Cayley Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Cayley Primary School Aston Street, Stepney, London E14 7NG

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Inspection dates: 9 and 10 November 2022

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Outcome

Cayley Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff want what is best for pupils at this school. Everyone embraces and understands the school values. This forms a strong basis to support pupils’ awareness and understanding of the wider world.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and teachers know pupils well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Relationships between pupils and staff are professional, respectful and warm. Leaders welcome pupils at the school gate each morning. This sets the tone for the day and reflects the strong emphasis that school staff place on nurturing pupils’ well-being. Pupils are kept safe and feel safe because staff know them so well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults have high expectations for pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils rise to these expectations. They want to be successful. Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning. They work hard and behave well in class and around the school. Pupils said that bullying happens infrequently and that they can talk to any adult if they are worried about something. They know that adults will sort things out if problems arise.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make a positive contribution to school life through taking on various leadership roles. For example, some enjoying being eco-warriors or a member of the pupil parliament.

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

Leaders have designed a well-thought-out, ambitious curriculum that carefully sets out the knowledge and skills that they want pupils to learn. The curriculum is sequenced so that pupils build on what they have learned before. However, in a small number of subjects, leaders are fine tuning this. For example, in music, leaders are still working out the order in which subject content should be taught and recapped.

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

Subject leaders know their subjects well. They provide teachers with expert training. This ensures that teachers select activities that help pupils to progress through the planned 9 and 10 November 2022

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curriculum. Teachers check regularly what pupils know and can do. They ensure that pupils revisit past work to help with new learning. Pupils demonstrate that they have a secure knowledge of topics they have previously learned. In mathematics, for example, Year 6 pupils recall, with accuracy, the value of each digit to three decimal places. They use what they know to tackle mathematical problems.

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Teachers regularly review and adapt the provision for pupils with SEND. They focus on making sure that pupils access the same curriculum as their peers, and subsequently achieve their best.

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Leaders prioritise reading. They make sure that all staff are well trained. As a result, phonics is taught well. Children in the early years follow the phonics programme as soon as they start school. Most pupils build a strong understanding of phonics and quickly learn how to read well. Pupils are given frequent opportunities to practise reading, and they listen to stories read by staff each day. Leaders have ensured that pupils who are at risk of falling behind receive extra practice with reading in school. This builds their vocabulary and fluency while broadening their exposure to a range of authors. Although most pupils quickly learn to read, a few still struggle. On occasion, the books that these pupils practise reading with are not matched sharply to the sounds that they are learning.

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Teachers present information clearly and have good subject knowledge. They encourage pupils to use subject terminology accurately. In mathematics, for example, teachers make sure that pupils use the correct terminology when talking about their learning and their reasoning. Children in the early years are enthusiastic about their learning. Staff teach children songs and rhymes to help them learn important knowledge such as mathematics facts. Leaders have carefully considered how the environment can support children’s development in each curriculum area. This helps to make sure that children are well prepared for Year 1.

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Pupils are rarely distracted in lessons. They have positive attitudes to learning. Leaders provide for pupils’ wider development well. Pupils are taught to care for the environment and for each other. They learn about understanding difference and celebrate diversity. Pupils are encouraged to become aware of themselves as members of a local community and the wider world. The trips that pupils go on are planned carefully with the aim of helping them to remember what they have studied in class. Pupils have many opportunities to participate in different clubs and activities, such as mindfulness, drama club and choir.

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Leaders give staff well-being careful consideration. They make sure that expectations for planning and assessment are manageable. Staff feel valued and work together so pupils learn well. New senior leadership has dealt with recent instability in staffing effectively, including inducting and supporting new staff.

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Members of the governing body hold leaders to account, while also being supportive. They have a good oversight of the strengths and next steps for the school. 9 and 10 November 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff understand their responsibility to safeguard pupils. This includes having robust checks in place to ensure that all adults are safe to work with children.

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Safeguarding

Well-established systems are in place to make sure that all staff know how to keep pupils safe. Adults are well trained, enabling them to identify and support pupils who are at risk of harm. Staff swiftly report concerns which are carefully recorded and followed through by leaders.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum supports pupils’ understanding of risk, including how to stay safe online and in the community. Pupils feel safe. They know the steps to take if they have a concern.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have recently revised their curriculum in some subjects with the aim of ensuring that pupils build knowledge sequentially. Not all of these plans have been implemented fully. This affects how well some pupils learn the intended curriculum in some subjects. Leaders should continue their work to ensure that the well-sequenced curriculum is implemented in all subject areas. They should monitor closely the success of these plans by checking what pupils know and remember.  In a few instances, reading books are not as precisely matched as they could be to pupils’ stage of phonics learning. When this happens, it means that the regular reading practice is not as helpful in strengthening fluency. Leaders should continue with their efforts to ensure that all reading books align precisely with pupils’ needs.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2012. 9 and 10 November 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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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. 9 and 10 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10240290 Type of school Primary

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 500 Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Christopher Worthington (co-chair) Marcia Cameron (co-chair) Headteacher Graham Clifford

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 March 2017 under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 Cayley Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The headteacher took up post in September 2021.  Since the last inspection, there have been several changes to the governing body.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision for pupils.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, other leaders and staff at the school. He met with seven members of the governing body, including the co-chairs. The inspector also met with a representative of the local authority. 9 and 10 November 2022

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, music and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils about their learning. He also looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult. Other subjects were considered as part of this inspection.  The inspector considered a range of information and documentation provided by the school, including the school self-evaluation documents, plans for improvement and governor minutes. He also looked at information available on the school’s website.  The inspector met with groups of pupils to talk about their work, behaviour and experiences of school. He also observed pupils’ behaviour at break and lunchtimes.  The inspector spoke to parents and carers, and considered the 31 responses to

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Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed a variety of documentation. He also considered the views of leaders, parents, staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Chris Birtles, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 November 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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