Chantry Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Chantry Community Primary School Barrack Road, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex TN40 2AT

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Outcome

Chantry Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy in this school. As one parent said, ‘Chantry is truly a wonderful, safe and happy environment where children are allowed to be their true and authentic selves.’ Pupils form positive relationships with one another and enjoy the company of their peers at playtimes. Staff support pupils who struggle to cope with playtimes well. This helps pupils to remain calm and develops their ability to manage their own behaviour. For example, pupils attend small group play sessions in ‘Rainbow class’ and enjoy spending time with Evie, the school dog. If bullying happens, leaders act on this swiftly. This helps pupils to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils. They know their pupils well. They consider their needs and interests when planning activities and experiences. For example, pupils with social and emotional needs attend art therapy sessions that help them to strengthen their confidence in class. Most pupils achieve well and develop the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to succeed. Pupils delight in the wide range of activities on offer, both in class and beyond. One pupil said, ‘I love going to ‘Chatterbooks’ club, where we talk about our favourite books and drink orange squash.’

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

Leaders provide a curriculum that is matched to the needs and interests of the pupils well. They ensure that teachers are clear about what pupils need to learn in each subject. They link what pupils learn to the locality and their own cultural heritage in a meaningful way. Leaders are responsive to the needs of teachers and support them effectively. They offer training that enables teachers to develop their delivery of the curriculum. This helps teachers to refine their teaching. Leaders are conscious of the workload faced by teachers and ensure that the demands on them are manageable.

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

Teachers support pupils to develop their knowledge and skills across the curriculum well. For example, in art and design, they enable pupils to rehearse their own artistic skills and learn about the work of different artists. Teachers use questioning well to help pupils 7 and 8 June 2023

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acquire and use subject-specific vocabulary. They use quizzes and probing questions to identify gaps in pupils’ understanding and use this information to inform future learning. Leaders help teachers to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. However, the quality of support for pupils is not consistent in all classes. This means that some pupils with SEND struggle to learn as well as they could in some classes.

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In 2022, pupils in key stage 1 did not achieve well enough in mathematics. Since then, leaders have worked diligently to help those pupils who had fallen behind to catch up swiftly. Current pupils are now doing well. They are gaining the reading and mathematical knowledge and skills needed to succeed. Pupils in the early years learn to count with confidence. They rehearse their learning through play. This helps them to develop a strong understanding of number. Teachers provide activities at the start of lessons to help pupils draw on what they already know. This helps pupils to strengthen what they learn.

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Teachers deliver the programme for reading consistently. Children in the early years learn how to read simple words and develop a love of story. Staff support pupils who have fallen behind in their reading to catch up quickly. As a result, pupils develop their reading fluency well and have a genuine love of reading.

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Most pupils behave well in class. Recent changes in the school’s approach to managing behaviour have been effective. Pupils now settle well into learning once directed by staff. However, improvements are not yet fully embedded. Some pupils continue to need guidance to regulate their behaviour.

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Leaders provide pupils with a compelling range of wider opportunities. For example, pupils sing at local events and display their artwork in the community. This develops a sense of social awareness and celebrates the pupils’ own cultural backgrounds. Staff link their curriculum to local community organisations that include museums, libraries and galleries. For example, each year group visits and hosts visitors from these organisations across the year. This helps pupils to connect to their locality and develop their own interests well.

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Leaders ensure that all clubs and activities are accessible for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Pupils attend clubs such as football, gardening, judo and ‘eco-fashion’. Pupils perform in local events. For example, pupils learn the viola and perform at a local music festival. This develops a sense of pride and connects what pupils learn in class to their growing interests.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are safe in this school. Leaders ensure that all staff and visitors to the school receive training to help them to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. Staff keep accurate records of any concerns raised, and leaders diligently follow these through. When a pupil is at risk of harm, leaders provide swift support both in school and through outside agencies. 7 and 8 June 2023

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Pupils learn about staying safe. They learn about the risks of being online and what to do when they feel worried. They are confident that there is a trusted adult in school who will listen to their worries.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not consistently adapt learning well enough to support pupils with SEND. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could in all subjects. Leaders need to ensure that staff have the knowledge they need to provide effective support and, when needed, adapt learning for pupils with SEND to enable them to achieve success across the curriculum.  The recent changes to the school’s approach to managing and supporting the behaviour of pupils are not yet fully embedded. This means that not all pupils settle quickly into learning or work with positive attitudes. Leaders need to provide support to staff to enable them to fully embed the school’s new approach to behaviour. They need to ensure that staff have the expertise they need to provide effective support for any pupils who find it difficult to self-regulate.

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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 October 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.

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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. 7 and 8 June 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. 7 and 8 June 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 and 11 October 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the ‘1066 Partnership’. This is a collaboration with two local primary schools.  The school is currently in the early stages of undertaking a consultation on conversion to become an academy.  The school works with local schools in the Bexhill Alliance Group, a group of primary and secondary schools.  The school currently uses two registered alternative provisions.

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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 met with the headteacher, other leaders and a range of staff at the school. The inspector met with the chair of governors and three members of the governing body. 7 and 8 June 2023

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of documents, including those related to the governance of the school.  The inspector considered the views of parents and carers through responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey. The inspector spoke to staff, parents and pupils during the inspection and took account of the staff and pupil confidential online surveys.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead and considered safeguarding documents and records. This included the school’s records and plans for supporting pupils who have been referred to outside agencies.

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Inspection team

Graham Chisnell, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 June 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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