Chivenor Primary School

Chivenor Primary School Farnborough Road, Castle Vale, Birmingham, West Midlands B35 7JA

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Strong, determined leadership by the headteacher has provided clear direction and brought about improvement.  After disappointing results in 2018, determined actions by leaders have resulted in almost all current pupils now making good progress across a range of subjects.  Governors provide a high level of challenge and support for school leaders. Governors have a firm grasp of how effectively the pupil premium funding is spent.  Pupils behave well. They are welcoming and respectful and have good relationships with each other and staff.  The quality of teaching across the school is good. Leaders regularly review teaching and devise strategies to strengthen it.  Teaching in the early years is good. Children make good progress from their typically low starting points. Leaders are beginning to take action to strengthen the engagement of parents in children’s learning.  The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

social and cultural development is strong. Leaders and teachers take every opportunity to reinforce these aspects of the school’s work.  In most subjects, the curriculum enables pupils to make strong gains in subject- specific skills and knowledge. However, this is not the case in modern foreign languages, religious education (RE) and geography.  In general, parents and carers are pleased with the school’s work. Nevertheless, a small proportion of parents have lost confidence in how leaders communicate with them when issues arise.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the most disadvantaged continue to make strong progress as they move through school.  Communicate more effectively with parents and carers so that all feel involved in the school’s community.  Ensure that the curriculum incorporates opportunities for pupils to acquire and retain subject-specific skills and knowledge in modern foreign languages, RE and geography.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The headteacher is ambitious and uncompromising in her plans for the school. Since her arrival in November 2017, she has worked quickly to improve provision and outcomes for pupils across the school. There is a legacy of underachievement at Chivenor that is diminishing over time, because strong teaching has been secured at the school.  The partnership between leaders and governors is strong and is leading to necessary changes being implemented. Since the school’s previous inspection, there have been changes in governors, staffing and subject leaders and this has contributed strongly to the school’s successful journey to improvement.  Staff are fully supportive of the school’s leadership team. Teachers told inspectors that they feel well supported and enjoy working at the school. They also strongly agreed that leaders have created a climate in which teachers feel able to support pupils effectively to achieve better outcomes. Pupils also recognise that their school has

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

improved considerably.  Well-developed systems for checking and monitoring the quality of provision and the impact of improvement plans mean that senior leaders know the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Development plans have a clear focus on improving outcomes for pupils, particularly in English and mathematics.  Leaders have provided teachers, and other staff in school, with opportunities to develop professionally through high-quality training. Teachers have worked closely with colleagues across the academy trust and in other local schools to share and to learn from good practice. They stated that they valued these opportunities and say that these have helped them to improve their work.  Assessment information in English and mathematics is analysed every half term to check pupils are on track to reach their end of year targets. Any pupils at risk of falling behind are well supported to enable them to catch up.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Funding for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is used effectively. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is knowledgeable about the pupils with SEND and their individual needs. Through the checking of targeted interventions, leaders ensure that the pupils receiving additional help are making progress.  Middle leaders are clear about the areas for which they are accountable. They check the work in pupils’ books and provide useful feedback and guidance to teachers and support staff so that they can improve their teaching. As a result, the quality of teaching across the school has been strengthened significantly.  Leaders have ensured that the funding for disadvantaged pupils is used wisely. Leaders provide worthwhile programmes to reduce barriers to learning, and are passionate in ensuring that pupils have access to opportunities across the wider curriculum. Funding

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

is used to provide free trips for pupils, high-quality visitors and a range of enrichment clubs across the school day.  The primary physical education (PE) and sport funding has been used effectively. Pupils have access to a broad range of clubs and competitive sports opportunities and school’s records show that engagement in these clubs is high.  Some parents and carers are happy with how the school is led and managed. However, a minority raised questions about how leaders respond to any concerns that they raise. Leaders and governors state that they welcome discussions with parents who may be unhappy about particular aspects of the school’s work. However, there is more the school could do to communicate with some parents in order to involve them more fully in the school developments and give them a better understanding of how they can help their children.  Chivenor has a developing curriculum. Leaders have planned the future development of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

their curriculum well. However, this has not yet been fully realised across all subject areas. Examples of high-quality work and good progression were seen in art and in music, as the school employs specialist teachers in those areas. However, in other subjects such as geography, RE and modern foreign languages the breadth and depth of the curriculum offered was less well constructed.

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Governance of the school

 The Griffin Schools Trust has installed a small but highly skilled team of governors, from within the trust, to work as an improvement board in the school. This has created a sharper focus and commitment to addressing weaknesses than has been the case in the past. Governors have a strong understanding of their role and responsibilities in holding the school to account.  The members of the governing body are committed and knowledgeable. They have a secure knowledge of the strengths of the school and areas for further development. They have high expectations for continued improvement and provide support for leaders while offering rigorous challenge.  Governors have ensured that the funding for disadvantaged pupils has been used well, for instance to develop effective support for pupils’ well-being. This has had a positive effect on the progress of these particular pupils.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  School leaders have established a robust culture of safeguarding.  Designated safeguarding leads are highly skilled in engaging support from external agencies when necessary. They are tenacious in following up concerns. Processes to keep pupils safe permeate all aspects of school life.  Child protection procedures are compliant with statutory requirements. Leaders are diligent in making sure that children in need of support are identified quickly. Staff work closely with a range of external agencies to ensure that children are well supported.  The culture of safeguarding permeates the school, with children saying that they feel safe.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 The headteacher has successfully addressed the legacy of historically weaker teaching across the school. She has appointed high-quality staff and used performance management of both teaching and support staff to identify and refine their skills.  The teaching of reading, writing and mathematics is good across the school. Leaders have introduced various strategies to enhance the quality of teaching. These include a new focus on developing pupils’ fluency in mathematics, improvements in the sharpness of teaching in phonics sessions and the use of high-quality texts to support writing.  The teaching of phonics is effective, pupils quickly learn to decode words and develop the early skills of reading. This strong progress is particularly seen in the youngest pupils within school, because they have had good-quality teaching from the moment they arrived at Chivenor.  In mathematics, teachers ensure that pupils acquire a deep understanding of key

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

concepts and knowledge, including methods of calculation. Activities make pupils of all abilities think hard. Pupils demonstrate skilful reasoning to explain their thinking and use the calculation skills that they have learned previously to solve increasingly complex mathematical problems.  Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and little learning time is lost. Due to the strong relationships that teachers build with their pupils, combined with good teaching, the progress that pupils make in lessons is good.  Teaching assistants are well deployed. They have a positive impact on learning and on pupils’ well-being. They support pupils effectively and help remove barriers to their learning.  Across the wider curriculum, for example in art and music, pupils are given the opportunity to work with specialist teachers to refine their knowledge and skills, and, as a result, they achieve well. However, in some foundation subjects, teaching and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

learning are not consistently strong. In part, this is because ongoing work to strengthen the curriculum in these subjects is not yet fully embedded.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils, particularly the most vulnerable, are well supported in school. A high priority is given to pupils where there are concerns such as mental health issues. This helps these pupils to develop their self-confidence and more positive attitudes to learning.  Pupils are happy and confident. They show highly positive attitudes to their learning and say that they particularly enjoy their English and mathematics lessons. They are very caring in their relationships with one another. In conversation with the inspection team, pupils said: ‘We are all really close friends, so we are family.’  Pupils have a very good understanding of the various kinds of bullying. Pupils say that bullying is rare, and if it does happen, adults deal with it very effectively. Leaders’ records confirmed this to be the case. Older pupils show a good understanding of

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Personal development and welfare

cyberbullying.  The development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is good. Examples of cultural and religious diversity and tolerance are seen across wide-ranging displays that capture the school’s ethos. Pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values is clear, although they aren’t always able to explain what British values are in the context of school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are attentive in class. Outside of lessons they behave sensibly as they move around the school. Routines are well established. Pupils are polite, well-mannered and very welcoming to visitors.  Historically, the attendance of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds has not been good. Their rates of persistent absence have been particularly high. Leaders have been successful in reducing this absence and have halved the absence rates over time. Information about current pupil’s attendance shows that it is in line with the national average and rates of persistent absence are now lower than average.  Staff consistently apply well-structured and effective behaviour management systems. Rewards and sanctions are understood by pupils and staff. Where there have been exclusions, they have been used judiciously.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Historical outcomes for pupils were weak. Leaders have made significant improvements to the quality of teaching and learning which have resulted in current pupils making much stronger progress than in the past.  Pupils now read widely and fluently. They use their phonics knowledge well to segment and blend difficult words. In 2017 and 2018, the proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 was below national averages. However, improvements in the teaching of phonics are helping current pupils make much better progress.  Leaders work closely with Year 6 teachers to promote high expectations and provide additional support for pupils, many of whom have gaps in their learning from previous weaknesses in teaching. The work of current Year 6 pupils and recent teacher assessments show clear improvements this year.  Pupils’ work provides compelling evidence of strong rates of progress since the

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Outcomes for pupils Good

beginning of the school year, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics. The work from September to now shows rapid improvement towards the expected standard.  Over the past three years, progress in mathematics across key stage 2 declined. However, this decline has now been halted and books of current pupils show that they are making much stronger progress.  Progress in writing is also swiftly improving. Teachers support pupils effectively to develop their vocabulary and sentence structure.  Pupils with SEND are now making good progress from their starting points overall due to the well-targeted support that they receive. The SENCo manages provision efficiently and identifies pupils’ needs effectively. Good use is made of teaching assistants and external sources of support to ensure that the needs of these pupils are met and that they learn well. Increasing numbers of pupils with SEND are working at age-related

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Outcomes for pupils Good

expectations.  In the past, disadvantaged pupils made less progress than other pupils nationally with the same starting points. As a result, too few reached the expected standards at the end of key stage 2. Now, their progress is improving and differences in attainment compared to other pupils are diminishing in most year groups in school. However, leaders recognise that more needs to be done to embed recent changes and further improve outcomes for these pupils.  Leaders carefully track pupils’ progress and quickly identify those who are in danger of being left behind. Timely, focused support helps these pupils make better progress, and many are now catching up with their peers.  Not enough pupils achieve higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics. While the challenge for these pupils is improving, leaders acknowledge that there is more to be done to secure higher standards, particularly for the most able pupils.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 As a result of the success of the strong focus on developing pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics skills, leaders are now able to give their attention to other curriculum subjects. This work is paying dividends, particularly in subjects such as art and music. However, more work is needed to strengthen the curriculum in geography, RE and modern foreign languages, so that pupils attain as highly as they could in these subjects.

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Early years provision Good

 Children in Reception make good progress and are prepared well for entry to Year 1. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development by the end of the early years has been improving over the last three years.  Leadership of the early years is developing strongly. A new leader was appointed in September 2018. She works closely with the assistant headteacher to check and evaluate the work of the early years team and build in opportunities for professional development. As a result, pupils’ progress is more rapid than in previous years.  The learning environment in the Reception classes is vibrant, attractive and welcoming and stimulates the children’s interest in learning. The activities delivered in the classroom and beyond provide children with opportunities to develop their knowledge and understanding in different areas of the curriculum.  Leaders and staff keep a close eye on children’s progress. Children’s ‘learning journals’

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Early years provision Good

show that staff have tried to involve parents closely in this work. Records of children’s learning journeys are of high quality and include a range of evidence. All staff in the early years make a valuable contribution to these assessments and the recording of evidence.  Leaders provide a range of additional support for disadvantaged children and children with SEND. Well-planned learning tasks are delivered by skilled staff and these closely match children’s learning needs.  Children develop their early English and mathematics skills well. Through the good teaching they receive, even the youngest children develop a strong awareness of sounds, letters and numbers, which is evident in their early attempts at writing and mathematics. By the time they leave the Reception class, children are very well prepared for Year 1.  Safeguarding practices are effective. Children are taught how to manage risks. The

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Early years provision Good

strong safeguarding culture that permeates the school is equally apparent in the early years. There are no breaches of welfare requirements; children are safe and well supported.

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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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10–11 January 2017

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Information about this school

 Chivenor Primary is a slightly larger than average-sized school.  There has been a significant number of staffing changes, including the headteacher, since the previous inspection.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those who are supported by the pupil premium funding, is well above average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is just above average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average.  The school is part of the Griffin Schools Trust. The trust board is the main source of governance for the school. The local governing body acts as an improvement board for the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classes. Several sessions were observed jointly with the headteacher and her senior team.  The inspectors listened to pupils read and held formal and informal discussions with pupils.  Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work and tracking records with leaders.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, subject leaders, four governors, including the chair of the governing body, the designated and deputy safeguarding leaders and the SENCo. Inspectors met with the school’s pastoral team.  The inspectors met with parents at the school gate to seek their views.  The inspectors examined a range of documents. These included: the school’s development plans and self-evaluation documents, subject leaders’ documents, minutes of the governing body meetings, safeguarding documentation and various records relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

Max Vlahakis, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Bailie Ofsted 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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Inspection team

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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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