CACFO UK Education Centre

Inspection of CACFO UK Education Centre 40 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath CR7 8HQ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the family atmosphere at CACFO. Staff help them work hard and improve their behaviour in a no-nonsense way. Pupils respond well to this approach. It helps them to develop confidence and resilience. Leaders know pupils will need these qualities when they return to mainstream education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers get to know pupils quickly. They build respectful, professional relationships. This helps pupils to stay safe. They state that bullying does not happen. Pupils know there would be a zero-tolerance approach if it did. They can speak to any member of staff if they have a problem. If pupils disagree with each other, teachers encourage them to resolve their differences through discussion. They learn to view the situation from the other person’s perspective.

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What is it like to attend this school?

For the most part, pupils behave well. They rise to teachers’ high expectations. These extend to academic work, as well as behaviour. Teachers prepare them for life outside of school. They set pupils’ behaviour targets each week which they review together. They provide helpful careers guidance. Pupils take part in a six-week behaviour intervention programme. This makes them think about the consequences of their decisions.

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better?

Pupils experience a broad and ambitious curriculum. This prioritises English, mathematics and science. Pupils also study physical education, art, music, computer science and citizenship. Pupils leave and new pupils join the school constantly. Teachers adapt the curriculum each half term to meet their needs. In English, teaching prioritises the development of pupils’ writing skills, in the belief that the ability to write well is an important life skill. These writing skills become more complex over time. For example, pupils wrote about how advertisements are designed to be persuasive. They progressed to a comparison of two persuasive texts.

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better?

Teachers ensure the curriculum meets the needs of individuals as well as the wider group. Leaders meet with parents and carers with pupils as part of the induction process. Teachers assess what pupils know through formal tests, quizzes and discussion. Many have significant gaps in their knowledge. They have much to catch up on in a short time. Teachers plan lessons that are sequenced logically over time. They build the key knowledge and skills that pupils need to know and remember. This helps their transition back to mainstream education when it comes.

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better?

In some subjects, teachers constantly check what pupils know as they go along. This means they revisit content when misconceptions arise. This is not the case in all lessons. As a result, pupils do not always remember what they have learned as well. This slows their progress through the curriculum. 8 to 10 February 2022 Pupils listen to teachers and are keen to engage with learning most of the time. A member of staff is always on hand to provide extra support with work or behaviour if needed. Teachers include opportunities for discussion, reading and writing in lessons. Pupils are fluent readers but do not enjoy reading for pleasure. Teachers take this into account. They insist that pupils read as part of every lesson. Teachers provide help for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They adapt the curriculum and provide individual support when it is needed.

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better?

Most pupils have improved their attendance since attending CACFO. Even so, there are one or two who arrive late or whose attendance is still erratic. Leaders have systems for following up on lateness and absence. These include phone calls, letters to parents and home visits. Nevertheless, improving attendance remains a key area for improvement.

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better?

CACFO is an inclusive community. Pupils learn about equality and diversity through the citizenship curriculum. They gain important life skills such as how to manage money and how to vote. Pupils follow a relationships and sex education curriculum. They learn about vital topics such as different types of family and consent. Leaders emphasise the importance of right and wrong decisions and their impact. They provide a structured careers programme. This helps motivate pupils to plan for their futures. For instance, they recently completed a curriculum vitae. In normal times, pupils go on trips to the theatre and cinema. These opportunities have been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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better?

Governors are hands-on. They visit lessons and look at pupils’ work. Leaders work hard to ensure the school fulfils legal requirements. As a result, they meet the independent school standards in full. Leaders make themselves available to support staff, especially with pupils’ behaviour. Teachers feel that leaders take account of their well-being and workload. This is the case even in a small setting where staff have many responsibilities. They are proud to work at the school. Leaders’ resources are limited but they have found affordable online training opportunities for staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe at school. They learn how to keep themselves safe online and in the real world. Pupils know who to speak to if they have any worries.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure they train staff to identify any safeguarding concerns. This includes keeping up to date with the latest guidance. Staff are familiar with local safeguarding risks. These involve gang-related activity and knife crime. The designated safeguarding lead refers to external agencies as required. These include the local authority, the police and the youth offending team.

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Safeguarding

The headteacher ensures that appropriate checks are made to guarantee staff are suitable to work with pupils. 8 to 10 February 2022

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 On some occasions, pupils do not recall knowledge as well as they should. This is because not all teachers systematically check pupils’ understanding in lessons. Leaders should develop how teachers use assessment so that any gaps in pupils’ knowledge are addressed quickly. This will help pupils move on to more complex learning.  Pupils’ attendance improves when they attend this provision but in a small number of cases, it remains sporadic. As a result, pupils become further behind with their learning. Leaders must be more tenacious in their work with schools and families to ensure pupils attend every day.

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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 provider and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 8 to 10 February 2022

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School details

Proprietor Croydon African Caribbean Family Organisation Chair Callton Young

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £80 to £150 per day

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 and 13 March 2019 8 to 10 February 2022

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Information about this school

 CACFO UK Education Centre is an independent school in the London Borough of Croydon.  The school provides full-time alternative provision for pupils who have been permanently excluded, or who are at risk of permanent exclusion, from mainstream schools. The school also offers a respite service to schools, providing short-term places for pupils with behavioural needs.  The proprietor is the Croydon African Caribbean Family Organisation, which is a registered charity. The charity community centre shares its premises with the school.  The school’s last full standard inspection was in March 2019, and the overall effectiveness was judged to be requires improvement.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection 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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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the chair of the proprietor body, the chair of governors, the headteacher, the behaviour lead and the designated safeguarding lead.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, computer science and art. They looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons, reviewed pupils’ work, met with pupils to discuss their learning and met with teachers.  Inspectors also looked at the curriculum plans of the other subjects taught at CAFCO.  Through discussions with leaders, staff, pupils and governors, inspectors considered the effectiveness of safeguarding. The inspection team spoke to staff about their workload in school.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey which were completed by staff.  Inspectors toured the site. They scrutinised a range of documentary evidence to check on the statutory requirements of the independent school standards. This 8 to 10 February 2022

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Information about this inspection

included checking the school’s admissions register, risk assessments, attendance information and safeguarding training.

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Inspection team

Lisa Strong, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Smith Her Majesty’s Inspector 8 to 10 February 2022 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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