Chatsworth Infant School

Inspection of Chatsworth Infant School Burnt Oak Lane, Sidcup, Kent DA15 9DD

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 18–19 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want pupils to enjoy learning and pupils clearly do. Pupils told us how much they like coming to school. They live up to the school’s motto: ‘We work hard, and we play hard.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has lots of exciting outside spaces which fire pupils’ imagination. Pupils explore nature in the woodland areas and the school’s ‘cave’. The inviting library even has a palm tree under which pupils can gather together and share books.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high aspirations for the school and high expectations of all pupils. Displays of pupils’ work celebrate the rich experiences that the school’s leaders provide. Pupils told us that their teachers take care of them and help them to achieve well. Parents and carers agreed that this is a special feature of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and care about others. They respond well to adults’ instructions. This means that the school has a calm feel to it. Pupils rarely experience bullying. Staff make sure that pupils know what to do if it does occur. Leaders and staff take care of any incidents of unkind behaviour. Leaders urge parents to bring their children to school regularly and on time.

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better?

Subject leaders ensure that teachers know what knowledge they want pupils to learn. They make sure that teaching typically enables all pupils to develop this knowledge. The headteacher and the trust provide subject leaders with exceptional levels of support. This means that subject leaders skilfully develop their areas of responsibility. They know what they need to do to improve the quality of education further. For example, they are supporting teachers to further strengthen the learning of new subject content and creative use of resources.

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better?

Children in the early years get off to a strong start in reading. Teachers use assessment information to decide what phonics knowledge to teach next and how to teach it. Staff give parents helpful advice so that they can support their children’s reading at home.

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better?

In Years 1 and 2, teachers help pupils to choose books which match the phonics sounds that they are learning. However, we found that some pupils’ reading books include too many words that they cannot read accurately or confidently. This holds pupils back, particularly those pupils who find it hard to learn to read.

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better?

Pupils develop a wide vocabulary. They use a dictionary or thesaurus to look up unfamiliar words or find a better word for what they want to say.

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better?

In mathematics, leaders and staff are clear about what knowledge pupils should remember by the end of Year 2. Teachers know what content to teach and the order in which to teach it. Pupils know their times tables and understand the place value 18–19 September 2019

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of numbers. As a result, pupils achieve highly in mathematics.

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In subjects such as art and history, pupils build their knowledge and skills well. For example, Year 2 pupils told us that the artist Seurat created paintings using dots of colour. In history, pupils discuss and recall important information. For instance, pupils learning about the Great Fire of London debated how the lives of Londoners were different then compared with the present day.

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Occasionally, teachers do not bear in mind the subject content that pupils have learned already. This means that pupils sometimes complete tasks that do not deepen their knowledge as effectively as they should.

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The early years is an inspiring place for children to learn and play. Activities are carefully planned to ensure that all children achieve to the very best of their abilities. This includes disadvantaged children and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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As soon as children join the school, staff help them to concentrate and do things for themselves. They expect children to be curious and ask questions. Children persevere with demanding work because staff provide lots of encouragement. In Years 1 and 2, pupils’ attitudes in lessons continue to be excellent. Pupils pay attention and are keen to do their best.

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Pupils’ personal development is exceptionally well taken care of. Leaders organise plenty of educational visits and activities to encourage pupils to find out about the world they live in. They teach pupils about difference and explain why it is important to treat everyone equally.

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Governors and trust members ask leaders challenging questions to find out how well all pupils achieve, including disadvantaged pupils.

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Senior leaders make sure that staff have a say in what the school should do to improve. Leaders consider the well-being and workload of colleagues carefully when they make decisions.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Governors and trustees carry out regular and thorough checks to see how well staff understand and follow safeguarding guidance. Teachers know about different risks and what school leaders expect them to do if they have any concerns about pupils’ well-being.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are thorough when checking things are safe for pupils. They listen to what pupils say worries them and act quickly to provide reassurance.

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Safeguarding

Teachers use subject teaching to make sure pupils remember what they have been 18–19 September 2019

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taught about keeping themselves safe. They build pupils’ knowledge of important safeguarding issues, such as keeping their personal details safe when using the internet.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers give some pupils who are still learning to read in Years 1 and 2 reading books which include too many words that they cannot read accurately. This means that these pupils find it hard to read fluently and confidently. Subject leaders should make sure that teachers provide all pupils with reading books that match their phonics abilities.  Sometimes, pupils complete tasks that repeat what they have already learned. Therefore, across the full range of subjects, leaders should ensure that teachers take account of the subject content that pupils have already learned and build on what pupils already know and can do.

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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. 18–19 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110386 Type of school Infant

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School details

Website www.thepioneeracademy.co.uk/bexley/pr imary/chatsworth Date of previous inspection 5 December 2018

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Information about this school

 The school has been part of the Pioneer multi-academy trust since 2016. It includes a nursery which offers part-time morning and afternoon places. There are no two-year-old children on the school roll.  The deputy headteacher was on maternity leave at the time of the inspection. Her role is being filled on a part-time basis by a senior leader from another school in the trust.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We spoke with school leaders, governors and representatives from the multi- academy trust.  We focused deeply on mathematics, art and history during this inspection. We met with the leaders for these subjects. We visited lessons together with leaders, including in the early years. We also spoke to pupils and looked at examples of their work. We also listened to pupils read.  We observed pupils at play and in the dining hall. We spoke to several parents at 18–19 September 2019

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the start of the school day and to staff responsible for supervising pupils at lunchtime.  Four responses to the staff survey were considered. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. We also considered the 63 responses to the online Parent View survey, including 39 written responses.

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Inspection team

Andrew Wright, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Lack Ofsted 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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