Chancel Primary School

Inspection of Chancel Primary School Wolseley Road, Rugeley, Staffordshire WS15 2EW

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 4 and 5 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive and achieve well at this happy and nurturing school. The school is ambitious and wants the very best for pupils. Pupils are at the heart of everything. Pupils from the two-year-old provision through to Year 6 progress well through the curriculum. They gain a love of reading and secure a range of knowledge and skills that are needed to prepare them well for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a broad and interesting curriculum that helps them to develop well. They are proud of their achievements. Pupils love coming to school and say it is their happy and safe place.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have positive attitudes to school and arrive at school eager to learn. Pupils appreciate their differences and make friends because they enjoy each other’s company. They engage happily with their peers on the playground. Pupils feel safe in school. Staff are vigilant, and they deal with any concerns pupils may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the roles and responsibilities they take on in school. They carry out these roles with pride. These include being school councillors, buddies and prefects. Pupils enjoy and learn from a wide range of enrichment activities, including visitors to school, trips and an extensive range of clubs.

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

The school is led and managed well. For example, leaders have identified the correct priorities for school improvement. Staff are well trained to teach the early reading programme and to deliver the curriculum.

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

Staff use checks on pupils’ learning effectively to understand the phonics knowledge that pupils have gained. Pupils who need extra help with their reading are well supported to enable them to keep up with their peers. This allows more pupils to develop well with their reading and to read more accurately and fluently. Teachers use every opportunity to develop pupils’ love of books and to develop their language.

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

The mathematics curriculum is established and ambitious. Pupils have opportunities to revisit and reinforce concepts and skills. Teachers use resources and modelling effectively to help pupils make gains in their mathematical understanding and skills. Although pupils achieve well in mathematics, as seen in the school’s published outcomes, pupils have fewer opportunities to strengthen their reasoning and problem-solving skills.

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

Staff identify and support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) very effectively. They adapt the curriculum where necessary to meet the individual needs of these pupils. Consequently, pupils with SEND follow an inclusive curriculum alongside their peers and achieve well.

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

Teachers introduce new learning well in lessons. Pupils regularly benefit from working together and sharing ideas. They talk confidently about their learning, for example the 4 and 5 March 2025

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geographical features they have studied and events in history. Pupils are proud to share their work across the curriculum. In some lessons, the key knowledge that pupils need to learn is not succinctly and clearly identified. This leads to some confusion, disengagement and hinders their progress.

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The quality of education in the early years is a strength of the school. Children make an exceptionally strong start in the two-year-old provision and continue to develop very well in Nursery and Reception. They are very well prepared, both socially and emotionally, for Year 1 and achieve well across the curriculum. The curriculum and environment in the early years are vibrant and exciting. The school places an extremely high priority on early learning opportunities to help all children to develop their communication and language skills. Children show exceptionally high levels of interest, curiosity and independence in the early years. The very high expectations for behaviour begin as soon as they start school, helping young children to be confident and extremely well-rounded learners.

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Pupils behave well in school. They understand the behaviour system, respect each other and love the praise they receive from staff. Pupils attend school regularly and know why this is important.

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Pupils’ personal development is a high priority. This is carefully integrated throughout the curriculum. For example, pupils learn how to stay healthy and safe and to show respect for each other. Pupils rightly state that this is a school where behaviour is positive and where they all get on well with each other.

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Parents and carers value the work of the school and the positive support, care and guidance that is given to their children. Governors know the school well and are committed to their roles. They are fully aware of what the school does well and what it needs to do to improve. They have high ambitions for all pupils and make effective checks on many aspects of school life. Leaders are mindful of the workload and well-being of staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Although pupils achieve well in mathematics as seen in the school’s published outcomes, pupils have fewer opportunities to strengthen their reasoning and problem- solving skills. Leaders should ensure that there are regular opportunities for pupils to apply their reasoning and problem-solving skills in their mathematical work.  In some lessons, the key knowledge pupils need to learn is not succinctly and clearly identified. This hinders pupils’ progress in their learning. The school should ensure that the curriculum is further refined so that the key knowledge pupils need to learn is clearly identified. 4 and 5 March 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). 4 and 5 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 1 and 2 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has two-year-old provision on site. The provision is managed by the school.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school has a before- and after-school club operating on the same site. This provision is managed by the school.

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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. 4 and 5 March 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 that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the deputy headteacher and other leaders.  The lead inspector spoke to representatives from the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors 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.  The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documents, including those related to safeguarding arrangements, behaviour and attendance. The inspectors also reviewed the school’s development plans.

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 The inspectors held informal and formal discussions with pupils.  The inspector reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including additional free-text comments. They also took account of responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.

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Inspection team

Rob Johnstone, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Mary Maybank Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 March 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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