Chadwell Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

Chadwell Primary is a good school where pupils achieve well and make good progress.

Pupils enjoy coming to school, and parents and carers are pleased with what it has to offer them. One parent commented, 'The school is a happy environment and I am very pleased with my child's progress.' Another said, 'My child has made a lot of progress in the last few years and has had good support to get to the level he has reached.'

Thanks to the outstanding pastoral care, supported by excellent partnerships with outside professionals, pupils feel exceptionally safe at school and know that staff will help them if they have a problem. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding... so, throughout the school, they have an excellent understanding of the difference between right and wrong, and outstanding social skills. Relationships are excellent, and pupils are very supportive of one another.

Pupils have an excellent knowledge of how to live a healthy lifestyle. They enjoy their lessons and the wide range of additional opportunities the curriculum offers them, particularly in music and sport, and this was confirmed in their response to the inspection questionnaire. Since the last inspection, despite going through a period of change in leadership, the school has been successful in maintaining above-average attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 and in improving attainment at the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, where it is broadly average.

This is as a result of improved systems for tracking pupils and providing additional support where needed, and an increased focus on professional development for staff to improve their skills. The school has identified that, while pupils achieve well in writing, their performance is relatively weaker than in reading and mathematics. This is because some pupils lack skills in grammar, spelling and punctuation, and do not have a wide enough vocabulary to reach the higher levels in their writing.

This problem is common to both boys and girls, and to pupils who are native speakers of English, as well as those learning English as an additional language. Attainment has risen at the end of Key Stage 1 this year, but the school has recognised the need to build on and consolidate this improvement. Teaching is good throughout the school, so that pupils learn well, and there are common strengths in the way in which teachers assess pupils' progress during the lesson in order to correct any misunderstandings and move pupils on in their learning.

Teaching assistants are particularly well deployed to support pupils who need extra help. However, on occasions, teachers do not match work accurately to pupils' different needs, or set clear enough expectations for how much work pupils should accomplish in lessons, and this slows down their progress. This is more evident in Key Stage 1 than in Key Stage 2.

Marking has improved since the last inspection, though it varies in quality across the school. The headteacher and senior management team have been successful in winning the confidence of the staff and school community, and in bringing about change with their full support. Thorough and effective systems for monitoring and evaluating the work of the school have been established, so that strengths and areas for development are clearly highlighted.

School self-evaluation is realistic and accurate, and the school development plan focuses on the right areas for improvement. The governing body has a good understanding of its role and holds the school to account effectively. Senior leaders know what needs to be done next to move the school forward.

As a result, the school has a good capacity for further continuous improvement.

Information about the school

Chadwell Primary is an above average-sized primary school serving a residential area of outer London. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is above the national average.

A very large majority of pupils come from minority ethnic groups, which is high compared with the national picture. The proportion who speak English as an additional language is also high. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is in line with the national average, while the proportion with a statement of special educational needs is below.

These needs relate mainly to speech and language difficulties and behavioural difficulties. Early Years Foundation Stage children are taught in the Nursery and Reception classes. The school provides a breakfast club for pupils each day.

After-school care is also offered on the school site, but this is run by a private provider and subject to a separate inspection. The school has gained the foundation level of the International Schools award. The headteacher, deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher have all taken up their posts since the last inspection.

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