Chipping Norton School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Chipping Norton School continues to be a good school. There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a graded (section 5) inspection now. The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this welcoming and friendly school, where they thrive in its safe and supportive environment. All staff are highly ambitious for pupils and support them to benefit from a rich academic experience and a wide array of extra-curricular activities.

Pupils value the many opportunities to develop and nurture their talents and leadership skills.

A... wide range of clubs, including trampolining, street dance and computer anatomy, enrich pupils' experiences beyond the classroom. Pupils are proud to be house captains and members of the house system.

Pupils share school leaders' high expectations for behaviour.

Pupils rarely encounter bullying behaviour in school. They believe that when bullying does occur, it is dealt with effectively. Leaders' thorough and comprehensive records confirm pupils' views.

A few pupils are affected by ongoing friendship disputes, particularly online. Leaders are addressing this and are supporting pupils to develop more mature and appropriate attitudes to social media use.

Parents are full of praise for the school.

One parent summarises the feelings of many when they say that: 'The many wonderful teachers at this school are what makes it a great place. They are passionate about their subjects and know what each child needs to succeed.'

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

Leaders and staff have created a rich and ambitious curriculum.

They have identified the important knowledge that pupils must remember in all subjects. Leaders have made sure that this knowledge builds in a logical sequence over time. Teachers skilfully link topics and tasks together.

This helps pupils to make connections between current work and previous learning. As a result, pupils talk confidently about what they can remember. They take pride in their exercise books, which contain a complete record of their learning that they can easily refer back to.

Teachers expertly consider the needs of all pupils at every stage of their planning and teaching. They use well-considered strategies and high-quality resources to support pupils to achieve well. Leaders carefully identify the needs of all pupils and they communicate these clearly to teachers.

Teachers are very clear about what support individual pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, need to succeed. Teachers regularly check how well all pupils have understood what they are learning. They use this information skilfully to identify any gaps in learning and to adapt their teaching when necessary.

As a result, all pupils achieve highly across the curriculum.

Leaders prioritise reading and younger pupils benefit from structured reading lessons. Interventions are made to support any pupils who find reading more difficult.

A sixth-form ambassadors scheme, in which students mentor younger pupils once a week, is highly valued by all involved.

Low-level disruptive behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes is very rare. Pupils' understanding of the school's behaviour policy is strong.

They appreciate that staff apply the policy consistently and fairly. Leaders work closely with parents and external agencies to address behaviour incidents that happen outside school, including when pupils are online. This helps pupils to feel safe.

Leaders' work to develop pupils' character is strong. Pupils learn positive character traits through a well-structured programme. This weaves together the school's values with spiritual, moral, social and cultural themes.

Through this, pupils develop a sense of responsibility and learn how to maintain respectful relationships. Pupils learn the value of teamwork through taking part in activities and competitions in school. The school is always seeking to improve how activities are organised to make it easier for even more pupils to get involved.

High-quality careers advice is a priority for all pupils. Leaders build strong relationships with local employers. This enables pupils to work with these employers in activities, such as discussing different careers, interview practice and work experience.

Furthermore, sixth-form students appreciate having careers guidance that prepares them for life after school.

Staff are happy and proud to work at Chipping Norton School. They trust leaders to do the best they can to support the school.

Staff feel that leaders support them well to do a good job. All staff feel empowered, through high-quality training, to do their best for every pupil. There is an established culture of teachers supporting each other and sharing their expertise.

Those responsible for governance know the school extremely well and provide stable governance and support for school leaders. They work strategically to help the school to prioritise its actions for school improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have established a strong culture of vigilance. Staff report any concerns they have about pupils swiftly. Record-keeping is thorough and detailed.

Leaders take appropriate action quickly in response to safeguarding concerns. Leaders carry out all relevant checks to ensure that adults are suitable to work with children. Leaders understand the safeguarding risks in and around school and they work closely with external agencies to help keep pupils safe.

Pupils learn appropriate knowledge to help keep themselves safe, including when online. They are confident that there is a trusted adult in school they can talk to if they have any worries or concerns.

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2017.

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