Calow CofE VC Primary School

Inspection of Calow CofE VC Primary School North Road, Calow, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S44 5BD

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 25–26 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to come to Calow Church of England Primary school. It is a caring school where everyone is welcome. Pupils get on well with staff and with each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children settle well into the Nursery. They enjoy retelling the story of ‘The Three Little Pigs’. Older pupils speak with enthusiasm about the books they are reading as a class. However, not all pupils learn the sounds that letters make well enough to become fluent readers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy talking about their work. They do not always remember the important information from previous lessons. Teachers do not always make sure that what pupils are learning builds on what they already know.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know what bullying is. They say that it does not happen very often. When it does happen, pupils say that the adults make it stop. Pupils say that they can talk to the adults in school if something is worrying them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils work and play well together. Pupils say that their lessons are not disrupted by bad behaviour very often. When this happens, they say that the teachers deal with it.

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better?

Leaders have begun to design a curriculum to help pupils know more and remember more. They have not made sure that the curriculum is ambitious enough in all areas or for all pupils. Leaders have not made sure that the teaching of reading and mathematics is good enough. Teachers do not check well enough that pupils understand important mathematical concepts. Pupils do not always have the opportunities to practise what they know and become fluent mathematicians.

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better?

Teachers do not have a clear plan of how pupils will build on the sounds that they already know. Their expectations are not high enough. Teachers do not always model the sounds that letters make correctly. They do not match the letter sounds that pupils know to the books that they are reading. Pupils who fall behind do not catch up quickly.

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better?

Pupils enjoy physical education (PE). Teachers plan so that pupils can improve the skills that they have already learned. Pupils can explain how they learn to control their bodies better. However, in other subjects pupils have gaps in their understanding of some basic skills and knowledge. For example, some pupils do not understand how the equipment that they use represents different numbers. They cannot explain which numbers are ‘greater than’ or ‘less than’ well enough.

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better?

Leaders know pupils well. They help staff to know how to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, leaders do not check 25–26 September 2019

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whether this support is working. Pupils with SEND struggle to learn what they should.

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Teachers make sure that pupils learn important vocabulary. In a Year 1 class pupils were ‘excavating’ bones, twigs and leaves to see what animals ate. Pupils listen well, including in the early years. Pupils are developing a love of reading. They enjoy listening to their class stories and novels at the end of the day.

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Visitors help pupils to learn about the world they live in. For example, pupils enjoyed learning the Haka from Maori dancers. Pupils also heard the real-life stories from people of the Windrush generation. Pupils enjoy responsibilities such as play pals, reading buddies and school councillors. Pupils who are ‘anti-stigma ambassadors’ lead assemblies to help others to understand mental health issues.

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Leaders want pupils to be cooperative, honest, caring, respectful and resilient. Pupils are polite, friendly and well mannered. Pupils learn how to control their anger in ‘the hub’. Pupils look out for one another and help each other. They respect the adults in school and trust the adults to keep them safe.

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Children in the early years have settled into school life well. They are safe and happy. Staff work hard to help children improve their vocabulary and communication skills. Children love listening to stories that their teachers read to them. They enjoy joining in with repeated lines such as, ‘Little pig, little pig, let me come in!’ However, leaders have not made sure that teachers build on the sounds that children already know. Teachers’ expectations of what children can do are not high enough. As a result, children do not get off to a good enough start with learning to read.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Staff know how to spot signs of potential risks to pupils’ safety. Leaders know what to do when worried about a pupil. They seek further advice when needed and work well with other agencies.

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Safeguarding

Pupils say they feel safe in school and the clear majority of parents agree. Staff teach pupils how to keep themselves safe both in school and outside the school gate. Pupils learn how to stay safe when using the internet and social media. Pupils also learn how to use their bicycles safely.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not planned the curriculum well enough so that all pupils gain the phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) skills that they need to become fluent readers. They have not made sure that the teaching of phonics is consistent throughout the school. Leaders should ensure that all staff have high expectations of what pupils can do. They should ensure that all teachers have the training that they need so that they model the sounds that letters make 25–26 September 2019

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consistently well. Teachers should make sure that they are building on what pupils already know and can do. They should make sure that books match the sounds that pupils know so that they can practise these to become fluent readers.  Not all teachers make sure that pupils build on what they know and can do in mathematics lessons. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced in mathematics. Teachers should check pupils’ understanding of basic mathematical concepts. Teachers need to make sure that pupils practise these so that they can remember them well.  Teachers do not make sure that all pupils remember skills they have been taught in all subjects. Leaders need to establish high expectations in all subjects and for all pupils. Leaders need to check that teachers are helping pupils to remember more and do more consistently well.  Leaders have not checked that staff are supporting pupils with SEND well enough.

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Teachers do not always adapt the curriculum so that it meets the needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is adapted consistently well to meet the needs of all pupils, particularly those with SEND. They need to check that the support that they are giving pupils with SEND is making a difference.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 25–26 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110036 Type of school Primary

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School details

School category Church of England Voluntary controlled

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Father Kevin Ball

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26–27 April 2017

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Information about this school

 The new headteacher was appointed in April 2018.The chair and vice chair of the governing body were appointed at the beginning of the school year. There have been some changes in the teaching staff.  The school was last inspected by Ofsted on 26–27 April 2017 and received a monitoring visit on 12 April 2018.  This is a Church of England voluntary controlled school. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection was on 9 March 2017.  Leaders are supported by a national leader of education and a specialist leader of education in mathematics as well as support from the local authority.  Governors run a breakfast club at the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors spoke with senior leaders, including the headteacher and assistant headteacher. They spoke with subject leaders and the staff who support pupils with SEND.  Inspectors considered in detail the quality of reading, mathematics, science and 25–26 September 2019

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PE throughout the school. This was done by speaking with leaders, teachers and pupils, visiting lessons across the school and looking at pupils’ work.  Inspectors looked at the school’s single central record, safeguarding policy and training records. They spoke with leaders and staff and checked the records that the school keeps. The views of pupils, parents and staff were considered.  Inspectors spoke with members of the governing body which included a representative from the diocese and a representative from the local authority.

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Inspection team

Heidi Malliff, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Dorothy Stenson Ofsted Inspector 25–26 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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