Chellaston Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Chellaston Junior School Maple Drive, Chellaston, Maple Drive, Chellaston, Derby, Derbyshire DE73 6PZ

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Outcome

Chellaston Junior School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend Chellaston Junior School. They enjoy school and say they feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have recently increased expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Everyone follows the new rules, ‘kind, ready, safe’. Pupils work well in lessons and are polite and considerate around the building. A few pupils sometimes find it hard to follow the high expectations. Well-trained staff support and encourage them to make positive choices.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils play well together at breaktimes. They enjoy all the activities made available. Pupils say that when bullying occasionally happens, adults work swiftly to resolve it. Recent changes in the behaviour policy have significantly reduced these incidents.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy exciting trips, activities and clubs that enrich their education. These include visits to museums and places of worship, archery and Bhangra dancing. Chellaston pupils thrive when being active and particularly enjoy ‘Drumba’ and swimming.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to have responsibilities, which are increasing. Members of the school council were proud to select the new PE kit and equipment for breaktimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have been redesigning their curriculum, firmly holding the needs of Chellaston pupils in their mind. They are making sure the curriculum is ambitious for everyone and that it fully engages all pupils.

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

Leaders have made sure that the curriculum is broad and coherently sequenced. It builds on pupils’ knowledge. Pupils have a thirst for knowledge. They enjoy connecting what they learned previously to what they are learning now. Year 5 pupils linked what they learned about Roman Empire trading to the practices of the early Islamic civilisation. 17–18 May 2023

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Pupils enjoy texts that have been carefully selected to reignite their love of reading and improve their writing. These texts extend pupils’ reading beyond a narrow diet of popular modern fiction. Through class discussions and effective questioning, teachers ensure that pupils understand what they read. Most pupils value the importance of learning to read well. They recognise it widens and deepens their knowledge of the world. Most learn to read fluently. Some pupils are already behind with this skill when they join the school in Year 3. Leaders recently introduced extra support for learning phonics to help them catch up. However, older pupils that still struggle to read do not receive this support. Staff do not have the right expertise to help older pupils get better at reading accurately. They do not recognise when the books these pupils select are too hard. These pupils are less likely to read outside of school. They do not gain enjoyment from reading like other pupils do.

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Recent changes in the delivery of the curriculum are improving pupils’ enthusiasm for learning. Teachers use more varied techniques to help pupils understand lesson content. Pupils said they previously spent too much time copying written notes. Now, they are keen to complete lesson activities. Teachers frequently check pupils’ learning in lessons. They help pupils to explain and remember key knowledge. Leaders are considering ways to use all assessment effectively.

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Leaders identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly. Teachers understand these pupils’ needs and sometimes adapt the delivery of the curriculum effectively. However, sometimes, teachers do not help pupils with SEND to learn as well as they should. They do not ensure that these pupils have enough opportunity to practise before moving on. This slows their progress through the curriculum.

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Leaders ensure that pupils learn about important life values. Pupils have a good understanding of different religions and show tolerance and respect for different views. They appreciate people’s right to be treated fairly. Some older pupils explained how ‘equity’ and meeting people’s needs is more important than treating everyone exactly the same.

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The new leaders, including governors and trustees, consider the impact on staff when they make changes. Although they have ambitious plans, they ensure that the pace of change is manageable. Staff appreciate that both their well-being and the needs of pupils are at the heart of every leadership decision.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make the right checks when new staff join the school. Staff have necessary and regular training to know when a child might be at risk. They report their concerns appropriately. Detailed safeguarding records show a swift and tenacious response to following up concerns raised. Leaders work effectively with external agencies. They go to extra lengths to provide support for families. 17–18 May 2023

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Leaders use the curriculum well to make pupils aware of the dangers, such as drugs or knives, they might encounter. Pupils know how to keep safe, including when they are online or playing in the local area.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, teachers do not adapt their delivery of the curriculum well enough to help pupils with SEND learn all that they should. They do not make sure that these pupils have sufficient and appropriate practice to learn new knowledge. This causes these pupils to lose interest and lessens their progress. Leaders should ensure that pupils with SEND get the support they need to help them achieve well across the curriculum.  The provision that leaders have made for supporting older pupils who struggle to read is not effective enough. Staff do not have the right expertise to help these pupils get better at reading or provide them with appropriately matched books. As a result, these pupils do not enjoy reading or read regularly enough, and they struggle to access the curriculum. Leaders should make sure that all staff are trained to provide the right support that will enable these pupils to learn to read well.

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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 predecessor school, Chellaston Junior School, to be good in November 2011.

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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. 17–18 May 2023

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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. 17–18 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268455 Type of school Junior

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school became an academy in April 2019. It joined the East Midlands Education Trust (EMET) in June 2021.  Since the last inspection, there have been significant changes in the leadership of the school. The current headteacher has been in post since September 2022.  The school operates ‘The Zone’, a wraparound care provision which is on site and shared with the nearby infant school.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and groups of staff and pupils. The inspector met with three representatives of the trust, including the chair of the local governing body. 17–18 May 2023

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 To inspect safeguarding, the inspector spoke with parents and pupils. She scrutinised documents that the school keeps and spoke with leaders and staff.  The inspector visited the wraparound care building and spoke to staff and children there.  The inspector took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey and the written comments from parents. She also spoke to some parents.  The inspector took account of responses to the staff and pupil surveys.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. Inspection activities included discussions with curriculum leaders about their curricular thinking, lesson visits and discussions with both teachers and pupils about learning. The inspector also looked at plans for other curriculum subjects.

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Inspection team

Claire Stylianides, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 17–18 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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