Cavendish Junior School

Cavendish Junior School Edmund Street, Newbold Moor, Chesterfield, S41 8TD

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement.  Pupils’ achievement is not consistently good over time.  Attainment by the end of Year 6 in 2013 was low in reading and mathematics.  Pupils eligible for the pupil premium attain lower standards in reading, writing and mathematics than the others.  Although it is now improving, teaching has not been consistently good enough since the last inspection to ensure pupils make good progress.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve, especially the more-able pupils, have not always been high enough.  The teaching of reading and the development of pupils’ understanding of phonics (the links between letters and sounds) are not equally good in all classes.  Leadership and management require improvement because leaders have not consistently based their judgements about the quality of teaching on how well pupils are making progress.

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The school has the following strengths

 Leaders and staff are now taking much more effective action to raise achievement and improve teaching.  Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school.  Pupils are considerate, polite and relate well to others.  Pupils feel safe and well cared for.  Governance has been strengthened and the governing body is now holding the school more effectively to account for its performance.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed four teachers and visited seven lessons or part lessons. Two lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Discussions were held with the headteacher and other senior leaders, pupils, parents and the Chair of the Governing Body. The inspector had a telephone discussion with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector observed pupils’ work, looked in their exercise books and listened to them read.  A range of documentation was examined, including the school’s analysis of how well it is doing, information on pupils’ progress, documents regarding safeguarding and key reports and policies.  Very few parents responded to the online questionnaire Parent View but the inspector took account of the school’s own parental survey, and analysed three questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Andrew Stafford, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Cavendish Junior is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  There is one class for Year 3 pupils and mixed-age classes for pupils in Years 4 and 5 and Years 5 and 6.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is well above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or looked after by the local authority is well above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school has appointed one new teacher since the last inspection.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all teaching is at least good and enable pupils to make at least good progress by making sure that:  teachers’ expectations of what all pupils, and especially the more-able, can achieve are always high  reading, and particularly phonics, is taught effectively in all classes.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils’ progress in reading and mathematics, particularly for pupils eligible for the pupil premium, and raise attainment to at least average levels by the end of Year 6 by:  extending opportunities for pupils to apply their reading and writing skills in subjects other than English  providing more opportunities for pupils to apply their numeracy skills in other subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen leadership and management by ensuring that when checking and judging the quality of teaching, leaders make use of all available evidence, concentrating in particular on the impact teachers have on pupils’ progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because attainment by the end of Year 6 in 2013 was low in reading and mathematics. Last year, Year 6 pupils did not make the progress they were capable of as they moved through Key Stage 2. Staff changes and a higher than usual proportion of pupils joining the year group in the course of the key stage from other schools contributed to this low performance but pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to consolidate and extend their skills in reading or mathematics by using them in other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2013, Year 6 pupils eligible for the pupil premium, including those known to be eligible for free school meals, attained lower standards in reading, writing and mathematics than the others. Eligible pupils reached standards that were close to their peers in writing but were approximately two terms behind in mathematics and three terms behind in reading. While the rate of progress in writing and mathematics for pupil premium pupils was better than for other pupils, pupils made too little progress in reading. The attainment of both groups was lower than that seen nationally.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make less progress than their counterparts nationally. However, in a number of lessons seen during the inspection these pupils were taught and supported well.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Some more-able pupils are challenged by the work they are set in lessons but this is not always the case across the school. Few pupils in the school attained higher than expected levels last year.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils currently in the school are generally making the expected rate of progress in writing and benefit from the school’s well-structured writing programme. However, pupils do not always have regular opportunities to apply their writing skills in a range of subjects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The school has responded positively to address all these weaknesses and action is being taken to raise achievement in all classes. Last year’s underachievement has been arrested and most pupils are now making at least expected progress. In the current Year 6, pupils’ good attitudes to learning are ensuring that a higher proportion are on track to reach above the nationally expected levels of attainment than did so last year.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Effective steps are being taken to raise achievement in reading. There are some good examples of pupils reading in subjects other than English. For example, pupils in Year 6 used historical vocabulary well in describing the features of immigration to Britain in the 1950’s. Pupils’ grammar, spelling and punctuation are improving.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ progress in mathematics is also improving as a result of the school’s introduction of more imaginative ways of teaching the subject. For example, pupils observed in Year 6 made good progress in geometry using protractors to construct symmetrical hexagons. Opportunities for pupils to apply their numeracy skills in mathematics lessons have been extended and improved. This has led to pupils’ learning accelerating and better standards. The more-able pupils measured angles to create more complex three-dimensional shapes. Increasingly, in mathematics lessons at least, pupils are applying their numeracy skills well to solve problems.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve have not been high enough in the past and so attainment has been low and pupils have not always made the progress they should. Although expectations are now generally higher, this is not consistently the case in all lessons.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Not all teachers demand enough of the more-able pupils. Teachers do not always extend activities for these pupils so they can go on to attempt more challenging material.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There are some weaknesses in the teaching of essential skills such as phonics (letters and the sounds they make). Teachers do not consistently get pupils to segment unfamiliar words to enable them to read fluently. As a result, in some classes, pupils make less progress in reading than others.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 As a result of the support provided by leaders the quality of teaching is improving. In the best teaching, pupils rise to teachers’ high expectations and the challenging work which is pitched at the right level for pupils’ varying abilities. Pupils are motivated and their interest is sustained. They learn at the right pace, as it is adjusted accurately to match the way they best learn. Consequently, they make good gains in knowledge, deepen their understanding and apply skills competently. In these lessons, pupils are motivated to learn and their attitudes to learning are consistently good.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants are used effectively and make a good contribution to pupils’ learning, particularly for those who need additional help with literacy and numeracy.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour is a strong feature of the school. Behaviour is good, both in lessons and around school, and parents and staff agree with this view. Pupils are typically quiet and attentive during the time that the teacher is introducing the lesson and spelling out what it is pupils are being asked to learn. This ensures the majority learn well. Even when teaching is less than good, and does not succeed in fully engaging their interest, pupils take care not to distract others. School records show that behaviour is typically good over time.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are cooperative, courteous and polite. They take a pride in their work, ensure it is neat and tidy and show positive attitudes to learning in all lessons. Pupils arrive in classrooms with enthusiasm, increasingly confident that learning is going to be exciting and fun. One pupil commented that she really enjoyed mathematics because she sees how much progress she is making. Another pupil commented to the inspector, ‘I like learning in the Cavendish College sessions’ because teachers ‘give us loads more exciting stuff to do.’ Particularly as teaching has improved, pupils’ consistently good attitudes are leading to increasingly good achievement.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils settle quickly into the school because of the warm atmosphere and the strong relationships established by adults. They quickly learn to mix with and play well with other pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say they feel safe at school and are well looked after by the staff. They are confident that there are always trusted adults available for help and support if they are worried or upset.  The vast majority of pupils keep to the rules on school uniform and treat each other and adults with respect. This was clearly demonstrated on the playgrounds at break and lunchtimes when pupils were observed getting on well together and fair play was evident in the football game.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of bullying and the different forms it can take, including persistent name-calling, physical bullying and cyber-bullying. They know what to do should bullying occur. Pupils reported to the inspector that bullying is rare and that staff always deal with it quickly and effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance has improved to be above average because of the success of the actions being taken by the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because leaders have not ensured achievement and teaching have been consistently good throughout the school over time.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders check and observe lessons on a regular basis but when judging the quality of teaching, they do not take enough account of all the available evidence, in particular, the progress that pupils are making. As a result, they sometimes judge teaching more favourably than data on pupils’ achievement indicates is justified. Consequently, since the last inspection, weaknesses in teaching have not been eradicated as quickly as they needed to have been.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupil premium funding has been used to provide a range of different support strategies to help raise the achievement of the pupils eligible for it. These have included an increase in the hours for some teaching assistants and more small group work for those needing extra help with literacy and numeracy skills. However, last year these measures were not successful in ensuring that the achievement of eligible Year 6 pupils consistently matched or closed in on that of the others in their year group.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have, however, begun to make significant improvements to the school’s effectiveness. As a result of more rigorous self-evaluation, leaders and most governors are developing a much sharper overview of pupils’ achievement. Senior staff and key subject leaders are now focused on raising pupils’ achievement and the action they are taking is having a positive impact. Subject leaders track achievement data rigorously and put support in place for any pupil who falls behind. Leaders’ checks on how well teachers are performing are becoming more accurate than they were and the steps for action provided for all teachers are improving their effectiveness.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Along with staff, leaders have created a positive and safe environment in which pupils can learn and develop. As a result, pupils are well behaved and respond readily to the celebration assemblies used to reward examples of positive behaviour, such as kindness displayed to other pupils, high attendance and being part of the ‘best table’ in the dining hall. Pupils clearly value the ‘Citizenship Award’ given for the greatest contribution to school life through all-round excellent commitment and the ‘Star of the Week’ award for good progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school works closely working in partnership with a cluster of local schools to share and strengthen teaching practice.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The development and training opportunities provided for the staff are securely linked to the school’s priorities for improvement. Decisions about staff promotion and salary increases are appropriately based on responsibilities and how well staff are performing.  The local authority provides effective support in the school’s drive for improvement. Officers have provided good advice and support in the areas of leadership, governance and teaching.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Most staff act as ‘mentors’ for student teachers from the local training university. This gives staff the opportunity to pass on their expertise through careful reflection on what they observe and this is contributing to improvements to the quality of their own practice.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school provides an appropriate range of subjects and topics to promote pupils’ learning. Pupils enjoy the good range of clubs and educational visits. Pupils’ skills in art and design are strengths because of the good opportunities they are offered in these subjects. There are also strong links with the church, where children perform and attend collective worship. Visits, for example to museums, and residential stays provide pupils with plenty of opportunities to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural skills well. Pupils are given many opportunities to reflect on their learning and their place in the world and their responsibilities towards it.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school is using its primary school sports funding, coordinated with the local cluster of schools, to embark upon an extensive programme of physical education to enhance the well being of all pupils. For example, the introduction of new skills in cycling and dance, and training staff to support the acquisition of these skills, are enhancing further good sporting opportunities. This runs alongside the school promoting a healthy lifestyle, supported well by the good, balanced diet provided for the large proportion of pupils who opt for a school lunch.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 All pupils have equal access to the range of learning experiences that the school provides. The pupils commented ‘No one gets left out.’ Discrimination, in any form, is not tolerated in the school. However, not all pupils have received consistently good teaching over time.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Not many parents and carers responded to the online Parent View, but the school has fostered extremely good relationships with parents and carers. Parents view the school to be the ‘hub of the community’, and as the school’s survey revealed, are very supportive and positive about all aspects of the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governance has been strengthened since the last inspection and the experienced Chair of the Governing Body brings good expertise to the role. Members of the governing body are enthusiastic and supportive and have first-hand information about the school through newly- established links with subjects and teachers. Most governors now have a clear overview of pupils’ attainment and progress and how these compare to schools nationally. Most, though not all, governors now understand the pressing need to raise pupils’ attainment. The governing body has worked well with the local authority and senior staff to help manage the changes to staffing and have been appropriately trained to carry out their roles and responsibilities. Although governors have not been sufficiently made aware of the quality of teaching, they understand the requirements relating to the management of staff performance

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The leadership and management requires improvement

and ensure that pay and promotion are linked to the progress pupils make. They check how the pupil premium funding is spent but have not checked the impact the action has on pupils’ achievement. They ensure that all safeguarding procedures meet requirements.

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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 112659 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 430464

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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 Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 88 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dave Wilders Headteacher Sue Addison Date of previous school inspection 10 October 2012 Telephone number 01246 450691 Fax number 01246 451655 Email address info@cavendish.derbyshire.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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