Carmel Christian School

Carmel Christian School 817A Bath Road, Brislington, Bristol BS4 5NL

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders and managers are not monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, or the curriculum, effectively. This leads to pupils not developing a comprehensive and coherent understanding in some subjects.  Pupils make uneven progress across subjects. This is because lessons other than those taught through their workbooks are not matched consistently well to their different starting points in the mixed-age classes.  Teachers are not assessing pupils’ progress systematically in some subjects.  Progress in writing is slower than in reading because teachers are not giving pupils enough opportunities to apply their new skills in writing regularly and at length across subjects.  The proprietor has not ensured that all the independent school standards are met, especially those relating to careers guidance.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils make good progress in working through their workbooks known as PACEs (Packets of Accelerated Christian Education). The books cover English, mathematics, science, word building and social sciences such as geography and history, from a biblical perspective.  Teachers use assessment well to ensure that each pupil is working at the right level of challenge in their PACEs, including the most able and those who start with limited skills and understanding.  Pupils’ proficiency in mathematics, reading and communication prepares them well for the next stage in their education.  Children in the Nursery and Reception classes make good progress in the early years curriculum. The proportion reaching a good level of development is above the national average and this prepares them well for Year 1.  The teaching of phonics is effective and enables pupils to read their PACEs.  Pupils develop self-esteem and positive

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

attitudes to learning. They show respect for diversity, including people with different faiths. They behave well and feel safe in school. The school’s safeguarding procedures are effective.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school must take action to meet the requirements of the schedule to The Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 and associated requirements. The details are listed in the full report.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the monitoring and evaluation of the school’s work by all leaders and managers, to ensure that: – the impact of teaching, learning and assessment results in pupils making consistently strong progress across all subjects – the curriculum enables pupils to develop a comprehensive and coherent understanding consistently in all subjects, including science, religious education and English literature, to enable them to access a broad range of further and higher education qualifications – the proprietor is well informed to hold leaders to account robustly for all aspects of the school’s performance and to ensure the skilful deployment of staff and resources, to secure outcomes that are consistently good in all aspects of pupils’ learning – pupils’ attendance improves to broadly average.  Improve teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that teachers: – assess pupils’ progress as systematically in all lessons as they do in the PACEs

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– match the level of challenge to pupils’ different starting points consistently well across all subjects – increase the opportunities for pupils to apply their new skills in writing regularly and at length across subjects.

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 For pupils receiving secondary education, provide access to accurate, up-to-date careers guidance 2(2)(e) that: – is presented in an impartial manner 2(2)(e)(i) – enables them to make informed choices about a broad range of career options 2(2)(e)(ii); and – helps to encourage them to fulfil their potential 2(2)(e)(iii).  Provide particulars of the school’s academic performance during the preceding school year, including the results of any public examinations, to parents of pupils and parents of prospective pupils 32(3)(e).  Ensure that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role, fulfil their responsibilities effectively and consistently meet the independent school standards (paragraphs 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b)).  The school must make arrangements to meet the requirements of paragraph 3 of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Senior leaders are not monitoring and evaluating effectively the impact of teaching, learning and assessment on pupils’ progress across subjects. Consequently, outcomes are uneven and the development plan is not focused sufficiently on improving them.  Lesson observations and scrutiny of pupils’ work are not carried out systematically throughout the school to manage staff performance effectively and identify training needs. Current staff development focuses on supervising the PACEs and so teachers are not developing their skills in teaching other subjects.  Specialist teachers are employed appropriately to cover subjects such as art, music and physical education. There is no system for monitoring progress in the curriculum areas that are not taught through the PACEs to ensure the impact of teaching leads to pupils’ consistently strong progress across all subjects.  Progress of individual pupils in their PACEs is monitored rigorously. This, together with

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

the teachers’ high expectations, ensures that pupils make good progress from their starting points. However, progress is not evaluated to indicate whether any group of pupils is not reaching their full potential, such as boys, the most able or those who start with limited skills and understanding.  The curriculum is balanced and covers English, mathematics, science, humanities, design and technology, physical education, art, music, French and personal, social and health education. The impact of the curriculum on pupils’ progress is not evaluated robustly to ensure that pupils develop a comprehensive and coherent understanding consistently in all subjects, including science, religious education and English literature.  The curriculum prepares pupils appropriately for life in modern Britain. Pupils gain a good understanding of democracy and the rule of law. They learn to value diversity, for example in personal, social and health education lessons, through attending international

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

conventions and in their links with a school in Uganda. The impact is seen in the respectful way in which pupils discuss other people who are in any way different from themselves, including those of different faith or of none.  The principal has created a culture of respect and tolerance within the school. The positive relationships between leaders, staff and pupils, together with the fact that each pupil is known and valued, support the academic and personal development of all pupils.  Frequent opportunities for reflection on spiritual and moral issues, and activities such as singing to senior citizens and meeting with pupils from other cultures in international conventions, make a strong contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The school is supported appropriately by the British headquarters of Carmel Ministries International. The impact can be seen in the good quality of teaching in the PACEs,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

although the teaching of some other subjects needs further development. The school makes good use of Bristol City Council to provide training in safeguarding and in the early years provision.

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Governance

 The proprietor has not ensured that all the independent school standards are met.  The proprietor has not ensured that pupils receiving secondary education are provided with access to accurate, up-to-date careers guidance that is impartial, enables them to make informed choices about a broad range of career options and helps to encourage them to fulfil their potential.  Careers guidance that is currently provided for the pupils includes a week’s work experience and visiting speakers describing their work and qualifications. While this is appropriate and inspires some pupils with particular interests in these areas of work, it does not enable all pupils to make informed and impartial choices about a broad range of career options. Many pupils are not aware of the qualifications they need for their chosen career pathways, or where they can go to study for them.  The proprietor has not provided particulars of the school’s performance in the

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Governance

International Certificate of Christian Education during the preceding school year to parents of pupils and parents of prospective pupils.  The proprietor has overseen an expansion of the number of pupils on roll at the school in recent years. In recognition of the increasingly strategic demands this places on the principal, the proprietor has wisely released him from some of his teaching duties. Currently, however, there is no clear strategic plan for the continuing expansion of the school, for example in terms of staffing and developing leadership roles and responsibilities.  The role of the proprietor in holding school leaders to account robustly for all aspects of the school’s performance and ensuring the skilful deployment of staff and resources to ensure that outcomes are good has not been equally effective in all aspects of pupils’ learning.  The proprietor has not ensured that the school’s accessibility policy is effective enough to

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Governance

meet the requirements of paragraph 3 of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The diversity policy is effective. However, there is no clear strategy to improve accessibility. There is no plan to increase the extent to which pupils who have disabilities can participate in the school’s curriculum or access the physical environment of the school.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders and staff take appropriate action to identify pupils who may be at risk of neglect, abuse or sexual exploitation. They report any concerns to the local authority and support the needs of those pupils appropriately. The principal is now checking pupils’ absence more robustly for any patterns that might raise safeguarding concerns.  The training of teachers and support staff is up to date with the latest safeguarding guidance. The school’s policy has yet to be updated. The principal is aware that the policy review date needs to be brought forward to include the most recent guidance. All checks on the suitability of staff to work with children and young people are carried out and recorded appropriately. Risk assessments are suitably detailed, and appropriate security is in place to protect pupils in the shared premises.  All staff are trained in the prevention of radicalisation and extremism, and are increasingly

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is inconsistent across subjects and leads to pupils’ uneven progress.  Suitable schemes of work are available for all the subjects that are taught. They are supported by appropriate lesson plans. However, teachers are not assessing pupils’ progress systematically in lessons other than those involving PACEs. This means that in some subjects, they are not able to match the level of challenge well to pupils’ different starting points to enable them all to achieve as well as they can, for example in art and design and technology.  Pupils make slower progress in writing than in reading because teachers are not giving them enough opportunities to apply their new skills in writing regularly and at length across subjects. Pupils say that they often forget the new grammatical devices they learn in their PACEs because they are not practising them enough.  The teaching of phonics to younger pupils is effective and enables them to read their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

PACEs. The PACEs are planned to enable pupils to make rapid progress in comprehension skills.  Through regular opportunities to present their work to others, pupils develop good communication skills. This is supported effectively by the word-building PACEs.  Teachers ensure that pupils develop their skills in mathematics and can apply them in solving problems.  Teachers use assessment well to ensure that individual pupils work at the right level of challenge in their PACEs, including the most able pupils and those who start with limited skills and understanding. They check pupils’ understanding through regular tests and help them to correct any misunderstanding. They support individual pupils during lessons and ensure that they all maintain a good rate of progress.  Pupils are encouraged to take some responsibility for their learning. They correct their work, using mark books, and indicate when they need help from the teacher. Pupils say

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

that they enjoy their PACEs and like to compete against themselves and others in the quantity of work they complete. They are often eager to continue their PACEs for homework and are keen to find out new information.  The school gives parents detailed reports on how well their child is progressing through their PACEs and other subjects. The most helpful reports also indicate what the pupil needs to do to improve their work. Parents say that they are pleased with their child’s progress but that they are not sure whether their child is achieving as well as expected for their age.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils grow in confidence and self-esteem due to a sense of achievement in their learning and being able to work at their own pace. They take pride in their work, which is presented well. They demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. Pupils of different ages play together well. They accept that people are different and show respect for others’ ideas and views.  Pupils say that they feel safe in school and parents who responded to the Parent View online survey agree. Pupils are taught how to stay safe, for example when using the internet. They say that there is little bullying and they are confident that teachers would deal effectively with any concerns. The school’s records confirm this to be the case.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils conduct themselves well throughout the day, including at lunchtimes. The school’s records confirm that there are few incidents of unacceptable behaviour and that appropriate sanctions are used to address any that occur. The school is an orderly environment where pupils are polite and considerate towards others. Low-level disruption in lessons is rare. Pupils, parents and staff agree that pupils are well behaved and happy.  The school monitors pupils’ attendance rigorously and follows up absence promptly. As a result, attendance is improving, although it remains below average.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Pupils’ progress is uneven across subjects due to inconsistency in teachers’ use of assessment.  In subjects such as art and design and technology, teachers set the same expectations for all pupils, irrespective of age or starting points in the mixed-age classes. This leads to limited progress, particularly for the most able pupils who are not sufficiently challenged.  The limited evaluation of progress leads to pupils not developing a comprehensive and coherent understanding of some subjects to enable them to access a broad range of further and higher education courses. This also applies to science, religious education and English literature. The emphasis in these subjects is on a Christian perspective, which is in keeping with the culture of the school. In addition, pupils know, for example, about the theory of evolution, but with limited understanding. They learn about other faiths, but not in sufficient depth to be able to compare them. They do not read widely enough to be

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

able to discuss different well-known English authors.  In spite of the lack of breadth in some subjects in the PACEs, the PACEs develop pupils’ proficiency in mathematics, reading and communication. This prepares them well for the next stage in their education.  Pupils make good progress in the PACEs because the level of challenge is matched very effectively to their starting points. This includes the most able pupils, those who start with limited skills and understanding and pupils who speak English as an additional language. Pupils say that they enjoy their PACEs more than other lessons because they are challenging.  Younger pupils make good progress in phonics, which enables them to access their PACEs. They quickly become fluent and expressive readers and develop very good comprehension skills. Their progress in writing is not as rapid because they do not have enough opportunities to apply their skills in writing at length across the curriculum. They

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

master their skills in mathematics by applying them in solving problems. Pupils particularly enjoy giving oral presentations of their work. They are confident and articulate speakers. Their vocabulary is extended by the word-building PACEs.  The PACEs prepare pupils well for the International Certificate of Christian Education, which pupils take at the school. Several past pupils of the school have supplemented this qualification with further qualifications taken elsewhere. This has enabled them to go on to university. GCSE and A-level courses are not offered at the school. To broaden the career choices available to older pupils, the principal is rightly beginning to identify appropriate GCSE and A-level courses in other local schools and colleges, for example in computing and music.

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Early years provision Good

 All of the independent school standards are met in relation to the early years provision.  There are no breaches of statutory welfare requirements.  Leadership of the early years provision has an accurate understanding of its strengths and weaknesses due to very effective self-evaluation. The children’s progress in all areas of learning is monitored rigorously. This informs effective lesson planning and support for those who are falling behind.  Accurate self-evaluation also informs relevant priorities in improvement planning, such as mark making, writing and the progress of children who speak English as an additional language. The priorities include the training and development of staff to support areas identified for improvement, such as training on the process of learning.  Staff training and development is supported well by links with the local authority and other early years providers.  The system for tracking children’s progress includes examples of their work. This is

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Early years provision Good

shared effectively with parents to enable them to support their children’s learning at home  In addition, the monitoring of progress identifies children’s specific needs. Effective support is provided, including from external agencies when necessary.  Safeguarding is effective. Child protection policies and procedures are implemented consistently by all staff. Staff review and evaluate their practice regularly.  All areas of the early years curriculum are provided for in an interesting and broad range of activities both within the classroom and in the outside area. The activities are adapted well to meet the children’s needs and help them to make progress towards the early learning goals.  The quality of teaching is good. Staff have high expectations of the children, based on accurate assessment of their skills, knowledge and understanding when they join the school. Parents and carers contribute to these initial assessments of children’s starting

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Early years provision Good

points and are kept well informed about their children’s progress.  Children are interested in and motivated by the activities, and they are eager to learn. For example, children in the nursery, including those at an early stage of speaking English, extend their language skills by joining in the nursery and number rhymes enthusiastically. Children in the Reception class carefully blend letters to write simple words. These children maintain a good rate of progress because the teacher constantly checks their learning, helps them to rectify any mistakes and moves them on to the next steps.  Children’s behaviour is good. Children are encouraged to reflect on their actions towards others. They explore the outdoor physical environment confidently, for example in a ‘follow the leader’ game, showing that they feel safe.  In working and playing together, children learn to value each other’s differences.  The proportion of children reaching a good level of development is above the national

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Early years provision Good

average over time. Children are prepared well for the Year 1 curriculum.

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School details

Unique reference number 132774 DfE registration number 801/6021

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Proprietor Carmel Ministries International

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School details

Email address jaapv@carmelchristianschool.org

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13–14 November 2012

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Information about this school

 Carmel Christian School is part of Christian Education Europe. It is owned by Carmel Ministries International, the headquarters of which is in America. The school shares the same building as the Carmel Church Ministry in Brislington, Bristol.  The school was opened in 2000. It is a non-selective independent Christian day school.  It is smaller than most schools. The school is situated on one site and does not use any alternative providers.  Pupils travel to the school daily from Bristol and the surrounding areas, and from as far as Wales.  The 16 children in the early years are taught part time in a Nursery class and full time in a Reception class.  There are no students currently in the sixth form.  Currently, there are no pupils with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan. A small minority of pupils speak English as an additional language.  Much of the curriculum is taught through Packets of Accelerated Christian Education

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Information about this school

(PACEs), supported by trained supervisors. A very small minority of pupils are home- educated and work through the PACEs. Their work is monitored by Carmel Ministries International.  The last standard inspection of Carmel Christian School took place on 13 and 14 November 2012.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed six part-lessons taught by four teachers, all of the lessons were observed jointly with the principal. In addition, the inspector looked at pupils’ work in books and listened to small groups of pupils reading.  The inspector observed pupils at play.  The inspector held meetings with the principal, early years leader, teaching staff, chair of the executive board and groups of pupils. She met informally with parents.  A wide range of documentary evidence was scrutinised, including that relating to: the school’s evaluation of its own performance; development planning; lesson planning; the safeguarding of pupils, including records of the relevant checks on staff; the school’s policies and information for parents.  In making her judgements, the inspector took into account 35 responses to Ofsted’s online Parent View survey and questionnaires completed by seven members of staff.

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Inspection team

Sue Frater, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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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Inspection team

Parent View 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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