Chappel Church of England Controlled Primary School

Inspection of Chappel Church of England Controlled Primary School The Street, Chappel, Colchester, Essex CO6 2DD

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 November 2022

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 22 and 23 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are accepting of difference and understand that everyone is special. They enjoy participating in the activities the school provides, such as singing in assembly and exploring the forest school. This makes them feel part of a happy school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

If pupils have a worry, they feel confident to talk to adults in the school. However, when these worries are more serious, they are not followed up effectively enough by leaders. Therefore, some pupils are potentially placed at risk.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils explore a full range of curriculum subjects. However, some pupils do not learn what leaders intend. This means pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Pupils are now getting the support they need to learn to read due to the new approach to teaching phonics. However, some are behind in their reading because this approach has only recently been introduced.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are eager to learn, and they behave well in lessons. They share, take turns and include each other in their play. Instances of bullying are rare. They are resolved effectively where they do occur.

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better?

Leaders, including governors, have failed to ensure that statutory safeguarding responsibilities are met. Leaders do not routinely follow up on safeguarding concerns effectively. As a result, leaders have not established a culture where safeguarding is prioritised or where they can be sure pupils, including those who are more vulnerable, are not at risk.

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better?

The curriculum is planned to build pupils’ knowledge over time. However, curriculum plans are not always used or understood well. Teachers sometimes do not see the value in the plans or in doing what they need to do to deliver them well. For example, teachers adopt different approaches to mathematics than those set out by leaders. In science, teachers sometimes seek out their own resources rather than referring to any common set of teaching approaches or ideas. As a result, pupils too often do not learn what leaders intend.

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better?

In early years, leaders have identified early opportunities for children to explore curriculum subjects through the seven early years areas of learning. For example, pupils develop their understanding of the world by exploring the historical concept of ‘yesterday’ being in the past. Pupils enjoy exploring these topics, which provides a secure foundation for pupils to build on in Year 1.

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better?

Teachers check what pupils know and provide feedback about what pupils can improve. However, support staff do not always pick up on or address misconceptions quickly enough. This means that some pupils do not learn as well as they should. 22 and 23 November 2022

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported appropriately. ‘One plans’ ensure that their needs are identified, met and reviewed. Teachers use recommended strategies and targets from the special educational needs coordinator to help pupils succeed. Therefore, pupils with SEND are included and supported effectively to access the same curriculum as other pupils.

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Leaders have made recent improvements to ensure that phonics is now taught effectively. The books pupils are given now match the letters and words they can decode. Adults support pupils to segment and blend words appropriately. Those pupils who are behind, including older pupils, are now given specific help to catch up. This is beginning to work, with pupils’ reading ability starting to improve. However, too many pupils, including in early years, are still behind in learning to read.

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Other aspects of teaching reading have not improved as much. While leaders have ensured that there are books for pupils of different ages to explore, learn from and enjoy, there is not a consistent approach to teaching reading. Specifically, pupils do not have a continuity of experience in terms of how they learn about vocabulary, inference and prediction. They are therefore not able to understand what they read as well as they should.

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Pupils’ attitudes towards learning and each other are generally highly positive. This includes pupils with SEND, who are keen to talk about and share what they have learned. As result, pupils’ learning is not disrupted by inappropriate behaviour.

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Pupils value the extensive range of clubs and competitive sporting opportunities available to them. An effective programme of personal, social and health education ensures pupils learn about British values. This is further supported by the school’s assembly programme. Pupils have access to a range of pupil leadership opportunities. They wear their leadership badges with pride.

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Suitable pastoral support is provided for pupils. However, this support, and the reasons it is needed, is not recorded well enough. This means that leaders do not necessarily see when a range of issues is affecting the same pupil and may indicate the need for additional support.

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The governing body lacks the necessary expertise to be able to hold school leaders to account effectively, and it has not done so. This includes for ensuring that pupils are safeguarded effectively. Governors have not engaged well enough with safeguarding training. Therefore, they do not have the appropriate knowledge and skills to be fully effective in their governor roles.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective. 22 and 23 November 2022

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Leaders have not established a culture of vigilance where safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. They do not follow the appropriate guidance.

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When staff report safeguarding concerns, leaders do not take effective action to follow them up. They do not refer safeguarding matters to the local authority for assessment when they should. Leaders rely too heavily on knowing the families of pupils. Their approach to keeping children safe is too casual. This is reflected in poorly kept safeguarding records. Leaders cannot be sure that vulnerable pupils are safe from harm.

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The curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to learn how to stay safe. This includes when outside of school and when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that statutory safeguarding responsibilities are met. Patterns of concern have not been followed up or recorded effectively. As a result, leaders are unable to assure themselves that pupils are safeguarded well. Leaders need to ensure that all statutory safeguarding responsibilities are met, including appropriate actions taken and recorded, so pupils are not placed at risk.  Leaders’ implementation of a new approach to phonics is at an early stage. The teaching of other aspects of reading varies in quality. As a result, some pupils are not able to read as well as they should. Leaders need to ensure that the new phonics programme is used effectively and that there is a consistent, high-quality approach to teaching reading throughout the school.  Too often, teachers do not know or follow leaders’ curriculum plans. As a result, in some year groups, pupils do not learn as well as in others. Leaders need to

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

ensure that all teachers understand and use the curriculum plans consistently well.  The governing body does not have sufficient experience and expertise to hold school leaders effectively to account. As a result, governors have not provided appropriate challenge and support to school leaders. The governing body needs to ensure that it has an appropriate skillset to enable governors to hold school leaders to account effectively.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 22 and 23 November 2022

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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. 22 and 23 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10255205 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Stephen Thompson

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4 July 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher is also headteacher of Fordham All Saints Church of England Primary School.  No pupils attend alternative provision.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.  As the school has a religious character, it is required to have Section 48 (SIAMS) inspections. The last SIAMS inspection was on 18 June 2015. A further SIAMS inspection was scheduled for 24 November 2022.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a graded (section 5) inspection under the same Act. 22 and 23 November 2022

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In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with curriculum leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors conducted meetings with members of the governing body and leaders of provision for SEND, behaviour and attendance, early years foundation stage, safeguarding, school counselling and personal development.  Inspectors observed breaktimes and lunchtimes. Inspectors also visited assembly and met with a selection of parents.  Inspectors explored the school’s safeguarding culture through viewing

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safeguarding records and procedures, meeting with a range of pupils and staff and talking to safeguarding leaders.  Inspectors considered the 26 responses and 20 free-text responses made by parents to the survey, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also considered 16 responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire and 39 responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

James Chester, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Karen Stanton Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 November 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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