Chidham Parochial Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

In the words of one parent, reflecting the views of the majority, 'Chidham as a school has such a strong ethos around personal development and social responsibilities.' As they rightly went on to say, it 'also instils in the children a real understanding of the importance of kindness and accepting each other's differences'.

Pupils agree. They appreciate the programmes that help them build teamwork, resilience, cooperation and life skills. Pupils know that these will be important beyond their time at Chidham, as are the opportunities for older pupils to be leaders and look after their younger schoolmates.

Pupils are very proud of the school as a safe place where everyo...ne gets on and values one another.

Quite simply, the school wants all pupils to flourish and be the best they can. This starts in Reception where children are nurtured so that they feel like it is their 'second home'.

The same warm welcome is offered to pupils who join at other times. Across the school, morning routines set the tone for the day. Pupils settle quickly to purposeful activities which help them remember and practise their learning.

They achieve well in national reading, writing and mathematics assessments and build knowledge and skills across the full curriculum during their time at the school.

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

Parents are justifiably effusive about the inclusive and caring ethos. Pupils learn to respect and value difference.

They see a mix of different cultures, faiths and relationships as the norm. Well-planned transition into early years and open communication with parents mean that any early learning or social or emotional difficulties are picked up sooner rather than later. This watchful eye on pupils continues through the school.

Staff are alert to signs of any additional needs and are becoming increasingly expert in meeting these in the classroom. Opportunities to take on leadership roles or be ambassadors for the school are open to all pupils. They learn to look out for others in the wider community for example, by making cards for people in hospital or raising money for local charities.

The school extends the same level of care to staff, looking after their well-being and being mindful of workload.

The school is right to be proud that pupils, as leaders say, leave Chidham 'as confident, knowledgeable, well-rounded individuals'. Early reading is taught well.

Staff are well trained and deliver the phonics programme with precision and pace from the beginning of Reception. Pupils experience a feeling of success from early on by reading books that mirror the sounds they have learned. Extra help for anyone who needs it is carefully tailored.

The reading curriculum beyond the early stages is well designed. It continues to build pupils' knowledge and skills systematically and broaden their exposure to different types of books and styles of writing. Pupils are encouraged to enjoy reading for reading's sake.

Reception children happily settled down to share a story with a teacher in the book corner. In Year 5 'cosy club', there was a tangible sense of calm and enjoyment as pupils read individually. Meanwhile, others were being taught explicitly how to consider what they liked about a book and why they would recommend it to a classmate.

Mathematics learning is carefully structured from Reception to Year 6 too. Pupils' mathematical understanding is cultivated and checked so that they become confident in explaining their thinking and applying what they know in different situations.

Pupils learn a lot in other subjects as well.

The curriculum is designed to capture the interests of pupils and make the most of the local area. Visits and visitors bring learning to life. Staff draw on a published scheme to plan what they will teach and what pupils should know as a result.

They take care to check that pupils understand what they are learning at the time. However, the school has not identified precisely enough what the essential learning is for pupils in subjects other than English and mathematics as they progress from Reception onwards. So, while pupils can often see how they have got better at something, sometimes what they remember is interesting but not key to what comes next.

This means that there are some gaps in pupils' knowledge.

Leaders and governors have their fingers on the pulse and know what could be even better. Some pupils miss important learning because they do not attend school as often as they should.

The school is working well with families and other agencies to tackle this. Work is in hand, alongside the necessary refinements to the curriculum, to keep a better check on how well pupils are learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Guidance on how pupils' learning should build from Reception to Year 6 in science and the foundation subjects is not as clear as it is in English and mathematics. Hence, sometimes teaching does not focus on the most important knowledge and skills, and this impacts what pupils remember. The school should continue to refine the curriculum to agree exactly what pupils should know and remember at key points and ensure that teachers use that to check learning.