Chinley Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Chinley Primary School Buxton Road, Chinley, Derbyshire SK23 6DR

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Outcome

Chinley Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone is welcome at Chinley Primary. Pupils are happy and feel safe. They know that the adults care about them. Pupils look out for each other too. Year 6 pupils are proud to be ‘buddied-up’ with new children in Reception. As one said, ‘Playing with them and seeing them happy makes us happy.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ learning and conduct. Pupils want to do well. They attend very well, and they try hard in lessons. Pupils learn about ‘virtues’ like determination and courtesy. They enjoy rewarding each other for demonstrating these.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils read every day with their teachers. Class books are at the centre of the topics they are learning each term. Pupils enjoy choosing books from the library to read independently. Children in Nursery listen to stories. They learn through play. For example, they learn about maps by hunting for treasure together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy contributing to their school community as leaders and helpers. They vote for each other to join the school council. They participate actively in clubs. They make happy memories on the many educational visits the school provides.

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

Leaders want every pupil to ‘aim high and be the best they can be’. They have designed the academic curriculum to ensure that this can happen. They enrich the curriculum with a broad, varied set of experiences outside the classroom. Pupils learn to value their locality and appreciate the richness of the world beyond. Leaders are working to continually improve the impact of the curriculum, building on existing strengths.

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

Subject leaders work closely with early years leaders to ensure that the curriculum builds from ages three to 11. Curriculum thinking in mathematics and English is particularly strong. Here, leaders have thought about the very small steps pupils will take to build 13 and 14 June 2023

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secure learning. Teachers adopt a consistent approach to teaching these subjects, and pupils learn especially well. In these subjects, retrieval of prior learning is systematic. In some other subjects, this is not yet the case, and pupils’ learning is not as secure. Across the curriculum, teachers explain new learning well. As a result, pupils know what they are doing and why. Teachers make sure that pupils develop their vocabulary and use it in their work. They usually check that pupils have learned or practised what they need to before moving on. Leaders use assessment information effectively to review the curriculum. They identify which pupils might need some extra help, and they provide it. In foundation subjects, teachers adopt varying approaches to assessment. In these cases, leaders need to be sure that the information they receive is reliable.

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Leaders are determined that all pupils get the help they need to thrive academically and personally. They use additional support to prevent pupils from developing gaps or concerns in the future. Teachers make useful adaptations to meet the needs of individual pupils. The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is strong. Leaders work tenaciously with external agencies to try to secure the help pupils need.

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Children in Nursery and Reception get off to a strong start. Children benefit from warm relationships with adults. Routines are well established. This means children develop independence. Staff plan play carefully to ensure that children’s learning prepares them well for the next stage of school.

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From Nursery to Year 6, reading is a priority. Children in Reception learn phonics from the start. They read from books that are well matched to the sounds they know. Pupils who need help to keep up or catch up with their peers get the support they need.

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. Character education forms the basis of this programme. Pupils learn the value of respect, diversity and good citizenship. This is reflected in how pupils treat each other with kindness and good humour. Year 6 pupils are confident about moving to secondary school because their teachers have prepared them well. Visits to museums, cities and places of local interest add significantly to pupils’ learning in lessons. Through clubs, activities and the curriculum, pupils discover and develop their interests and talents.

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Governors bring a diverse range of experience to their roles. They provide valuable support and challenge to leaders. They focus on the well-being of staff. Staff feel listened to. Staff are proud and happy to work in this school. It is a community where staff and leaders support each other and work hard together on a shared mission. The overwhelming majority of parents are very positive about the work of the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong safeguarding culture at this school. Leaders ensure that staff receive effective training. As a result, staff know their duties well. They are vigilant and report any concerns about a pupil’s welfare. Leaders take prompt and effective action. They work closely with local safeguarding partners to ensure that pupils and their families get 13 and 14 June 2023

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the support they need. They also offer high-quality social and emotional support in school.

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Through lessons and assemblies, leaders ensure that pupils learn to stay safe, including when online. For example, they learn about what makes a positive relationship. Year 6 pupils learn to ride their bicycles safely.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some aspects of the curriculum are at earlier stages of development than others. Where this is the case, the impact of the curriculum is not as consistent as it is in the stronger, well-developed areas of the curriculum. Leaders must ensure that they continue with their plans to fully develop the curriculum, precisely identifying the knowledge pupils should learn, so that teachers know exactly what to teach and assess at each stage of the curriculum.

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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 the school to be good in November 2013.

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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. 13 and 14 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. 13 and 14 June 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268954 Type of school Primary

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School details

Chair of governing body Jeanette Leston-Jones

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses the services of one unregistered alternative provider.

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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.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, and other school leaders.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, geography and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited lessons, looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke with teachers and pupils. For the reading deep dive, she listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspector met with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body. She also spoke to a representative of Derbyshire local authority. 13 and 14 June 2023

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, the inspector reviewed school policies, procedures and a sample of records. She met with the designated safeguarding leads and spoke with staff, governors and pupils about the school’s approach to keeping pupils safe.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  The inspector spoke with some parents at the school and considered parents’ responses to the Ofsted survey, Parent View.  The inspector met with a range of staff and pupils during the inspection. She considered their responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Aoife Galletly, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 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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