Cadmore End CofE School

Cadmore End Church of England School Cadmore End, High Wycombe HP14 3PE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Progress is not consistently strong across the school. In Key Stage 1, there are occasions when not all pupils learn quickly enough. Teaching is not always pitched at the right level for all pupils.  Less able Year 1 pupils do not have access to a curriculum that fully meets their needs.  The school’s programme for teaching letters and sounds (phonics) does not ensure that skills always improve quickly.  The school is improving steadily but the pace of change has been restricted by changes of staff. The management of pupils’ performance and the leadership of teaching require improvement. Weaknesses in Key Stage 1 which emerged last year have not been tackled quickly enough, although progress is already improving in the current year.  Teachers do have not enough involvement in monitoring provision so that they can play a bigger part in driving improvement.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Key Stage 2 because teaching provides the right level of challenge. Skilled teaching assistants make a good contribution to the learning of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.  Pupils are happy at school, behave well and are kept very safe.  The headteacher has a good understanding of priorities and is doing the right things to secure improvement, including supporting the class where teaching is weakest.  The headteacher has a good track record for improving teaching in the past, with performance management used well to support new teachers.  The school has demonstrated the capacity to improve through the way that areas of focus, such as numeracy in Key Stage 2, have resulted in good improvements teaching and learning.  The governing body challenges leaders well.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed 11 lessons, of which four were joint observations with the headteacher. He also made a number of short visits to lessons.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, with members of the governing body, with members of staff and with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector took account of the 23 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. He also talked to parents and carers at the beginning and end of the school day.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own assessment data, planning and monitoring documents, the school development plan, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and safeguarding documents.  The inspector analysed six questionnaires from staff.

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Inspection team

Mike Capper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This smaller than average primary school takes pupils from several local communities.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are taught in a Reception class.  The proportion of disabled pupils or those with special educational needs who are supported at school action is broadly average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also broadly average.  There are no pupils known to be eligible for extra funfing through the pupil premium.  The school meets the Government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Two new teachers joined the school in this academic year.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve progress in Key Stage 1 so that it is as good as in the rest of the school by: – ensuring that teachers always pitch work at the right level for all pupils – providing Year 1 pupils with more access to an appropriate early years curriculum, where needed.  Improve the teaching of letters and sounds (phonics) by: – ensuring that skills are taught systematically – providing additional training so that all staff are confident about teaching phonics – extending provision into Year 3 for those pupils who need it.  Strengthen leadership and management by ensuring that responsibilities for monitoring provision and checking pupil performance data are shared more widely amongst teachers to help them play a bigger part in driving improvement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because progress is not consistently strong across the school. Pupils make the slowest progress in Key Stage 1, where attainment fell in 2012 to below average level and there were significant pockets of underachievement, especially in English. Pupils now make the expected progress most of the time in lessons in Key Stage 1, but it is still uneven because differing needs are not always sufficiently well met.  Pupils’ numeracy and literacy skills in Key Stage 1 do not always improve quickly enough. A significant number of pupils did not reach their targets last year and progress continues to be patchy. Phonics (letters and sounds) skills are not taught systematically enough and while the current Year 2 is already on track to do better than in the previous year, there are still gaps in their knowledge which are closing only slowly.  When children start school in the Reception Year, most are working at the expected levels for

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

their age. From these starting points, pupils’ achievement is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage and children’s attainment is above average by the start of Year 1.  Personal, social and emotional development is supported especially well in the Reception Year. Children quickly become independent and show good perseverance when, for example, working together outside to ‘build steps’ or when making ‘Peter Rabbit’ puppets.  While national assessments in Year 2 fell in 2012, results at the end of Year 6 rose to above average levels. This improvement reflects the good progress currently being made in Year 6 lessons, with pupils’ numeracy and literacy skills improving quickly. Pupils in Key Stage 2 read widely and with confidence and they write competently, showing a good sense of audience by adapting their work according to its purpose.  The school focused successfully on raising attainment in numeracy last year and these

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

improvements are being maintained in the current year. Older pupils have a good recall of number facts and are becoming increasingly confident at solving mathematical problems.  There are no significant differences between the rates of progress of different groups. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make the same progress as their classmates in lessons and over time. Pupils are given sensitive and effective support both in and out of lessons.  Intervention groups are used well in Key Stage 2 to close the gap for underperforming pupils and this was a key factor in improved attainment in numeracy in the last year.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because work is not always pitched at the right level for all pupils in Key Stage 1. This means that there are occasions when work is too hard or too easy for some pupils. The needs of younger pupils in Key Stage 1 are not met well enough as they have too few opportunities to learn through play.  The school has rightly identified that the teaching of phonics requires improvement. Skills are not taught systematically enough. Some teachers lack subject knowledge and the phonics programme does not extend through to Year 3, even though some pupils would benefit from this. In Key Stage 1, teachers do not always give pupils sufficient opportunity to improve their skills by using them to write during phonics lessons.  Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is good because: – work builds well on the children’s own interests – children are given good opportunities to explore their own ideas

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

– there are many opportunities for children to work outside where they learn to develop a wide range of skills and to play imaginatively.  In Key Stage 2, literacy and numeracy skills are taught well and teachers provide good challenge to pupils. For example, pupils’ literacy skills improved quickly in a lesson in Years 5 and 6, as they worked on a well-structured writing task that was made purposeful by being linked to ‘Myths and Legends’. In a numeracy lesson in Years 3 and 4, pupils’ understanding of angles improved quickly because explanations were clear and they explored different ways to measure them.  The teaching of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is good. Skilled teaching assistants make a good contribution to their learning. Pupils’ progress is carefully checked and additional help is given when needed.  Homework is used especially well in Years 5 and 6 to support learning. Pupils access it by

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

logging on to the school’s website and choosing what to do, and they find guidance given by the teacher to be helpful.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils typically behave well and they are kept safe. They are courteous and well mannered and they talk confidently to visitors. They make many positive comments about school, such as ‘School is fun and the teachers are kind’ and ‘We learn lots of new things each day and help each other.’  Pupils have very positive attitudes towards learning. In lessons, they talk happily about their work, listening sensibly to each other’s opinions. They concentrate well, although in Key Stage 1, there is occasional inattention when work is not engaging enough.  Pupils feel safe and have a good awareness of how to avoid the dangers they may face in later life. The importance of staying safe when using computers is well understood. Pupils say that there is no bullying in school, but that ‘If we fall out, adults always sort it out quickly.’  The school successfully promotes equality of opportunity and ensures that there is no

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

discrimination. Pupils from different backgrounds play together happily at break times and they support each other very well in lessons.  Pupils are proud of their school. They thoroughly enjoy school and this is reflected in above- average rates of attendance.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 With good support from the local authority, which has worked closely with the school since the previous inspection, there has been a good drive for improvement, but leaders have not successfully tackled emerging underachievement last year in Key Stage 1. The school has a wealth of data but dips in progress owing to changes in staff in Key Stage 1 were not rectified.  The headteacher is passionate about getting the best for the pupils but, in this small school, he takes on too much. He has a good understanding of current priorities and some, such as the need to improve phonics teaching, are already being tackled. However, teaching staff have too little involvement in monitoring provision or checking pupil performance data and this means that their role in driving improvement is insufficient.  The pace of change has been adversely affected by staff turnover. This means that initiatives are not always sustained and a focus on one area sometimes results in a dip in another. Hence,

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The leadership and management requires improvement

although there was success in 2012 in improving attainment in mathematics in Key Stage 2, attainment in Key Stage 1 fell and not all pupils did well enough.  The school has a good track record for improving teaching over time and performance management and opportunities for professional development are closely matched to the needs of staff. With staff changes, teaching in Key Stage 1 is, even early in the term, already showing improvement and a start has been made in tackling previous underachievement by, for example, accessing further training on the teaching of phonics. Teaching in Key Stage 2 has improved since the previous inspection, especially in the way that target setting and marking help pupils understand how to improve their work.  The curriculum is rich and exciting, although there are weaknesses in provision for Year 1 pupils. It supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well. Pupils talk

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The leadership and management requires improvement

confidently about ‘why prayer is important’ and show good concerns for the needs of others by organising fund-raising activities. They leave school as well-rounded and confident individuals.  The school engages very effectively with parents and carers. They rightly feel that their children are well cared for.  Safeguarding arrangements meet requirements. Members of staff and pupils are well trained in ensuring safety when, for example, crossing the very dangerous road outside school to go to church.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school: – The governing body is providing good challenge to the school, making good use of local authority personnel to validate its own evaluations. – It has a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and is realistic about the current position.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 110460 Local authority Buckinghamshire Inspection number 405286

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 80 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Knights Headteacher Peter Durrant Date of previous school inspection 14–15 September 2010 Telephone number 01494 881460 Fax number 01494 883653 Email address office@cadmoreend.bucks.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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