Chase Lane Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of a good school: Chase Lane Primary School and Nursery Chase Lane, Dovercourt, Harwich, Essex CO12 4NB

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Inspection dates: 23 and 24 January 2024

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Outcome

Chase Lane Primary School and Nursery continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Chase Lane Primary School and Nursery. They talk enthusiastically and confidently about what they learn and the opportunities they have to contribute to the school’s community. Pupils are treated with kindness and respect. They are able to share any worries they have with a trusted adult. Pupils are safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well during lessons and play well together at social times. At lunchtime, they demonstrate good table manners in the canteen and speak to one another politely. The school is a calm and welcoming environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is an expectation that pupils will work hard. The overwhelming majority of pupils rise to this challenge. They achieve well and enjoy learning. Children in the Nursery show curiosity and enjoy activities such as ‘What’s in the bucket?’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils demonstrate a deep sense of pride in the responsibilities they have, such as being members of the school council. They have a sense of achievement through organising fundraising events. It is heartwarming to see how eager pupils are to share their ‘proud folders’ containing all their best work and achievements. The school provides a range of opportunities for pupils to experience life beyond the local area, including a visit by the older children to the Houses of Parliament.

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

The school provides a curriculum that enables pupils to achieve well. The quality of pupils’ work is high. Most pupils take pride in their work. Curriculum planning has been carefully considered to account for the context of the school. For example, the curriculum in some foundation subjects uses local case studies to support pupils’ learning. In subjects where a curriculum has been adopted, there is flexibility to enable teachers to adapt learning for pupils. The school recognises that such adaptations are necessary to ensure that pupils can retain long term the knowledge they gain. While pupils’ knowledge is assessed, this is 23 and 24 January 2024

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not yet consistently effective across the school. This prevents gaps in learning from being identified and closed effectively.

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Reading is prioritised across the school. Children begin this journey in the summer term of their Nursery provision. Children in the Nursery enjoy listening to stories. Older pupils have a class reading book that is read daily. The school has detailed plans to ensure that weaker readers are supported to catch up quickly. Most pupils do so.

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The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are met effectively. Staff are provided with the information necessary to adapt lessons and support the individual needs of the pupils. Education, health and care plans are detailed and individualised, ensuring that the curriculum can be tailored appropriately. Pupils with SEND make progress in line with that of their peers.

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Pupils behave in a way that enables them to learn effectively and to be part of a community that values kindness. Pupils are typically calm and focused. Very occasionally, pupils can be distracted in lessons, but this is addressed by staff. Younger children are patient. They share their toys and play happily together. Pupils respect one another and regard each other as equal. Pupils describe how rare it is to hear unkind language. The school works closely with families and the local authority to ensure pupils attend school regularly.

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There is a comprehensive programme of personal, social, health and economic education. This provides pupils with a variety of opportunities to learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy. Pupils can describe confidently how they should not share personal information online. This knowledge helps them to feel safe and to be safe. The school council is very active in the school community and has been responsible for several changes to the school. These include organising a charity fun run, designing posters to celebrate diversity and providing a school suggestion box. These responsibilities have enabled the pupils to develop confidence and independence.

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Leaders at all levels have an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas for development of the school. They are realistic and accurate in their evaluation of the school’s progress. Leaders monitor progress against their plans carefully and understand and fulfil their statutory obligations well. Staff speak highly of the way in which their workload and well-being is considered. Leaders enable staff to access development opportunities that strengthen their classroom and leadership practice.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 23 and 24 January 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment is not always used consistently well to identify what pupils do not know or understand. As a result, some pupils are not always aware of gaps in their subject knowledge. The school should ensure that its existing assessment policies are implemented effectively and monitored rigorously.

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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 December 2014.

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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’ 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). 23 and 24 January 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school makes use of one registered alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the school’s senior leaders, the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Jonathan Rockey, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 23 and 24 January 2024

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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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