Chantlers Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Chantlers Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

At Chantlers, everyone strives for the best. For pupils, this means 'to be all around amazing, not all the time but most of the time'.

Pupils' well-being and the care that they receive are key strengths of the school. They are the bedrock upon which pupils' strong achievement in reading, writing and mathematics is built.

The pupils we spoke with said that they feel safe.

They are happy to come into school every day. They learn from skilled and enthusiastic staff who know them well. There are high expectations of what all pupils can achieve.

Pupils behave very we...ll in lessons and around the school. They cooperate well with staff and each other.

Class ambassadors are proud to represent their class and share what they have been learning.

Well-being ambassadors and playground leaders support other pupils. Bullying is rare. If it does happen, it is dealt with quickly by staff.

Parents and carers are an important part of the school community. As one stated: 'We are proud our children attend this school as it provides an excellent start in life.' The school community works together to continually improve the educational experience of the pupils.

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

Pupils behave well in lessons and achieve exceptionally well in reading, writing and mathematics. In these subjects, the curriculum makes it clear what pupils will learn in each topic and each year group. Teachers follow this closely.

They check pupils' understanding carefully so that learning builds on what pupils already know and can do. In the early years, a carefully considered curriculum ensures that children quickly acquire early reading and mathematics knowledge and skills.

Leaders have recently reorganised the curriculum.

This has resulted in some gaps in pupils' learning. For example, in history, pupils talk about events during the Roman era. However, they are not able to compare between and across different periods of time.

In geography, pupils have an accurate knowledge of countries and capitals. However, they are unable to recall specific knowledge associated with rivers and mountains. In these subjects, teachers check that pupils understand key facts.

However, they do not make sure that pupils are able to make connections between key aspects of each subject in order to learn more and remember more.

The renewed curriculum reflects the same ambition as that seen in reading, writing and mathematics. This is helping to fill the gaps in pupils' knowledge.

Leaders have carefully considered what needs to be learned and when. Teachers follow these plans closely. They pay attention to what pupils have learned previously.

This is now helping pupils to know and remember more in a broader range of subjects.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. Leaders understand the challenges faced by disadvantaged pupils.

Tailored support is put in place to make sure that vulnerable pupils achieve well.

Pupils rapidly gain the knowledge and skills they need to become fluent readers. Upon entry to the early years, children are taught phonics straight away.

Teachers are highly skilled and make regular checks on the sounds that children and pupils know. They use this information to plan what to teach next. Pupils who fall behind receive effective support to help them to catch up.

Books are well matched to the sounds that pupils are learning. This means that pupils achieve well in reading. Pupils across the school love to read and to share their views on the books that they have read.

The 'Chantlers Charter' develops pupils' leadership responsibilities. Pupils help to raise money for charity. They also take on responsibilities and contribute to the wider school community.

Responsibility is more than a badge at this school. It is a source of pride and self-esteem.

Pupils are reflective and self-aware.

They are well supported to become resilient and to keep themselves healthy, both mentally and physically. Simple yet effective systems recognise when pupils need support. This support is ever present and is readily available.

Lessons and assemblies develop pupils' appreciation of different cultures and religions. Pupils discuss and reflect upon important issues, such as democracy. They relate these to their school experiences.

Pupils understand the importance of tolerance. For example, they know that some families are different to others.

Staff are well cared for.

They are a motivated and dedicated team. The leadership team carefully considers the well-being and workload of staff. Leaders have overseen a significant improvement in pupils' achievement over recent years.

As a result, pupils are very well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders and staff take safeguarding seriously.

There is a culture of vigilance in school. Staff are well trained. They know the signs of neglect and abuse.

They know how and when to report concerns. Policies and procedures are thorough and well established. All staff go through the required checks before they start to work with children and pupils.

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They understand the potential dangers of using the internet and they are aware of how they can get help if they are worried. When additional support is needed, leaders ensure that partner agencies give the help that is needed.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The curriculum for reading, writing and mathematics is strong and well established. The recent change in the organisation of the curriculum for other subjects has left some pupils with gaps in their knowledge. Leaders should ensure that the new curriculum is delivered in all classrooms so that pupils can make up the gaps in their learning and remember more over time.

. Teachers' checks on pupils' learning in reading, writing and mathematics are rigorous and informative. They help teachers to build on what pupils already know and can do.

This approach is less well developed in other subjects. Leaders should ensure that teachers check pupils' knowledge and understanding carefully in all subjects so that pupils are able to deepen their learning over time.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 18–19 November 2010.