Charsfield Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Charsfield Church of England Primary School Church Road, Charsfield, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 7QB

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Outcome

Charsfield Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Charsfield is a friendly and caring school. It feels ‘like a family in its own right’. Pupils play well together. They are kind and thoughtful towards one another. Pupils feel safe at school. Pupils learn about bullying and say that there is none in the school. They are confident to talk to an adult if they are worried about anything. Pupils say that their teachers are kind and helpful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like the new curriculum that leaders have provided. They can talk in great detail about what they have learned. Pupils achieve well in all subjects. They enjoy the wide variety of clubs, curriculum visits and visitors organised by their teachers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning, and behaviour is usually good in class. Occasionally, pupils get so excited to be with their friends that they do not concentrate as well as they could. Adults do not always have high enough expectations for pupils’ behaviour in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils readily take on responsibilities, such as helping to improve their school as school councillors. Pupils support a range of different local and national charities. They learn to be active and caring citizens of modern Britain.

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

Leaders are ambitious for what pupils can achieve. Over the last 18 months, they have completely overhauled the curriculum. Teachers are using the new curriculum plans well. They have good subject knowledge. They say that training from trust leaders is helpful. Leaders acknowledge that it will take time to see the full impact of the new curriculum. Nonetheless, each term, pupils are gaining useful knowledge that will serve them well in the future.

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

Leaders acknowledge that there is a lot for teachers to do in a small school. Teachers say that leaders do their best to make sure that their workload is manageable. 8 February 2023

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Reading is given the highest priority by leaders. Children learn phonics from the moment they start school due to the carefully structured reading programme. Reading groups are well organised so that pupils get extra help if they need this. Most pupils learn to read fluently by the start of Year 3.

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Most pupils enjoy reading. They can explain why they have chosen a book and retell the story well. The new writing curriculum introduces pupils to a wider variety of books and authors. This is broadening pupils’ choices of books that they read for pleasure.

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Pupils usually behave well in class. They love being with their friends. Occasionally, this means that they do not concentrate as well as they could because they tend to chat to one another but not about their work. Adults do not always implement the school’s behaviour policy stringently enough.

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Teachers adapt the curriculum so that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn well in lessons. Leaders have recognised that systems that support pupils with SEND need streamlining. Learning targets tend to be too broad, so it is hard for leaders to check the progress pupils are making. Parents and carers have asked to be more involved in setting and reviewing targets for their children.

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There is strong provision for children’s learning in early years. They settle in quickly due to high expectations for their learning and behaviour. The early years curriculum is well planned, includes the children’s interests and links well with the subjects taught in Year 1. There are good opportunities for learning outdoors as well as inside the classroom.

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Leaders provide an extensive range of after-school clubs for pupils. There are many opportunities for visits and visitors to enhance the curriculum. For example, pupils visit the theatre and recently worked with an opera singer who came to their school. This high-quality curriculum enrichment has a positive impact on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Governors know the school well. They make regular visits to find out about the curriculum and how well pupils are learning. They work well with trust leaders. Governors give effective support and challenge to school leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff are vigilant in ensuring that all pupils are safe. There are robust and effective systems in place to identify and support the most vulnerable pupils. All staff have regular training to ensure that they are up to date with the latest guidance. Staff know how to report any concerns they have. Reports are clear and have appropriate detail. Leaders tenaciously follow up any concerns and work effectively with parents and external agencies. Governors and trust leaders carefully scrutinise safeguarding procedures. Safer recruitment procedures are securely in place. 8 February 2023

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Leaders ensure that the curriculum helps pupils know and understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, pupils understand the potential dangers when using the internet.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some targets for pupils with SEND are too broad. It is not easy to check whether pupils are making sufficient progress against these targets and to adapt the plans accordingly. Leaders should ensure that targets for pupils with SEND are sharply focused so that leaders can accurately check on pupils’ progress.  There are occasions when pupils get excited in class because they are with their friends. At these times, they do not concentrate enough or produce their best work. Leaders should ensure that all adults working with pupils have consistently high expectations for pupils’ learning behaviour.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Charsfield Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, to be good in March 2018.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 8 February 2023

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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. 8 February 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The board of trustees

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School details

Chair of governing body James Hargreaves

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School details

Website www.charsfieldprimaryschool.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 No pupils attend alternative provision.  The school joined All Saints School Trust soon after the previous inspection in 2018.

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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.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, the head of school, the phonics leader, the special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders for mathematics and music, the early years leader, teachers, support staff and groups of pupils.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the governing body, other representatives of the governing body and representatives from All Saints School Trust. 8 February 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and music. These included discussions with subject leaders, visits to lessons, meetings with staff and pupils, and scrutinising pupils’ books.  The lead inspector spoke to leaders and scrutinised curriculum design and pupils’ work in art and design, science, history and geography.  Inspectors focused on other aspects of the school’s work, including safeguarding, pupils’ wider development, staff workload and off-rolling.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey and Ofsted’s staff survey. They considered responses to the parent survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Julie Winyard, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jo Nutbeam Ofsted Inspector 8 February 2023

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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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