Chancellor Park Primary School, Chelmsford

Inspection Report Chancellor Park Primary School

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133661 Unique Reference Number ESSEX LEA LEA 282328 Inspection number 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Robert McKeown HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 which gives Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools the authority to inspect any school in England. The inspection is to be treated as a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Brook End Road South School address Primary Type of school CM2 6PT Community School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01245 465250 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01245 463087 Fax number 169 Number on roll Mrs.Ann Phillips Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs. Lallie Godfrey Headteacher Not applicable Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 282328 20 June 2006 - 4 to 11 20 June 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors. The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, members of staff, children and governors, scrutinised a range of documents, records and children's work and observed teaching and learning in every classroom.

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Description of the school

Chancellor Park Primary School is situated in a new housing development on the outskirts of Chelmsford in Essex. The school is in a new building which opened in September 2004. The number on roll is rising steadily as more children come into the school each year. The percentage of children entitled to free school meals is below the national average. Several children with learning difficulties have joined the school since it opened and the overall number is higher than is typical for this size of school. Almost all children come from White British families.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Chancellor Park Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006

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Grade: 2

In the two years since it opened, Chancellor Park Primary School has very quickly become a good school. It has many strong features and the potential to be outstanding. Parents are justifiably pleased with the all round education provided for their children. One parent's comment sums up the overwhelmingly positive views. 'I am really pleased with all aspects of the school. I feel a major contribution to the success is the effort and commitment given by all the staff'. As a new school, there is a limited amount of national test data with which to compare standards with the national results. Children start school in the Reception class with average levels of attainment, although the skills they have vary considerably. Children make suitable progress and most reach the expected levels by the time they enter Year 1. The most recent results in 2005 in English and mathematics indicated that standards were above expected levels in Year

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Grade: 2

6 but below those expected in Year 2. The school's own comprehensive assessment data indicate that standards are below where they should be in some year groups. This is because several children have come into the school during the year and many have had a lot of catching up to do. Children's achievement is tracked thoroughly and most have made better than expected progress this year. This is the result of a concentrated focus on improving standards and achievement particularly in reading and writing, and through establishing a very good system of setting learning targets. Children with learning difficulties make good progress in reading and writing and satisfactory progress in mathematics. The school is planning to improve the programme of learning support particularly in mathematics. Children make good progress because the teaching is consistently good. The learning atmosphere in all classrooms is calm and purposeful.

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Grade: 2

Teachers make it clear to children what they are going to learn and use their interactive whiteboards well to illustrate their teaching. Learning activities are well-planned and interesting and children have the chance to use a range of practical resources to aid their learning. Teaching assistants provide good support particularly when children are working in groups. Some teachers are beginning to link together the work in different subjects. For example, in one lesson observed children used laptop computers and their ICT skills to complete research in geography. Most work is matched well to children's needs and the school realises it has to ensure higher ability children are suitably challenged particularly in mathematics. Children's progress is assessed regularly. Questions are asked in lessons to make sure children have learnt what was expected and teachers periodically test children's knowledge and understanding in reading,

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Grade: 2

writing and mathematics. Marking in children's books is regular and often very through. The best examples of effective marking are in children's literacy books where teachers use the 'two stars and a wish' system which gives children a clear idea of what they have done well and what needs to be improved. The school provides a good curriculum that caters well for all children and keeps them motivated and excited about their learning. French is taught to all classes and a very good theme week entitled 'Let's create' engaged children in a wide range of creative, cultural and artistic activities. Some very good animated video stories produced by children were on display in the reception area. Children enjoy an excellent range of enrichment activities outside lessons, which include sports and creative arts clubs. One club, 'passport to the world', 2 Inspection Report: Chancellor Park Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006

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Grade: 2

enables children to learn about the cultures in other countries. Parents are particularly pleased with, 'the wide range of extra-curricular activities which add to the all-round good education the children receive'. At the moment swimming is not part of the physical education (PE) curriculum but the school plans to include this next year. There are some exciting proposals to improve the curriculum further by linking learning activities across subjects. The school is also working with a local network of schools to develop teachers' assessment in order to raise standards. There are suitable plans to extend the identification and provision for children who have special talents in subjects other than English and mathematics. 'This school is all about us' sums up how much children feel they are at the heart of this school. Parents and children are regularly asked for their views on how provision might be improved. The school council is very

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Grade: 2

active and represents the children's collective points of view extremely well. The introduction of a healthy school tuck-shop is one of their ideas and this is expertly managed by the children during each morning break. The school council also liaises effectively with the PTA to raise funds jointly to improve the outdoor environment. Together they have purchased new playground equipment and they are now planning to build a 'sensory garden'. Children enjoy coming to school, and their behaviour in lessons and around the school is very good. Relationships between staff and children are excellent and this means children's attitudes to learning are very positive. All staff care for children very well and child protection procedures are robust. Children know that bullying is unacceptable and confirm that any incidents are extremely rare and soon resolved. Older children act as playground pals at breaks and lunchtime and take

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Grade: 2

pride in taking on responsibilities in helping the school run smoothly. The school is part of a national initiative which promotes healthy lifestyles and most children walk or cycle to school. Children gain a good understanding of the importance of helping others by raising funds for local and national charities. Links with the local community are developing, as are working partnerships with other local schools. The school would not be in such a strong position in the relatively short time it has been open without the strong and purposeful leadership of the headteacher. Excellent teamwork exists among all the staff and the school is a model of efficiency. Teachers and support staff are extremely positive about the professional support they receive. Regular monitoring of teaching and learning and children's achievements ensures the headteacher and assistant headteacher know how well the school is doing and what requires

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Grade: 2

improvement. Plans to extend leadership and management responsibilities to more members of staff are progressing steadily. The accommodation is excellent and the school is well-equipped and looked after well by the premises staff. Governors keep a close check on the work of the school and give the staff their full support. The governing body produces a newsletter for parents and some governors are linked to individual classes, making visits to check on the work that they do. Parents appreciate the way in which all members of the school community work well together and keep them well informed. 'The school has a wonderful atmosphere. It is like being part of a family in which all the members, children, parents and staff, count equally'. There is a collective commitment among all members of the school community to making Chancellor Park an outstanding school. This, together with its effective self evaluation,

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Grade: 2

demonstrates the school has a strong capacity to improve. It offers good value for money. 3 Inspection Report: Chancellor Park Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Progress is good for almost all children but the headteacher realises standards are not yet high enough in some year groups. The school is taking in children regularly, some of whom have fallen behind and need to catch up. The school has correctly identified that these children need to do better in writing and in some aspects of mathematics such as problem solving. The special educational needs coordinator will be released from class responsibility in the next school year to concentrate on helping targeted children to catch-up and to ensure more able children reach even higher standards

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Grade: 1

'My daughter has only been at the school for one week yet already I can see she feels part of the class. She has been warmly welcomed and is so happy'. Provision for children's personal development and well-being are very good. All children feel part of the school. They talk very confidently about their achievements and their enjoyment of all the school offers them. They are polite, helpful and welcoming and treat each other with respect. The school promotes very positively the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle and involves children regularly in making decisions. Older children learn about making safe choices and assessing risk. Children feel safe and secure. They know that they can share their worries with their teachers and other adults. 'If you have a problem you know there will be someone there to help you'.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher and local authority adviser have completed a number of lesson observations to assess the overall quality of teaching and learning. Their observations judge the quality to be good. Records from observations clearly identify the strengths in the lessons. The school's records might be improved by giving a judgement on the overall quality of lessons and how they might be improved. Newly appointed teachers receive very good guidance and support from more experienced members of staff. The school's leadership and management are continually striving to improve the quality of teaching and learning in order to raise standards.

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Grade: 2

The school's curriculum is suitably broad and balanced. Daily mathematics and literacy lessons are taught in all classes and a suitable experiential curriculum is provided for children in the Reception class. There is a well equipped ICT suite, which all classes use at least once a week, and children can use their ICT skills in other subjects as the 4 Inspection Report: Chancellor Park Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006 school has a set of laptop computers. All children have two sessions of PE each week. The school is planning to develop its own unique curriculum through a 'making the curriculum our own' project.

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Grade: 2

The level of care provided for children is outstanding. Attendance is good and monitored thoroughly by the school. Appropriate links are made with outside agencies to support children with particular learning needs. Individual child friendly target setting has been introduced to help children improve their work and achieve more in writing and mathematics. 'We have targets to make our work even better and when you achieve them you get a star'. The school realises it needs to sharpen its procedures for assessing the progress of children with learning difficulties and provide a wider range of support programmes to help children catch up quickly.

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Grade: 2

The leadership and management of the headteacher are outstanding. She is supported extremely well by the assistant headteacher. Governors have appointed a team of enthusiastic and talented teachers. The school is involved in a leadership programme designed to distribute leadership more widely. This has helped some subject leaders to become more effective. 'Our daughter started school on the day it opened and we have nothing but praise for the leadership, quality of teaching staff and facilities'. 5 Inspection Report: Chancellor Park Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Chancellor Park Primary School, 20 June 2006 to 20 June 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA NA Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 1 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for making me feel so welcome when I visited your school. I really enjoyed the day I spent with you. Mrs Godfrey makes sure that everyone does their best to make your school a really good place in which to learn. All the adults care for you very well and keep you safe. Your teachers organise interesting lessons so that you enjoy your learning and have fun. You are all trying very hard to do well in your reading, writing and mathematics. I like the idea of having targets to help you improve your work and the way your teachers use 'two stars and a wish' when they mark your work. I enjoyed talking to you about the things you do at Chancellor Park. There are lots of good things going on. You have many good clubs to go to after school, the 'passport to the world' club sounds really interesting. I really liked the video stories some of you had produced in the 'let's create' week. I was impressed with your behaviour and the

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

idea of having playground buddies and a friendship bench. The school council is doing a very good job representing your views and thinking up ways in which the school can be improved. The healthy tuck-shop is a great idea; I tried a piece of pineapple and it was very tasty. I asked Mrs Godfrey to help you all do the very best you can in all your school work especially in your writing and numeracy work. You have a lot to look forward to in the years ahead, so make sure you do your best and enjoy every minute.

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