St. Chad's Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St. Chad’s Church of England Primary and Nursery School Gladstone Street, Winsford, Cheshire CW7 4AT

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 February 2023

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Outcome

St. Chad’s Church of England Primary and Nursery School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to attend this welcoming school. Leaders and staff are ambitious for the achievement of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They also ensure that pupils’ experiences contribute to the vision of ‘a future with hope’. Pupils achieve well in the majority of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have created a strong sense of inclusion and community at the school. They create opportunities for pupils to work alongside members of the local community - supporting town and church activities. Pupils flourish in leadership roles such as play leader and house captain.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a strong understanding of equality and diversity. They know the importance of treating each other with respect. They said that ‘we are all unique in our own special way’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that they feel safe. Leaders and teachers deal effectively with the few incidents of bullying. Leaders have high expectations for behaviour. Pupils behave well most of the time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning and playing in the outdoors. This helps them to be active and healthy. The school’s links with a local farm provide pupils with first-hand learning experiences across the curriculum. Pupils also benefit from day and residential visits and a wide range of clubs which enrich the curriculum.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Teachers are well trained to deliver the curriculum and they have secure subject knowledge. 14 and 15 February 2023

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Typically, the curriculum is taught as leaders intend. Teachers make checks on pupils’ learning. This helps them to identify which pupils need more help or guidance. However, at times, teachers do not provide pupils with enough opportunity to revisit their previous learning so that new knowledge builds on it and is fully secure. In mathematics, for example, older pupils have learned times table facts. However, their fluency in recalling and using these facts to tackle equivalent fractions or word problems is not as strong as it could be.

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Leaders have introduced a clearly sequenced phonics curriculum. Children learn phonics from the early years. Teachers in the early years and key stage 1 build pupils’ phonic knowledge skilfully. They make sure that pupils read books that are well matched to their phonic knowledge. Teachers are swift to spot any pupils who may be falling behind in their reading. Staff help these pupils to catch up quickly. Older pupils are developing effective reading habits. They speak enthusiastically about books and authors they have studied.

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Children in the early years settle into school life quickly. They have a well-developed understanding of the classroom routines. However, the curriculum is not as well designed as it is in the rest of the school. Leaders have not considered the sequencing of learning across the Nursery and Reception classes. This results in fragmented learning. However, by the end of the early years, children are usually well prepared for the continuation of their learning in Year 1.

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Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND are identified accurately. Detailed learning plans set out precisely the help that these pupils should receive in school. This enables pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as other pupils. Staff work closely with outside agencies and specialist providers to ensure that pupils with SEND receive the support that they need. These pupils make similar progress to other pupils in school.

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Pupils behave well for the majority of the time. They rarely disturb the learning of their peers. Pupils learn about their rights and responsibilities as future citizens. They understand the importance of developing respectful relationships with people who may be different from them. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Pupils enjoy the wide range of opportunities available to them, including swimming. Older pupils speak enthusiastically about a variety of residential visits, including to London. They enjoy the range of outdoor learning opportunities, either at the farm or on the school’s allotment. Leaders ensure that pupils learn about the wider world. They learn about different cultures and religions. This helps ensure that pupils are prepared for their next stage of learning.

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Governors are well informed about the quality of education that pupils receive. They know the school and its community well. Governors worked effectively to check that leaders addressed the areas identified for improvement at the last inspection. Staff feel respected and valued. 14 and 15 February 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have developed effective procedures to identify those pupils and families at risk or in need of help and support. These procedures draw on a range of information, including attendance and behaviour. A number of school staff are employed to support vulnerable pupils. Leaders also seek more specialist support from other agencies, including play and art therapists. Staff have been appropriately trained. They know the school’s procedures for reporting concerns. The curriculum supports pupils to keep themselves safe and includes the teaching of online and road safety.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, pupils are not fully secure in the knowledge and understanding that leaders intend them to gain. This is because pupils do not have enough opportunity to revisit and embed their learning before moving on to new ideas. Leaders should ensure that teachers provide greater opportunities for pupils to recap what they know so that they build on their prior learning over time.  Children’s learning does not build in a logical order across the early years. This means that in these classes, it is more difficult for teachers to design learning that builds securely on what pupils already know and can do. Leaders should review and improve the sequencing of the curriculum to clearly identified end points so that children build securely on earlier learning.

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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 school to be good in June 2017.

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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. 14 and 15 February 2023

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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. 14 and 15 February 2023

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School details

Local authority Cheshire West and Chester

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 and 14 June 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  This school is a Church of England voluntary-controlled school. The last section 48 inspection took place in January 2016.  A number of new staff, including the headteacher and deputy headteacher, have been appointed since the last inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and other leaders and members of staff. He spoke with members of the governing body. He also spoke with representatives of the diocese and the local authority.  The inspector looked at a range of documents and spoke with leaders about the school’s arrangements to safeguard pupils. 14 and 15 February 2023

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. He talked with curriculum leaders of these subject areas. The inspector also visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work, held discussions with teachers and talked with pupils. He also observed some pupils reading to staff.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in class and as they moved around the school. He also observed pupils in the dining hall and playing outside at lunchtime.  The inspector spoke with a group of pupils about their experiences at school.  The inspector looked at the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. He also met with parents before school to find out their views of the school.  He also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Ian Shackleton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 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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