Churchfield CofE Primary Academy

Inspection of Churchfield CofE Primary Academy Sandy Lane, Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 2LB

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

The head of this school is Gareth Lloyd. This school is part of St Chad’s Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Sarah Cockshott, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Antony Orlik. There is also an executive headteacher, Chris Dobson, who is responsible for this school. 27 and 28 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Churchfield Primary Academy is a safe and happy place for pupils to learn. Staff care deeply about the pupils and know their families well. Pupils feel safe in school and know they can talk to staff if they are worried. Parents appreciate the support and help they get from the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants every pupil to learn to read and receive a broad, ambitious curriculum. It wants pupils to do well in school. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), mostly meet these expectations to achieve well. Children in the early years achieve exceptionally well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is good in school. Staff are confident in spotting pupils who might need more support and quickly give them the help they need. If bullying happens, it is dealt with quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They enjoy the opportunities to take extra responsibilities to help look after the school and one another. Pupils go on many exciting trips, and the school encourages pupils to participate actively in community events. For example, Year 6 pupils read out the names of those soldiers from Rugeley who have lost their lives in the town’s remembrance service.

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better?

The school has won the confidence of staff and parents over the last few years. The school is successfully making important changes to improve the curriculum. These changes are beginning to make a difference to pupils’ outcomes as they leave key stage 2, but more time is required to fully realise the impact of these changes.

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better?

The school has developed a curriculum for teachers to follow. The most successful subjects are those where the school has implemented its own initiatives. For example, in mathematics, the daily themed starters have a positive impact on improving arithmetic skills. However, the curriculum in some subjects is not yet fully embedded, so pupils are not always building on their prior learning.

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better?

The curriculum in the early years is exceptionally well planned and considers the needs of all pupils. Helping pupils to develop a rich vocabulary, a love of books, and a strong understanding of early mathematical skills is well embedded into the curriculum and practice in these classes. Children in the early years get off to an exceptionally good start in school. When they leave the Reception class, they are ready for the key stage 1 curriculum.

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better?

Pupils achieve well where the use of resources and learning activities by teachers is effective. However, in a few subjects, the choice of learning activities is not always appropriate. Where this is the case, pupils are not always sure about what they are supposed to be learning. As a result, some pupils cannot always build on their learning over time and do not consistently achieve as well as they could. 27 and 28 September 2023

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Teaching pupils to read and helping them to be interested in books are priorities for everyone in the school. Teaching early phonics skills starts in Nursery and continues through to Year 2. Staff know what sounds to teach and when, and they deliver effective daily lessons with skill and confidence. If pupils need help to catch up, they receive extra support. This support is effective. Reading is encouraged across the curriculum. Pupils enjoy their time in the school library, where they choose from a range of books. Pupil librarians take pride in looking after the library.

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The school uses a range of ways of checking on how well pupils are learning. On occasion, these checks do not always help teachers to accurately pinpoint what pupils know or what they need to learn next. Some pupils are ready to move on with their learning. Other pupils need more support to address gaps in their knowledge.

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The school uses assessments to help to identify the needs of pupils. Most pupils with SEND receive appropriate support, which helps them to be successful learners. However, for a few pupils with SEND, the school does not determine well enough the precise next steps or the best adaptations to support pupils.

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Pupils know how the school expects them to behave, and they take pride in behaving well. They are attentive to adults and other pupils in lessons and are eager to contribute and discuss their ideas. Pupils cooperate well with each other. They share and listen attentively to each other’s ideas. Children in the early years have settled exceptionally quickly and already know the classroom routines, which they are eager to follow.

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Each month, a core value forms part of the wider curriculum. This curriculum helps pupils to develop empathy and understanding of other cultures and traditions. Pupils enjoy the exciting trips, which help to deepen their understanding of different cultures and traditions.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not ensured that assessment strategies are used consistently and effectively in order to check how well all pupils are learning the intended curriculum. As a result, staff are unclear how well pupils understand and remember the curriculum in some subjects. Leaders should make sure that assessment strategies are used consistently and effectively so that they can more accurately identify when pupils are ready to move on.  The needs of a few pupils with SEND are not met well enough. These pupils do not consistently receive the adaptations they need to achieve well. The school 27 and 28 September 2023

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should ensure that staff develop the skills and knowledge to use a range of appropriate strategies to pave the way for increased success for these pupils.  The curriculum for the foundation subjects is in the early stages of implementation and is not yet fully embedded. Pupils are not building on their prior learning in a way that helps them to know more and remember more. The school should support staff’s subject knowledge and expertise so that they can implement these subjects well to secure pupils’ knowledge and understanding.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 27 and 28 September 2023

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 February 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school became part of the St Chad’s Academy Trust in April 2017.  The school offers early years provision for two- and three-year-old children, as well as a nursery and one Reception class.  The school was judged to be good at its last section 48 inspection in January 2016. A section 48 inspection reports on the religious character of the school.  Leaders do not make use of any alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 27 and 28 September 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with representatives from the multi-academy trust, the local academy committee, the executive headteacher, senior leaders, curriculum leaders, the leader of SEND and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors reviewed documents on the school’s website and additional documents provided by leaders during the inspection.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors met with staff to discuss their workload and the support they receive to carry out their roles.  The inspectors observed pupils at other times of the day to evaluate their behaviour.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View and the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Amanda Green, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Adam Montague-Clewes Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 September 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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