Castle Camps Church of England (Controlled) Primary School

Castle Camps Church of England (Controlled) Primary School Church Lane, Castle Camps, Cambridge, CB21 4TH

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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

 In 2013, the percentage of pupils in Year 6 who made expected progress in mathematics was low and attainment in mathematics fell below that expected nationally.  Although teaching has improved, it has not been consistently good enough to ensure good progress in all subjects.  Teachers do not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to develop independence by finding things out for themselves or for them to practise their numeracy skills in other subjects.  Teachers do not always set work that challenges pupils of different abilities, particularly those who are most able.  Until recently, leaders have not done enough to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement or to track the progress pupils were making.  Not enough has been done to develop the leadership skills of other staff or to delegate responsibilities for leading improvements. As a result, action plans for improving pupils’ skills

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

and knowledge in a range of subjects have not been fully implemented.

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The school has the following strengths

 Progress and attainment at Key Stage 1 rose in 2013 and was above average. Achievement in reading and writing across the school is consistently good.  Good behaviour and strong relationships encourage a positive atmosphere in the school. Pupils are eager to learn, they feel safe and their attendance is above average.  The school provides a wide range of good- quality learning experiences for all pupils to promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The headteacher and governors have an accurate view of the school. Effective support and development have improved the quality of teaching over the last year. Inspection report: Castle Camps Church of England (Controlled) Primary School, 14–15 November 2013 2 of 10

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed eight lessons, four of which were observed jointly with the headteacher and one with the deputy headteacher.  The inspector observed pupils in lessons, at play, at lunch and as they moved around the school.  Discussions were held with staff, the Chair of the Governing Body and other governors, and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector held meetings with groups of pupils, listened to pupils read and checked reading records.  A wide range of documentation was reviewed, including records of the monitoring of teaching and of pupils’ attainment and progress, the school’s view of its performance and the school development plan. In addition, records of meetings of the governing body and safeguarding documentation were reviewed.  The inspector took account of the 19 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 19 responses to the staff questionnaire received during the inspection. The inspector also spoke to

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Information about this inspection

parents at the beginning of the school day.

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Inspection team

Susan Thomas-Pounce, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Inspection report: Castle Camps Church of England (Controlled) Primary School, 14–15 November 2013 3 of 10

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Information about this school

 This village school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The number of pupils in each year group varies considerably. Pupils are taught in one Year 6 class and four mixed-age classes.  Most of the pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (additional funding allocated for certain groups such as pupils in the care of the local authority or known to be eligible for free school meals) is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average. The proportion supported through school action is well below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Since the previous inspection, there have been significant changes in staffing. Governors

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Information about this school

established a new post of deputy headteacher starting in the autumn term 2012. Following the retirement of the headteacher, a new headteacher took up post in September 2013. The new headteacher has appointed key stage and subject leaders.  The school experienced staffing disruptions from 2012 to 2013; these involved the long-term absence of a Key Stage 2 teacher, the absence of the mathematics subject leader and a series of temporary staff appointments.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the proportion of good or better teaching across the school by:  ensuring teachers always accurately judge pupils’ ability levels and have high expectations so work is closely matched to all pupils’ needs, particularly those of the most able  providing more opportunities for pupils to develop their independence by finding things out for themselves.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ attainment in mathematics by:  strengthening pupils’ knowledge of key number facts and multiplication tables  increasing the range of activities in mathematics that help pupils develop independent strategies to check the accuracy of calculation  developing pupils’ reasoning and thinking in open-ended problem-solving tasks  ensuring they have regular opportunities to apply number skills in other subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by:  strengthening key stage and subject leadership so that action plans for improving progress to good or better are implemented swiftly  ensuring newly implemented systems to track pupils’ progress are fully embedded and are used to help teachers in their planning and to identify any pupils who may be falling behind. Inspection report: Castle Camps Church of England (Controlled) Primary School, 14–15 November 2013 4 of 10

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Attainment and progress have improved since the last inspection, but inconsistencies remain. In 2013, pupils in Year 6 achieved well in reading and writing, but there was a significant dip in their achievement in mathematics. Although their progress in mathematics up to Year 5 was good overall, analysis shows that progress was inadequate in their final year.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils currently at the school are making consistently better progress because teaching is improving and is increasingly effective in meeting their different needs. However, not enough pupils are making good progress over time because the challenge in some lessons is not as high as it could be. In particular, more-able pupils are not making fast enough progress and too few pupils reach the higher attainment levels in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ skills in mathematics are beginning to improve, but pupils are too reliant on learning prompts, and are not taught consistently to check the accuracy of their calculations. In addition, there are too few opportunities for them to practise and develop their numeracy skills in different contexts and across other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 When children join the Reception Year, their skills are lower than those typical for their age. Pupils make good progress in Reception and in Key Stage 1, and their levels of attainment are rising. For the past two years, results in the early reading check in at the end of Year 1 were average. In 2013, pupils reached above-average standards by the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The stronger attainment and progress in reading and writing reflects the successful drive to teach these skills systematically across the school. Pupils read widely and well. Older pupils can speak about favourite authors and say they enjoy reading.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils, including disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs, make the same progress as other pupils because their individual needs are identified early and extra support is provided to meet them

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The pupil premium is used effectively to support the very few pupils who are eligible for such support. These pupils achieved similar or better standards than their peers at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 in 2013.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although teaching is improving and much of the teaching is now good, the improvement has not been sufficiently fast and consistent for all pupils to make the rates of progress of which they are capable.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Even though teaching is improving, it is still judged to require improvement because of inconsistencies in its quality which includes pupils not always being given work that challenges them to do their best. The most-able pupils, in particular, are not always given work that is challenging enough. This slows the progress that they make at times and restricts their opportunity to reach the highest levels.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Some improvements have been made as a result of training provided by leaders and the local authority to develop these aspects of teaching. Nevertheless, there is more to be done to Inspection report: Castle Camps Church of England (Controlled) Primary School, 14–15 November 2013 5 of 10

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

increase the level of challenge offered to pupils particularly in mathematics so that pupils develop their skills as independent learners by checking their own work more often.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of mathematics is beginning to show improvement, but pupils’ progress is restricted by the lack of opportunity for pupils to use, apply and develop their numeracy skills more widely. Opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills in open-ended problem- solving tasks are too few. 

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Children in Reception learn effectively in lessons where they choose and plan their own activities. The adults take these opportunities to question children about what they are doing and help them build on what they already know and can do. Consequently, they are prepared well for learning in Year 1.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where the quality of teaching is good, the pace of learning is brisk and pupils know precisely what they are learning and what they have to do to meet the teachers’ high expectations. Good and imaginative use of resources, including new technology, enhances the learning, and there are opportunities for pupils to find things out for themselves. This was seen in a lesson for pupils in Years 3 and 4 where they were finding out about the Vikings using a variety of resources. In addition, the skilful choice of a short video clip brought added depth to the pupils’ learning.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In all classrooms, the relationships between pupils and adults are good. Every pupil is known as an individual and pupils clearly enjoy lessons.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants are generally deployed well to promote pupils’ learning and provide good support which ensures that pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs are able to access activities. They only intervene when pupils need a gentle prompt and this helps pupils think for themselves.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils come to school ready to learn and they quickly settle to work. Their good attitudes to learning contribute significantly to the positive atmosphere in lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Children in the Reception class develop good attitudes to learning and confidently make choices about where to learn and play.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils show respect and consideration for others. They are well behaved and are polite and courteous. They line up by themselves as soon as they hear the bell at the end of playtime so the return to classrooms is quick and pupils are soon settled and ready to learn.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel safe. There is a good awareness among pupils of the different types of bullying, such as cyber-bullying and physical bullying, and they say any such occurrences rarely happen. They are confident that any bullying would be dealt with promptly by staff. The views of parents, staff and pupils and the scrutiny of behaviour logs confirm that behaviour has improved and no pupil had been excluded in recent years.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy taking part in group and class discussions and are interested in the views of others. An example of this was seen in a lesson for pupils in Years 4 and 5 where they were debating the impact of loss and loneliness on those less fortunate than themselves. They showed great respect for the different points of view expressed.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school provides a range of opportunities that develop pupils’ awareness of, and respect for, Inspection report: Castle Camps Church of England (Controlled) Primary School, 14–15 November 2013 6 of 10

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

their own and others’ beliefs, values and interests. Pupils demonstrated a great ability for deep reflection in the act of collective worship when they were responding to questions about the importance of peace in the world, in their community and in their own lives.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is consistently well-above average and pupils’ punctuality shows their enjoyment of school. There are many opportunities for pupils to take on responsibility which they accept willingly. Pupils are rightly proud of the significant contribution they make to this cohesive and harmonious community.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because the school’s leaders have not done enough to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. Leadership is improving as the newly appointed headteacher is providing strong leadership. However, there has not been enough time for the actions which have been taken recently by the headteacher, her deputy and governors to secure consistently good teaching and achievement. There are good indications that the dip in achievement has been reversed.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The new headteacher has high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Since the beginning of term, she has already had a positive impact on the progress that pupils are making. She has quickly and efficiently checked on the quality of education in the school and has acted swiftly to address the areas that need developing. She and the deputy headteacher continue to work closely with the local authority to ensure staff get access to training.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Not enough has been done to develop the leadership skills of other staff or to delegate responsibilities for leading improvements. This situation is now changing. The school’s leadership has been strengthened over the past year by the appointment of the deputy headteacher. In September, new key stage leaders were appointed as well as coordinators for English and mathematics. Although detailed action plans are in place, they have not been fully implemented and these middle leaders have not had the time to make a difference in their areas of responsibility or to demonstrate strong subject and key stage leadership. Their effectiveness in checking the quality of teaching and taking action to improve it is unproven.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Although monitoring of pupils’ progress is now thorough and regular, use of the new system is at an early stage of development. Senior leaders’ judgements of lessons observed jointly with the inspector were accurate and perceptive. Any underachievement is identified quickly and this is followed up with good additional support. Staff receive quality feedback on their teaching so they can improve further.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has received effective support from the local authority which has helped to improve teaching through personalised support and training linked to clear objectives to improve the performance of teachers.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils enjoy the opportunities they have to work together on school-wide themed topics, visits and after-school clubs which strengthen their attitudes to learning. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is a strength of the school because of the rich and varied experiences they receive. However, not enough emphasis is placed on developing their numeracy skills.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Suitable plans have been drawn up for using the sports funding in order to sustain the already high participation rates and to make sure that pupils know how to lead healthy and active lives. These include working with other schools to provide more opportunities for competitive sports. Inspection report: Castle Camps Church of England (Controlled) Primary School, 14–15 November 2013 7 of 10

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Governors are currently developing strategies to evaluate the impact of this new funding.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Senior leaders and governors are realistic about the school’s effectiveness and priorities for improvement. The systems to check how well teachers are performing are being used well to improve pupils’ progress. They effectively link into the school’s key areas for development so that systems for both evaluating and improving the performance of staff and awarding pay increases are now more rigorous. Improvement made by leaders and governors, particularly in the last year, show they have sufficient capacity to take the school forward.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Over the last year, the work of the governing body has improved. The governing body’s decision to appoint a deputy headteacher and the appointment of the new headteacher have had a significant impact in improving the quality of teaching and learning. Governors now receive clear reports from senior leaders and regularly visit the school to gain first-hand views of its work. Consequently, they are knowledgeable about the school’s strengths and areas for improvement, and have a good understanding of the data relating to the school’s performance and the quality of teaching. Governors used procedures to manage staff performance effectively to ensure that the headteacher and staff are set targets linked to whole-school priorities and pupils’ progress. Consequently, they make sure that salary progression is fair and based on merit. Governors attend training to keep their skills and knowledge up to date.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

The governing body meets statutory requirements, including those for safeguarding. It keeps a close check on the school’s finances, including pupil premium funding and the new grant for physical education and sport. Inspection report: Castle Camps Church of England (Controlled) Primary School, 14–15 November 2013 8 of 10

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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. Inspection report: Castle Camps Church of England (Controlled) Primary School, 14–15 November 2013 9 of 10

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School details

Unique reference number 110784 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 425205

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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 controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 127 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Henrietta Brett Headteacher Alexandra O’Connor Date of previous school inspection 9 February 2012 Telephone number 01799 584270 Fax number 01799 584442 Email address head@castlecamps.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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