Henry Chadwick Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Henry Chadwick Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 19 April 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in May 2011. This school continues to be good.

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the previous inspection. 'This is a very supportive school' and 'staff look after individual children' were just two of the statements made by parents when they were asked to share their views of Henry Chadwick. Similarly, the pupils I spoke with praised the way in w...hich staff care for them.

Since the previous inspection in 2011, there have been substantial changes in staffing. You joined the school in September 2014. At the same time, governors appointed an assistant headteacher from within the school.

In February 2015, governors appointed a teacher from outside the school to oversee the provision for pupils who have special educational needs or disability. Three out of the four class teachers were not working at the school at the time of the previous inspection. You have managed the changes in class teachers well and ensured that most pupils have continued to make good progress by the time they leave the school.

Teachers and teaching assistants have benefited from regular training, visits to local schools, and advice and support from you and the assistant headteacher. You recognise that there are still occasions when the activities that teachers plan do not provide enough challenge for the most-able pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. Your plans to further strengthen this aspect of teaching are appropriate.

The actions taken to increase the opportunities that pupils have to write have been successful. Work in pupils' books shows that they write for different purposes and across different subjects. Pupils in Years 3 and 4, for example, spoke excitedly about their work linked to the book 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'.

In addition to writing character descriptions, diary entries and speeches, pupils researched and wrote about evacuation during the Second World War. Safeguarding is effective. The arrangements for keeping pupils safe are effective.

A member of the governing body has specific responsibility for overseeing this aspect of the school's work. This governor meets regularly with you and the assistant headteacher to discuss and review the school's systems and procedures for keeping pupils safe. More recently, you, staff and governors worked together to complete a safeguarding audit.

You have used this audit to make sure that training for staff is up to date, school policies include the latest statutory guidance, and that the school site is safe. Almost all the parents that I spoke with, and those who completed the Ofsted online questionnaire, were of the view that the school keeps their children safe. A very small minority raised concerns about the number of adults supervising pupils at lunchtime and about bullying.

Discussions with staff and pupils confirm that pupils are well supervised during lunchtimes and that there are sufficient adults in the playground and in the dining hall. Your records of pupils' behaviour show that incidents of bullying are infrequent and that staff take effective action in response to any incidents. A few pupils who completed the Ofsted questionnaire raised concerns about feeling safe in school.

All the pupils I spoke with during the inspection confirmed that they feel safe and that staff look after them. They spoke confidently about road safety, safety near water, and online safety. Pupils of all ages told me that they can talk to staff about any concerns they may have or share their concerns with staff by writing them down and posting them in the 'worry boxes'.

You regularly seek the views of pupils through discussions and questionnaires. You intend to give pupils more opportunities to share their views about safety in school so that you can resolve any concerns they may have. Inspection findings ? You are an effective leader.

Since your appointment, you have worked well with the assistant headteacher to ensure that changes in staffing have not disrupted pupils' learning. Teachers and teaching assistants share your vision for the future of the school and respond well to the training and support that they receive. Together, you make sure that any weaknesses in pupils' achievement are addressed quickly so that pupils achieve well over time.

• Senior leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of the school's strengths and priorities for improvement. The school improvement plan correctly identifies the actions that need to be taken to further improve the work of the school. However, the plan does not always make clear how success will be measured or who will check that the actions within the plan are making enough of a difference to pupils' learning, and teaching.

The local authority adviser has already made you aware of this and you are amending the plan accordingly. ? You and the assistant headteacher regularly check the work of all staff. You both provide staff with appropriate advice and take suitable action if the practice of individual members of staff does not improve.

• You actively encourage collaboration with other schools. You, the assistant headteacher, teachers and teaching assistants learn from each other and staff from other schools. This willingness to learn has helped to sustain the strengths of the school that were identified at the time of the previous inspection.

• In 2015, the standards attained by pupils in Year 6 were similar to those for pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. The majority of pupils made good progress from their different starting points in Year 2. A few of the pupils who have special educational needs or disability did not make enough progress.

• The teacher with responsibility for overseeing the achievement of pupils who have special educational needs or disability has responded well to the 2015 results. This teacher ensures that the individual learning needs of these pupils are now identified much more quickly so that prompt support can be provided. She also makes sure that teachers and teaching assistants have the skills required to provide these pupils with effective support.

Your latest information shows that pupils who have special educational needs or disability make the same progress as their classmates. ? Work in pupils' books shows, and the latest information about pupils' achievement confirms, that gaps between the standards reached by the small number of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in the school are closing quickly. This is because senior leaders and governors make sure that the extra support these pupils receive is relevant to their learning and developmental needs.

• Pupils learn to read with confidence. They use their knowledge of phonics well to read unfamiliar words and to spell correctly. Pupils spoke positively about their new reading books, the school library and an electronic programme that gives them access to reading books on their home computers.

• Teachers plan activities that help pupils to gain a good understanding of number, different measurements and shapes. In the Nursery and Reception class, for example, children used appropriate vocabulary to describe the quantity of water in different containers. One child confidently explained the difference between containers that were 'full', 'half full' and 'empty'.

In Years 3 to 6, pupils were observed thoroughly enjoying solving mathematical problems. Older pupils eloquently explained how they were using their knowledge of multiplication to work out the answer and then division to check whether the answer was correct. ? You have correctly identified that while pupils make good progress over time, some of the younger pupils do not consistently make the progress of which they are capable.

In the early years provision, the writing activities that children sometimes complete on their own do not have a clear purpose. As a consequence, children do not always know what they are expected to learn. In Years 1 and 2, the pace of learning slows on occasions because activities are easy and do not give pupils the chance to build on what they already know, understand and can do.

• During my visits to lessons, pupils in all classes were keen to talk about their work. I observed pupils working collaboratively, concentrating on their work and enjoying the opportunities to share their ideas. Older pupils said that they value the 'second chance learning area' in their classroom.

They explained that if they are 'stuck' with their work, they move to this area and an adult provides them with the help they need. ? Pupils enjoy taking on different responsibilities within the school. A group of pupils from Years 5 and 6, known as the 'sports crew', play an important role in encouraging younger pupils and their classmates to take part in sports activities.

The pupil 'eco-warriors' promote the importance of looking after the environment, and Year 6 'reading ambassadors' work alongside staff to encourage pupils to read regularly. ? Links with a number of organisations, including Burton Albion Community Trust, give pupils the chance to be physically active, become healthier and take part in a wide range of sporting competitions. ? Senior leaders and staff use displays around the school to celebrate pupils' sporting and artistic achievements.

During the inspection, pupils were eager to show me their displayed work and talk about their successes. ? Pupils have a good understanding of different religions and cultures. Each half term, they complete a 'passport'.

This records everything they have learned about a country from around the world. Most recently, pupils have learned about life in Ireland and Mexico. ? Members of the governing body continually seek to improve their effectiveness.

They have organised a range of suitable training in order to remain up to date with what is expected of them as governors. They are well informed and ask searching questions about the achievement of different groups of pupils. Governors have clearly defined roles and responsibilities and keep a close check on different aspects of the school's work.

This academic year, they have set themselves individual objectives so that they can make an even greater contribution in the school. ? The majority of parents who spoke with me during the inspection, and those who completed Ofsted's online questionnaire, were positive about all aspects of the school's work. A minority of parents raised concerns, which included concerns about communication between home and school.

Leaders use a number of appropriate strategies to communicate with parents. These include a weekly newsletter, the school website, workshops for parents, and 'open-door Friday', when parents can speak directly with you. Following a suggestion from the pupils' school council, you will be introducing a 'communication book'.

This will give parents and teachers the chance to write to each other regularly. In addition to this, the governors are planning on setting up a parent council so that parents can share their views with governors and senior leaders. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? the younger pupils in the school make consistently good progress ? all teachers plan activities that provide a sufficient level of challenge for the most-able pupils in reading, writing and mathematics.

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's Services for Staffordshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Usha Devi Her Majesty's Inspector Information about the inspection During this inspection, I met with you, the assistant headteacher and the teacher with responsibility for pupils who have special educational needs or disability.

I also met with the chair of the governing body and three other governors. I spoke informally with parents at the beginning of the school day and with pupils throughout the school day. I held a telephone discussion with a representative from the local authority.

You joined me on brief visits to all classes. We talked to pupils about their learning and reviewed some pupils' writing, mathematics and topic work. I reviewed a range of documentation, including the school's own evaluation of its performance, the school's analysis of its own parent questionnaire responses, the most recent information about pupils' achievement, documents related to keeping pupils safe, and minutes of governors' meetings.