St Chad's CofE Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Chad’s CofE Primary School St Michael Road, Lichfield, Staffordshire WS13 6SN

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 December 2024

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Outcome

St Chad’s CofE Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Jennifer Aitken. This school is part of the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Richard Gill, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Vickers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this welcoming school. They enjoy learning and attend well. Pupils know that adults will listen to their worries. This helps them to feel happy and safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for all pupils. Adults ensure that they are all included and can access learning successfully. Pupils develop knowledge and understanding across the curriculum well. They relish challenging themselves with deeper learning and talk enthusiastically about how staff make learning interesting.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and they behave well. Established routines contribute to a calm and purposeful learning environment. This allows pupils to do their best. Pupils take pride in living out the school values of ‘kindness, faith and honesty’. Pupils learn why these matter, and through their positive behaviour demonstrate them across the school. Older pupils spend time with their younger buddies each week. At social times, pupil playleaders arrange games for younger children and school councillors run the creativity crib. Pupils benefit from the many trips and residential visits that the school provides. These help them to become confident and independent.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers feel welcome and included in school life right from the start. They are highly positive about the school. 17 and 18 December 2024

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

Since joining the trust, leaders and staff have worked together to bring about improvements. A strong, shared vision and a determination that every pupil can succeed ensure that the school takes decisive action to sustain and further improve provision for all pupils. The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) swiftly and provides effective support. The school is disappointed that the outcomes in its recent key stage 2 outcomes did not reflect the impact of the changes it has made. However, pupils are now benefiting from improvements to the curriculum. These have had a positive impact. Standards are improving and current pupils are achieving well.

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

The school’s curriculum is broad and ambitious. It is designed with the pupils’ needs and the school’s context in mind. Learning is organised so that pupils build their new knowledge on secure foundations. Leaders have devised an effective writing curriculum that enables pupils to develop and express their ideas coherently. However, the writing curriculum does not consistently support all pupils to fluently transcribe their ideas onto paper and the presentation of pupils’ work is not always as neat as leaders would like. This inhibits writing fluency for some pupils.

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

Pupils learn about the history and geography of their local area. For example, children in the Nursery Year go on weekly welly walks to learn about the nature around them. Teachers explain what they are seeing in clear detail. In class, teaching is highly engaging and enthuses pupils to learn. Pupils use their own tablet to record their learning, ideas and reflections. Staff use this information to check how well pupils understand. They adapt future work to meet their needs or to provide greater challenge. This thoughtful use of technology is also one very effective way that pupils with SEND can seamlessly access the same learning as their classmates.

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

The school has prioritised early English and mathematics so that all pupils get off to a strong start. Consistent, high-quality phonics teaching means pupils learn to read quickly. Staff check that every pupil is keeping up as new sounds are introduced. Older pupils read a range of different books and authors. This promotes a strong love of reading. Every classroom has an exciting reading corner and the enticing library area is entered through a wardrobe filled with fur coats. In early years, expert staff support children to develop language and extend their vocabulary through using their ‘mini-me’ to talk about their feelings.

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

The focus on developing pupils’ personal skills matches the school’s ambition for their academic work. Pupils learn about different cultures, faiths and lifestyles. They are respectful of difference and welcoming to all. All pupils experience outdoor learning to develop teamwork and problem-solving. They take responsibility for the allotment and the pond, or plant a wildflower meadow. This helps them to learn how to respect the environment. Pupils enjoy being able to make a positive impact on their local community and to the lives of others. They pick up litter, sing in local care homes and shops, and collect money for charities. All pupils are included in opportunities to take part in sports 17 and 18 December 2024

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events with other schools. A range of clubs allows them to develop their interests. All of this, and much more, prepares pupils well for life beyond St Chad’s.

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Leaders at all levels, including trustees, contribute greatly to the school’s success. They have an accurate view of what is working well. Staff benefit from targeted professional development that helps them develop their expertise to teach the curriculum. The school’s clear focus on staff well-being and workload, and its sharp decision-making, means there is a happy and close-knit staff team working in the best interests of pupils.

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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 yet ensured that all pupils develop good pencil grip, letter formation and neat handwriting. The school’s expectations of the presentation of pupils’ work are not being consistently reinforced by staff. This means pupils’ work is not consistently well presented, and pupils’ ability to express their ideas in writing fluently is hindered. The school should ensure that staff teach handwriting effectively so that pupils present work in line with the school’s expectations and write fluently across the curriculum.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, St Chad’s CofE (VC) Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in May 2017. 17 and 18 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). 17 and 18 December 2024

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School details

Website www.st-chads-lichfield.staffs.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 St Chad’s CofE Primary School converted to become an academy school in February 2022. When its predecessor school, St Chad’s CofE (VC) Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness.  This Church of England school is in the Diocese of Lichfield. The school’s last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, was in April 2018. The next section 48 inspection is due to take place in the 2025 to 2026 academic year.  A new headteacher was appointed in September 2023. A new deputy headteacher was appointed in January 2024.  The school manages a breakfast and after-school club.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 17 and 18 December 2024

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 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.  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.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. She also met with the chair of trustees, the CEO, the Director of Education and the Primary Strategic Lead from the trust. She also spoke with a representative of the diocese.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning

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and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and breaktimes. She also spoke with pupils about their experiences of school.  The inspector considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff.  The inspector examined a range of school documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation, improvement plans, records of governance, and documentation relating to attendance and pupils’ behaviour.

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Inspection team

Corinne Biddell, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 17 and 18 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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