Chiseldon Primary & Nursery School

Chiseldon Primary School Inspection report

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126183 Unique Reference Number Swindon Local Authority 315432 Inspection number 8 °9 July 2008 Inspection dates David Shears Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 177 School The governing body Appropriate authority Steve Thompson Chair John Dickens Headteacher 8 March 2004 Date of previous school inspection Castle View Road School address Chiseldon Swindon SN4 0NS 01793 740349 Telephone number 01793 740349 Fax number

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4-11 Age group 8 °9 July 2008 Inspection dates 315432 Inspection number .

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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 two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Chiseldon is a smaller than average primary school. The great majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds and have English as their first language. The number of pupils with learning difficulties is average. More pupils than average enter the school after the usual age of admission.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Chiseldon Primary School, 8 °9 July 2008

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Grade: 3

This is a satisfactory school. Children make a sound start to their education in Reception so that their attainment is in line with expectations when they enter Year 1. In Years 1 to 2, pupils make good progress so that by the time they begin Year 3, they have attained above average standards. In Key Stage 2, progress varies between classes and groups of pupils. Overall, pupils make satisfactory progress across the key stage so that they leave Year 6 with above average standards. More able pupils tend to make better progress, although less able pupils, including those with learning difficulties, generally make satisfactory progress. Progress is better in literacy, particularly writing, than in numeracy. Teaching is satisfactory overall, but is better in Key Stage 1 than in Reception and Key Stage 2. There are good relationships between teachers and their pupils and this supports the good behaviour seen in lessons. Teachers plan their lessons carefully. They ensure that pupils know

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Grade: 3

what they are going to learn and use the interactive whiteboards effectively to support their teaching. The teaching is purposeful and lively so that pupils enjoy learning. However, teaching assistants are not deployed and used well enough to fully support pupils with learning difficulties, and this means that these pupils' progress is limited. Although teachers assess the pupils regularly, this information is not used well enough to ensure that all pupils are receiving work that is at the right level for them. The curriculum is good. The school has been working enthusiastically on making learning creative so that pupils enjoy their work and can make links between different subjects. The planning is clear and methodical, highlighting where links can be made. In particular, there are very good opportunities to practise writing, although there are not enough chances to improve numeracy. There is a good range of extra-curricular activities that are taken up by many pupils.

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Grade: 3

The good personal development of pupils is a strength of the school and this has resulted in good behaviour and attitudes. Pupils are well cared for. The school ensures that they are kept safe and healthy and procedures for safeguarding are in place. This results in pupils feeling very safe and happy in school. They have a good understanding of how to keep healthy and safe and they make a particularly good contribution to the school community. They also make useful contributions to the wider community such as holding an annual Christmas party for local senior citizens. They work well together and are being well prepared for their future. Overall, care, guidance and support are satisfactory. It is no better than this because the provision for pupils with learning difficulties has some weaknesses. Although systems are in place to ensure they have targets, there is not enough monitoring to ensure that these are

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Grade: 3

used well enough to support their learning effectively. Academic guidance for all pupils is improving in literacy, although this is not established in numeracy. Leadership and management are satisfactory overall. There is good management of the care of pupils and effective cooperation with parents. This is an inclusive school where all are warmly welcomed. Leaders and managers have a satisfactory understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. They have data to show how well pupils are performing, but this information is not used well enough to identify and support pupils who are not progressing as well as they should. Nevertheless, they have focused clearly on some initiatives such as the creative curriculum and this has proved to be a success in many ways, as in the improvement 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Chiseldon Primary School, 8 °9 July 2008 in pupils' writing and their good attitudes to, and enjoyment of, learning. This has demonstrated

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Grade: 3

the school's satisfactory capacity to improve.

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Grade: 3

Provision in the Foundation Stage ensures that children get off to a sound start. When they begin school, their skills and knowledge are broadly in line with those that are expected for their age. They make satisfactory progress and most reach the goals expected, except in reading and writing where they remain slightly lower. Children respond well to the stimulating environment and they are motivated by the activities, both indoors and outdoors. For example, they were very excited by the 'Pirates theme', and enjoyed dressing up in pirate outfits, including the plastic hooks, and searching for treasure and 'walking the plank!' Pupils enjoy a variety of learning opportunities based on the Foundation Stage curriculum, including a good balance of play activities and those directed by the teacher. They are happy in school, and develop positive relationships with each other and with adults. The management of the Foundation Stage is

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Grade: 3

satisfactory and there are now strengths in the teaching of the recognition of letters and sounds, which was previously an area for improvement. The staff are now beginning to use observations of pupils at play to plan for the next stages of learning but this practice is at an early stage.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ ■ Use data more effectively to identify and support any groups of pupils who are not making enough progress. ■ Raise the quality of teaching, by ensuring that all teachers match work closely to pupils' needs and let them know how to improve their work especially in mathematics. ■ Improve the achievement of pupils who make slower progress, by deploying teaching assistants more effectively to support them and making better use of their learning targets. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Pupils start school with abilities in line with expectations. They make sound progress in the Foundation Stage so that they move on from it in line with expectations, although their skills in reading and writing are slightly lower. Nevertheless, all pupils, including those with learning difficulties, make good progress in Years 1 to 2 so that by the time they enter Year 3, standards are above average in reading, writing and mathematics. Progress is inconsistent in Years 3 to 6, although overall pupils make satisfactory progress. However, there are groups of pupils who make slower progress than others, mainly some average and below average pupils, including those with learning difficulties. Progress in numeracy and reading is satisfactory overall, whilst progress in writing is good.

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Grade: 2

Pupils much enjoy school. They feel very safe and secure, knowing that the adults around them take good care of them and support their personal development well. As a result, they exhibit 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Chiseldon Primary School, 8 °9 July 2008 good behaviour and attitudes. Attendance has improved this year, due to the school's monitoring systems, and is now satisfactory. Pupils have a good knowledge of how to keep healthy and stay safe. They look after each other and make a very good contribution to the school community. They also support the wider community, for example supporting charities such as 'Comic Relief' and 'Children in Need'. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is good overall, although their knowledge of the multi-cultural nature of modern Britain is not strong. Given the pupils' good all-round personal development and their steady acquisition of basic skills, they are being well prepared for the next stage of their education and beyond.

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Grade: 3

Pupils behave well in lessons as a result of the good relationships they have with their teachers. Lessons are generally planned well, ensuring that tasks given to pupils are interesting and enjoyable. Pupils have a good idea of what they will know by the end of the lesson. The teaching is successfully supported by the effective use of the interactive whiteboard. Pupils work well together and make progress, although the teaching assistants are not deployed well enough to support the progress of pupils with learning difficulties. Assessments are in place, although these are not used sufficiently to ensure that all pupils receive work at the correct level. Pupils have a good knowledge and understanding of their targets in writing, although they are not as aware of what they need to achieve in numeracy.

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Grade: 2

A recent initiative to introduce a curriculum with more effective links between subjects has had a good impact on the provision for pupils. The curriculum is well planned, and pupils can understand the links that have been made between subjects. In particular, there have been many opportunities to improve pupils' writing skills. This has given a purpose to writing which, in turn, has improved the pupils' attitudes towards their work. There are many enrichment opportunities, including residential trips, ice skating and special visitors to the school. Many pupils support the extra-curricular activities on offer. All of this gives them a well-rounded understanding of their work through first-hand experiences and enjoyable activities, and results in good personal development. Although there are good links with writing, there are not enough opportunities for pupils to practise their mathematical skills across the curriculum.

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Grade: 3

The care of pupils is good. The arrangements for the safeguarding and well-being of pupils are secure. Health and safety procedures are in place and there are fully trained staff in first-aid. The school makes good use of outside agencies to support the welfare of pupils, including the Traveller Education Service. Pupils with learning difficulties also benefit from outside support where necessary, although internal arrangements, particularly the use of teaching assistants and learning targets, are less effective and this limits their progress. All pupils are guided well in their literacy work, so that they know the next steps in learning. However, this is not the case for their numeracy work, resulting in less progress being made. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Chiseldon Primary School, 8 °9 July 2008

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Grade: 3

Leaders and managers, including governors, have a satisfactory knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. There are tracking systems in place that inform leaders of the progress of individual pupils. However, this data is not being used effectively enough to identify and address the underachievement of some groups of pupils, such as those with learning difficulties. Nevertheless, as a result of the well-designed curriculum, standards of writing have improved so that pupils are now making good progress in writing this year. This demonstrates that the school does have a satisfactory capacity to improve. The management of care is good in this inclusive school. The vast majority of parents feel welcomed and give good support to the school. A few parents expressed concern that the school does not seek their views. However, it was noted that there are a number of opportunities for parents to share their views, including

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Grade: 3

a recent questionnaire as well as a number of open evenings. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Chiseldon Primary School, 8 °9 July 2008 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Chiseldon Primary School, 8 °9 July 2008

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Chiseldon Primary School, 8 °9 July 2008

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Chiseldon Primary School, 8 °9 July 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

10 July 2008 Dear Pupils Inspection of Chiseldon Primary School, Chiseldon, SN4 0NS Thank you for your warm welcome that we received when we visited your school recently. It was good to talk with you and find out about your school. It provides you with a satisfactory education. You told us that you are happy at school and we can easily see why. You enjoy your lessons because the teachers make them interesting for you. You have a lot of opportunities to learn some new skills, including ice skating! You have been working hard on improving your writing skills and we have seen lots of lovely work that you have produced. Well done! You also told us that you feel safe in school because the teachers take good care of you. You have a good knowledge of how to keep safe and healthy and we like the way that you look after each other in school as well as helping others in your local community. We have asked your teachers to make sure that they focus on the right priorities to improve

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

the school. This will help them to teach you well by giving you work that is just right for you. We want them to make sure that you all get the support you need to help you to make good progress in all subjects, particularly in numeracy. You can help by letting your teachers know if you feel the work is too easy or too difficult. We also want the school to make sure that those of you who find the work difficult get enough help. Thank you for a very enjoyable two days. We wish you all the very best for the future. Yours sincerely Mr D Shears Lead Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Chiseldon Primary School, 8 °9 July 2008

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