Chilvers Coton Community Infant School

Chilvers Coton Community Infant School Inspection report

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125537 Unique Reference Number Warwickshire Local Authority 328352 Inspection number 28 April 2009 Inspection date Barbara Atcheson Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Infant Type of school Community School category 3–7 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 144 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Ali Akil Chair Deborah Bailey Headteacher 28 April 2007 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Fitton Street School address Nuneaton CV11 5RB 024 76387001 Telephone number

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3–7 Age group 28 April 2009 Inspection date 328352 Inspection number 024 76388051 Fax number

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3–7 Age group 28 April 2009 Inspection date 328352 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. 3 of 12 Inspection Report: Chilvers Coton Community Infant School, 28 April 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

This infant school is smaller than average. About three quarters of the pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds. The majority of pupils are of Asian or Asian British heritage. About one fifth of the pupils are of White British heritage. Although many pupils have English as an additional language, very few, other than in the Nursery, are at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is higher than average. The proportion of pupils with statements for learning difficulties and/or disabilities is lower than average. Their needs mainly relate to speech, language and communication difficulties, behavioural, emotional and social difficulties or autism. Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage into a Nursery and a Reception class. Onsite childcare is not managed by the governing body and is inspected separately.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 4 of 12 Inspection Report: Chilvers Coton Community Infant School, 28 April 2009

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Grade: 2

This is a good school. The strong leadership of the headteacher and her determination to constantly improve achievement and standards provide a clear direction for the staff and senior leaders. Consequently, the school is united in its bid to help pupils overcome any difficulties they may have, so that they can make good progress. Parents recognise this and are overwhelmingly supportive. One parent, reflecting the views of many, said, 'I'm very happy with everything and if I'm not, I feel I can say something about it.' Children enter the school with levels of skills and knowledge that are well below typical age-related expectations, particularly in speech and language. Good teaching throughout the Early Years Foundation Stage and the provision of a new Early Years Foundation Stage unit enable children to make good progress throughout Nursery and Reception. Historically, children have entered Year 1 well below the levels expected for their age. However, this year the majority

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Grade: 2

of children are on track to achieve expected levels. Standards have increased steadily year on year so that, although pupils reach standards that are below the national average by the end of Year 2, this represents good progress from their low starting points. Strong tracking systems ensure that underachievement is quickly identified and well-planned strategies are promptly implemented to sustain improvement. Although there are times when the pace of learning drops and progress slows, particularly for some Year 1 pupils, teaching is good overall. Consequently, the majority of the current Year 2 pupils are on track to reach average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the level of challenge is occasionally too low, which results in few pupils reaching the higher levels. Strong pastoral care results in pupils' good personal development and well-being. The school is a thriving, harmonious community. It has an ethos which promotes aspiration and celebrates

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Grade: 2

achievement. Behaviour is good. Pupils take a pride in their achievements and are confident that staff will help them when problems arise. They know right from wrong, form strong relationships and have a good understanding of cultural diversity because social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is outstanding. They have excellent knowledge of how to keep themselves safe and know what makes a healthy lifestyle. Systems are securely in place to ensure that pupils are safe and happy in school, and to support those who are vulnerable or have particular needs. Pupils enjoy coming to school because the new curriculum provides them with stimulating, meaningful opportunities to make links in their learning. They attend regularly although bouts of sickness and periods of religious observance depress attendance figures. Leadership and management are good. Rigorous systems for monitoring and evaluating the

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Grade: 2

school's work ensure that leaders know where strengths and weaknesses lie. Plans for development are comprehensive and focus strongly on accelerating achievement. Well-planned strategies support the learning of groups of pupils, ensuring that equality of opportunity is promoted well. Senior leaders and governors have worked hard as a team to implement well-considered actions to address the issues from the previous inspection. This level of performance demonstrates that the school has a good capacity to improve.

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Grade: 2

Positive relationships and good induction procedures ensure that children settle quickly into the welcoming atmosphere of the new Early Years Foundation Stage unit. Teaching is good. 5 of 12 Inspection Report: Chilvers Coton Community Infant School, 28 April 2009 Staff are skilled at using observations and assessments to plan relevant, stimulating experiences, which are creatively linked to strengthen learning. Consequently, although children start with low levels of skills and knowledge, they make good progress. Reception children are well prepared for their work in Year 1 and are currently on track to reach typically expected levels by the end of the year. Good leadership and management ensure that staff are motivated to increase the pace of learning and raise standards. Every effort is made to increase children's language skills. Children are intrigued by their 'author' boxes which encourage writing skills. Making porridge and using oats help children understand

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Grade: 2

unfamiliar words in 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears'. There is a wide variety of interesting opportunities outside, but no large climbing apparatus. This limits opportunities to practise climbing up, over and through. All staff have a genuine understanding and concern for children's needs and take exceptionally good care of each child. Support for the most vulnerable children is particularly good and contributes to their successful inclusion.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that all pupils are challenged appropriately in order to increase the proportion reaching the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics. ■ Ensure that all teaching enables pupils to maintain at least a good pace of learning in every lesson.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. From low starting points, pupils make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because teaching is consistently good. Currently, they are on track to enter Year 1 at levels typically expected for their age. The good progress made in the Early Years Foundation Stage continues throughout the rest of the school. However, the speed at which some Year 1 pupils' progress decreases where the pace of teaching is not as brisk as at other times. Pupils' progress is closely tracked and successful intervention strategies support the learning of different groups of pupils. As a result, although standards at the end of Year 2 have been below average, there has been a steady rise since 2006. The current Year 2 pupils are on track to exceed the challenging targets they have been set, with the majority of pupils reaching average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the school recognises that

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Grade: 2

there are still not enough pupils reaching the higher levels in these subjects.

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Grade: 2

Pupils really enjoy school and are keen to attend. Their excellent social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is displayed in the way that they reflect maturely, have a crystal clear understanding of right and wrong and are extremely respectful towards others. They are cooperative and have a very well developed understanding of cultural diversity. They know how to keep themselves healthy but are not always clear about the reason for this. Pupils say that there is no racism or bullying. Behaviour is good overall but, sometimes, pupils are over exuberant and this distracts others. Pupils have a very well developed knowledge of how to keep safe, particularly where strangers are concerned. They make an excellent contribution to the school and local communities and they enjoy the responsibilities they undertake in school and contributions that they make to many local events. These positive attitudes combined with

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Grade: 2

6 of 12 Inspection Report: Chilvers Coton Community Infant School, 28 April 2009 the fact that they are now on track to reach average standards at the end of Year 2 mean that they are adequately prepared for junior school.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are keen to learn because relationships are positive and lessons are interesting. Consequently, pupils work hard and make good progress overall. Clear lesson objectives are shared with the pupils and most teachers set high standards for work and behaviour. However, the pace of learning drops if a teacher talks for too long or some groups find the work either too hard or too easy. Teachers use questioning well to make pupils think and deepen their knowledge and understanding. Resources are used well to engage and effectively promote learning. Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to learning, especially the bilingual assistants and those supporting pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Marking is regular and thorough and systematic assessment procedures give teachers a good understanding of each pupil's progress. However, the school recognises that more able pupils are not always

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Grade: 2

sufficiently challenged and so do not reach the higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Grade: 2

Pupils enjoy the exciting links in learning that the newly revised curriculum has brought to the school and this supports learning well. The practical 'entry day' for each topic successfully engages all pupils and motivates them to extend their learning. However, it is early days and the full impact has not yet been realised. New laptop computers ensure that information and communication technology is used effectively across the curriculum. Pupils enjoy a good range of after-school activities. Visits extend the curriculum well, adding to pupils' enjoyment, raising aspirations and broadening their experience. The curriculum supports pupils' good personal development through an effective programme for personal, social and health education. Consequently, pupils develop good skills that help them to keep safe and lead healthy lifestyles. However, the curriculum in reading, writing and mathematics is not yet sufficiently adapted to

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Grade: 2

ensure that more able pupils progress as rapidly as possible.

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Grade: 2

The excellent pastoral care provided for pupils ensures that they feel happy, safe and secure. Very good attention is given to health and safety and there are robust procedures for keeping children safe. Partnerships with external agencies are outstanding and significantly benefit pupils' learning. Parents are delighted with the caring ethos of the school and feel confident that their children are learning in the best environment possible, where staff are 'very approachable' and have every concern for children's learning and well-being. All staff have a genuine understanding and concern for children's needs. Academic guidance is generally good, and enables pupils to achieve well. However, not all pupils are clear about how to improve their work and there is variability in the extent to which pupils assess their own work. Pupils' progress over time is tracked meticulously and this information is used effectively to set targets to raise

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Grade: 2

pupils' achievement. 7 of 12 Inspection Report: Chilvers Coton Community Infant School, 28 April 2009

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Grade: 2

Whilst the headteacher has been the driving force in bringing about significant improvement, she is ably supported by the hard-working senior management team who make a valuable contribution. Middle managers are beginning to play a fuller part in the monitoring and evaluation of their subject areas. The governing body is actively involved in the work of the school and has a good understanding of where the school's strengths and weaknesses lie. Senior leaders constantly strive to improve strategies that have been implemented in order to support the learning of groups of pupils and ensure that equality of opportunity is promoted well. Community cohesion is good. The school has forged strong links with the different ethnic groups within its local community. It has effective plans for links with a school in Mumbai because many pupils have relatives who live in the city. The school has also recently become

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Grade: 2

involved in the 'Comenius Project' through which it plans to develop further links with schools internationally. 8 of 12 Inspection Report: Chilvers Coton Community Infant School, 28 April 2009 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 9 of 12 Inspection Report: Chilvers Coton Community Infant School, 28 April 2009

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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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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? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

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

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Achievement and standards

1 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. 10 of 12 Inspection Report: Chilvers Coton Community Infant School, 28 April 2009

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 1 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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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? 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? 11 of 12 Inspection Report: Chilvers Coton Community Infant School, 28 April 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Dear Pupils Inspection of Chilvers Coton Community Infant School, Nuneaton, CV11 5RB Thank you for the friendly way you welcomed us to your school for the recent inspection. We enjoyed talking to you and visiting your classrooms. You have given us lots of helpful information. We think your school is a good school and these are the main things that we thought you might like to know about.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Children in the Nursery and Reception class get off to a good start.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You are taught well so that you achieve the levels expected for your age by the end of Year 2. ■ The school provides a good curriculum and a wide range of interesting extra activities.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ You have an excellent understanding of how to stay safe and a good knowledge of how to keep healthy. ■ You enjoy your responsibilities, and know that you contribute well to school life.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ The teachers look after you very well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

The school is working hard to make things even better for you. We have asked the school to do two things:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ make sure that those of you who find work easy are given even harder work, so that they can reach the highest levels in reading, writing and mathematics ■ make sure that all of your teachers help you to do your very best all of the time so that your work improves quickly. We hope that you will all continue to enjoy coming to school and to try your hardest so that you are successful in the future. Thank you again. We wish you continuing success. Yours sincerely Barbara Atcheson Lead inspector 12 of 12 Inspection Report: Chilvers Coton Community Infant School, 28 April 2009

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