Cansfield High School

Inspection of Cansfield High School Old Road, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, Lancashire WN4 9TP

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 12 and 13 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are proud to attend this school. The appreciate the caring and nurturing atmosphere. Staff know the pupils very well. This helps staff to provide the right level of support to pupils, including to those who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well. They have positive attitudes towards learning and to each other. Pupils enjoy making friends and they are respectful of their peers. They enthusiastically use their ‘pal’ leadership roles to help younger pupils to settle into school and make friends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement, including for those who attend the specially resourced provision. The improvements made to the design and delivery of curriculum means that most pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the wide range of worthwhile educational experiences that are on offer. For instance, older pupils enjoy choreographing dances for the younger pupils to learn at dance club. Furthermore, pupils enjoy building their resilience through outdoor adventure activities and developing their linguistic skills through international trips. These opportunities enrich pupils’ learning and nurture their personal development.

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better?

The school has improved the curriculum to ensure that it is broad and ambitious. In most subjects, the curriculum is well thought out. The key knowledge that pupils need to learn is clearly identified. Learning also builds in a logical order over time. This helps pupils to progress well through most subject curriculums so that they achieve well.

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better?

Most teachers use their strong subject knowledge to design effective learning activities. They usually identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge quickly. This helps most pupils to remember and apply what they have been taught successfully over time. However, from time to time, teachers’ choice of learning activities do not allow pupils to access the subject content of the curriculum in sufficient depth. This hampers how well some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, achieve.

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better?

Well-trained staff expertly identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Mostly, teachers are equipped well with information and strategies to adapt their delivery of the curriculum for these pupils, and those with attend the specially resourced provision. This means that most pupils with SEND get the help that they need to access the curriculum well.

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better?

The school has secure processes in place to identify the gaps in pupils’ reading knowledge. These pupils receive effective support to help them to read fluently. 12 and 13 June 2024

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Reading is promoted well. Through the ‘global citizen’ lessons, pupils are encouraged to read for pleasure. In addition, the pupil librarians encourage and motivate younger pupils to read widely and often.

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Pupils understand the school routines. They behave well. This means that learning is rarely disrupted. Pupils who find managing their behaviour difficult receive suitable support. This helps them to regulate their behaviour. As a result, there is a calm and purposeful atmosphere around school. The school has a thorough approach to monitoring and implementing strategies to reduce absence rates. Most pupils attend school regularly.

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The school has a well-considered programme to promote pupils’ personal development. Pupils develop a mature understanding of how to keep themselves safe from risks, such as knife crime and unhealthy relationships. However, this programme provides limited opportunities for pupils to celebrate different cultures and faiths. This means that some pupils are not prepared for life in modern Britain as well as they could be.

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Pupils enjoy taking on a range of responsibilities as part of the school’s ‘student parliament’. For instance, they take pride in advocating for their peers to improve their school experiences. Pupils have regular opportunities, such as a ‘careers fair’, that expose them to a wide range of education, employment and training organisations. As a result, pupils, including those with SEND and those who attend the specially resourced provision, are well-informed about their next steps in education.

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Governors know and fulfil their statutory duties well. They provide appropriate support and challenge to the school around its improvement work. Particular attention is given to staff’s workload and well-being. As such, the school makes sure that change is managed carefully. Staff feel valued. This helps them to contribute positively to the school community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, teachers choose learning activities that do not allow pupils to cover subject content in sufficient depth. This means that some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, do not learn as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers improve how they design learning so that pupils can achieve as well as they should.  The opportunities for pupils to learn about and celebrate different cultures and faiths is limited. This means that some pupils’ understanding of life in modern 12 and 13 June 2024

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Britain is not as secure as it could be. The school should improve how pupils learn about different cultures so that they have a deeper understanding of the differences between people in society.

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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). 12 and 13 June 2024

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School details

Number of pupils on the school roll 1039

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 23 and 24 January 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher was appointed in June 2023. She was previously the deputy headteacher at the school.  There have been some changes to the staffing and leadership of the school since the previous inspection. This includes, the appointment of a deputy headteacher and three assistant headteachers.  The school uses one registered and three unregistered alternative providers for a small number of pupils.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. This provision caters for nine pupils with autism.  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. 12 and 13 June 2024

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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 that 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 held meetings with the headteacher and other school leaders. Inspectors also met with a range of other staff.  Inspectors spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. They also spoke with representatives of the local authority and alternative providers.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour across the school, including at social times.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, science, English, art and design, geography and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders and teachers, visited a

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Information about this inspection

sample of lessons, reviewed samples of pupils’ work and spoke with some pupils.  Inspectors met with leaders to review other areas of the curriculum.  Inspectors spoke with the leaders responsible for pupils’ personal development, behaviour and attendance, early careers teachers, alternative provision, careers, the specially resourced provision and reading.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and records relating to pupils’ attendance and behaviour.  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.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online

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Information about this inspection

surveys for staff and for pupils. 12 and 13 June 2024

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Inspection team

Amina Modan, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Charlotte Oles His Majesty's Inspector 12 and 13 June 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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