Cuddington Croft Primary School and Nursery

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

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Mr Scott Maclean Headteacher Cuddington Croft Primary School West Drive Cheam Sutton Surrey SM2 7NA

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Short inspection of Cuddington Croft Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 26 September 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 February 2012.

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Short inspection of Cuddington Croft Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Cuddington Croft Primary School

You lead Cuddington Croft with high aspirations and determination for all pupils to achieve their very best. The school is flourishing under your direction, and you remain committed to ensuring that the school goes from strength to strength. Governors demonstrate a firm commitment to supporting the school and they fulfil their statutory duties effectively. The school’s ‘6 C’ values – ‘creative, cooperative, committed, calm, courageous and caring’ – shine through your work, and you celebrate these at every opportunity with your pupils. Staff respect you and follow your lead committedly. The vast majority state that they are proud to work at Cuddington Croft and most feel that the school has improved since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Cuddington Croft Primary School

Pupils say that they enjoy school. They are particularly enthusiastic about sports, and the range of additional clubs that enrich their learning. Pupils say that there is ‘a club for everyone, no matter what you’re interested in’. They also appreciate the school’s facilities, including the two playgrounds and the swimming pool. Pupils conduct themselves well in and around school, and are keen to learn and work hard. They ask questions confidently, and enjoy taking part in discussions and group activities. The vast majority of parents responding to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, hold the school in high regard. Many commented that their children learn well and develop a good understanding of the school’s values. Parents feel that communication between school and home is very good and that staff listen readily to any concerns they have. This demonstrates clearly the improvements made since your last inspection. Parents also like the ‘safe’, ‘caring’, ‘supportive’ atmosphere,

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Short inspection of Cuddington Croft Primary School

and the ‘happy learning environment’ this creates. The vast majority of parents would recommend Cuddington Croft to others.

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Short inspection of Cuddington Croft Primary School

Teaching is effective throughout the school, having improved since your last inspection. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve strongly, particularly in English and mathematics. These lessons are suitably demanding for pupils, including the most able, and the most able disadvantaged, ensuring that they make rapid progress.

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Short inspection of Cuddington Croft Primary School

Pupils make typically good progress across the wider curriculum, which provides broad and balanced learning in a range of subjects. Curriculum leaders explained their ambition to bring more challenge for pupils, similar to that seen strongly in English and mathematics, to a wider range of subjects. Currently, this work is in its early stages.

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Short inspection of Cuddington Croft Primary School

You prioritise pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding well. This means that most pupils are typically tolerant and respectful of each other’s differences. However, pupils were not able to demonstrate a firm understanding of world faiths, and only a few that I spoke to were able to talk confidently about religions and cultures other than Christianity. Additionally, last year, leaders had to tackle several incidents of discriminatory behaviour. Therefore, more needs to be achieved to secure a stronger impact in the school’s work to develop pupils’ cultural understanding and their appreciation of the diversity of modern Britain.

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Short inspection of Cuddington Croft Primary School

You have developed a strong safeguarding ethos at Cuddington Croft. For example, procedures to take up references and check new staff members’ suitability to work with children are robust. Safeguarding training for staff is thorough, which ensures that adults know what actions to take to protect pupils from harm.

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Short inspection of Cuddington Croft Primary School

You demonstrate tenacity in keeping children safe. You work effectively with child protection officers from other local authorities. When you believe that more needs to be achieved to provide the highest standard of care for young people, you are not afraid to challenge the work of external professionals.

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Short inspection of Cuddington Croft Primary School

You ensure that pupils are taught as much as possible about how to keep themselves safe effectively. For instance, you provide a range of learning opportunities about e-safety. Pupils talk confidently of the risks in posting photographs of themselves online, and of sharing personal information and passwords.

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Inspection findings

 During the inspection, we focused on leaders’ work to support disadvantaged pupils to make good progress. We also focused on the effectiveness of the broad curriculum and how well it challenges pupils to achieve well. Finally, we evaluated how well leaders prepare pupils for life in modern Britain, and promote British values.  You have high aspirations for disadvantaged pupils to achieve well. For example, you pay close attention to their rates of absence, and support them effectively to attend well. Consequently, disadvantaged pupils make strong progress because they miss little of their education.  You ensure that teaching takes into account the needs of disadvantaged pupils, including the most able disadvantaged. Teachers know this group of pupils well, and tailor learning for their individual needs. When necessary, additional support, for example, from teaching assistants, helps extend this group of pupils’ learning

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Inspection findings

further.  You have developed a broad, balanced curriculum and pupils enjoy learning across a range of subjects. Extra activities, such as ‘science weeks’ and ‘international days’, enrich pupils’ learning and interests in different subjects. Pupils talked positively about many lessons, and stated that teachers ‘make learning fun and interesting’.  You have rightly ensured that learning is suitably demanding for pupils in English and mathematics. However, sometimes other subjects do not yet have a similar level of challenge. This means that some pupils, particularly the most able, are not required to work at the highest standards in a range of subjects. Subject leaders are aware of this, but their work in addressing this is in its early stages.  You plan appropriately for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. You refer to the school’s values well to support this work, and provide additional opportunities, such as a detailed assembly programme and an

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Inspection findings

active school council, to further enrich provision. However, the impact of this work, particularly in developing pupils’ cultural understanding of different faiths and religions, is not yet strong. As such, some pupils do not have a robust knowledge and understanding of the diversity of modern Britain.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 all subjects include content and activities that develop pupils’ knowledge, understanding and skills to the highest standards  pupils’ cultural understanding of world religions and the diversity of modern Britain is strong.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Surrey. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

Together with you, I observed learning throughout the school. I spoke to pupils and examined their work in their exercise books. I held meetings with you and with other leaders. I met with the chair of the governing body and three other governors. I took into account 168 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. I also analysed 94 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey, and 29 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. I reviewed a range of documents including: the school’s development plan; the school’s single central record of recruitment checks made on staff; information about pupils’ achievement; records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance; and the minutes of governing body meetings.

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