Churchfields Primary School

Inspection of Churchfields Primary School School Street, Chesterton, Newcastle, Staffordshire ST5 7HY

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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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 Outstanding

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The headteacher of this school is Diane Beardsmore. This school is part of the Collective Vision Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Rob Swindells, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Sarah Gribbin.

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since July 2015. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 25 and 26 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Churchfields is a happy, inclusive school where everyone is welcome. There is high ambition for every pupil to ‘be the best’ they can be. The school is determined for all pupils, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve as well as they possibly can. Many parents and carers agree, one comment being typical when they stated, ‘Churchfields is a place where young people, despite their SEND needs, can really thrive.’ Pupils rise to these high expectations and fizz with enthusiasm when talking about school and their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. Relationships between pupils and adults are built on trust and respect. Pupils are kind and well mannered. They behave well. Children in Nursery quickly learn routines and acceptable behaviours. This helps them to settle well into school. This is further developed as pupils move through school, creating a calm and orderly atmosphere both in lessons and at playtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from undertaking a wide range of roles and responsibilities. These include being school councillors, prefects, sports leaders and eco-warriors. These opportunities empower pupils and help to build their confidence and sense of responsibility. Pupils are proud of the part they play to help make the school even better.

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

The school has a coherently designed and ambitious curriculum in place. It has clearly identified the crucial knowledge it wants pupils to learn across subjects from the end of early years and for each year group in key stages 1 and 2. This knowledge builds well over time. For example, in music, pupils learn about tempo and beat in Year 1. By Year 6, they can identify different tempos, their purpose and their use in major and minor keys.

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

Teachers focus skilfully on this crucial knowledge in lessons. They have the skill and expertise to understand when pupils need to focus on more important prior knowledge. Teachers ensure pupils regularly review knowledge they have learned previously in lessons and during ‘recap weeks’.

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

Subject leaders are experts in their area. They support staff in understanding the delivery of the curriculum. However, in some subjects, they have limited opportunities to check on the delivery of their curriculum and pupils’ learning. This means any improvements necessary to the curriculum or its delivery are not identified and made as early as they could be.

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

Staff deliver the school’s phonics programme well. Pupils who struggle to keep up with the expectations of the phonics programme are provided with specific support to address the gaps in their knowledge. Pupils read carefully matched books, which ensures they become fluent readers. Books are central to the curriculum. For example, they are used as rewards in school. Pupils enjoy following texts read to them on electronic devices. Reading ambassadors enthusiastically promote the love of reading across school. 25 and 26 February 2025

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Children in the early years get off to a positive start. They develop warm relationships with staff. Children quickly learn classroom routines and expectations. Staff model language and vocabulary well. In many subjects, the early years is the foundation for all learning. However, some areas of learning are less well considered and sequenced than others. This means some children in the early years are not as well prepared for key stage 1 as they could be.

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The school identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND early. It adapts learning and resources well to cater for pupils’ various additional needs. A number of pupils have more complex needs. These pupils are particularly well catered for.

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The school has effective systems in place to address any attendance concerns. This includes supporting pupils who are persistently absent. Pupils know the school’s behaviour systems well. The school’s values of respect, resilience and responsibility underpin all this work. As a result, poor behaviour and bullying are rare.

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Overall, the school caters for pupils’ personal development well. It helps pupils develop warm and inclusive attitudes towards those who might be different to them. Pupils say, ‘If we take off our skin, we’re just the same inside.’ Pupils’ well-being is well considered through ‘bouncebackability’ sessions. For many pupils, trips and visits enrich their learning. Pupils attend a number of clubs. The school council has discussed developing these opportunities to develop talents and interests further.

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Staff say that support from the school ‘trickles down from all leaders’. They feel well supported in their workload. The trust and local governing committee are effective in their roles.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some areas of learning, the school has not fully considered what children should learn and when in the early years. As a result, there is a lack of clarity about how children build upon their previous learning. This means children do not learn as well as they could in these areas. The school should ensure that all areas of learning are well considered, sequenced and delivered.  The evaluation and monitoring of some subjects is not as effective as it could be. This means the school does not identify as well as it could what is working well and what needs to be improved in these subjects. This impacts on pupils’ learning. The school should ensure it has a clear and accurate understanding of where it most needs to focus its support for staff and pupils. 25 and 26 February 2025

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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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Website www.churchfields-chesterton.staffs.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 and 2 July 2015, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school uses one unregistered alternative provision.  The school operates a before- and after-school club.  The school is part of the Collective Vision Trust, which consists of eight schools.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 25 and 26 February 2025

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 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 this into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, subject leaders, groups of staff and pupils.  The lead inspector met with a member of the board of trustees and a member of the local governing committee.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors 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 inspectors carried out deep dives in English, including early reading, mathematics, geography and music. They met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with

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teachers and pupils and viewed examples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2, and 3 reading to a familiar adult.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  The inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took into consideration the online staff survey. An inspector spoke to parents at the beginning of the school day.

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Inspection team

Barry Yeardsley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Ellen Taylor Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 2025

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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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