Chawton Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Chawton Church of England Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

The parent who said that they 'think the school develops the children very well emotionally, physically, morally and academically' captured the essence of Chawton perfectly.

Many parents praised the transformation they have seen in recent times. Pupils are the greatest advocates. They are full of compliments for their school and its caring environment and keen to explain how they look after each other so that no one feels left out.

The buddy system cultivates strong bonds as older pupils help the younges...t children to settle in. Those who join part way through their school life are made equally welcome. Pupils are proud that, as one explained, 'having roles means everyone has a voice and we can build on making the school the best it can be'.

Pupils rise to the expectation to 'be kind, never give up and work together'. The school values of 'love, courage and fellowship' are woven through daily life. Pupils are explicitly taught the positive learning habits of perseverance, collaboration, enquiry, creativity, connections and reflection.

They are benefiting from the focus on getting reading, writing and mathematics teaching and learning right from the word go. A well-thought through curriculum builds pupils' knowledge and skills in other subjects over time.

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

Pupils get so much more than an academic education at Chawton.

Everything is centred on the mantra that 'childhood is short and unrepeatable'. Pupils' emotional well-being is prioritised so that they are ready to learn. The attitudes and attributes that they need to succeed now and in the future are nurtured.

Older pupils have a mature understanding that, as one put it, 'sometimes things don't go your way' and they need to find a peaceful way to resolve conflict. Pupils learn how to be assertive without being rude and that good relationships are based on trust, loyalty and respect. Conscious that the village is not a reflection of wider society, the school works hard to broaden pupils' horizons and widen their experiences.

Pupils learn that 'difference makes you special'. They develop an awareness of the part they can play in caring for the environment.

The unwavering, twofold focus on building strong foundations for future learning and closing gaps from the past is paying dividends.

The early years curriculum has been overhauled. It is firmly focused on what children need to learn and the milestones they should reach at key points. The teaching of basic skills across the school has been enhanced.

Meticulous analysis of gaps informs bespoke learning plans for individual pupils and support to help them catch up. Additional needs are identified and provision put in place. Work to develop the wider curriculum over the past couple of years ensures that pupils' learning builds systematically across different subjects.

Improved information for parents about the curriculum and how it is taught have been well received. Overall, pupils are learning well. Published results do not reflect this, in part because small class sizes and pupils joining and leaving the school at different times skew the figures somewhat.

Early reading is taught well and from the moment children start school. Staff are well trained so phonics teaching is precise. Pupils practise the skills they learn by reading carefully matched books.

In class, staff are alert to those pupils who need a bit more time that day to reinforce learning, and make sure that happens. Regular reviews track pupils' learning over time carefully. Groups are adjusted accordingly, and the use of staff and quiet spaces maximised to tailor teaching.

A similar combination of clear curriculum guidance, training and support for teachers, additional arithmetic sessions and meticulous tracking of pupils' progress has enhanced teaching and learning in mathematics. As the school is well aware, though, there are still some pupils who have gaps in their English and mathematics learning from previous years.

Teaching across the rest of the curriculum is also typically skilful now.

Staff appreciate the school's training and support to sharpen their practice. Curriculum guidance helps them to plot pupils' learning through each subject carefully. Teaching is, therefore, mostly confident, clear and accurate and firmly focused on what pupils need to learn.

Checks on pupils' understanding, and support to draw on previous learning, are usually thorough. Support for pupils who need extra help is well targeted. Some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have not, however, been identified early enough in the past.

Staff have not had sufficient information about how best to meet their needs. Current systems and provision are much better, but there is more to do to embed practice so that these pupils' needs are fully met.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In the past, the teaching of English and mathematics has not been sufficiently strong all the way through the school. Some pupils are not working at the expected level for their age. The school should keep a close eye on the intervention programme to be assured that pupils are catching up, and make adjustments where needed.

• The current systems for identifying pupils with SEND are relatively new. Some pupils' needs have not been fully met in the past. The school should ensure that it embeds early identification and assessment processes and its work to upskill all staff as teachers of pupils with SEND.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in February 2015.

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