Chapelfield Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Ms Maggie Howarth Headteacher Chapelfield Primary School Clough Street Radcliffe Manchester M26 1LH

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Short inspection of Chapelfield Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 8 June 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in September 2013.

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Short inspection of Chapelfield Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have engendered a real team approach in school, where all staff share your high expectations for the pupils. You all work together effectively on key improvement priorities. This consistency of approach is a strength of the school. The recent change in leadership has been seamless, with other members of your staff stepping up to take on new roles. This has not hampered the school continuing to improve. The development in pupils’ handwriting and the marked improvement in reading over the last year is impressive and demonstrates that the school has the capacity to improve further. All the staff who responded to the staff survey felt that the school was well led and managed. The pupils I spoke to could not think of anything that they wanted to improve.

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Short inspection of Chapelfield Primary School

Governors are regular visitors to school and know it well. They interview pupils, taking on board their comments to improve what the school offers. Governors’ minutes show that they ask particularly challenging questions relating to finance and health and safety. Some of this challenge has led to improved practice in school. Governors met statutory requirements except for seeking external advice when completing the headteacher’s performance management.

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Short inspection of Chapelfield Primary School

At the previous inspection, leaders were asked to provide more opportunities for discussion so that pupils could deepen their understanding of the world and work independently. You have acted on this by developing the curriculum to provide pupils with real-life experiences to increase their knowledge of the wider world. You were also asked to give pupils more opportunities to work unaided and have time to reflect on their work. During visits to classrooms, I saw teachers creating opportunities for pupils to work alone as well as in pairs and in small groups. I saw Reception children working cooperatively with a partner, taking turns. I saw older pupils evaluating their own and each other’s work to produce an improved piece of writing. At all times pupils were on task, working hard to develop their skills and understanding.

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Short inspection of Chapelfield Primary School

You can identify the school’s strengths and areas for development effectively. One of the key priorities this year has been improving the provision and outcomes for children in the early years. We discussed how not enough children were prepared for the move into Year 1. You are currently working on this as a priority.

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Short inspection of Chapelfield Primary School

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose and records are detailed and of high quality. Effective communication systems ensure that staff are kept up to date with current regulations and any concerns about pupils are addressed quickly.

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Short inspection of Chapelfield Primary School

Your staff teach pupils about all aspects of safety. Teachers display pupils’ work on how to keep themselves safe to reinforce key messages. You have given pupils a consistent way of asking adults for help, which they use when necessary. The parents to whom I spoke felt that the school kept pupils safe. The majority of parents said that there was no bullying. Leaders deal with any incidents of bullying effectively.

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Inspection findings

 Last year, key stage 1 pupils made strong progress and exceeded national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers’ high expectations enabled pupils to achieve greater depth in their learning. The work I saw in pupils’ books and on display was of a very high quality. Current information shows strong pupils’ progress and outcomes. These pupils are very well prepared for the key stage 2 curriculum.  Reading was an area for improvement from the last inspection. Data over time has shown that the school has tackled this effectively. However, in 2016 pupils’ achievement in reading dipped, and the inspection explored the reasons for this dip. You and your team have wasted no time making reading a school priority. You introduced new initiatives to encourage a love of reading. Pupils share their book reviews in assembly, encouraging others to read specific books. They relished the opportunity to choose new reading books for their class library.

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Inspection findings

Detailed reading records show that pupils are keen to read. The class novel is a ‘hit’ with Year 6 boys. The ‘reading tea party’ reward where the ‘readers of the week’ drink hot chocolate and discuss the books they have read is popular with pupils and their parents.  Your teachers support the development of pupils’ vocabulary to extend their comprehension skills. Following pupil interviews with governors, you arranged visitors to come into school to discuss why reading was important to adults in the world of work. This all-encompassing strategy has had a huge positive impact on pupils’ reading skills. Current information shows an increase in reading outcomes across school.  Another line of enquiry was provision for children in the early years. Children enter the early years with skills and knowledge that are lower than those typical for their age. However, over time not enough children have achieved a good level

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Inspection findings

of development and been ready for Year 1. Evidence shows that children’s achievement in the early years is an improving picture. You and your team carefully consider the needs of children and make appropriate changes to improve provision. Recent changes are having a positive impact. Children have good attitudes to learning. They are developing the key skills to become successful learners. For example, I saw a phonics session where groups of children followed instructions and worked cooperatively with a partner rehearsing their sounds. Current information shows that children make good progress and are better prepared for the transition to Year 1. However, these changes are still relatively new and the plans for future development need to be embedded to sustain the improving picture.  A focus on attendance revealed that you place great emphasis on the regular attendance and punctuality of pupils. As a result, overall attendance is above the

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Inspection findings

national average and the majority of pupils are on time to school. You are aware of a small number of pupils who are not always punctual. You are working closely with families to enable these pupils to be ready for their learning every day.  You have developed a curriculum that motivates pupils to learn. On the day of my visit, pupils enjoyed a trip to Blackpool and playing brass musical instruments. Pupils’ workbooks and displays highlight the wide variety and depth of material covered. This was particularly evident when I looked at the books of pupils in the mixed-age class in key stage 2. These show materials delivered in a multisensory way to engage pupils. Teaching is good and this group make good progress with their learning.  One of the strengths of the school is the consistent approach to teaching and learning that you and your team have created. Each class has the same features to support pupils’ learning. The recent focus on presentation and handwriting is

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Inspection findings

evident across all the pupils’ books. Teachers follow the school’s feedback policy to move on pupils’ learning. Teachers have the same high expectations of behaviour. This consistency means that pupils behave well across the school day and they make good progress and the most of their learning time.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:  recent improvements in the early years are built upon so that more children achieve a good level of development and are ready to make a positive start to Year 1  the governing body keep a firm eye on all their duties, making sure that nothing slips through the net. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Bury. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I met with you, the deputy headteacher, the early years leader and the business manager. I met with the chair of governors and another four members of the governing body. I had a discussion with a representative from the local authority. I considered the 14 written responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and spoke to parents at the start of the school day. I considered the feedback from the pupil and staff questionnaires. I visited classrooms with you, observing teaching and learning, and scrutinised pupils’ work in their books. I spoke to pupils informally about their learning. I listened to some boys read. I examined a wide range of school documentation relating to school improvement planning, self-evaluation, attendance, pupils’ outcomes and safeguarding.

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