Cumberland Community School

Inspection of Cumberland Community School Oban Close, London E13 8SJ

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 September 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 28 and 29 September 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils belong to an inclusive school community. Staff value all pupils. They know the pupils well and care about them. Pupils are safe here. Leaders have high aspirations for pupils and work hard to develop pupils’ determination and ambition. They want them to succeed both in their studies and in their future lives.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders insist on the highest standards of behaviour and conduct. Pupils meet these expectations. They behave well and show respect for others. Pupils are polite and friendly and enjoy socialising with each other at lunch and breaktimes. Bullying is rare, and when it does happen leaders deal with it effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers teach without disruption. Pupils listen and respond well to teachers’ instructions. They concentrate on their work and answer questions from their teachers, when asked. Teachers help pupils to improve their work both in lessons and outside of lessons, for example at homework club and excellence club.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have opportunities to broaden their experiences and develop new interests. Leaders are developing the range of these opportunities to increase pupils’ participation. Some pupils take part in sport, music, and drama activities. Other pupils are reading mentors for Year 7 pupils or take on responsibility as anti-bullying ambassadors.

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better?

Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum. This includes for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They have identified the knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn over time. The curriculum is well- ordered so that pupils build up their knowledge and skills in a logical sequence. Pupils often revisit what they have learned before. This helps them to remember essential knowledge and develop their understanding.

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better?

Teachers have good subject knowledge. They use this well to present new subject content to pupils. They frequently give pupils information about areas of their learning that need improvement. This helps pupils to work on specific aspects of their learning by themselves. Some teachers use a range of strategies to check pupils’ understanding and they adapt their teaching accordingly. This helps pupils to secure knowledge before they move on to the next stage of learning. Other teachers do not always check pupils’ understanding effectively. This leads to pupils not securing knowledge and sometimes being unable to complete their work.

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better?

Pupils with autism spectrum disorder achieve well. They learn in a calm, well-resourced environment. Other pupils with SEND receive the help they need to access the curriculum. Teachers have information about pupils’ specific needs. Many teachers use this information well to help them support pupils’ learning. Leaders provide extra support for those pupils who need help with reading comprehension. Pupils who 28 and 29 September 2022

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cannot read with fluency also receive extra support, occasionally including some phonics teaching.

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Pupils behave well in lessons. Leaders do not tolerate any low-level disruption. Teachers use the school’s behaviour policy to maintain high standards of behaviour. They also promote positive attitudes to learning. Pupils show a commitment to their work.

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Leaders have developed a well-structured personal development programme. Pupils learn about a range of important issues. These include healthy relationships, equality and diversity, and physical and mental health. Pupils also learn about these issues through assemblies and from external speakers. Leaders prepare pupils well for the next stage of their education. Pupils receive appropriate careers information, education and guidance from Year 7 to 11.

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Leaders share a vision to transform the life chances of pupils by providing them with a high-quality education. They have embedded clear approaches to teaching and behaviour across the school. Pupils are benefiting from teachers’ consistent use of these approaches. Trust leaders support the continuous improvement of the school. For example, they provide a comprehensive teacher development programme. This is helping teachers to acquire a wide range of teaching strategies. Staff enjoy working at the school and feel well supported. Indeed, leaders are innovative in their approach to staff workload. Staff value this.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff receive regular training and updates. This ensures that they are aware of local safeguarding risks and alert to signs of potential concern in pupils. Staff know how to record and report concerns and do so appropriately. Leaders and members of the safeguarding team are expert and knowledgeable. They work well with relevant external agencies to secure the help pupils need. Leaders ensure that pupils know how to keep themselves safe. They also work with parents and families to raise awareness of the risks to their children.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes teachers do not check pupils’ understanding effectively before moving on to the next stage of learning. This means that some pupils do not secure the knowledge required to complete work set. Leaders should ensure that teachers use a range of strategies to inform them of pupils’ learning. They should also ensure that teachers adapt their teaching accordingly, so that pupils can use and embed their knowledge with increasing fluency. 28 and 29 September 2022

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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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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. 28 and 29 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241346 Type of school Secondary comprehensive

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,419

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Cumberland Community School became an academy school in May 2018. It is a member of the Community Schools Trust. When its predecessor school, The Cumberland School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to require improvement overall.  The school has resourced provision for pupils with autism spectrum disorder. There are 14 pupils, aged between 11 and 16, accessing this provision.  The school uses one registered alternative provider, Tunmarsh.  The school meets the requirements of the Baker Clause, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 11 with information about approved technical educational qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 28 and 29 September 2022

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, executive headteacher, members of the leadership team, other school leaders, trust leaders, members of the local governing body, and members of the board of trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, history, science, art and design, and computer science. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also spoke with the subject leader for geography. They visited lessons in geography, modern foreign languages, and religious education.  Inspectors met with the school’s designated safeguarding lead and members of

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the school’s safeguarding team. They looked at safeguarding documentation and record-keeping, including the single central record. Inspectors also spoke with staff and pupils about safeguarding.  Inspectors spoke to additional groups of pupils in relation to behaviour and attitudes, and personal development.  Inspectors considered the four responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey, 27 responses to the staff survey and 53 responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also considered leaders’ analysis of responses to a pupil survey undertaken by the school.

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Inspection team

Ian Rawstorne, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jonathan Newby Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 September 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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