Cardinham School

Inspection of a good school: Cardinham School Cardinham, Bodmin, Cornwall PL30 4BN

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Outcome

Cardinham School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy, friendly and welcoming. They are proud to attend Cardinham School and greet friends, staff and visitors with a smile. Leaders have high expectations of all pupils. They create a nurturing ethos, where behaviour expectations are clearly understood. Pupils, therefore, have positive attitudes to learning and enjoy learning new things. Pupils value the rewards they receive, particularly the recognition board and having lunch with the headteacher. They say that everyone behaves well. There is no disruption to learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have strengthened pupils’ understanding of bullying. They are clear on the different types of bullying. Most pupils say that bullying does not happen. The small minority of pupils who say bullying can happen know that staff will sort out problems quickly. This helps them to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils frequently attend the wide range of extra-curricular clubs that are on offer. They also enjoy performing in front of others, most recently through their school play ‘Holes’. Some opportunities for pupils to have responsibilities and make decisions have been hampered by COVID-19. Leaders are working to reinstate these. Pupils know the importance of helping others beyond their school community and are very keen to further their work with different charities.

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

Leaders have identified accurately the school’s strengths and areas to improve further. Trust leaders and governors are clear on their statutory responsibilities and make regular checks on school improvement. Leaders consider staff workload and well-being thoughtfully and have made positive changes to reduce unnecessary burdens on staff.

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

Leaders want pupils to ‘grow your mind, aim high’. They have developed a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum in all subjects. Staff are fully involved in this curriculum development, which is tailored to reflect the local community. 21 September 2022

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In many subjects, the curriculum is new. Leaders have developed clear expectations for the teaching of these subjects. Where teaching is strong, pupils make links between elements of their learning. For example, in geography pupils use what they already know about the water cycle to explain the climate of a rainforest. Teachers use assessment to identify accurately what pupils remember. This means that misconceptions can be identified and remedied swiftly. Despite this, in some subjects, teaching is not yet consistently effective in supporting pupils to learn as much as they could. Leaders are working with staff to embed expectations and practices fully.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities learn successfully alongside their peers. Staff have been well supported to plan and adapt learning for these pupils. This ensures that pupils develop confidence and a positive attitude to learning.

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Leaders have placed reading at the heart of the curriculum. Pupils learn to read as soon as they start school. They follow an ambitious, systematic phonics curriculum. Staff regularly check what pupils know and remember. This helps them to provide additional support for pupils to catch up and become fluent readers.

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Pupils have very positive attitudes towards reading and read regularly. They visit the library frequently and talk excitedly about books they select to read for pleasure. As a result, pupils know a wide range of authors and have many books they say they enjoy. They are beginning to use what they learn from other subjects to understand characters and settings in books. For example, older pupils talk knowledgeably about how the climate in Texas led characters to act in certain ways.

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Leaders have planned a well-sequenced curriculum for children in the early years. They identify key knowledge and skills to prepare them for their next stage of education. Children are happy to learn alongside adults. They demonstrate positive behaviours when engaging with their peers. Staff ensure that conversations with children support them to use more ambitious vocabulary. However, routines and opportunities for independent learning are not yet well established. Children do not always know how to engage with the activities provided. This means that they can be too reliant on adults when learning.

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Pupils remember what they have learned about religious beliefs and cultures. One pupil, whose view was reflective of many, said: ‘By learning about other cultures, we can respect other people.’ Leaders, through the curriculum and assemblies, ensure that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They have identified appropriate high-quality texts to teach pupils about difference and diversity. Pupils are tolerant of others. They understand what democracy is and why it is important. For example, many pupils understand the British parliamentary system.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have developed a shared culture where staff understand that ‘it could happen here’. Policies and expectations are clearly understood. Staff report concerns, no matter 21 September 2022

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how small. Leaders follow up on concerns swiftly and work with external agencies. Therefore, pupils and families get the help that they need.

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Pupils report any concerns to trusted adults in classroom ‘worry monsters’ or ‘I wish my teacher knew’ boxes. They learn how to keep themselves safe, including personal safety and being safe online.

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Leaders have strengthened procedures for when they appoint new members of staff. They complete the appropriate checks.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in the early years is not implemented consistently. This means that sometimes children do not have the opportunities to practise independently what they have learned well enough. Leaders should ensure that provision in the early years enables children to develop greater independence, building on what they know and can do.  The intended curriculum is ambitious but new. Some teaching is not yet consistently effective in supporting pupils to learn as much as they could. Leaders should ensure that pedagogy is securely understood and embedded to deliver the ambitious curriculum as intended.

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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 an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Cardinham School, to be good in July 2015.

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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. 21 September 2022

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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. 21 September 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Truro and Penwith Academy Trust.  This is a smaller-than-average primary school. Two teachers are new to the school, joining in September 2022.  The headteacher was appointed in October 2021.  There is a nursery for three- and four-year-old children.  There is a breakfast club and after-school club provision for children aged three and above.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, who is also the special educational needs coordinator, and with the early years coordinator. The lead inspector also met with the 21 September 2022

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chief executive officer, the chair of trustees, the director of education, the two co-chairs of the local governing board and one additional governor.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, science and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum 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 to leaders about the curriculum for early mathematics.  The lead inspector spoke with the designated safeguarding leader to discuss the school’s procedures for keeping pupils safe. She considered the school’s recruitment procedures, staff induction and training, records of concern and engagement with external agencies. The inspectors spoke with staff and pupils throughout the inspection.  The lead inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View,

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including the free-text responses. She also took into consideration responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Donna Briggs, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rob Meech Ofsted Inspector 21 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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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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