Chrishall Holy Trinity and St Nicholas CofE (Aided) Primary School and Pre-School

Inspection of a good school: Chrishall Holy Trinity and St Nicholas Church of England (Aided) Primary School and Pre- School Palmers Lane, Chrishall, Royston, Hertfordshire SG8 8QE

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Outcome

Chrishall Holy Trinity and St Nicholas Church of England (Aided) Primary School and Pre- School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are positive and kind. Older pupils willingly mentor the younger ones. They act as role models, demonstrating the ‘super seven rules’ to ensure that school is a place where pupils feel happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that staff have high aspirations for them. They have high aspirations for themselves as well. Pupils recall much of what they learn, talking enthusiastically about their lessons. Pupils are keen readers because staff and their parents and carers encourage them. Pupils appreciate the second-hand book swap that the eco-squad oversees. These opportunities to share and enjoy books mean that many pupils read widely and often.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live out the school’s values, particularly in how they care for each other. As a result, bullying is uncommon. Pupils trust staff to investigate allegations of bullying thoroughly. This ensures that the pupils involved feel heard and get the support they need to resolve the issue.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils take part in leadership work. This makes them confident and charitable. For example, one class wrote to the council about the condition of the local bus stop. Now it is adorned with cushions and flowers to make it a pleasant place to wait for a bus. Pupils appreciate these opportunities to serve their local community.

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

Leaders’ changes to the reading curriculum work well. Staff received training ahead of introducing the phonics programme. Consequently, most staff teach phonics confidently. Primary School and Pre-School 5 July 2022

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Pupils know how to sound out the sounds in words. They use their knowledge to read unfamiliar words in the books they receive. This works because staff audited books carefully, so they align with the phonics programme. Children in early years relish opportunities to enjoy a storybook with staff. Many pupils join the creative craft book club to discuss stories and create artwork. This multi-faceted approach means that pupils achieve well in reading.

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Leaders, including governors, recognise the challenge of developing a curriculum in a small school. They took steps to mitigate this. For example, they have adopted high- quality schemes of work that come with online training. Staff use the training and curriculum resources to good effect. This shows itself in staff mostly providing clear instruction and many pupils having a sound recall of what they learn.

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However, teachers do not check pupils’ work, or correct pupils’ mistakes, as well as they should. As a result, some of pupils’ misconceptions persist. Leaders recognise this, but their plans to address it have not, at this stage, shown impact.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Leaders arrange training for staff in how to identify and help pupils with SEND, such as using intuitive tests that determine fitting support. Leaders value the partnership between parents and school staff. This ensures that adults work together to best meet pupils’ needs.

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Pupils behave respectfully. They follow staff’s instructions and join in with activities enthusiastically. This is because all staff model a polite, caring manner and pupils respond in kind. The colour-based feelings chart helps children in early years to name emotions. Then, as they move through the school, it ensures that they recognise and respond to their feelings with suitable self-control. Lessons are conducive to learning.

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There is much to celebrate in how leaders and their staff cater for pupils’ wider development. The ‘Conquering Chrishall’ approach widens pupils’ experiences. Pupils enjoy these, feeling incentivised by the chance to achieve a ‘let your light shine bright’ badge for displaying the school’s values. The extra-curricular clubs, including those for choir, football and yoga, allow pupils to develop their talents and interests. Pupils keenly showcase their creativity through the ‘tales and scales’ performance or musical recitals. Staff astutely arranged some events remotely during the pandemic. For instance, they filmed the nativity in the village for pupils and their families to watch online.

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Leaders, including governors, drive school development successfully. School leaders share clear information with governors. Governors use this to direct their monitoring. Their visits to school assure them that the curriculum and wider school systems work mostly as intended. Staff recognise the support from leaders. They say that changes to the curriculum happen well because leaders arrange suitable training. Teachers also value the adopted curriculums that come with resources. They say that these help them to manage their workload.

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In discussion with the headteacher, the inspectors agreed that how teachers make and use assessments to inform teaching may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection. Primary School and Pre-School 5 July 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders arrange regular training for all staff, including opportunities to recall the signs of abuse. This helps staff to recognise and report any concerns. Leaders work sensibly to resolve issues, involving external agencies when needed. This ensures that vulnerable pupils get the help they need. Pupils confide in staff when they have a problem. They recognise that staff will arrange support, such as in-school therapy, to strengthen their well-being and keep them safe. Governors have strong oversight of safeguarding systems. They verify that all staff and volunteers undergo suitable pre-employment checks.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Staff do not use assessment as well as they should to inform their teaching. Pupils’ misconceptions sometimes persist. Leaders must train staff to make astute assessments and respond to these in a timely manner, so all pupils achieve their best.

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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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 . Primary School and Pre-School 5 July 2022

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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. Primary School and Pre-School 5 July 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

28 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Diocese of Chelmsford.  The religious character of the school was inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in January 2017 and was judged outstanding.  The school runs its own breakfast club.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the key stage 1 leader, the special educational needs coordinator (who is also the key stage 2 leader), three governors, and representatives from the diocese and the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and teaching assistants, spoke to some pupils about their Primary School and Pre-School 5 July 2022

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learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to a sample of pupils reading aloud to a familiar adult.  To inspect safeguarding, the lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead to explore records. The lead inspector met with the administrative officer to scrutinise the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks. The inspectors also spoke with governors, teachers and pupils to evaluate safeguarding.  The inspectors reviewed a range of other school documentation and policies, including the school development plan and minutes of meetings.  To gather pupils’ views, inspectors spent time observing and speaking to pupils. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire.  The inspectors gathered parents’ views by reviewing the 46 responses and 35 free-text comments submitted to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View.  The inspectors gathered staff members’ views by speaking to several of them and

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reviewing the 19 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Daniel Short, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Michael Williams Her Majesty’s Inspector Primary School and Pre-School 5 July 2022

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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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