Chaddlewood Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Chaddlewood Primary School Hemerdon Heights, Plympton, Plymouth, Devon PL7 2EU

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Outcome

Chaddlewood Primary School continues to be a good school. However, inspectors have some concerns that standards may be declining, as set out below.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At Chaddlewood, both pupils and staff feel valued. The spacious school environment is full of colourful displays that showcase pupils’ work and celebrate achievements. The outside space hosts rabbits and chickens for which pupils are responsible. Older pupils look after younger pupils and escort them to lunch. Pupils are respectful, hold doors open for each other and greet teachers as they pass.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they are not worried about bullying. If they do have concerns, they say there is a trusted adult to whom they can speak. Pupils feel that all staff are approachable and trust them to act.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic about what they learn. They try their best in class, work together and help each other. They say that their teachers support them and explain things again if they are unsure what to do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the great many opportunities to get involved in the life of the school. For example, the ‘11¾ project’ outlines fifty activities that staff want pupils to do, either at school or in their life outside of school. A great many pupils do. This reflects staff’s ambition for pupils to be involved in a wide range of experiences, both for enjoyment and to create memories that will last.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have begun to discuss what pupils should learn in each subject, but this is not always well planned. Where it is successful, pupils can use what they already know to help them. For example, pupils’ knowledge of volcanic eruptions supports them to form an opinion about whether people should live by volcanoes. They balance the argument between the force of an eruption and the fertility of the soil in these areas. 18–19 September 2019

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However, sometimes teachers move through topics without checking what pupils have understood. For example, when pupils struggle to understand compass points, teachers do not change their plans to help them. Teachers do not fully know what pupils have learned in previous years so that they can build on this.

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Staff look after pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. However, plans do not give enough detail about the support in place to help pupils learn what they should. Teachers rely too much on extra support outside of the class. This is shown in pupils’ writing. Some pupils struggle to communicate their ideas clearly or do not know where to start.

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In mathematics, teachers follow a shared scheme but do not alter this when it would benefit pupils to do so. Therefore, at times, pupils are not able to solve mathematical problems because their basic number skills are not strong enough. The most able pupils do not get on to the harder ‘Think’ questions regularly. They spend too much time on tasks that they can easily do already.

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Younger pupils learn phonic sounds well. The vast majority of pupils pass the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1. Pupils use this understanding to read books that are matched to their ability. However, some pupils struggle to spell words correctly because staff do not check that pupils are using their phonic knowledge when they write.

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Teachers want pupils to develop a love of reading and to think about what the author is doing. Pupils speak enthusiastically about reading and offer to share books with each other. However, teachers are not clear about how the books that pupils read together in class help them to become better readers.

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Leaders want pupils to learn about their local environment and the wider world. Pupils welcome visitors to their school to talk about different cultures and religions. Pupils enjoy the wide range of activities that help them understand how to stay fit, safe and healthy. They respect each other and behave well in their classes, during recreational time and as they move around the school.

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Senior leaders are determined to build on the improvements that they have made. However, new subject leaders need time to show that they can lead improvement with rigour. Staff respect senior leaders. They feel that leaders help them to manage their workload and encourage them to share their ideas.

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The early years foundation stage is a hive of bustle and activity. Children enthusiastically create ‘potions’ or are on the lookout for creatures as part of their minibeast hunt. Other children sit quietly in the reading corner or practise their number skills. Leaders meet with parents and carers to give them practical tips to help children improve their communication and start to read. However, leaders’ plans for what children will learn throughout the year are not fully developed. Leaders help pupils to be independent but are not clear about what children need to know to prepare them well for Year 1. 18–19 September 2019

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are trained to identify the potential signs of harm. They know how to use the school’s system to report these. Leaders keep detailed records of these concerns and the actions that they then take. Staff are watchful of pupils who they know to be vulnerable. Where necessary, they work with specially trained staff and with external professionals to make sure that pupils get the support they need. Governors make all the necessary checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have started to consider what pupils need to learn in each subject, and by when. There are some examples of where this is done effectively, such as in upper key stage 2 geography. Leaders need to ensure that this approach is consistent and embedded across all areas of the curriculum.  Subject leaders are sometimes not clear about the important concepts that they want pupils to learn. Therefore, they cannot ensure that the curriculum will reinforce these so that pupils remember more in the long term. Leaders need to check that subject leaders are systematic in their planning and in their monitoring. They need to be assured that teachers are following the agreed plans and are successfully improving pupils’ understanding as a result.  Pupils with SEND are known but the support plans in place are not precise enough. Consequently, some pupils fall behind, particularly in writing. In these cases, pupils

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

make elementary mistakes in letter formation, word spacing and spelling. Teachers do not routinely spot these misunderstandings and take steps to remedy them. Leaders need to check that teachers have clear strategies in place to support pupils to overcome their difficulties, without relying heavily on additional intervention.  Teachers need to ensure that pupils’ mathematical fluency and confidence are secure. The most able pupils need to be able to explain their conclusions and apply their skills to more complex tasks.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately. 18–19 September 2019

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This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Chaddlewood Primary School, to be good in December 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

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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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. 18–19 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111579 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.chaddlewood- primary.plymouth.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 In 2016, Chaddlewood Primary School became part of the Plym Academy Trust, a partnership of five primary schools. In September 2019, it joined the Westcountry Schools Trust. This trust consists of 18 schools of which five are secondary and 13 are primary.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector met with the director of primary school improvement, two representatives from the local governing body, senior leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, the early years leader and a group of staff, including support staff.  The inspector considered the quality of education by looking in detail at the teaching of reading, mathematics and geography. She discussed the curriculum design with leaders, carried out lesson visits, scrutinised pupils’ work and spoke to pupils and teachers from the lessons visited.  The inspector evaluated the effectiveness of safeguarding, checked the school’s single central record and scrutinised policies relating to safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour. She met with the designated safeguarding lead and reviewed a sample of case files. 18–19 September 2019

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 The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. She spoke with pupils, both formally and informally, to discuss their views about their school.  The inspector considered 62 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, along with 47 additional free-text responses.  The inspector took into account 45 responses from staff and 142 responses from pupils to the questionnaires issued at the beginning of the inspection.

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Inspection team

Sarah McGinnis, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 18–19 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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