Chawson First School

Overview

Pupils at Chawson First School are described as “happy and safe,” demonstrating polite and respectful behaviour. While the school provides a broad curriculum with opportunities for personal development, the quality of education and leadership require improvement due to inconsistencies in teaching reading and writing.

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit “polite, courteous and respectful” behaviour and are well supported to manage their conduct.
• The curriculum is “well sequenced with ambitious endpoints,” particularly in mathematics where recent improvements have had a “positive impact.”
• Pupils develop strong leadership skills through “ministerial” responsibilities and gain a good understanding of different faiths and cultures.
• Safeguarding arrangements are “effective,” and staff work well with parents to support nursery children’s early development.

Areas to improve

• The teaching of writing, including grammar and spelling, is not consistently effective, meaning some pupils do not write with “fluency and accuracy.”
• There is inconsistency in early reading and phonics delivery, leaving some disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND without the necessary skills for future success.
• Governors lack the expertise to hold leaders to account, having been “too accepting of the information they receive,” which has hindered the setting of correct priorities.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”