Carew Academy

Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The inspirational Principal has been the driving force behind the growth of the school. He is very well supported by the Vice Principal and assistant Vice Principal.  These highly influential senior leaders have worked closely with an effective governing body in establishing a good school very quickly.  Other senior leaders and middle managers are new to their roles, but they are beginning to have an increasingly positive impact on raising standards.  The academy trust plays an important role in monitoring the school’s development and supporting senior leaders and the governing body.  Teaching is typically good. As a result, pupils of all ages make good progress in acquiring new skills, knowledge and understanding in lessons.  Pupils make good progress over time, although they have not been in school long enough for achievement over a whole key stage to be judged.  Current data indicate that pupils are achieving

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

well, and there are signs that standards are improving each year. Pupils typically make more progress than those of the same age and starting points in other schools.  Pupils make excellent progress in their personal development. Their behaviour is outstanding. They are excellent ambassadors for the school.  Pupils enjoy school. Therefore, attendance is high and pupils invariably have a positive attitude towards whatever is asked of them.  Mutual respect is evident throughout the school. Relationships are excellent and very high quality interactions commonplace.  Arrangements for ensuring pupils’ safety are excellent. Very rigorous safeguarding procedures are applied extremely well in practice.  All parents and carers, and all staff confirm that pupils are safe in school.  Pupils are very well prepared for leaving school. Virtually every leaver in 2014 moved into education or training, such as an apprenticeship. All leavers in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

2015 have places on continuing education courses.  Pupils leave school with an excellent understanding of the multicultural nature of modern Britain and of the features that characterise it.  The school has very good links with parents and it has excellent partnerships with organisations that enable pupils to develop work-related skills.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Staff are members of class teams but are not always well briefed about their role in supporting pupils’ learning.  The school’s marking policy is not applied consistently, and so pupils do not routinely know how to improve.  Some staff use too restricted a range of questions, and so pupils do not always have the opportunity to demonstrate the depth of their learning.  The teaching of phonics (the sounds letters make) is uneven, and so not all subjects contribute fully to developing pupils’ reading skills.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 12 lessons, each of which was taught by a different teacher. They were accompanied by a senior leader in all observations. The team and senior leaders also observed pupils’ learning in five reading lessons, but for a shorter period.  Meetings were held with three members of the governing body, including the Chair and Vice Chair, and the chief executive officer of the academy trust.  Discussions also took place with all members of the senior leadership team.  Inspectors collected the views of parents and carers from the 19 who completed the online questionnaire, Parent View.  Inspectors noted the views of the 24 members of staff who completed their questionnaire.  An inspector met with a small group of pupils in order to gather their views about the school.  The inspection team examined a very wide range of documentation provided by the school, such as safeguarding procedures; leaders’ judgements of the school’s strengths and areas for development; school

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Information about this inspection

improvement plans; attendance records; behaviour logs; and information about pupils’ progress and achievement.  Inspectors scrutinised a sample of pupils’ work books in a variety of subjects.

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Inspection team

Mike Kell, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school was formerly known as Carew Manor School. It was judged as requiring improvement when it was inspected in July 2013. It subsequently opened as an academy in September 2013, being sponsored by Orchard Hill College Academy Trust.  Carew Academy is larger than the average special school. It caters for pupils who have a range of additional learning needs, some of which may be complex or severe, including autism. All pupils have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.  Almost three quarters of pupils are boys, and around four fifths of pupils are in Key Stages 3 and 4.  Just over half of pupils are White British. The remainder represent a wide range of ethnic backgrounds.  The school receives pupil premium funding for almost half of its pupils, which is much higher than the national average. Pupil premium is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free

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Information about this school

school meals and for children who are looked after. Only a very small number of pupils are looked after by the local authority.  The school also receives physical education and sport funding for primary-aged pupils, and additional funding to support the learning of Year 7 pupils.  Both the Principal and Vice-Principal took up their substantive posts in September 2013. The other three members of the senior leadership team have all been appointed to their current positions since April 2014.  The governing body was newly established in September 2013.  There has been a high turnover of staff since the school opened. Around a quarter of staff that were in post in September 2013 have since left.  All Year 11 pupils attend Carshalton College to study work-related courses, such as motor vehicle skills. A very small number of pupils in Years 9 to 11 attend the Skills and Integrated Learning Centre, which is an

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Information about this school

independent provider of work-related learning courses, such as construction.  The school receives routine visits from trust staff, including the chief executive officer, and it is subject to regular monitoring by an external consultant.  The school has approval to open a provision for post-16 students in September 2015.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching to outstanding by ensuring that all staff consistently:  brief all staff members of class teams about their roles and organise them efficiently to support pupils’ learning  apply the school’s marking policy so that pupils have a clear understanding of how they can improve  use questions more effectively to check on pupils’ learning and to give them more opportunity to develop their thinking and express their thoughts.  Ensure that all staff are suitably skilled in teaching phonics so that all teachers and teaching assistants in all subjects and age groups can contribute even more to raising standards in English.

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The leadership and management are good

 The extremely effective Principal has been instrumental in leading senior colleagues and the governing body in establishing a very safe, calm and orderly school where pupils are beginning to thrive and standards are rising.  The three most senior leaders quickly made their expectations known; Carew Academy was to be a school with the highest aspirations for all pupils and one in which there were clear boundaries and expectations of behaviour. They continue to lead by example.  Leadership and management are not outstanding overall, because other senior leaders and middle managers, took up their posts much more recently and are still developing their leadership skills. However, there is already evidence that they are contributing to improving the quality of teaching and raising standards. Staff are grouped into class teams and teachers generally lead these teams well.  Leaders have established a school in which teaching is typically good, and they have the capacity to

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The leadership and management are good

develop it still further. They achieved this through a very thorough review process that is driven by what leaders call ‘teachers’ evaluation schedules’. These record the outcomes of all checks of teaching that leaders carry out, such as lesson observations and reviews of planning and pupils’ workbooks. These evaluations give a complete and rounded picture of each teacher’s performance each term.  Leaders make excellent use of their review of the teachers’ evaluation schedules to target future training and to inform school improvement planning. They are also used very effectively to construct very concise and precise support plans for those individuals whose performance does not meet the required standard.  Very effective leadership has ensured that staff and pupils understand and accept leaders’ expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Every pupil has an equal opportunity to succeed because they are all respected as

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The leadership and management are good

individuals, and they are expected to show others the same level of respect. As a result, pupils work free of harassment or intimidating behaviour of any kind.  Senior leaders are very insightful when checking how well the school is doing. A very structured approach provides them with detailed information. Pupils’ progress, attendance and behaviour are monitored very closely and support programmes are put into place for individual pupils if required.  The findings from the school’s self-evaluation are used very effectively to produce school improvement plans. These are ambitious and lay out a challenge for all staff to be involved in the drive for continuous improvement.  Additional funding is used very well to support the school’s ambitions. Pupil premium is raising the achievement of disadvantaged pupils, and Year 7 ‘catch up’ funding is used very effectively to accelerate the progress made by this age group.

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The leadership and management are good

 Physical education and sport funds have been used very well to help pupils to develop a healthier lifestyle through the purchase of additional equipment and the development of a greater variety of sport clubs.  Leaders are well briefed on how well pupils are doing when following courses that take place off the school site. Very good links with these partners and a frequent staff presence on site to support pupils ensure that leaders have detailed knowledge about pupils’ learning, behaviour and attendance.  The school provides an exceptionally good range of learning activities. Pupils in each key stage follow a broad range of subjects that is appropriate to their age and interests. Key Stage 4 pupils have the chance to follow a good range of accredited courses both at school and off site. Residential experiences are a vital part of the opportunities that the school provides for pupils to practise their social and communication

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The leadership and management are good

skills in a real life setting. All of this ensures that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Pupils receive effective careers advice and guidance. School staff work very closely with pupils and their families to ensure that all post-16 avenues are explored and all options considered. Only one group of Year 11 pupils have left the school so far and virtually every one of them transferred to a positive destination. The school continues to support pupils after they have left through surveys that check how well they have successfully completed the transition from school to college or employment,  The school quickly developed a very positive partnership with parents and carers. A large majority are very happy with how well the school provides them with information and how effectively it responds to their concerns.  Safeguarding arrangements meet all requirements and are highly effective. Comprehensive safeguarding

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The leadership and management are good

policies and procedures are very secure and their effectiveness in practice is reviewed regularly.  Academy trust staff know the school well and they have given leaders and the governing body much support in raising standards and in making the difficult decisions that had to be made.  The governance of the school:  The Chair of the Governing Body has recently completed the Chairs of Governors’ Leadership Development Programme, which is managed by the National College for Teaching and Leadership. He leads an effective team that has good first-hand knowledge of the school.  The governing body is astute and perceptive in the questions and challenges that it poses to leaders in order to hold them properly to account. It scrutinises carefully the impact of all additional funding.  Governors are very well informed about the quality of teaching through very regular updates on teachers’ evaluation schedules. They are fully involved in decisions relating to pay, being highly

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The leadership and management are good

appreciative of the link between pay and performance and of how less effective teachers are managed.  Governors also receive routine information from leaders about how well the school is doing with respect to pupils’ behaviour, attendance and progress. They examine this information closely and seek clarification whenever necessary.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. The behaviour of the overwhelming majority of pupils is exemplary. They are courteous to visitors, respectful of the adults who work with them and very considerate of each other.  Excellent relationships are on display throughout the school. As a result, pupils work and play without fear. Parents, carers and staff take the unanimous view that there is no bullying, and the pupils agree.  The nature of some pupils’ autism occasionally, and inevitably, results in non-attention or a reluctance to comply with requests. Despite this, pupils’ behaviour overall is excellent within the context of a school that has so many pupils with the potential for displaying challenging behaviour.  There has been a dramatic improvement in pupils’ behaviour since the school opened. The number of incidents of unacceptable behaviour has fallen significantly, and this has resulted in a substantial reduction

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Behaviour

in the number of exclusions. There has been only one permanent exclusion since the school opened, and fixed-term exclusions are extremely rare. Pupils’ behaviour in lessons is excellent.  Pupils’ demeanour out of lessons is equally impressive. They move around the school maturely and they behave very well in less structured situations, such as at break time and in the dining room. The school is located in a listed building in very spacious grounds. The pupils pay every respect to this setting, valuing it and treating it properly.  Pupils have extremely positive attitudes to learning. They are invariably good natured and always willing to have a go. Their attendance is good and improving.  Pupils transfer their excellent behaviour in school to other settings. They display the same enthusiasm, behaviour and attitudes when they are learning in partner establishments.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. They make very good progress in

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Behaviour

developing appreciation of traditional British values, such as the rule of law and respect for the different beliefs that people hold. The school made very good use of the opportunity afforded by the recent general election to reinforce the ideas of democracy by holding an election for its own pupil parliament on the same day.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. All members of staff are highly conscientious in carrying out their responsibility to safeguard pupils. Pupils are closely supervised and risk assessments are used very effectively to pre-empt potential danger.  A comprehensive, ongoing programme ensures that the staff and governors are suitably trained in all aspects of safeguarding and that they are up to date with recent developments and requirements.  Recruitment procedures are very thorough. The school does all that it can to ensure that pupils only come into contact with adults who are suitable for working with children.  The school takes every precaution to ensure pupils’ safety when they are off site. All visits into the community are assessed for risk. There are thorough processes for ensuring pupils’ welfare when they are learning in other educational providers, such as college, or on work experience.

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Safety

 The school is committed to helping pupils to acquire the necessary skills and understanding that will enable them to make the right choices about their own health and safety when they are out of school. Therefore, it does much to provide them with information about what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. It is very successful in helping them to recognise the potential dangers of inappropriate use of the internet or social media.  Leaders and the governing body are vigilant in ensuring that all safeguarding policies and procedures are fit for purpose. They monitor the arrangements closely to ensure that they remain effective in practice.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are typically taught well. There is no significant variation in the quality of teaching between key stages or subjects. This illustrates the positive impact that leaders have had in developing the quality of practice throughout the school.  Excellent relationships are a feature of all teaching. There is an element of enjoyment in all lessons as both staff and pupils celebrate pupils’ successes. Teaching meets the needs of all pupils’ learning difficulties well.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons is so good that staff rarely have the need to respond to instances of disturbance. On the very rare occasion that they do need to act, pupils’ behaviour is managed calmly and efficiently and so no other pupils’ learning is disrupted.  Staff make very good use of their knowledge of pupils’ previous learning when planning lessons. They provide different activities and resources to different groups of pupils in each class, including the most

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The quality of teaching is good

able. As pupils have tasks that provide just the right level of challenge, they work quickly and with understanding of what is required. Teaching generally makes learning a positive and enjoyable experience.  Pupils’ language and literacy skills are promoted well. English lessons develop pupils’ reading and writing skills very well, and this includes the teaching of phonics (recognising the sounds that letters make). However, staff in other subjects are not always so skilled in phonics work and so on a few occasions, opportunities to help pupils to become more confident and fluent readers are missed.  Teaching generally supports the development of pupils’ communication skills well. Staff use additional communication approaches, such as symbols, to enable those pupils who find reading more difficult to engage fully in learning and show new skills and understanding.  Teaching develops pupils’ numeracy skills well. Good teaching of mathematics by knowledgeable staff

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The quality of teaching is good

enables pupils to acquire a good range of skills and to achieve well. Teaching in other subjects make a good contribution to this progress as staff exploit all opportunities to get pupils to practise or consolidate their numeracy skills.  Staff build into their teaching many opportunities to check that pupils have understood what is being taught and that they fully understand what is expected of them. Adults probe and check pupils’ understanding very well when they are working one to one, but questions are not always used so effectively when staff talk to the whole class. At times, questions are too narrow and require only short answers and so pupils are not able to explain their thoughts and learning in detail, or learn as much as they could from each other.  Staff generally follow the school’s marking policy, and pupils’ workbooks are marked routinely. As a result, pupils typically receive short, informative comments about what has gone well and how their work can be

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The quality of teaching is good

improved. This is not consistent, however, because in some cases teachers’ comments are too long and detailed and written in a language that some pupils find difficult to understand. This reduces its impact on showing pupils how to improve their work further.  The impact of teaching assistants on supporting learning is typically good, but there is some inconsistency. Most of the time, they play an important role in the class teams by encouraging pupils and guiding their learning. However, on a few occasions class teachers have not briefed them sufficiently well about exactly what they want them to do.

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is good

 Pupils enter the school working at levels that are below what is expected. Despite making good progress in English, mathematics, and communication skills, the attainment of pupils who are now moving from one key stage to another, or who are leaving school, is still below that which is typical for the age group.  Leaders have established very challenging expectations of achievement. They compare the progress that pupils make with both that made by pupils of the same age and starting points in other schools, and with all pupils nationally. Pupils’ achievement is good under both of these measures.  The school has not been open long enough for any pupils’ progress to be measured from the start of Year 3 to the end of Year 6, or between Year 7 and the end of Year 11. The progress that they have made to date in English and mathematics indicates that significant proportions are achieving as well as pupils of the same age and starting points in other similar settings, and many are exceeding this.

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is good

 Pupils are making progress at such a rate that they are well on track to show that they have narrowed the gap between their attainment and that of all pupils nationally by the time they get to the end of a key stage.  Different groups of pupils achieve equally well. There are no significant differences between the progress made by boys and girls, or between the achievement of pupils from different ethnic backgrounds.  The performance of disadvantaged pupils reflects the positive impact of the additional funding that the school receives and the very careful planning that goes into its spending. Their achievement in English and mathematics aligns very closely with that of other pupils.  Standards began to rise as staff responded to leaders’ expectations of teaching and behaviour. The range and degree of difficulty of Key Stage 4 courses have developed very well, and continue to do so. Every subject and course was accredited in summer 2014. This had not been the case previously, and pupils

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is good

achieved well. Furthermore, the levels of the courses were more challenging; GCSEs in mathematics and English were offered for the first time. Pupils are not entered early for examinations.  Pupils also achieve well on the courses that they follow away from school. Those who go to college acquire entry level units in subjects such as motor vehicle skills and catering, while others obtain City and Guilds awards in construction.  Pupils’ achievement in English is good, and daily reading sessions have done much to raise standards. Achievement is good rather than outstanding, because of the inconsistent teaching of phonics and the missed opportunities for pupils to further develop their speaking and listening skills when answering questions.  Pupils make good progress in mathematics too. They learn the basic rules of number, space and shape, and the most able pupils learn to handle data and tackle mathematical problems successfully. Their

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is good

achievement is not outstanding because of the inconsistencies in teaching relating to marking pupils’ work, the use of questions and the variable input of teaching assistants to aid progress.  The most able pupils achieve well in English and mathematics. They become competent, fluent readers and they write well, with expression and clarity. They make good progress in using the higher mathematical skills they have learned to interpret information and solve problems.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 139722 Local authority Sutton Inspection number 450073

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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 Special School category Academy special sponsor-led Age range of pupils 7–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 131 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Roger Mills Principal John Prior Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected as an academy Telephone number 020 8647 8349 Fax number 020 8647 1739 Email address info@carewacademy.org guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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 and 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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