Choppington Primary School

Inspection of Choppington Primary School Eastgate, Choppington, Northumberland NE62 5RR

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Inspection dates: 1 and 2 October 2024, and 3 December

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 1 and 2 October 2024, and 3 December 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Choppington Primary School are happy and enthusiastic. They behave well. Pupils are proud of their school and their achievements. They are respectful towards each other and value the care and support that staff provide them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils. It has made significant changes to its curriculum to raise pupils’ achievement. Pupils achieve well overall across a range of subjects. Their provisional outcomes at the end of key stage 2 in 2024 showed a marked improvement on the low standards achieved in 2023.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a strong focus on developing and supporting pupils’ emotional well-being. Pupils talked knowledgeably about how their brains and feelings work together. They champion the school’s ‘well-being dog’, Rosie, who supports and works with pupils throughout the day. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and caring. Leaders and staff know the school community very well. New ways to support pupils with their behaviour are effective and bullying is rare. Pupils trust staff to deal with bullying when it is reported.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Visits, trips and other experiences bring the curriculum to life for pupils. They talked enthusiastically about the places that they have visited and the clubs that they can attend, such as cheerleading and drama.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum. In many subjects, it has identified effectively the skills and knowledge that pupils should acquire and by when. This helps pupils to build their learning successfully as they move through the school. However, in some subjects this essential learning is not specified as clearly. This means that pupils do not learn all that they could.

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

Staff make checks on pupils’ learning in lessons to check that pupils understand the curriculum. In most subjects, these approaches are well established and allow the school to check pupils’ progress through the curriculum over time. Teachers are able to reshape subsequent lessons to focus on meeting pupils’ needs. In a small number of subjects, however, these checks are not as effective. As a result, pupils’ new learning sometimes does not build on their existing knowledge as well as it might. The school is rightly focusing on improving these processes.

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

Reading is a high priority across school. Older pupils talked about the books that they enjoy. Teachers read to them every day to encourage pupils to read for pleasure. Pupils use technology to log their reading and are rewarded for doing well. Children in the early years enjoy reading stories linked to the school curriculum. They have favourite stories of their own that they like to read together. Across the early years and in key stage 1, staff use effective approaches consistently in daily phonics lessons. Pupils are keen to show off the sounds that they know. Pupils are supported to become confident and fluent readers. 1 and 2 October 2024, and 3 December 2024

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well across school. Their needs are met effectively. This starts from the early years, where staff nurture children’s learning carefully. The school makes the right necessary adaptations for pupils with SEND so that they learn effectively, alongside their peers.

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The school has taken the right positive action to improve behaviour. Classrooms are calm and focused places to learn. Systems for supporting and praising behaviour are clear. Pupils appreciate the simplified rules they now follow in school. They focus on their learning across the school day. The school thinks carefully about how to support pupils who find it challenging to meet the school’s expectations. Staff listen to and support pupils well. Pupils recognise how their behaviour has improved. Staff in the early years establish clear routines. Children from the two-year-old provision onwards show increasingly high levels of independence.

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The school places a high priority on broadening pupils’ horizons. A carefully sequenced personal, social, health and economic education curriculum helps pupils to understand themselves and the world that they live in. Children in the early years benefit from good opportunities to develop their social skills. For example, their teamwork when tidying up or having snack time together fosters positive relationships between staff and children. The school’s carefully planned assemblies give pupils a strong understanding of fundamental British values and equality. Pupils enjoy fortnightly sessions to discuss their mental and emotional well-being.

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After a period of change, more stable leadership and staffing have strengthened the school. Staff morale is high. They value the carefully designed and well-researched training that they receive, which supports their workload. Governors bring important skills and knowledge to the school. They know the school and its community well. This helps governors to hold the school to account and support it in equal measure.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school has not clearly identified the most important knowledge that pupils need to know. This means that the school is not assured that pupils learn all that they should in these subjects. The school should ensure that the essential knowledge it intends pupils to know is identified clearly.  In a small number of subjects, teachers’ assessments do not help them to identify what pupils need to learn next. This means that pupils’ learning does not build on what they already know fully effectively. The school should ensure that assessment strategies in these subjects are secure and support pupils to achieve further. 1 and 2 October 2024, and 3 December 2024

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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). 1 and 2 October 2024, and 3 December 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.choppington.northumberland.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 March 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been a number of changes in staffing since the last inspection. The headteacher, assistant headteacher and SEND coordinator are new to role. The current senior leadership team was established in September 2023.  The school offers a breakfast club. This is overseen by the governing body.  The school uses two unregistered 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. 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 and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. The inspection started on 1 October 2024. An inspector 1 and 2 October 2024, and 3 December 2024

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returned on 3 December 2024 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy .

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 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Prior to the inspection, the lead inspector reviewed documents on the school’s website, as well as published information about the school’s performance and previous Ofsted inspections.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, assistant headteacher and subject leaders as part of the inspection.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and history. Inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons and spoke to teachers and teaching assistants. They spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors listened to pupils

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read with a familiar adult. Inspectors also looked at curriculum documentation and pupils’ work in art and design and computing.  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 the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors gathered views of parents informally in person and formally through responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. The views of staff were considered through the staff survey and through meetings with them. Pupils’ views were considered through pupil meetings.  Inspectors spoke with representatives from the governing body and those responsible for school improvement from the local authority.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classes, at breakfast club and during breaks

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Inspection team

Ian Hardman, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Phil Scott Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 October 2024, and 3 December 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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