Canterbury Campus and Lavender Campus

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Canterbury Campus and Lavender Campus Canterbury Road, Morden, Surrey SM4 6PT

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 December 2024

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Outcome

Canterbury Campus and Lavender Campus has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils mostly attend this school for a short period of time. All staff know the importance of quickly building strong and positive working relationships with the pupils that attend here. They act on this effectively and have high aspirations. Pupils feel safe and trust that the staff team can help them. Pupils are supported to understand their emotions. They are taught strategies to manage and reflect on their behaviour for themselves. As a result, behaviour is mostly calm and orderly. Many pupils successfully reintegrate back to their mainstream schools or into new settings. Pupils are provided with a range of opportunities and experiences to prepare them for adulthood. This includes workshops on how to stay safe in the community and the dangers of substance misuse. They visit universities and have work experience opportunities at local farms. As a result, pupils are prepared for their futures. The school provides opportunities for pupils to experience things beyond the classroom.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils visit the theatre to bring to life learning from English lessons, or take part in social activities such as ice skating. They can become members of the school council and learn about life in modern Britain. These opportunities further develop pupils’ confidence, social skills and interests.

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

The school thoughtfully balances pupils’ academic learning with essential emotional and social development. There is an ambitious curriculum which is designed to ready pupils for their next steps in education or towards employment. 10 and 11 December 2024

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Subject curriculums are ordered in a logical sequence. They build knowledge progressively. Teachers deliver subject content in order. This helps pupils to learn new knowledge and skills because they have a secure foundational understanding. Lessons are structured so that pupils can rehearse what they know and can do. Many teachers check understanding regularly. They mostly address errors and misconceptions well, as they have strong subject knowledge. However, on occasions, these practices are not applied routinely in all lessons. This means that sometimes pupils’ misconceptions or gaps are not addressed, or feedback given to pupils does not precisely identify how they can improve.

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When pupils join the school, staff check pupils’ reading age and comprehension skills. Staff provide additional support to pupils who struggle with reading. However, there are a very small number of pupils who have significant gaps in their phonics knowledge. The additional support for these pupils is at the very early stages of implementation and is not finely tuned to their individual needs. This means that those few pupils do not receive the precise help they need to gain fluency and catch up quickly.

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The school makes sure that the needs of all pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified. When the need arises, leaders address any concerns swiftly. They work together with outside professionals to ensure appropriate provisions are in place. Leaders create pupils’ personal learning plans to ensure the right support is available.

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The school works alongside local providers to enhance the pupils’ curriculum offer with a range of vocational learning. This includes construction, motor mechanics and health and beauty. The school supports pupils to leave with the qualifications and experiences they need for their futures.

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The school utilises expertise from across the schools in the partnership. They receive training from school experts and multi-agency professionals. This training provides staff with the knowledge and skills needed to support pupils’ behaviour and well-being needs. As a result, staff feel well equipped to fulfil their roles. Consequently, pupils’ behaviour and engagement in learning improve over time.

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Many pupils have missed significant amounts of schooling prior to joining the school. The school works with pupils, parents and carers and other professionals to understand the challenges that may affect pupils attending school regularly. They identify solutions and put in place intensive support to increase attendance. Leaders, including governors, scrutinise attendance information. This enables them to act swiftly should pupils’ attendance begin to decline. As a result, for many pupils, attendance rates do improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 10 and 11 December 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, pupils’ understanding and recall is not checked routinely in all subjects. As a result, sometimes, pupils are not helped to build on what they already know, or gaps or misconceptions are not identified. The school should ensure that all teachers routinely check what pupils know and remember to identify and address any gaps or misconceptions.  A small number of pupils join the school with significant weaknesses in reading and gaps in their phonics knowledge. The specific support to help them develop into fluent and confident readers is at the very early stages of implementation. The school should ensure that staff have the training they need to help weaker readers to catch up quickly and develop fluency in reading.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 third ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in December 2012.

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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. 10 and 11 December 2024

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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). 10 and 11 December 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Carla Chandler (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 June 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Melbury College partnership.  The school operates across three campuses: Canterbury Campus, Canterbury Road, Morden, Surrey, SM4 6PT; Lavender Campus, Tamworth Farm Recreation Grounds, London Road, Mitcham, Surrey, CR4 3LB; and The Smart Choice is situated at St. Marks Academy, Mitcham, Surrey, CR4 1SF.  The school makes use of one alternative provision, Road 2 Success.  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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 10 and 11 December 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 the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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.  Inspectors met with the chair of the governing body and other members of the governing body.  Inspectors met with representatives from the local authority.  They also considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent

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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

Sarah Saunders His Majesty’s Inspector 10 and 11 December 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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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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