Cheadle Catholic Infant School

Inspection of Cheadle Catholic Infant School Conway Road, Cheadle Hulme, Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 6DB

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 14 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 6 and 7 December 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, said that they feel happy and safe at Cheadle Catholic Infant School. They arrive each day excited to begin their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for what all pupils can achieve. Pupils grow in resilience and confidence with the care and nurturing support that staff provide. Staff help pupils to learn from their mistakes and to develop a ‘can-do’ attitude.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils look after each other and are keen to make sure that everyone has a friend at playtimes. Those pupils who act as ‘bully busters’ look out for any rare signs of bullying. They are eager to provide help and support to their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Starting in the early years, children respond positively to the expectations that staff have for their behaviour and attitudes to learning. For example, children in the Nursery Year learn to listen to each other and take turns. In key stage 1, pupils also behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a well-thought-out offer to enhance their personal development. For example, the ‘time-to-shine’ curriculum expands the range of opportunities that pupils have to help and make a difference to others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many parents and carers shared their immense pride with inspectors at how well their children are learning. Pupils are equally proud to attend this school.

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better?

Pupils follow an ambitious curriculum. The school has given careful consideration to the most important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember. In most subjects, the curriculum design helps pupils to build securely on what they already know. Teachers have the subject expertise that they need to design learning that enables pupils to acquire new knowledge. The curriculum sparks pupils’ curiosity to learn well.

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better?

Pupils have many opportunities to revisit previous learning. This helps them to consolidate and deepen their understanding of key ideas. The school makes regular checks on what pupils know and remember. However, from time to time, staff do not identify pupils’ misconceptions quickly enough. Where this is the case, some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge. This prevents these pupils from learning as deeply as they could.

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better?

The school has effective systems in place to identify the additional needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly and accurately. The school ensures that staff understand the barriers to learning for pupils with SEND. Staff provide support for pupils with SEND to enable them to learn successfully. The school makes regular checks to ensure that the support for these pupils remains appropriate. 6 and 7 December 2023

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Reading lies at the heart of the school’s curriculum. As soon as children join the school in the Nursery Year, they are immersed in stories, songs and rhymes. Children in the Reception Year quickly learn to recognise the sounds that letters make. They use their phonics knowledge to write with increasing accuracy.

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Staff have an expert knowledge of how to deliver the phonics programme. Staff make sure that pupils read books that contain the sounds they know. This helps pupils to read with increasing accuracy and fluency. The school quickly identifies those pupils who fall behind with the pace of the phonics programme. These pupils receive the support they need to catch up quickly.

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Parents said that they appreciate the clear information they receive about the school’s approach to teaching reading. This helps parents to encourage their children to read more regularly at home. Added to this, the school provides reading areas to encourage pupils to want to read for pleasure. These reading areas reflect pupils’ favourite authors and interests. Pupils are exposed to a range of authors and genres.

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Pupils’ learning is rarely disrupted by poor behaviour. Respectful attitudes feature throughout the school. For example, pupils listen and consider the views and opinions of others, even when they differ from their own. Pupils understand that everyone should be treated fairly.

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The school celebrates the differences and diversity within the community. It provides a range of opportunities within the curriculum for pupils to learn about how different people live. That said, some pupils do not have sufficient understanding of some religions, faiths and cultures different to their own. As a result, pupils are not fully prepared to be active participants in multicultural Britain.

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The school provides staff with the support they need to embed new ideas. Staff appreciate the sensitivity that the school shows for their well-being.

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Governors have a secure understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They ask the right questions to check that the school’s actions have the desired impact on the quality of education that pupils receive. This includes checking on the culture of safeguarding and how pupils are protected from harm.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, staff do not identify pupils’ misconceptions quickly enough. Consequently, some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge, and this prevents them from learning to the depth that they could. The school should ensure that 6 and 7 December 2023

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staff use the information they gain from assessments to adapt future learning and to remedy the gaps in pupils’ knowledge.  Some pupils do not have a sufficient understanding of some religions, faiths and cultures that may differ to their own. As a result, pupils are not as prepared as they could be to take their place in a modern and diverse society. The school should ensure that the curriculum enables pupils to build a secure and age- appropriate understanding of how different people live in modern Britain.

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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' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 6 and 7 December 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Anne-Marie Nugnes

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School details

Website www.cheadle-inf.stockport.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 May 2009 under Section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school runs a before- and after-school club.  This is a Roman Catholic school and is part of the Diocese of Shrewsbury. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character took place in November 2014. Its next section 48 inspection is due before 2025.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 6 and 7 December 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and history. 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 the school about the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors heard some pupils read to a trusted adult.  Inspectors spoke with school leaders, subject leaders, pupils and parents.  An inspector met with members of the local governing board, including the chair of governors. They also met with a representative of the diocese.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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 Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text responses. Inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Jane Dennis, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Zarina Connolly Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 December 2023

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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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