Cavendish Church of England Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Miss C Wass Headteacher Cavendish Church of England Primary School The Green Cavendish Sudbury Suffolk CO10 8BA

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Short inspection of Cavendish Church of England Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 8 June 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in March 2013.

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Short inspection of Cavendish Church of England Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Many of the key strengths highlighted in the 2013 inspection report remain. You set high expectations and provide a clear vision for the school. The inclusive ethos of your school is very evident.

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Short inspection of Cavendish Church of England Primary School

You are supported well by your governing body. Together you have an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and a clear understanding of the priorities for future improvement.

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Short inspection of Cavendish Church of England Primary School

Governors visit the school often to assure themselves that pupils receive a good education and are kept safe and well. Governors are well informed and knowledgeable. They skilfully balance the amount of challenge and support required to hold you to account for the overall performance of the school.

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Short inspection of Cavendish Church of England Primary School

Under the calm and assured leadership of the headteacher, pupils at Cavendish Church of England Primary School develop into confident, reflective learners. Even where there have been changes to staffing, you and your team ensure that pupils receive high-quality learning activities and many trips to enhance their education further.

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Short inspection of Cavendish Church of England Primary School

You are determined to employ highly suitable staff. This year, due to staff turnover and in agreement with governors, you taught in key stage 1 until the best person could be found. As a result, pupils continued to receive a good-quality education and the stability they needed. Pupils on roll continue to make good progress. Pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics continues to be at least in line with national averages from pupils’ starting points by the end of key stage 2. This has been the case for a number of years.

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Short inspection of Cavendish Church of England Primary School

Staff are very proud to work at the school and you have created a highly motivated team. One member of staff commented that, ‘the headteacher encourages and supports every professional development opportunity’, while another commented that, ‘she leads by example in her teaching, leadership and professionalism’.

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Short inspection of Cavendish Church of England Primary School

One of the aspects you were asked to improve in the previous inspection report was to develop the impact of the learning support assistants within the school. In this, you have been highly successful. Your skilled and often long-serving support staff take the lead on some aspects of school life, such as maintaining the school website or taking the popular cookery classes. Everyone is involved in providing a wide variety of experiences for pupils. As a result, pupils are well prepared academically and personally for the next stage of their education.

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Short inspection of Cavendish Church of England Primary School

The large majority of parents who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire are very supportive of the school. They say that their children are happy and want to come to school. A small number of parents have mixed views and said they would welcome more information about the progress their child is making, especially where there have been a number of changes in teaching staff.

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Short inspection of Cavendish Church of England Primary School

Children begin their school life well at Cavendish Church of England Primary School. This is because provision in Reception is strong. Children are happy and safe in a well-organised and stimulating environment. Children make good progress from their starting points.

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Short inspection of Cavendish Church of England Primary School

Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education is very much a strength of your school. Pupils are involved in school life and take on responsibilities maturely. For example, pupils who are part of the faith council lead assemblies exceptionally well. Pupils are respectful when reciting the school prayer and willingly offer their views during collective worship. Pupils who hold particular positions, such as house captains and eco and school council representatives, are very proud of their roles and responsibilities.

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Short inspection of Cavendish Church of England Primary School

You ensure that the safety and welfare of pupils is given the highest priority. You and your governors have been successful in making Cavendish Church of England Primary School a safe place in which to learn. The vast majority of parents who responded to Parent View agreed that their children are safe and well cared for. One parent reflected the opinion of many: ‘My children feel very safe and happy in and around the school.’

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Short inspection of Cavendish Church of England Primary School

Adults, including governors, are appropriately trained in and alert to their safeguarding responsibilities, including those relating to the government’s ‘Prevent’ duty. As a result, they know what to do if they have concerns about a pupil’s well- being. You keep records well and in good chronological order. You demonstrate a determination to resolve safeguarding concerns appropriately and in the best interests of pupils.

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Short inspection of Cavendish Church of England Primary School

You and the governors are effective in making sure that all statutory checks on the suitability of staff to work at the school are carried out. Records and files are kept in very good order. New staff and volunteers receive appropriate induction training so that all adults understand the important role they hold with regard to safeguarding pupils.

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Short inspection of Cavendish Church of England Primary School

Pupils spoken with during the inspection understood how to keep safe when using the internet and were confident about speaking with an adult at school if they were concerned. Nearly all pupils who responded to their online questionnaire agreed that they would speak to an adult at school if they had concerns or worries.

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Inspection findings

 The previous inspection report highlighted early years as a strength of the school and the inspector commented that children made good progress. A line of enquiry was to see if this remains the case. Published evidence demonstrates that children’s good levels of development can appear to fluctuate, but has been above national averages for the last two years. Given the small cohorts, each child’s achievement has a significant impact on the overall results.  Children get off to a ‘flying start’ in Reception. You have rightly judged early years to be a strength of the school. From their individual starting points, children make good progress and this academic year your accurate assessments demonstrate that a number of children are to exceed the national expectations for their age. Children are very well prepared for the move into Year 1.  Children understand the routines of the setting well and demonstrate suitable

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Inspection findings

independence in their learning that is appropriate for their age. During the inspection they particularly enjoyed dressing up and making masks after their visit to Gainsborough House.  You recognised at the beginning of the year that assessment in early years could be improved further. Together with staff, you have implemented a new system for recording children’s progress in all areas of the early years curriculum. Assessments are thorough and staff produce clear and detailed information about what a child can do. Adults use this information well to plan additional activities that spark children’s interest.  Adults in Reception continue to develop the outdoor learning space so that all areas for learning can be accommodated effectively. Children enjoy using the recently installed outdoor kitchen to increase their imaginary play.  Another line of enquiry I pursued was to check the progress that pupils make in

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Inspection findings

mathematics and in particular those pupils who are most able. This was because in 2016, the progress pupils made in mathematics was slightly below that made in reading and writing.  You wasted no time in making mathematics a key focus for school improvement plans this academic year. Pupils’ books show that they have completed a wealth of work over this academic year in mathematics, and complete calculations well and accurately. They have a secure understanding of the mathematical operations and apply their skills with increasing precision. Pupils enjoy their mathematics lessons and work hard.  You have brokered support from the local authority to increase the skills and subject knowledge of adults further in mathematics. They plan learning activities that closely match the needs of the most able pupils, providing pupils with more opportunity to use and apply their mathematical reasoning. You recognise that

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Inspection findings

the impact of this work is in its early stages, but older pupils demonstrate that they are relishing the greater variety of work given to them.  Another line of enquiry was to investigate how well you provide for the most vulnerable pupils in your school. Published information shows that there are only a few pupils in the school who are eligible for additional funds through either the pupil premium or special educational needs. I wanted to examine how well leaders ensure that these pupils make good progress from their starting points.  The provision for vulnerable pupils is a strength of the school. You produce individual provision maps for every pupil so that the progress pupils make is carefully tracked and monitored. For vulnerable pupils, you also allocate funds precisely so that these pupils get the individual support they need.  You have many case studies that demonstrate how successful you and the

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Inspection findings

governors have been in helping pupils make the best progress both personally and academically. As leaders you work carefully and thoughtfully to reduce barriers to learning so that all can succeed. You have rightly identified that more disadvantaged pupils could reach the higher standard by the end of key stage 2.  My final line of enquiry was to consider the progress pupils make in subjects other than English and mathematics. Pupils have access to a wide range of activities and experiences. You enrich the curriculum with additional trips and visits so that subjects such as history come to life. Pupils make good use of the internet to research information and develop their skills and understanding of subjects such as Egyptian gods.  In pupils’ science books, it is evident that pupils participate regularly in science investigations and simple experiments. In topic subjects such as history and geography, you are not yet tracking the progress pupils make as strongly as you

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Inspection findings

do in science, cookery and religious education. At times, some teachers do not insist on the same high quality of pupils’ presentation in topic subjects as they do in English. The progress pupils make varies.  The support you receive from the local authority and also the diocese is effective. Representatives who work closely with the school leadership and governors affirmed that there is a ‘strong capacity for further improvement at the school’.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:  the most able pupils and the most able disadvantaged pupils are provided with further opportunities to explore and use their skills in mathematics so more reach greater depth in their learning at the end of key stages  pupils make good and sustained progress in all subjects across the curriculum.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, and the director of children’s services for Suffolk. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

 At the start of the inspection, we discussed the key lines of enquiry for this inspection, the school’s internal evaluation of its performance, plans for future improvement and information about current pupils’ learning.  You and I observed pupils learning in all classes over the course of the inspection. We looked at samples of pupils’ work in each class to evaluate the progress pupils are making over time.  We observed the teaching of phonics in early years.  I spoke informally with pupils during lessons and after assembly regarding their learning.  The school’s safeguarding arrangements, records, files and documentation were examined. Discussions were held with the safeguarding leader.  I met with the chair of governors and three other governors.  The views of 26 parents who responded to Parent View, nine staff who completed Ofsted’s staff questionnaire and 16 pupils who completed the online

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Information about the inspection

pupil questionnaire were taken into account.  I met with a representative of the local authority and also a representative of the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich.

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