Chantry Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Chantry Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Chantry Primary Academy is a school where pupils are happily 'learning for life'. The school's values of aspiration, respect, unity, integrity, independence, enjoyment and quality are practised in the daily lives of the pupils.

Leaders are passionate about the well-being of pupils. All pupils are invited into school from 8.30am every day to share breakfast with their friends.

This provides pupils with a good start to the day and helps them get ready to learn.

Pupils benefit from the highly ambitious curriculum developed by leaders. Learning in school is complemented by ex...citing trips and experiences, which reinforces the pupils' learning.

Pupils can understand the curriculum because it reflects the lives and communities of where the pupils live. This has ensured that pupils achieve highly in all areas of the curriculum.

The behaviour of older pupils is exemplary.

This is particularly evident during their lessons, where they remain focused and engaged in their learning. A small minority of younger pupils can sometimes become unsettled. On the rare occasions when bullying happens, pupils know that adults will deal with it.

Leaders keep pupils safe.

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

Leaders have created a highly ambitious curriculum for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders value the importance of reading.

They have designed a curriculum that is heavily influenced by reading, language and communication. Leaders have carefully considered the sequencing of the curriculum and have identified high-quality texts to use to engage the pupils and support their learning. This ensures that pupils are consistently exposed to a wide range of literature and authors.

Teachers have good subject knowledge and deliver the curriculum well. They are aware of the key knowledge that leaders want pupils to learn in each subject. Teachers regularly use this information to check what pupils know and can remember.

This helps them to plan the next steps for the pupils and to ensure that any pupils falling behind are quickly identified and support is put in place. Consequently, pupils achieve highly across the curriculum.

Leaders ensure that pupils learn to read as soon as they start school.

Staff are well trained in teaching pupils to read. They know how to check how pupils are doing in their reading. Pupils say they enjoy reading and like their teachers reading to them.

When a pupil falls behind, they are provided with additional support to help them catch up. As a result, pupils make good progress in reading and achieve highly. However, a small group of younger pupils who struggle to learn to read do not always receive the most effective support to help them make accelerated progress.

Leaders recognise this and are currently addressing it.

Pupils with SEND are well catered for. Leaders have ensured that teachers know how to identify and act swiftly when needs are identified.

Adaptations are made to ensure that all pupils with SEND have full access to the whole curriculum and learn alongside their peers. This includes the pupils from the additional resource base for pupils who are blind/partially sighted.

Pupils are inquisitive learners.

They learn about and consider 'big questions', such as 'history is the past, but where has the past gone?' Pupils confidently discuss different issues across the curriculum. They have learned how to challenge each other politely and respond well when they are challenged. Pupils know how to structure a debate and explain the reasons for their opinions.

Pupils are polite and well mannered across the school. Leaders support staff to apply a consistent approach to managing behaviour across the school. Leaders are supporting teachers to reinforce their high expectations for a small minority of pupils who sometimes become unsettled.

Leaders work to develop pupils' wider personal development is excellent. They ensure that pupils are provided with rich, meaningful opportunities and experiences. Pupils attend many trips, which supports their learning in school.

Staff are dedicated to supporting the social development of pupils. For example, staff take the Year 6 pupils on a residential trip to France. Pupils are offered a wide range of extra-curricular clubs, which pupils enjoy.

Staff appreciate the support leaders give them. They recognise that leaders care about their well-being and workload and have therefore put systems in place to support them. Consequently, staff overwhelmingly enjoy working in this school.

Governors and trustees have a good understanding of the school. They challenge and support leaders effectively to ensure that pupils follow a well-sequenced curriculum. Consequently, pupils achieve well across the curriculum.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. Leaders have ensured that staff are well trained in identifying pupils at risk of harm.

Adults know to act swiftly to get pupils any support needed. Leaders work well with outside agencies to help keep their pupils safe.

Leaders have ensured that pupils and parents have a good awareness of current local issues.

They have ensured that pupils know of possible dangers they may face when they are out in their local area. Consequently, pupils have a growing understanding of how to keep themselves safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes, pupils who are struggling to learn to read do not receive the focused support they need.

This means that they are not making as much progress as they could. Leaders should ensure that high-quality teaching and appropriate texts are provided to address gaps in these pupils' knowledge, enabling them to make rapid progress.

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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

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

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2014.