Chirbury CofE VC Primary School & Busy Bees Nursery

Overview

This ungraded inspection found that aspects of the school’s work “may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection,” triggering a future graded inspection. Despite this, the school remains a “nurturing, welcoming” environment where pupils behave well and benefit from an “extraordinary range of enrichment experiences.”

Strengths

• Staff “genuinely care about pupils and their well-being,” creating a happy atmosphere where children feel safe to share concerns.
• The curriculum is “well designed and arranged carefully,” setting out key knowledge in a “logical order.”
• Pupils enjoy extensive extra-curricular opportunities, including mountain biking and residential activities, which exemplify the school’s motto to “take a RISK to be the best you can be.”
• Governors and the community work in partnership effectively, with staff valuing support to manage workload and parents appreciating enrichment opportunities.
• Personal development is strong, with pupils learning important life lessons on topics such as “healthy relationships, respect, diversity and online safety.”

Areas to improve

• Ensure pupils who have fallen behind in reading receive the necessary support to become “fluent and confident readers,” particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Equip teachers to “systematically assess pupils’ understanding within lessons” to address misconceptions and provide appropriate challenge, as current checks are not always effective.
• Establish “precise and effective ways to identify how well pupils are faring and where there are staff training needs,” as monitoring currently lacks rigour in some areas.

Safeguarding

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