Cranford Community College

Cranford Community College High Street, Cranford, Hounslow, TW5 9PD Inspection dates 10–11 October 2012

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Students make excellent progress and do very well in their GCSE results. Those who come to the school with weaker skills make up ground quickly. Students who benefit from extra funding also make excellent progress.  Students have exemplary attitudes to learning and their behaviour is outstanding. They prosper in the community atmosphere and learn to respect and tolerate other people.  The sixth form is outstanding. Students thrive and do extremely well. This puts them in a very strong position for their future.  Disabled students and those who need extra help make exceptional progress, especially in English.  Students who are behind in their reading and mathematics catch up quickly. Students who speak English as an additional language reach high standards.  Teaching is outstanding. Teachers plan stimulating and well-organised lessons and build on students’ high levels of motivation.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher’s leadership is exceptional. The senior staff and governors work very well as a team and set high standards for the students and staff. Consequently, all students, regardless of their backgrounds and abilities, are successful in their learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 57 lessons, of which 10 were joint observations with senior and middle leaders.  Meetings were held with the Chair of the Governing Body, senior and middle managers, four groups of students, and a group of parents and carers. Short discussions were also held with a few groups of students during breaks and lunchtimes.  Inspectors took account of the 12 responses to the on-line questionnaire, (Parent View), in planning the inspection and the comments made by a small number of parents and carers during the inspection.  They observed the school’s work and looked at a wide range of documents, including the school’s assessment data on students’ progress over time, internal lesson observations, minutes of governing body meetings, monitoring documentation and records related to behaviour and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Meena Kumari Wood, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Howard Dodd Additional Inspector Kanwaljit Singh Additional Inspector Kuljit Rahelu Additional Inspector Elise Reece Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Cranford Community College is larger than the average-sized secondary school. The larger- than- average sized sixth form has an increasing number of students on roll.  Cranford Community College converted to become an academy school on 1 April 2011. When its predecessor school, Cranford Community College was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The vast majority of students are from minority ethnic groups and two thirds of these speak English as an additional language. The largest groups of students are of Indian, Pakistani and Black African heritage.  The proportion of students known to be eligible for free school meals and to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional funds) is very significantly above that found nationally. The Literacy and Numeracy College (LNC) is an on-site centre and is used for the additional support of these students.  The proportion of students identifed as disabled, or with special educational needs is above the

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Information about this school

national average. The majority of these have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties and are supported by school action. The proportion of students with a statement of special educational needs is below the national average. These students have moderate learning difficulties and are supported by school action plus in the Three Bridges Twilight School (TBT), an on-site unit.  The TBT also serves to educate those students who are excluded from lessons for a fixed amount of time.  A small number of students attend vocational, work-related courses at West Thames College.  The school has specialist status in foreign languages.  The school is currently above the government’s floor standard, which is the minimum expected standard for students’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of A* and A grades across all subjects at Key Stage 4 and in the sixth form, by ensuring that: - teachers check the progress of more-able students in lessons, review their responses and work and, where appropriate, re-set work at the right level - teachers and teaching assistants always plan to take account of the knowledge and skills that students have gained from any additional learning (the ‘W’ sessions), in subject lesson activities and tasks - teachers make sure that sixth form students are given more opportunities in lessons to become more analytical in their thinking and speaking skills.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Across the vast majority of subjects, teachers have high expectations of students so that students make outstanding progress in their learning and reach challenging targets.  In a few subjects, such as French and science, more-able students do not do quite as well. This is because teachers do not always check in lessons that tasks and activities are adding to their knowledge and skills and then readjusting the work accordingly, if necessary.  Students who are at risk of not doing as well and those who need extra help make exceptional progress in the TBT school. The one-to-one specialist teaching in the calm and well-ordered classrooms helps the students who misbehave to reflect on their behaviour and how it affects others. Students develop self-discipline because they realise, once they put their mind to it, they can achieve good results. One Year 11 student told inspectors that teachers, ‘helped raise my grades to ‘B’; I now want to work harder in lessons and become a

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

forensic scientist.’  Students enter the school from starting points that are well below the national average; a vast number of these are eligible for additional funds. Many come to school with complex emotional and social difficulties in their home life, and in addition, many have weak reading, writing and spoken language skills. Despite these potential barriers, the vast majority are exceptionally keen to learn.  The school sets high aspirations for students who are in local authority care and young carers so they make very strong progress. Many of these students who can be at risk of not doing well went into the sixth form last year.  Students who need extra help and those who speak English as an additional language make swift progress during lessons. This is because the support they receive from adults and other students, including in the LNC, is very well adapted to their learning needs.  In the sixth form, the number of students successfully completing their GCE AS- and A- level

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

courses has sharply increased on the previous year. The vast majority make outstanding progress and GCE A-level standards, including the number of high A* to B grades, are above the national average.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The overall quality of teaching over time is outstanding. Teachers and teaching assistants have high expectations of students and make sure that work is carefully matched to their different abilities.  Teachers use highly effective ways of encouraging students to think for themselves. For example, in a Year 9 lesson, the teacher spoke constantly in Spanish during competitive quizzes on holiday destinations. This meant that students too wanted to impress and to show off their spoken language skills. They took responsibility for marking each other’s work, and confidently wrote on the interactive whiteboard. Teachers have excellent subject knowledge and inspire students in their learning. They seize opportunities in lessons to develop students’ moral, spiritual, and social skills. For instance, in a Year 10 religious education lesson, students listened very respectfully to one another, while they debated the differences and

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

similarities in the major world faiths. Their mature responses showed excellent levels of understanding.  Teachers in the classrooms and in the LNC set tasks and activities that inspire students with weak literacy skills to work to the best of their ability. Additionally, staff work closely with Year 6 students from local primary schools, linked through partnerships with the school. These joint actions contribute to outstanding improvements in students’ writing and reading skills in Years 7 to 9.  Verbal feedback in science, English, history and geography provides students with clear targets for improvement. Students know what they have done well and what can be improved. This is because teachers’ marking of class and course work offers step-by-step feedback. In a tiny minority of cases, for instance in mathematics, teachers do not always ensure that students have acted on detailed guidance where it is helpfully provided.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Sixth form students greatly enjoy the opportunities they have for carrying out research and demonstrate maturity of thought, especially in their writing. In a few cases, teachers do not give them enough opportunities to know how to sharply analyse their work or that of others, during class discussions. Students report that they greatly benefit from ‘learning to learn’ skills sessions.  Weekly taught ‘W’ activities add excellent value to students’ learning as they gain sharp insights and huge enjoyment from these rich experiences. They choose from an exceptional range of activities such as caring for reptiles and snakes, debating and dance and drama. Students develop creativity, excellent team-working and problem-solving skills. For instance, through practising circus skills, students showed confidence in calculating and memorising numbers. In another example, students designed and made their own clothes, writing a

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

business plan for the sale of the items. In day-to-day subject teaching, teachers sometimes miss valuable opportunities in planning tasks and activities that fully utilise these important skills and knowledge.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students’ behaviour leads to a highly positive climate for learning. Staff have high expectations of behaviour and share these with students during tutorial sessions and in the TBT school. Students work productively with one another and are respectful and courteous towards each other and towards adults.  Parents and carers who expressed a view considered that the school promotes high standards of behaviour and learning. This is because what constitutes acceptable behaviour is reinforced firmly and equally by all students, staff and leaders.  The school prioritises the well-being of students whose personal circumstances may make them vulnerable to poor attendance and behaviour. This means that in lessons, these students are actively involved in learning and very well behaved. Consequently, attendance is outstanding and exclusions are very low.  Students feel exceptionally safe. They are sensitive to different types of bullying. For

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

instance, a group of students in a ‘W’ activity showed an excellent understanding of the dangers of cyber-bullying in the short video they had acted in and produced.  All occurrences of bullying are dealt with effectively by staff, including any anti-social behaviour. Students report that victims of any incidents are well supported. Discussions with students confirmed that relationships between students are very good. They reported that a major strength of the multicultural school is the way that all students from different faiths and backgrounds are valued for who they are.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher’s ambition of creating a first-class education for the local community has been achieved through his passion for setting high standards and aspirations for staff and students. Knowing the school as well as he does has meant that he has been quick to implement changes, especially in those areas where students are not making the progress they should.  His clear objective of giving greater accountability to all staff is reflected through the highly effective actions of his leadership team. Senior leaders, managers and teachers carefully monitor the progress of each student and rapidly put actions in place that are consistently followed through. This results in the vast majority of students achieving their challenging targets.  The policy of ‘all students deserving no less than good teaching’ is shared by all staff. The monitoring of students’ achievement is closely tied in with the monitoring of teachers’

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The leadership and management are outstanding

performance by the headteacher. Information from lesson observations, as well as data about students’ progress, are used to set rigorous targets for teachers. The targets are linked to pay levels and this approach, along with the sharing of good practice across subjects, helps to continuously raise standards in the quality of teaching.  The school has used its additional funds exceptionally wisely and created a curriculum that meets the needs of each student. The headteacher has rejected a ‘scatter-gun’ approach to providing one-to one additional support. Instead, his long-term strategy of investing funds in the LNC and the TBT centre has resulted in these students making rapid progress in their learning and behaviour. These achievements are consistently followed through in lessons.  The LNC provides on-going support for students’ literacy and numeracy skills. Reading is highly valued and students showcase their skills through, for instance, ‘First Story’ and

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The leadership and management are outstanding

‘Hounslow speed read’. Late entrants to the school who do not achieve a GCSE examination result in English or mathematics by 16 years of age successfully follow a three-year GCSE course in the sixth form.  The TBT one-to-one support for those students who need extra help, as well as those who misbehave in lessons is very effective. Students learn to focus on their work more effectively once they return to their lessons. One Year 9 student reported that the TBT teachers helped him to ‘understand how to work without being distracted’.  Religious education lessons, assemblies and the ‘W’ activities, which include regular contributions from community volunteers, are greatly valued by all students. They actively explore spiritual beliefs, cultural, moral and social values and, as a result, the school is a strong, unified community.  The school’s languages specialism has helped students develop confidence in their speaking

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The leadership and management are outstanding

and listening skills. The considerable numbers of students who gain GCSE and GCE A-level qualifications in their heritage or local community language are rightly proud of their achievements.  Effective partnerships with local colleges on work-related learning courses mean that the school makes sure that the majority of students at 16 years of age enter further education, training or work.  Safeguarding is a major strength. Highly effective partnerships with other agencies, such as social services and the parent support workers, mean that staff support students’ emotional, social and learning needs exceptionally well.  The governance of the school: - Governors are very well informed about how the school is performing through regular reports from the school’s leaders and through visits to lessons. Targets set for the headteacher are checked carefully so that governors know how well these are being met and can

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The leadership and management are outstanding

subsequently challenge, or support these, as appropriate. Governors also monitor closely if the school budget, including additional funding, is used efficiently and is helping all students make the progress they should. Governors make sure that requirements for the safeguarding of students are fully met.

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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 102540 Local authority Hounslow Inspection number 403670

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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 Academy converter School category Community Age range of pupils 11−19 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1420 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 380 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr Roger Owen Headteacher Mr Kevin Prunty Date of previous school inspection 18−19 March 2008 Telephone number 020 8897 2001 Fax number 020 8759 8073 Email address KPR-CC@cranford.hounslow.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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