Chesterton Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

The strong, focused and inspirational leadership of the executive headteacher has had a major impact in establishing good-quality education in this new academy. The executive headteacher sets high standards and, along with other leaders, has high aspirations for pupils' behaviour and achievement. There is a determination to provide the best education and a wide range of experiences for every child.

Pupils achieve well because of consistently good teaching. Pupils' achievement is checked thoroughly and regularly. Support is put in place for those not doing well enough, to ensure they catch up quickly.

Pupils are happy at the acad...emy. Attendance has improved and is now at average levels. Behaviour is good and pupils feel safe and well looked after.

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. Procedures to keep them safe are effective. As a result of very effective transition arrangements, children in the early years settle quickly in the academy and get off to a good start with their education.

They are well taught in a supportive, caring environment and make good progress. The curriculum provides a good range of interesting topics and visits that pupils enjoy; these support their learning well. The recently formed senior and middle leadership teams show great enthusiasm and growing expertise.

The academy's ability to improve continues to strengthen as a result. Highly committed governors know the academy well and challenge senior leaders robustly. The Trust's central team and the academy's board provide high-quality support and challenge.

The academy has fostered strong relationships with parents. They show a growing confidence in the ability of the academy to ensure their children achieve well. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Work for the most able pupils sometimes lacks challenge; they are not always moved on to harder work quickly enough.

The outdoor learning areas, particularly those for the early years, are not always used effectively to support pupils' learning.

Information about this school

The academy is smaller than the average-sized primary school. The academy opened in September 2013, with 19 children starting in Reception.

The academy now has 19 pupils in Year 1 and 30 in Reception. The academy will add new year groups each year until it contains all year groups from Reception through to Year 6. Places are oversubscribed for September 2015.

The academy was opened because of the shortage of primary school places in the local community. This is the first inspection carried out since the academy opened. The academy provides full-time provision for children in Reception.

The majority of pupils are White British. A small minority of pupils speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below the national average.

This is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible to receive free school meals and those in local authority care. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is in line with the national average. All key appointments to senior positions have been made.

Further appointments will be made to the senior team and other teaching and non-teaching staff as the number of pupils on roll increases. The academy serves a very mixed community, with pockets of significant deprivation. A small proportion of pupils attend for short periods of time only before being re-housed, so there is significant mobility within classes and year groups.

Chesterton Primary School is sponsored by the Active Learning Trust. The Trust currently manages 12 academies in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk, one of which is the Isle of Ely Primary School. The executive headteacher also leads that school.

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