Cambridge Road Community Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Cambridge Road Community Primary and Nursery School Cambridge Road, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH65 4AQ

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Outcome

Cambridge Road Community Primary and Nursery School continues to be a good school. There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a section 5 inspection now. The school’s next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are extremely proud to attend this school. They are excited to arrive each day and keen to know what they will learn next. This is because leaders have created an environment in which every pupil, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can succeed. Pupils achieve very well due to leaders’ high expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel that they are safe and well cared for by staff. They are happy to be part of the ‘Cambridge Road family’. Parents and carers are highly positive about the school. They said that their children value being part of such a special community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are friendly towards each other and everyone is made to feel welcome. Pupils embrace difference and live out their ‘acceptance without exclusion’ motto through their own actions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in early years, behave very well. Pupils respond to the high expectations that staff set for them. They are courteous and well mannered. They always follow the school’s golden rule of ‘be kind, be kind, be kind’. Pupils understand what bullying is and felt that if it ever were to occur, staff would deal with it quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the plethora of extra-curricular activities on offer, such as golf and yoga. Leaders prioritise support for pupils’ mental health and well-being. They offer activities such as ‘worry warriors’ to support them. 14 and 15 June 2022

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including for children in early years. Pupils, including those with SEND, study a broad range of subjects and achieve well.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders are clear about the essential knowledge that they want pupils to remember from early years to Year 6. This important knowledge is organised logically, allowing pupils to build successfully on what they already know. For example, in mathematics, children in Reception Year build securely on their previous learning from the Nursery class.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Teachers receive frequent and highly appropriate training to further develop their own subject knowledge. This means that their subject expertise is thorough and strong. As a result, subject leaders support teachers extremely well so that they can deliver curriculums with confidence and clarity. Teachers select appropriate activities to help pupils to learn the curriculum as intended. Pupils with SEND are identified quickly. They successfully access the same curriculum as other pupils because of the close and careful support that they receive.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Teachers’ use of assessment strategies is highly effective. Regular opportunities are seized well by teachers to ensure that pupils are progressing confidently and successfully through subject curriculums. Teachers are proficient at identifying and correcting pupils’ missing knowledge. If a pupil has missed or forgotten any learning, staff are quick to provide effective support. This means that pupils keep up and there is no need for them to catch up further down the line.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Ensuring that all pupils can read fluently is a key priority across the school. All staff receive suitable training to deliver the phonics programme expertly. This means that all pupils, including children in early years, access any support that they may need. Children get off to a flying start with their reading in the Nursery class. They enjoy learning rhymes and initial sounds. This prepares them well for phonics teaching in Reception Year and key stage 1. Phonics sessions are delivered consistently well by highly skilled staff. Pupils are introduced to and learn new sounds in a logical order. Staff ensure that the books that pupils read closely match the sounds that they are learning in class. Pupils use their phonics knowledge confidently to decode unfamiliar words. They persevere because they want to do well.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have invested heavily in suitable resources to promote a love of reading. The school library provides pupils and children with a selection of high-quality texts from which to choose. Many activities take place to raise the profile of reading, such as opportunities for pupils to win the ‘reading trophy’. Most pupils become fluent and confident readers. Older pupils talked confidently and enthusiastically about their favourite books and authors. They understand the importance of reading daily.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils’ behaviour is extremely positive. They listen attentively during lessons and get on with their learning without interruptions. Pupils are keen to ensure that everyone on the playground is included at social times. Everyone has a friend. 14 and 15 June 2022

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Staff prioritise the personal development of all pupils. Pupils understand how the wider opportunities available help to develop their confidence and prepare them for life. Pupils can develop their leadership skills by taking on responsibilities such as those of librarians and school councillors. They learn about a range of religions and demonstrate a detailed understanding of values such as democracy and the rule of law. Older pupils are prepared well for the transition to secondary school.

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Pupils are eager to raise money for charitable causes and they enjoy looking after their local environment. For example, pupils have cleaned alleyways and created a road crossing to reduce the volume of traffic outside school.

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Staff believe that they are very well supported by leaders. They appreciate the consideration that leaders give to both their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is given the highest attention by school leaders. Leaders and staff have undertaken the necessary training to ensure that they can identify and respond to concerns when needed.

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Safeguarding

Staff are vigilant and report concerns promptly. Leaders know pupils’ families well and engage successfully with several partner agencies. This helps them to gather the required support for vulnerable pupils and their families. Members of the governing body have a strong oversight of the safeguarding procedures in school.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe when working or playing online. Pupils also recognise and appreciate the actions that leaders take to keep them safe.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2017. 14 and 15 June 2022

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How can I feed back my views?

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 .

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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 June 2022

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School details

Local authority Cheshire West and Chester

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.cambridgeroad.school.cheshire.org.uk

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Date of previous inspection

18 July 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of alternative provision for any pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher and members of the senior leadership team. She met with three members of the governing body. The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. She considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys. The inspector spoke with parents before school, to gather their views and opinions about the school.  The inspector examined a range of safeguarding documents. She made checks on staff recruitment and spoke with staff to check how well they understood their safeguarding 14 and 15 June 2022

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responsibilities. As well as this, the inspector explored the staff’s views about their workload and well-being.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour at playtime and in lessons. She spoke with pupils to gather their views about behaviour and safeguarding in their school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. She met with subject leaders, visited lessons and spoke with teachers. The inspector spoke with pupils and looked at examples of their work.  The inspector also scrutinised the curriculum in a range of other subject areas. The inspector observed pupils read to trusted adults.

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Inspection team

Bev Dolman, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 June 2022

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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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