Newchurch Community Primary School

Inspection of Newchurch Community Primary School Glebeland, Culcheth, Warrington, Cheshire WA3 4DX

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 October 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 15 and 16 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Newchurch Community Primary School is a happy, friendly place. Pupils are proud to be ‘Newchurch Robins’. They are polite and considerate towards one another and staff. Pupils behave well in class and at breaktimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from staff knowing them very well as individuals. Across the school, staff treat pupils with kindness and respect. Staff are willing to help pupils and to listen to any concerns that they may have. This helps pupils to feel happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), will learn. Pupils demonstrate the school’s values of resilience, respect, responsibility, resourcefulness, reciprocity and reflection. Pupils learn what these values mean and why they are important. Pupils mostly achieve well and are well ‘prepared to fly’ by the time they move on to the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of the positive contribution that they make to school life. They are enthusiastic about their many responsibilities. These include taking on roles like subject leaders, sports leaders and buddies. Older pupils particularly enjoy supporting children in the early years with their learning. They retell with fondness the many magical memories of their journey through school.

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

The school has successfully developed a broad and rich curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND. The curriculum has been designed to ensure that children in the early years and pupils in the rest of the school build on their prior learning confidently. Much thought has gone into shaping the Newchurch ‘chocolate box’ curriculum, where every child can find their favourite subject.

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

Teachers benefit from high-quality training that helps them to deliver the curriculum effectively. In most subjects, they use their subject knowledge well to design activities that help pupils learn the curriculum successfully. In the main, teachers carefully check pupils’ understanding and address any gaps in their knowledge. However, in a small number of subjects, teachers do not identify and remedy gaps in pupils’ knowledge as well as they could. At times, this hinders how effectively some pupils learn.

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

The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND accurately and swiftly. These pupils benefit from carefully tailored support to enable them to access the curriculum easily. They achieve well as a result.

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

Reading has a high profile throughout the school. Children begin to learn how to read words from the start of the Reception Year. The phonics scheme is delivered consistently well by staff. Pupils practise regularly with books that contain the sounds that they know. They become accurate and fluent readers. Staff quickly identify any pupils who find reading more difficult. These pupils benefit from well-thought-out additional support. This helps them to keep up with the phonics programme. 15 and 16 October 2024

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The school ensures that pupils benefit from reading a wide range of books from different genres. In key stage 2, pupils build up secure reading knowledge . They read with enthusiasm and expression. Pupils find reading pleasurable, which enhances their learning across the curriculum.

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Children in the Reception Year quickly learn the school’s high expectations for their behaviour. They learn to listen carefully to instructions and enjoy sharing and taking turns with their friends. There is a calm and orderly atmosphere around the school.

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The school’s approach to developing pupils’ personal development is exceptional. Pupils have access to an extensive range of opportunities that prepare them very well for life in modern Britain. Visits, visitors and clubs are carefully mapped out to enhance pupils’ learning beyond the classroom. Pupils develop a deep knowledge of important concepts such as democracy and respect through a range of activities. They learn how to be healthy, including looking after their own mental and physical health. Pupils learn how to stay safe online and in their community. For example, they know about the dangers of knife crime.

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The school carefully tracks pupils’ participation in the wide range of extra-curricular activities and extensive trips throughout their school journey. Pupils, including pupils with SEND, are asked what kinds of activities they are interested in. These are then added to the provision on offer such as forest school and film club.

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Governors support and challenge the school well. They ensure that any changes to the school are well managed. Governors consult and conduct regular check-ins with staff to ensure that any change is positive. Staff appreciate this consideration for their well-being. Staff, including those at the start of their careers, are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s approach to assessment in a few subjects is in the early stage of development. This means that there are some gaps in pupils’ knowledge that are not addressed as effectively as they should be. The school should ensure that staff are equipped to swiftly identify and remedy these gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This is so that pupils can build their knowledge and make sense of new information in these subjects more easily.

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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 15 and 16 October 2024

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when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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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). 15 and 16 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Claire Howarth-Platt

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 November 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use alternative provision.  The school provides a breakfast and after-school club for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management and for any relevant provision judgement early years provision. Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 15 and 16 October 2024

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 The inspectors completed deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. As part of the deep dives, the inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited some lessons, met with teachers and looked at pupils’ work. The inspectors also looked at the curriculum and pupils’ work in some other subjects.  The lead inspector observed some pupils from Year 1 to Year 3 reading to a familiar adult.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders and staff. They also met with members of the governing body.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record and took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils. They also considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture

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around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online staff survey.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school and their views of behaviour and bullying. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  Inspectors spoke with some parents and carers. They considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Julie Barlow, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Joe Dryland Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 October 2024

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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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