Charter Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Charter Primary School does not provide pupils with an adequate standard of education. Leaders care about pupils. They want them to 'aspire, believe and achieve together', but this is not successful because staff have very low expectations of them.

Some pupils are unhappy in school, and they do not feel safe. At times, on the playground, some pupils do not listen to staff when they are given instructions. Sometimes, a few pupils are aggressive towards each other.

Staff do not always deal with pupils' poor behaviour. The way adults respond to bullying is inconsistent. Because of this, pupils are not confident that they will get help or that bullying will stop.

...>Pupils do not take pride in themselves, their work or the school environment. Some pupils come to school in tracksuits and trainers, and staff let them.

By the time pupils leave the school at the end of Year 6, they are not ready for secondary school.

Too many cannot read well, and they do not know enough about the world around them.

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

The quality of education is inadequate, and leaders are not doing enough to improve it. A new team of school leaders has been appointed within the past 18 months.

They are passionate about the school and want pupils to do well. However, they have had too much to do in a short space of time, and governors have not given them the help and support they need.

Pupils do not achieve well and they do not behave well.

Yet, leaders have failed to recognise this. They have an overly positive view of the school. For the past four years, too many pupils have left the school at the end of Year 6 unable to read well enough, and disadvantaged pupils are even less likely than their peers to be able to read well.

This is because leaders have not prioritised reading.

Children in the early years foundation stage get off to a very slow start with reading. They are not well prepared for Year 1.

There is not an orderly approach to teaching phonics in the Nursery Year, and leaders have been too slow to introduce a systematic approach in the Reception Year. Children in the early years are given books to read, but they do not always match the sounds that they have learned. Also, teachers do not help pupils to catch up when they fall behind.

Every afternoon, there is a story time. However, this is poorly organised, and the stories are not always pitched at an appropriate level. Currently, all pupils in Years 2 to 5 are reading the same book, 'Charlie and the chocolate factory'.

The curriculum does not cover as many subjects and topics as it should, and it does not challenge pupils enough. For example, pupils in key stage 1 have very few opportunities to study music. In key stage 2, pupils do not study a wide range of topics in history.

Pupils in Year 6 told us that they do not know what geography is.Leaders and teachers do not make sure that they teach topics in a logical way or that pupils use the information they have learned in one lesson to help them in the next. Many of the pupils we spoke to could not remember what they had learned previously or explain how they could use what they had learned to help them in future lessons.

This is noticeable in mathematics and history.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not supported as well as they should be. Teachers do not always think about what these pupils need when they plan learning activities.

Sometimes this leads to pupils becoming frustrated and they then behave poorly. As a result, pupils with SEND are more likely to be removed from lessons and excluded from school.

Some staff have low expectations of how pupils should behave and they do not deal with poor behaviour effectively.

At times, pupils do not follow the instructions they are given. For example, at the end of lunchtime, some pupils run into the school building when they have been told not to.

There are some additional activities and trips for pupils to take part in.

However, they do not always have a clear purpose. Furthermore, there are not enough opportunities for pupils to learn about the world around them, and pupils are not being well prepared for life in modern Britain. For example, some pupils in Year 6 are unaware that the city of Coventry is going to be the 'UK capital of culture' in 2020.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

Leaders check that the staff they appoint to work in the school are suitable to work with children. They make sure that staff know what to do if they are concerned about a child.

However, some pupils behave in an unacceptable and dangerous way. Pupils told us that they feel unsafe in the playground during playtime and lunchtime. We saw pupils who were upset because of the way they had been treated by their peers, and others refusing to follow the instructions they had been given by staff.

Pupils are not safe during social times, and leaders are not doing enough to keep them safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Pupils are not safe in school because pupils' behaviour is poor, particularly during lunchtime. Leaders should ensure that all pupils are safe and feel safe in school by ensuring that all staff have the same high expectations and are consistent in applying the school's policies.

The curriculum is narrow and does not match the breadth and ambition of the national curriculum. Pupils in key stage 1 do not have sufficient opportunities to study music, and pupils in key stage 2 do not study a wide enough range of topics in history and geography. Therefore, leaders should ensure that all pupils have access to the full breadth and ambition of the national curriculum.

. Too many pupils are not confident, fluent readers by the end of Year 6. This is because reading has not been prioritised, and leaders have not embedded a systematic approach to teaching phonics in the early years.

Therefore, leaders should ensure that reading is prioritised so that all pupils quickly gain the knowledge and skills to become confident and fluent readers. . In some subjects, including history and mathematics, the curriculum is not planned and sequenced in a way that enables pupils to build their knowledge and develop their skills in a cumulative way.

Therefore, leaders should ensure greater consistency in curriculum planning. They should ensure that topics are taught in a logical sequence, so that pupils can deepen their knowledge and develop their skills in a cumulative way. .

Pupils with SEND are more likely to be removed from lessons and excluded from school. This is because they are not supported as well as they should be. Leaders should ensure that pupils with SEND are provided with the support and help they need to be successful in all lessons.

. Disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as their peers, and many are unable to read well enough by the time they leave the school. Leaders should ensure that the additional funding they receive for pupils eligible for the pupil premium is used effectively.

. Pupils are not adequately prepared for life in modern Britain. This is because they do not have access to a rich set of opportunities.

Leaders should ensure that pupils are provided with a rich set of opportunities and experiences. . Leaders' plans to improve the school have not been effective.

This is because they have not been carefully thought through and leaders have been slow to introduce them. Leaders should ensure that their plans to improve the school are appropriate and implemented effectively. .

Governors are not providing school leaders with appropriate support and challenge. They have an inaccurate and overly positive view of the school. Governors should provide leaders with appropriate support and challenge and hold them to account effectively.