Chadsgrove School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Chadsgrove School Meadow Road, Catshill, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire B61 0JL

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Outcome

Chadsgrove School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a strong sense of community. The school knows its pupils very well. Staff treat pupils with respect, care and kindness. They make sure that pupils feel that every day is a special day for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They like to learn and they try their best in lessons. Their delight in mastering something new is reflected in their smiles, gestures or words.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend school as much as they are able. Even when they may have periods of illness, they are eager to return to school to be with their friends and to re-engage with learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers appreciate the high-quality therapeutic care and pastoral support that pupils receive in this school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s high aspirations for every pupil are clear and underpin the school’s ambitious ethos. The carefully designed and delivered curriculum allows pupils of all ages to build their confidence and skills over time. Pupils progress well through the curriculum from their own particular starting points.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit greatly from the school’s extensive personal development programme. For example, older pupils appreciate visits to their local community and getting taster days at local colleges. Pupils are very well prepared for their next stages of education and/or training. 29 and 30 April 2025

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

The school has considered its curriculum carefully. It has defined the most important knowledge and skills it wants its pupils to learn. Staff carefully check the starting points of children when they arrive at the school so that they can access the curriculum at a point that is right for children. Personalised programmes of study support pupils to develop key academic, self-help and social skills. Consequentially, pupils learn new knowledge and skills in the right order, as well as developing their confidence and resilience.

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

Transitions into school are well managed. This reduces any anxiety that pupils and parents may have. Those children joining in the early years are well supported and their special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified and understood so that the right provision is immediately available to them. Learning is brought to life by staff who know how to implement the early years curriculum effectively. Children soon become confident and resilient learners. Focused adult support helps build children’s knowledge across all of the seven areas of learning.

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

Enabling pupils to communicate is a priority in this school. Staff ensure that all pupils have the necessary means needed to be able to communicate successfully. They take every opportunity to develop pupils’ ability to converse. As a result, pupils’ interaction and communication skills improve significantly over time.

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

The excellent partnership working with in-house and external professionals means that staff are given high-quality advice so they can best support their pupils. Multi-disciplinary working ensures that pupils benefit from exceptional levels of therapeutic and pastoral care.

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

Staff across the school, from nursery to sixth form, maximise opportunities for pupils to share and experience reading and books. Pupils who are at the very earliest stage of the reading curriculum have stories read to them and interact with sensory resources. When they are ready, pupils benefit from regular phonics lessons and quickly start to learn the foundations of reading needed to become fluent. The books pupils read are matched to their stage of learning.

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

The school’s highly effective personal development programme teaches pupils how to be healthy, stay safe with others in person and online, and how to form and keep positive relationships. Pupils are taught about the similarities and differences between different people, cultures and religions.

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

The school places a strong focus on preparing pupils for adulthood and to become active members of British society. This work starts in lower school and is built on progressively, so that by the time students are in the sixth form they are well prepared for their next steps. For example, pupils, and students in the sixth form, are taught important life skills and learn about employment. Many practise hospitality skills that they have learned in school through working in the school’s ‘Cosy Café’. Here, some students prepare food, while others practise their communication skills through meeting and greeting customers. 29 and 30 April 2025

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Governors know the school very well. They use effective systems to check all aspects of the school’s work. They challenge and support leaders in equal measure. Together, leaders and governors have ensured that the school has maintained its high standards. Staff are positive about working at this school. They appreciate that leaders consider their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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 outstanding 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 third ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in November 2012.

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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. 29 and 30 April 2025

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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). 29 and 30 April 2025

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form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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form

Chair of governing body Lorraine Petersen

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form

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 March 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school caters for pupils with physical disabilities and complex medical conditions.  Dual placement for one pupil is shared with a registered alternative provider.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 29 and 30 April 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 the evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteachers, the assistant headteachers and the school business manager. Inspectors also met with other members of staff.  The lead inspector had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority. She also met with representatives of the school governing body, including the chair and vice chair of governors.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  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

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extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors gathered parents’ views by considering responses to Ofsted Parent View. Inspector also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Jane Edgerton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicola Wells Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 April 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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