Setting

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

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Ms Emma James Headteacher Chaddesley Corbett Endowed Primary School Nethercroft Meadow Lower Chaddesley Kidderminster Worcestershire DY10 4QN

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Endowed Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 28 February 2019, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the monitoring inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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Endowed Primary School

The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 and has taken place because the school has received two successive judgements of requires improvement at its previous section 5 inspections.

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Endowed Primary School

At its section 5 inspection before the one that took place in June 2017, the school was also judged to require improvement.

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Endowed Primary School

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection in order for the school to become good.

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Endowed Primary School

The school should take further action to:

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Endowed Primary School

 make sure that more pupils are challenged to attain the higher standard in writing across the school  ensure that teaching is consistently good across all year groups.

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Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, two members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, and a representative of the local authority, to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. The school’s self-evaluation and development plan were evaluated. A learning walk was conducted with the headteacher and deputy headteacher and a number of pupils’ books were explored.

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Main findings

You and other leaders, including governors, have responded decisively to the judgement that the school requires improvement. Together you have set about tackling the areas requiring improvement with determination and tenacity. You have reviewed the system you use for checking the progress that pupils make. These systems now clearly identify both groups and individual pupils who are not yet making good progress. This information is used well during meetings at which pupils’ progress is discussed and as a result, teachers now have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities in securing better progress for all pupils.

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Main findings

You and other leaders have an accurate view of the school’s current priorities and are determined to make sure that the school continues to move forward. Your school development plan sets out the school’s aims and objectives and how you intend to check that improvements are happening. These plans are realistic and correctly focused on those areas in need of further improvement.

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Main findings

You and the deputy headteacher have implemented systems to monitor and improve the quality of teaching. Along with these systems you have provided relevant training for teachers and offered them coaching to help them improve their classroom practice. These actions have made a difference and teaching is improving.

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Main findings

In the majority of lessons teachers use questioning well to identify those pupils who may be struggling. They then provide effective support to ensure that these pupils overcome the barriers they face. This ensures that these pupils successfully move on in their learning and make better progress. In some lessons, pupils are told about the key skills they need to learn and to be successful. This supports the pupils well and they are able to assess how well they have done and think about the next steps in their learning. However, as leaders, you are aware of the need to ensure that this strong teaching happens in all classes across the school.

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Main findings

Teachers have secure subject knowledge and most lessons are pitched appropriately to challenge all groups of pupils. This is because you have trained staff well on how to plan and teach the appropriate year-group skills taken from the national curriculum. In reading and mathematics, teachers ensure that they give as many pupils as possible the opportunity to deepen their understanding and work at greater depth. As a result, more pupils across the school are achieving the higher standard in these subjects. However, this is not the case in writing. Your plans correctly identify the need to train staff further on how to plan for and teach lessons which will achieve this.

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Main findings

The deputy headteacher makes sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. She works well with class teachers and outside agencies to ensure that any gaps in their learning are identified early and accurately. Great care is then taken to meet their needs and address these gaps. She has ensured that these pupils’ progress from their starting points is captured in a ‘learning journey’. These demonstrate evidence of good progress.

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Main findings

Your early years leader ensures that the learning environment is bright, stimulating, safe and caring. The interesting learning activities are prepared and organised effectively. There is a good balance between work that is led by an adult and opportunities for children to explore ideas for themselves. There are many opportunities for the children to develop and practise their speaking and listening skills, as well as early writing, reading and number skills. The children are keen to learn, and they play together and cooperate well.

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Main findings

The governing body has been proactive in reviewing and improving the quality of their work. They have a strong understanding of their strategic role. You provide them with helpful information about school improvement and pupils’ achievement, which they use well to challenge you about the school’s performance. Governors now carry out regular visits to the school and are much more actively involved in checking the school’s work for themselves. As a result, they have a better understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

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External support

You value the external challenge brought by the school improvement adviser and have responded well to it. This has helped you to improve teaching, the quality of your monitoring and feedback to staff and the reports you provide. As a result, your self-evaluation is more accurate. Governors have also drawn upon external support and receive regular training on how to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Worcestershire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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