both in English and their first language, and are extremely polite. One child was observed saying to two boys, who were busy using pictures on a laptop to paint in the style of Kandinsky, ‘Excuse me. Can I get this chair?’  All of the children know that they are expected to tidy up the materials at the end of the session, and

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Early years provision is good

they do so willingly. Their behaviour is very good and they listen well to each other and to the adults who work with them.  The outdoor space is very well resourced and teachers are creative in their planning of learning. The most recent addition is an outdoor ‘mud kitchen’, which the children really enjoy using. They happily work together to dig up herbs from the garden and then make meals for each other using the equipment in the mud kitchen.  The leader of early years works with other leaders locally to ensure that the school’s assessments are accurate. She is working closely with the teachers in early years to ensure that these assessments are consistent across each of the classes.  All relevant checks are made by the school on staff and any volunteers and safeguarding in the early years meets requirements.

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School details

Unique reference number 125537 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 10009276

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 226 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Akil Headteacher Mrs J Kershaw Telephone number 02476 387001 Website www.chilvers-coton.co.uk Email address admin2103@welearn365.com Date of previous inspection 29–30 January 2014

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Information about this school

 Chilvers Coton is slightly smaller than the average school.  Since the previous inspection, three teachers and four teaching assistants have left the school.  The headteacher has appointed a new deputy headteacher who takes responsibility for English, and two new senior managers who take responsibility for mathematics and early years.  The school runs its own breakfast club.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children who are looked after by the local authority) is slightly lower than the national average.  The proportion of pupils whose first language is not believed to be English is much higher than the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is higher than the national average.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 10 lessons, three of which were joint observations with the headteacher. They carried out three walks around the school and visited the school’s breakfast club. Inspectors listened to pupils read and observed them arriving at school, at break time, lunch time and around the school building.  Inspectors considered a range of school documentation with the headteacher. This included the school’s improvement plan and self-evaluation, a range of the school’s internal assessments of pupils’ attainment and progress, minutes from governors’ meetings and school documentation which had been reviewed by the local authority representative and the senior local authority advisor. In addition, the inspectors reviewed samples of pupils’ work in subjects other than English and mathematics from each of the classes in the school.  Meetings were held with two members of the governing body, senior members of staff, a group of pupils

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Information about this inspection

and the local authority representative.  Inspectors took account of the 20 responses to the online Parent View survey, together with the 58 responses to the school’s own survey in January 2016, and met with parents at the start of the school day. They also took account of 27 staff questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Graeme Burgess, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Sarah Malam Mark Hinton Ofsted Inspector Shadow Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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