Cardwell Primary School

Inspection of Cardwell Primary School 118 Frances Street, Woolwich, London SE18 5LP

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 November 2024

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding 26 and 27 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where staff have high aspirations for pupils. High standards are set, not just for academic success, but for personal achievements also. As a result, pupils achieve highly, despite some challenging contextual issues. They leave the school well prepared for their secondary education. Pupils learn the school’s routines quickly. They take responsibility for their actions. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary in the classroom and around the school building. This helps pupils to feel safe and protected.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and their families benefit from all that the school has to offer, such as the work the school does to guide parents and carers to support their children’s learning at home.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides opportunities and experiences that nurture pupils’ understanding of what it means to be a responsible citizen. Pupils take on responsibilities with pride, such as becoming members of the pupil parliament or neurodiversity ambassadors. They fundraise for charity and make positive contributions to their community, for example by hosting food and clothing banks and visiting care homes to provide gifts, or to read to residents. Pupils are humble, kind and highly respectful of different cultures, faiths and backgrounds.

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

The school has designed a curriculum, including for children in the early years, that is ambitious and relevant for its pupils. The school has given thoughtful consideration to ensure there are rich and diverse topics and core texts that enable pupils to feel represented. Curriculum thinking systematically sets out the key knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils need to know. This is carefully mapped out, so pupils’ knowledge and skills build in a logical order over time.

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

Teachers in the early years and throughout the school have strong subject knowledge. They receive regular training from curriculum experts, including from the wider federation. This enables them to deliver information clearly and correct pupils’ misconceptions when they arise. Teachers regularly and precisely check what pupils know and remember. They do not move pupils on to more complex work until they have a secure understanding. This enables pupils to build a deep and broad subject knowledge base across the curriculum. Pupils have regular opportunities to practise, rehearse and revisit their learning. This supports them to recall prior knowledge securely. The approach to teaching is well embedded across the school. Children in the early years learn the routines for learning quickly. Learning in classrooms proceeds uninterrupted because pupils know and respect the school rules and expectations.

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

The school prioritises reading. There is a systematic approach to teaching reading. Staff have the expertise to deliver the school’s ambitious phonics and early reading curriculum effectively. A lower proportion of pupils met the expected standard in the phonics screening check than the school expected in 2024. However, it has taken intelligent action to mitigate and address this. The school has highly effective processes to identify and 26 and 27 November 2024

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address gaps in pupils’ reading knowledge. This is enabling pupils to catch up and keep up.

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The school works with a range of professionals who contribute to the curriculum and wider academic and creative experiences for all pupils. The school’s positive and respectful culture of learning filters down from leaders, including the governing body, to staff and to the pupils. The whole school community understands and values learning. The school works in partnership with other professionals to assess and understand the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This enables leaders to identify and put in place appropriate support. The school reviews this support regularly and makes adaptations where needed. Pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers or an appropriate curriculum for their needs.

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The school provides a range of experiences to develop pupils’ confidence and resilience. This includes encouraging pupils to be ambitious for themselves through a carefully considered personal development offer. Pupils explore future careers. They hear from past pupils, visit places of work in the city and meet with professionals in their local community, such as doctors and business owners. Pupils attend workshops on the dangers of joining gangs and are taught to keep themselves safe in the community. The school provides a wide choice of clubs that develop pupils’ interests and nurture their talents, including ballet, taekwondo and coding. These clubs are well attended by pupils, including those pupils with SEND.

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The school ensures that all parents are aware that regular attendance impacts positively on their children’s academic and personal achievement. Consequently, most children in the early years and older pupils attend school regularly. When pupils’ attendance rates fall, the school gets to understand the reasons why and successfully intervenes and puts support in place to help improve pupils’ attendance at school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 26 and 27 November 2024

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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). 26 and 27 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body John Frankis and Carol Smith (Co-Chairs)

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School details

Headteacher Lisa Lazell (Executive Headteacher) Rob Dunbabin (Head of School) Website www.cardwellschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 June 2014, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is part of the Ambition Federation, which was formed in October 2023.  The executive headteacher leads all three schools in the federation.  The school operates and manages a breakfast club.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 26 and 27 November 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading and writing, mathematics, science and history. To do this, they met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, had discussions with staff and pupils, visited lessons, listened to pupils read and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects as part of this inspection.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, teachers and the wider school team.

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 Inspectors met with the chair of the governing body and other members of the governing body.  Inspectors met with representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for parents, Ofsted Parent View, and the online staff survey. They spoke with pupils to gain their views on the school.

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Inspection team

Kieran Bird, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicky Osborne Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 November 2024

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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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