The Centre School

The Centre School High Street, Cottenham, Cambridge, CB24 8UA

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The drive and commitment of the head of the Centre School, supported by the executive headteacher, governors and other senior leaders, has led to significant improvements in the quality of teaching, achievement and the behaviour of students.  With the wide range of starting points in the school, all students make good progress and all students leave the school at the end of Year 11 with externally recognised qualifications.  Good monitoring of teaching and professional development of staff have increased the levels of consistently good and sometimes outstanding teaching.  Teachers make lessons lively and fun. They know what interests the students and build lessons around them.  Individuals and groups of students make huge improvements in their behaviour because of the positive and well-ordered atmosphere throughout the whole school community.  As a result of the excellent relationships,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

behaviour is outstanding. Students have very positive attitudes to their lessons. They work hard, are polite and look out for each other.  Senior leaders know the school well and have good plans to support the school to improve further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching to enable students to make exceptional progress.  A few teachers spend too long talking to the whole class instead of allowing the students to get on with tasks.  Marking and feedback does not always involve the students in assessing their own progress, or give them the opportunities to improve their work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed nine lessons, all of which were joint observations with members of the senior leadership team. Inspectors observed students participating in a range of optional activities, as well as photographic displays which illustrate a range of student achievements, school and community activities.  Meetings were held with the head of the Centre School, the executive headteacher and other members of the leadership team, a representative of the local authority and a member of the governing body.  Many documents were reviewed including those relating to students’ behaviour and progress, school self evaluation and improvement, curriculum and lesson planning, governance, keeping students safe as well as work in students’ books.  Inspectors met a group of students to gain their views about the school, their progress, likes and dislikes. Inspectors also listened to students read during lessons.

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Information about this inspection

 The views of parents and carers were gained through the school’s own survey. There were insufficient responses to Parent View (the online questionnaire for parents) to be reported.  Inspectors also reviewed 17 staff questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Lynda Walker, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Aileen Thomas Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is located on the same site as Cottenham Village College. The two schools are federated and have a joint governing body. In September 2011 they gained academy status. The executive headteacher is the head of the Academy i.e. the two schools, the head of the Centre School is also a deputy head teacher of the Academy. There is a strong partnership between the two schools in terms of professional development and the sharing of good practice.  The Centre School provides for up to 50 students across Cambridgeshire who have a statement of special educational needs mainly for their behavioural, social and emotional difficulties. At the time of the inspection there were 48 students on roll, only four of whom were girls.  Students often join the school at older ages and at any time during the school year. Some have been out of school for extended periods of time.  Some students in Key Stage 4 take work-related courses at The Phoenix Centre in Cambridge.

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Information about this school

 The majority of students are of White British heritage.  A larger proportion of students than average are known to be eligible for the pupil premium. This is additional funding provided by the government to support the achievement of particular groups of students at risk of underachieving.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the amount of outstanding teaching by:  making sure that teachers do not spend too much time talking to the whole class and that students are allowed to get on with the tasks set for them  making sure there is consistency in marking students’ work to support students understanding of the next steps in their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students join the school at different ages and enter with attainment levels which are well below the national average. Some students may have also had learning interrupted by poor attendance before they start at The Centre School. Almost all make rapid progress from their starting points so that by the time they leave they have all gained passes in Functional Skills English and mathematics, AQA Entry levels and other courses accredited by the National College Open Network.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The flexibility of the curriculum allows students to contribute to decisions about accreditation and activities are tailored to their interests. The recently expanded range of accreditation matches different levels of students’ ability and the current Year 10 and 11 are on track to achieve GCSE courses in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students are fully engaged in their learning and are strongly motivated to push themselves to increase their rates of progress. They speak confidently about their personal targets for improvement.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most students have very weak literacy and numeracy skills when they join The Centre School. There has been a very clear focus on providing the students with opportunities to practise these skills in all activities. All staff use the data available on how individual students are doing to make sure that tasks are tailored to meet individual needs.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students make exceptionally good progress in their reading and writing skills. This was evident in an effective science lesson where the students presented their findings about the direction of travel of the air balloon cars they had made and in a humanities lesson, where the students imagined that they were children being evacuated during the Second World War and wrote about their feelings.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The building of positive, supportive and trusting relationships with staff helps students to feel confident and to learn how to succeed. Students describe the school ‘as being like a big family where you learn a lot!’

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Comparison of data on achievement of different cohorts and groups is of limited value because of the low number within each group. Nevertheless indications are that boys and girls in all age groups, from all backgrounds, heritage and family circumstances, including being looked after by the local authority, make similar progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students receiving support through the pupil premium make similar good progress to the others because the extra funding is used effectively to provide additional staff, music therapy and equal access to enrichment activities. Overall there is no significant difference between the achievement of eligible students and the others.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the best teaching, teachers and other adults are very skilled in their use of questioning to check what the students already know and adapt their teaching where necessary to improve learning. Lessons have effective pace and well-established routines so that the students know what to expect.  The main strength in teaching is the way in which all teachers and adults in the room work together to enable students to make the best progress possible in relation to their individual learning targets. The school’s skilled instructors and teaching assistants know individual students very well and make a strong contribution to the typically good learning in lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking of work is regularly carried out and advice is usually offered about next steps. In some lessons written advice is not as informative as verbal advice and does not give the students the opportunity to respond and improve their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The well-planned and carefully tailored range of learning activities means that most teaching is lively, interesting and challenging. As a result, students respond positively and enjoy their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All students are tested on entry to the school to make sure teaching programmes are based on accurate and current information. This assessment is generally used well to plan activities which provide appropriate challenge and take good account of needs and abilities.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The vast majority of parents and carers agree that the school is a welcoming place and that teaching is good. One parent described the teachers as ‘angels’ and explained how she felt ‘teary eyed’ after attending a celebration evening as she could not believe how outstanding the quality of work was that had been produced by the students.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Because of the consistent and skilled behaviour management of all of the staff, a conspicuously positive climate for learning exists in all classes. All staff are well trained in supporting students and the focus is clearly on developing self-management skills and self regulation. Students’ social and emotional progress is efficiently tracked and supported by individual opportunities for counselling or targeted support.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 A particularly strong feature in lessons is the efficient review of behaviour and participation which is carried out by the adults and the students. Students are encouraged to score their own involvement in the lesson and they demonstrate tremendous levels of self awareness.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The high quality of students’ behaviour is evident by the enormous respect they have for each other and the school environment. Many who have formally regarded themselves as failures when they have been removed from other schools are proud of their achievements at this school. They describe themselves as, ‘All being in the same situation as we were all in trouble at our last school but now there is no need to fight or argue because people here are a lot more chilled – and we get help when we need it!’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students have very clear views and understanding about bullying and its consequences, particularly regarding text or email intimidation. They are adamant that any occasional instance of untoward behaviour is swiftly and openly dealt with by staff.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Students say they feel safe in school and parents and carers overwhelmingly agree. They recognise the excellent lengths the school will go to in order to ensure the well-being of all of the students, particularly for those whose circumstances may make them vulnerable.

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The leadership and magement are good

 The very effective head of The Centre School is highly ambitious for the school and leads by example. She and her team, including the governing body, are constantly seeking ways to improve learning and secure the well-being of the students who are admitted to the school. The closer working relationship with the Academy school has provided opportunities for staff from both schools to share good practice and reflect on areas which could be improved further.

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The leadership and magement are good

 School leaders make sure that every student has the best opportunity to succeed. There are good relationships at all levels and staff try to make sure that every student is treated fairly. The local authority has supported the school well in its drive for improvement, checking the accuracy of school judgements on teaching and behaviour, and giving advice and support to teachers.

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The leadership and magement are good

 The school is effective in tackling discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity. The progress of the students is effectively analysed and the information is used to make sure that timely interventions are arranged for students to achieve their targets. This includes specific help, where appropriate, for students known to be eligible for pupil-premium funding.

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The leadership and magement are good

 The management of teachers’ performance is very strong. All teachers have targets to improve student achievement, to improve their professional skills and to support the school’s plans for improvement and these are linked to salary progression.

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The leadership and magement are good

 The school works exceptionally well with parents and carers and goes out of its way to build good relationships. Termly home visits to all parents and carers mean that they are fully aware of all aspects of their child’s progress and surveys show that they would recommend the school to others.

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The leadership and magement are good

 The stimulating curriculum is effectively matched to the needs of all groups of students. It enables them to engage fully and enjoy their learning. The school’s effective partnerships with its off-site providers support students’ progress to further education and the world of work well.

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The leadership and magement are good

 Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is exceptionally well promoted. Great emphasis is placed on students working together, valuing the opinions of others and making good choices. Students learn about similarities and differences among different faith groups and lifestyles during the half termly cultural days.

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The leadership and magement are good

 Safeguarding arrangements are securely in place both in the school and in the alternative placements student attend. The school works very closely with other agencies to secure the well-being of those who may be at risk because of their learning difficulties or because of their circumstances.

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The leadership and magement are good

 The governance of the school:  through the involvement of the link governor, the federated governing body has a clear understanding of the quality of teaching and students’ achievement. It knows the school’s strengths and weaknesses and is fully behind the head of the Centre School’s drive for improvement.  all members of the governing body have visited the school and intend through the introduction of a Centre School strategy committee to be more involved in monitoring key aspects of the school’s provision.  the governing body ensures that the school meets statutory safeguarding requirements and that finances in the school are well managed.  the use of the pupil premium funding and the impact it is having on the achievements of students is evaluated and kept under review. As a result, the governing body is able to hold the school to account for any differences in the progress of students.  governors know about the targets that are set for teachers and what the school is doing to

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The leadership and magement are good

reward good teaching and to tackle any underperformance.

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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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Local authority

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

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Local authority

Type of school Special School category Academy Age range of pupils 11-16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 49 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Harradine Headteacher Steve Ellison (Executive Headteacher) Sue Raven (Head of Centre) Date of previous school inspection 28 June 2011 Telephone number 01954 288944 Fax number 01954 288949 Email address office@thecentreschool.net 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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Local authority

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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Local authority

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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Local authority

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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Local authority

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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Local authority

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

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