Charlestown Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school and trust have high expectations for what pupils can achieve at Charlestown. They are ambitious for pupils' academic outcomes. The school are determined that pupils will be well prepared for secondary school and beyond.

Pupils rise to this challenge and achieve well. They are committed to their learning. Pupils enjoy participating in lessons, often using their oracy skills to share ideas and build on those of others.

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are friendly and polite. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and respectful.

The classroom environment is calm and purposeful. Where a minority of pupils find school life more challenging..., staff support them to manage their emotions and behaviour well.

The school's vision of 'to inspire, enrich, enlighten' can be seen across all areas of school life.

For example, pupils are inspired to think about their future careers. They enjoy meeting visitors from different professions such as nurses and farmers. Children in the Reception Year enjoy a visit from the Fire Service to support their superhero theme.

Pupils are proud to take on additional responsibilities. For example, in Year 6, pupils can be assembly monitors, playground leaders and members of the school council. This enriches their wider experience of school.

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

The school has been through a period of significant change. A new headteacher started in March 2024 and several other leaders and teaching staff are also relatively new to the school. Throughout this period, the school has benefited from the support of the trust.

They have worked together to establish a high-quality curriculum. A well planned professional development programme has increased staff expertise to deliver this curriculum well. Teachers, including those at the early stages of their career, are confident to deliver the different subjects across the curriculum.

The majority of staff say they have been supported well by leaders during this period of change.

Pupils build their knowledge across subjects in a logical order. They are able to make connections and remember what they have learned.

Pupils' achievement reflects this improvement. Children in the Reception Year are being well prepared for Year 1. Staff recognise there is an increasing number of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) joining the school.

They are adapting their teaching approaches to support these children. For example, by using more sensory activities and ones that develop gross and fine motor skills. Across the school, staff get to know the barriers to learning for pupils with SEND.

They provide supporting resources or adapt the curriculum appropriately to meet their needs. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

Across the curriculum, the school checks carefully what pupils know.

Teaching allows pupils to show what they remember about new and previous learning. However, the school does not use this information as effectively as it should. On occasion, gaps in pupils' knowledge or misconceptions persist.

The school and trust have placed reading at the centre of the curriculum. From when children join in the Reception Year, they are introduced to well-chosen stories, nursery rhymes and songs. Staff encourage children to use vocabulary they have learned such as 'equipment' and 'firefighters'.

Children start to learn to read as soon as they join the Reception Year. The school delivers its chosen phonics programme effectively. Staff receive expert training and carefully check the progress of pupils as they learn new sounds.

Where any pupils need additional support, they receive this promptly.

Across the school there is a positive climate for learning. This starts in Reception Year where children have learned the expected routines quickly.

Playtimes are busy but well supervised. Pupils move around the school calmly. They listen well to instructions from staff.

Pupils learn a well-considered personal development curriculum. They participate in trips that bring the curriculum to life for them. Older pupils speak highly of the residential trips that they attend.

These help to develop their independence and resilience. Pupils learn about cultures and communities different to their own. For example, the school have forged a link with a previous member of staff who now lives in Columbia.

This helps to broaden pupils' experiences.

The school share regular newsletters with parents and carers to celebrate its successes and share key information. Parents' evenings provide an opportunity for parents to discuss their child's progress.

However, where the school has experienced many changes in a short space of time, some parents feel this could have been communicated more effectively to them. For these parents, the partnership between school and home remains fragile.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes, teachers do not use the information gained through checking pupils' understanding to inform what is taught next or to address gaps in knowledge. As a result, some pupils do not build their knowledge in the detail they need. The trust should ensure that assessment information is used purposefully to improve the curriculum so that pupils are supported to know and remember more.

• Some parents do not feel the school communicates well with them about changes to the curriculum or the progress that their child is making. This can lead to a breakdown in the partnership between school and home. The trust should ensure they develop strong channels of communication with parents to allow them to work together effectively.