Chigwell Primary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 October 2023

Pupils enjoy coming to this school. They are proud to show their values of 'respect, responsibility and resilience'. The school playground is a happy place. Pupils of different ages like to play football and basketball together. Pupils look after each other. Older pupils look forward to, and enjoy, helping the younger pupils through their roles as play leaders. Pupils behave well and work hard during their lessons. They listen carefully to adults and to each other. The school and the trust have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils strive to reach these high expectations. Consequently, many pupils are progressing well through the curriculum. Pupils are very respectful of differences. They understand the importance of treating others with respect. They enjoy learning about the diversity of cultures across the world. Pupils especially like learning about the different world religions. The school provides pupils with opportunities to celebrate their religious beliefs with others. They proudly share with their peers what is important to their own faith. Pupils appreciate these insights and value learning from their friends. Pupils appreciate the various opportunities to attend sporting clubs. They enjoy representing the school in the many competitions and tournaments on offer to them.

What the school should improve

• There are some inconsistencies in how well the planned curriculum is implemented and adapted. Sometimes, information is not presented to pupils as precisely as it might be. This means there are occasions where pupils do not secure their understanding of the important knowledge the school expects them to. The school should ensure there is greater consistency in how effectively the curriculum is taught and adapted, so pupils secure a deeper understanding of important knowledge and concepts.
• Some subject leaders are new to their roles. They have only just begun to understand where the curriculum is working well and where it needs to improve. The school and trust should ensure that subject leaders have the support and training they need to evaluate how well the curriculum is working in their subjects.
• Communication with some parents is not as strong as it could be. They would like to better understand the quality of education and wider offer their child receives. The school should develop how they communicate with parents to ensure that the approaches they take to improve these areas of the school are well understood.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)