Irlam and Cadishead Academy

Inspection of Irlam and Cadishead Academy Station Road, Irlam, Manchester M44 5ZR

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 September 2021

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 14 and 15 September 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are incredibly proud of their school. They relish any opportunity to showcase all aspects of school life to visitors. Pupils told inspectors that the best thing about this school is the support that they receive from staff. They are confident that staff will quickly resolve any rare incidents of bullying. Pupils feel happy and safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between staff and pupils are rooted in mutual respect. Pupils ensure that the school’s values shine through their everyday conduct. In lessons and around the school, most pupils behave well. Pupils know that staff have their best interests at heart and want them to do well. Pupils work hard in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are confident, polite and friendly. They celebrate each other’s differences. Pupils attribute this to the wide range of experiences that they are given through the personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have high expectations of what all pupils should achieve. Leaders are ensuring that the quality of education for pupils is improving. However, in some subjects, pupils do not benefit from a sufficiently well-planned curriculum. This means that some pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, are not as prepared as they should be for the next stage of their education, employment or training.

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better?

Senior leaders have begun to think more carefully about how the curriculum will raise the achievement of all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. As a result, the curriculum is increasingly ambitious. At key stage 3, pupils experience a broad range of appropriate subjects. At key stage 4, the number of pupils following the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects is increasing.

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better?

Although senior leaders are rethinking the curriculum, in many subjects curriculum plans are not complete. While subject leaders have thought broadly about the content that they want pupils to learn, and by when, they have not considered which knowledge is essential for pupils to remember. Therefore, this knowledge is not defined in the curriculum plans. As a result, teachers in some subjects are not as clear as they should be about the precise knowledge that pupils must learn.

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better?

As well as curriculum plans remaining incomplete, some subject leaders do not assess how well teachers are delivering the curriculum. For example, subject leaders do not check that teachers select the most appropriate activities to deliver the curriculum. For some pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, this can hinder their ability to build on their prior knowledge or remember new learning. These pupils do not progress through the curriculum as well as they should. 14 and 15 September 2021

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In some subjects, leaders have not made sure that teachers use assessment effectively enough to help pupils to embed new knowledge. Where this is the case, teachers do not address misconceptions as quickly as they should. Consequently, pupils’ recall of their learning is sometimes insecure.

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Leaders are adamant that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), will become confident and fluent readers. They have put in place appropriate support to enable pupils who are behind with their reading to catch up. Despite this, some older pupils still do not read as well or as widely as they should.

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Leaders have acted judiciously to strengthen the leadership of SEND. They identify pupils with SEND effectively and efficiently. Leaders have also furnished teachers with the information that they need to make curriculum adaptations for pupils with SEND. However, leaders do not check whether teachers are making these adaptations successfully. Some pupils with SEND underachieve.

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The PSHE education programme is incredibly strong. Pupils have a mature understanding of the issues relating to sexual harassment. Pupils also benefit from an aspirational careers information, education, advice and guidance programme. The school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause.

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Most of the time, pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. This contributes to the respectful culture of the school. In lessons, pupils can learn without interruptions. Most pupils attend school regularly.

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Governors and trustees know the school well. They are committed to helping leaders improve the quality of education for all pupils. Parents and carers are vociferous in their praise of leaders. Leaders value staff. They are considerate of staff workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The culture of safeguarding is a strength of the school. Leaders have ensured that all staff have been suitably trained in the processes for identifying the risks that pupils may face. Leaders’ liaison with external agencies is effective. Pupils receive appropriate and timely support. Leaders have robust procedures and checks in place when they recruit staff.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have prioritised teaching pupils about respect and consent. As a result, pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of risks such as harmful sexual behaviours. They are confident that any such behaviour will not be tolerated. Pupils are fully aware of how to keep themselves safe, including online. 14 and 15 September 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have not thought carefully enough about the essential knowledge that they want pupils to learn across a sequence of lessons. As a result, pupils do not remember some of the knowledge that they need in order to progress through the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that curriculum plans contain the essential knowledge that pupils must know and remember. Leaders should also ensure that teachers are secure in the precise knowledge that they intend pupils to acquire.  Some subject leaders do not routinely check that teachers select activities that enable them to deliver the curriculum in a way that helps pupils to build on prior learning and remember new knowledge. As a result, some pupils’ learning across subjects is superficial and lacks depth. Leaders should ensure that all subject leaders are trained to develop teachers’ subject-specific pedagogical practice. This is to enable teachers to select the most appropriate activities to deliver the

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

curriculum effectively.  In some subjects, teachers do not use assessment as effectively as they should to check how much of the curriculum content pupils remember. As a result, some pupils’ recall of essential subject knowledge is weak. Leaders should help teachers to refine their approaches to assessment. This is to ensure that teachers understand how to check whether pupils have learned the knowledge that is essential for them to progress through the curriculum.  In some subjects, leaders are not checking whether teachers are adapting the curriculum as effectively as they should for pupils with SEND. Consequently, some pupils with SEND are not progressing through the curriculum as well as they should. Leaders should provide additional training to staff to ensure that they know how to adapt subject curriculums effectively to meet the learning needs of pupils with SEND.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 14 and 15 September 2021

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 14 and 15 September 2021

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Date of previous inspection

Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school uses alternative provision for a small number of pupils at Salford College, Ed Intervention and SMS Coaching.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection that the school had received since the COVID- 19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the principal, the senior leadership team, middle leaders and a range of teaching and support staff. An inspector spoke with a representative of the multi-academy trust and two governors (including the chair of governors).  As part of this inspection, inspectors carried out deep dives in English, mathematics, science and history. Inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at 14 and 15 September 2021

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curriculum plans, visited some lessons, looked at pupils’ work and spoke with pupils and teachers.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils from Year 7 to Year 11. Inspectors also observed breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors checked the school’s safeguarding procedures and the checks made on staff. Inspectors met with leaders, staff and pupils to evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding in school. An inspector also checked the arrangements for pupils attending alternative provision.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including that relating to safeguarding, the school’s development plans, self-evaluation documents, curriculum plans, and behaviour and attendance records.  Inspectors considered the 34 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff and the 12 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for pupils. Inspectors also checked the views of the 57 parents in their responses to Ofsted’s online survey,

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Parent View. This included the 49 comments received via the free-text facility.

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Inspection team

Rachel Goodwin, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Christine Veitch Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 September 2021

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regulates and inspects to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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