Cranbrook Education Campus

Inspection of Cranbrook Education Campus Tillhouse Road, Cranbrook, Exeter, Devon EX5 7EE

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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 Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Stephen Farmer. This school is part of the Ted Wragg Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Moira Marder, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Andrew Mulcock. 21 and 22 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe. They know the school’s ‘PERKS of being Crantastic’ values well, which include being kind and safe. Most pupils uphold these values and live up to the school’s high expectations of their behaviour. As a result, the school has a positive atmosphere and learning is rarely disturbed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a strong voice in the school. Through the pupil parliament, for example, they represent each other’s views and make positive contributions to the school community. Recently appointed anti-bullying ambassadors help to promote the school’s culture of respecting and celebrating difference.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of clubs and activities. For instance, primary-age pupils participate in the ‘mini-Dukes’ programme, which helps to prepare them for secondary school events such as the Exe Valley and Jurassic Coast challenges. Pupils have opportunities in sports, such as the girls ‘lionesses’ football team, and in music, such as taking part in the ‘Crastonbury’ choir event.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school works relentlessly to remove barriers to pupils’ participation and success. It maintains an oversight of the uptake of extra-curricular activities to ensure that all pupils have the chance to join in. The school is proactive in welcoming pupils to the school from families seeking asylum. These actions exemplify the school’s vision to extend opportunity to its community.

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better?

Pupils learn an ambitious curriculum. In the secondary phase, a high proportion of pupils follow the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects at GCSE. The school keeps the curriculum under close review, such as making changes to the qualifications on offer as the school grows. Teachers use assessment well to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge and make necessary adaptations to the curriculum.

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better?

The school has sequenced the order in which pupils learn the curriculum effectively. Careful thought is given to what children learn in Reception Year and how this prepares them for Year 1 and beyond. In the Nursery and pre-school, there is strong focus on the development of children’s language and communication skills. This helps children to build their vocabulary and social skills. This continues as they get older.

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better?

In most subjects, pupils deepen their knowledge and skills over time. For example, in modern foreign languages, pupils learn how to write in French or Spanish in increasing detail. Where the curriculum is strongest, teachers have expert subject knowledge. They present new information clearly and check pupils’ understanding of this. Consequently, pupils learn the intended knowledge and skills.

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better?

In some subjects, however, pupils do not build their knowledge and understanding as well. For instance, pupils in the primary phase recall number facts but do not 21 and 22 May 2024

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always apply them effectively to solve mathematical problems. This is because teachers in the primary phase do not have sufficient subject knowledge to implement some subject curriculums effectively.

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The school successfully promotes the importance of reading. Older pupils read the school’s ‘literary canon’. This is designed carefully to contribute to pupils’ wider knowledge such as about diversity. In the Nursery and pre-school, children get to know familiar stories and rhymes. This lays the foundations for developing a love of reading and becoming familiar with phonic sounds.

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In the Reception Year, children begin by reading books that are matched closely to their phonics knowledge. Those who need it receive extra support to build their reading accuracy and fluency, including in the secondary phase. The school has recently strengthened its early reading programme. This means the published outcomes do not reflect the current quality of education provided.

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The school is ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils’ needs are accurately identified and assessed, meaning suitable adaptations are made. This helps pupils to learn the curriculum and build their independence.

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Most pupils attend school regularly. The school successfully helps to reduce the absence of pupils who attend less well. Most pupils treat others courteously. However, a small number of pupils do not live up to the school’s expectations to be respectful and kind. The school does not tolerate such behaviour, but some pupils lack confidence in the school’s actions to tackle inappropriate language.

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The school provides an intelligently designed curriculum for pupils’ personal development. The programme covers an appropriate range of topics such as online safety, mental health and relationships. Pupils in the secondary phase benefit from an effective careers education programme. They have meaningful encounters with employers and receive impartial advice about next steps in their education.

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The school ensures that pupils routinely reflect on fundamental British values such as the rule of law. However, pupils often lack confidence to share their views. Across the curriculum, there are limited opportunities for pupils to discuss and debate ideas. This hinders pupils’ ability to demonstrate their learning with confidence.

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Trustees and local governors perform their roles effectively. They hold leaders to account to make improvements to the quality of education. Leaders carefully manage staff workload and ensure that those newest to teaching are well supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 21 and 22 May 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some teachers in the primary phase do not have the subject expertise required to implement the curriculum successfully. As a result, teaching does not always deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding sufficiently. The trust and school should ensure that all teachers have the subject knowledge they need to teach the curriculum well.  Pupils have limited opportunities to discuss subject content. Where this is the case, they do not consolidate their learning. The trust and school should ensure that pupils have opportunities to discuss subject content and debate issues and ideas in a considered way.

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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). 21 and 22 May 2024

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School details

Website www.cranbrookeducationcampus.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 9 and 10 May 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school has grown significantly in size since the previous inspection. It has opened more year groups so now pupils aged from two to 16 attend the school.  The school has a Nursery that accepts two-year-olds.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school uses two registered alternative provisions and eight unregistered alternative provisions.

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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 21 and 22 May 2024

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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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, modern foreign languages and science. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum planning, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors met with senior leaders to discuss other aspects of the curriculum.  Inspectors held a series of meetings with senior leaders, trust leaders, members of the local governing body and members of the board of trustees.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single

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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.  Inspectors considered the responses to the survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the responses to the online surveys for pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

James Oldham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lydia Pride His Majesty’s Inspector 21 and 22 May 2024

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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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