Churchfield CofE Primary Academy

Draft and confidential - Not for disclosure or publication Inspection of Churchfield CofE Primary Academy Sandy Lane, Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 2LB

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected 4–5 February 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

‘The teachers here are so nice’ say pupils at Churchfield C.E. Primary Academy. It is clear to see that staff value each pupil as an individual and ensure that pupils are happy, safe and well cared for.

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What is it like to attend this school?

It was a pleasure talking to pupils. They are enthusiastic about their learning. They love solving problems in mathematics and enjoy the exciting activities they are given in physical education (PE). Pupils really enjoy the enrichment days, which bring the curriculum to life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well as they move around the school and are polite to visitors. Those who find it harder to behave well are carefully supported, including those within the new nurture group provision. Pupils say that there is very little bullying at school. When it does happen, teachers deal with it quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is continuing to improve the quality of education it offers. Leaders want pupils to do well. They work with staff to plan and sequence learning so that pupils build on what they already know. But pupils are not doing as well as they should at the moment. This is because expectations of pupils’ academic achievement are not always high enough.

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better?

The early years provides a good start to school. Children are deeply engrossed in their learning because adults know how to interest and challenge them effectively. Adults are skilled in giving children time to think for themselves. There is a buzz of learning and the Nursery and Reception classrooms are a hive of activity.

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better?

Leaders know what needs to be done to improve the rest of the school. They have plans focused on the right priorities. Staff value the opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge provided through the trust and from subject leaders. Despite leaders’ efforts to raise standards, the quality of education across the school is not consistently good. The process for checking the quality of education is not effective. Checks on performance across the school are not clearly identifying who needs to do what, when and how.

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better?

Some curriculum plans are stronger and more established than others. There is now a consistent approach to the teaching of mathematics across the school. Pupils develop fluency in basic skills such as their times tables. They use practical apparatus to secure their understanding. Pupils use their knowledge to solve problems and prove what they know. They have positive attitudes to mathematics.

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better?

The teaching of early reading is a strength. Children learn phonics from the start in reception. Teachers have high expectations and plan lessons well. They keep a close eye on any child who is struggling. Pupils develop their fluency by reading books which match the sounds they know. But in key stage 2 new approaches to teaching 4–5 February 2020

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reading are not yet fully embedded, which means that pupils struggle to understand more complex texts. Leaders continue to help all staff know how to teach reading effectively. Throughout the school, pupils enjoy daily story time and listen attentively when teachers read to them.

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Subject leaders are working hard to develop other areas of the curriculum. The impact of some of this work is still in the early stages. The focus on developing pupils’ subject knowledge is strong. However, the skills linked with some subjects are not developed as fully. Reading and writing across the curriculum are less well developed. Expectations of what pupils can do are still too low.

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Pupils’ physical well-being is a key priority. From Nursery to Year 6, pupils are supported to develop their fitness, stamina, skills and expertise. Learning is carefully planned to build on what pupils can do. Extra support and challenge are provided. Physical education is taught well.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and enjoy coming to school. Attendance rates are high. Pupils understand what is expected and talk about being ‘ready, respectful and safe’. A new behaviour policy has recently been introduced. Behaviour is not yet good because the new policy is not consistently applied by all staff. Behaviour observed during the inspection was positive because it was well managed.

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Extra support is provided for any pupil who needs it. The special educational needs coordinator works closely with families to help pupils get the help they need. Provision in school is adapted to include all pupils and help them succeed.

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A strength of the school’s work is how well it supports pupils’ personal development. Pupils rise to the challenge of the real responsibilities they are given. Sports leaders plan and organise games for other pupils at breaktimes. Year 3 pupils are enthusiastic fish keepers. Pupils experience the wider world through day trips and residential visits. They recall the Roman Day invasion in great detail. Christian values underpin the culture of respect and empathy evident in the school. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils’ welfare is the school’s highest priority. Well trained staff work together to ensure that vulnerable children and their families thrive. Staff keep a close eye on children in their care. Leaders act quickly when a concern is noted. They make sure that children and families get the right support at the right time.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are supported to learn how to manage risks from an early age. For example, when building a bridge for the Billy Goats Gruff, children checked it was safe. Older pupils talk confidently about how to stay safe when using social media or out of school. 4–5 February 2020

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school is on an improving journey, but leaders are not identifying clearly enough who needs to do what, when and how. This means that the school is not improving as securely as it should. Leaders should strengthen the cycle of monitoring and evaluation, making roles and responsibilities clear. They should also ensure that all staff know how they will be held to account for their role in improving the quality of education across the school.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do are still too low. The standards that pupils reach in reading, writing and mathematics are still not consistently good enough. Leaders should work with staff to ensure that work given to pupils is sufficiently demanding, so that pupils achieve what they are capable of.  Leaders have been working hard to improve the curriculum. Some subject areas such as early reading, mathematics and PE are carefully structured. Others are

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

not there yet. Leaders should continue to develop and sequence all subject areas coherently. They should ensure that pupils have many and varied opportunities to develop their reading and writing skills across the curriculum.  A new behaviour policy has recently been put in place. Behaviour observed during the inspection was positive because it was well managed. However, the new behaviour policy is not being implemented consistently well by all staff, so it is not having the impact that it should. Leaders should ensure that all staff implement the policy consistently.  The vast majority of relationships across the school are strong. However, some staff and parents are unclear about key issues such as behaviour. Leaders should continue to strengthen communication with all members of the school community so that a strong shared vision is understood by all.

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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 are the school and you are 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. 4–5 February 2020

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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. 4–5 February 2020

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school joined St Chad’s Academies Trust in April 2017.  The school offers early years provision for two- and three-year-old children as well as a nursery and one Reception class.  The school was judged to be good at its last section 48 inspection in January 2016. A section 48 inspection reports on the religious character of the school.

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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 visited lessons in all year groups. We talked to pupils about their learning and experiences in school. We looked at pupils’ work in a range of different subjects to see how well the curriculum was applied. We focused on reading, mathematics, history, and PE.  We met with the principal and vice-principal. We also met with subject leaders for reading, mathematics, history, PE and science. We met with the SENCo to discuss provision for pupils with SEND. We held discussions with members of the local 4–5 February 2020

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academy committee, including the chair. We also held a discussion with the chief executive officer for the trust and the trust’s director of school improvement.  We met with groups of teachers to discuss how they are supported to develop their skills, knowledge and understanding.  A range of documentation was scrutinised including school policies, curriculum documents, safeguarding information including the checks that leaders make on staff prior to employment, minutes of governors’ meetings, and published information about pupils’ performance. The school website was also scrutinised.  We spoke to parents at the end of the first day of inspection and again at the start of the second day. We spoke to a parent on the telephone and considered the 13 responses to Parent View and the nine free-text responses.  We considered the 21 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Nicola Harwood, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

John Bates Ofsted Inspector 4–5 February 2020

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