Cheswick Green Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Cheswick Green Primary School Cheswick Way, Cheswick Green, Solihull, West Midlands B90 4HG

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Outcome

Cheswick Green Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a welcoming and caring atmosphere at Cheswick Green Primary. Pupils love their school. They say that everyone plays together and treats each other fairly. There are warm, respectful relationships between adults and pupils. Pupils feel safe because they trust staff to deal with any problems, including bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They want to do well and they try hard. As a result, pupils generally achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and behave well in all areas of the school. Classrooms are calm, and pupils listen respectfully to their teachers and to each other. On the playground, older pupils plan and run games for younger pupils. This contributes to fun, friendly and stimulating breaktimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders listen to pupils at Cheswick Green Primary. For example, the school council members had ideas about how to make lining up after break more orderly. Leaders adopted their suggestions. This makes pupils feel valued. Pupils take on responsibilities such as becoming a buddy to younger pupils, training as peer listeners or becoming digital leaders. These roles help them to become confident and responsible.

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

Leaders have developed a curriculum that is ambitious, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Leaders have sequenced the knowledge that pupils need to learn from Nursery to Year 6. Teachers receive training and support to ensure that they have secure subject knowledge and understand how pupils learn. Staff feel confident when delivering the curriculum. However, leaders recognise that some subject leaders have not had enough opportunity to check how well pupils are learning. As a result, they have not been able to support some staff to deliver parts of the curriculum as leaders intend. 23 and 24 May 2023

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Teachers deliver the curriculum in small steps so that pupils build knowledge securely. As a result, pupils can remember what they have learned before. This makes it easier for them to understand new information. For example, in mathematics, children in the early years look at different types of shapes. This develops in key stage 1, where they use words such as ‘acute’ and ‘obtuse’ to explore angles. In key stage 2, pupils learn how to use a protractor before going on to calculate missing angles in shapes. Pupils are proud of the work in their books that demonstrates where they have made progress.

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Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to learn to read and to develop a love of reading. The reading champions in each class ensure that reading is a high priority. Staff receive training to deliver the phonics programme. Leaders identify those who are falling behind and put support in place to help them catch up. Pupils practise sounds daily, with books that match the sounds they know. However, in some phonics groups, teachers do not always spot and address pupils’ mistakes. Leaders have not consistently ensured that adults are used effectively to provide the precise support that pupils need.

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Children in the early years enjoy purposeful activities in a stimulating environment. Adults know the children well. Staff use every opportunity to talk to, and interact with, children. This encourages the youngest children to develop their vocabulary effectively. Leaders provide parents with useful information about what children in early years are learning.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They rarely disrupt the learning of others. Pupils understand that, at times, others may need help with managing their behaviour. They say that adults deal with this well. Leaders identify and support pupils with SEND effectively. Teachers adapt their teaching so that pupils with SEND work towards the same learning goals as all other pupils.

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Leaders’ work to promote pupils’ personal development is effective. Pupils talk maturely about values such as respect and tolerance. Staff encourage pupils to be aware of how they are feeling and to talk about mental health. Initiatives such as ‘VIP of the day’ help pupils to feel special.

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Pupils experience a growing number of clubs, trips and visits. They can attend clubs such as French and craft club. Pupils enjoy trips, for example to museums to learn about life in Victorian times. Older pupils have a residential trip, where they build confidence and teamwork. Leaders encourage pupils to keep healthy and be active. Pupils are proud if they win the weekly award for being the most active class. Pupils take part in sporting events and competitions. They regularly get awards for sportsmanship and fair play, even if they do not win.

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Staff are proud to be part of the team here. They feel well supported by leaders. Governors understand what is working well and what needs to improve. This enables them to hold leaders to account.

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Most parents are positive about the school. They value the welcoming atmosphere and the care their children get. However, some parents do not feel that communication between home and school is always effective enough. 23 and 24 May 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that safeguarding is a priority. They ensure that effective training is in place for all staff and governors. Leaders make checks on staff before they start to work at the school. Staff know pupils and families well and are vigilant to concerns that arise. Staff refer any concerns they have swiftly. Leaders make appropriate referrals and seek guidance from external agencies. This helps to secure the support that pupils and families need.

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Safeguarding

There are lots of opportunities for pupils to learn how to keep safe within the curriculum. Pupils say they feel safe and know whom they would talk to if they had concerns.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Communication between home and school is not always clear enough. Some parents do not feel well informed about recent changes and provision for their children. Leaders need to improve how they communicate with parents so that parents feel better informed and can understand the reasons behind the decisions leaders take.  Some subject leaders do not have enough opportunity to monitor the delivery of the curriculum to check that staff are deployed in the most effective way. As a result of this, opportunities are sometimes missed to address pupils’ misconceptions and provide precise support. Leaders should support subject leaders to complete effective monitoring that will ensure staffing resources are used well in all subjects.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2014. 23 and 24 May 2023

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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.

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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. 23 and 24 May 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.cheswick-green.solihull.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 October 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 At the time of the inspection, the school was undergoing significant building work to expand the school from one-form entry to two-form entry.  The school operates a breakfast club and an after-school club.  Leaders make use of two alternative providers. One is registered and one is unregistered.

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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 carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and physical education. For the deep dives, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 23 and 24 May 2023

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 The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, curriculum leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. She met representatives of the governing body and spoke with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation on the school’s website.  The inspector met with the designated lead for safeguarding to discuss the actions taken to keep pupils safe. The inspector reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s single central record.  The inspector took account of responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the pupils’ survey. The inspector spoke informally with parents on arrival to school.  The inspector spoke with groups of staff and took account of views shared through the staff survey.  The inspector listened to a sample of pupils in Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 read to a familiar adult. The inspector met with groups of pupils from across the school.

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Inspection team

Corinne Biddell, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 23 and 24 May 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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