Chesterton Community College

Inspection of Chesterton Community College Gilbert Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB4 3NY

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Sixth-form provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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The executive headteacher of this school is Rolf Purvis. This school is part of Eastern Learning Alliance, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Lucy Scott, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jim Warwick.

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since July 2017. 25 and 26 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this warm and inclusive school. They are happy and safe in a school where they are known as individuals. Staff take time to find out about pupils’ interests and their successes out of school. This helps create a sense of community, where pupils feel they belong. Consequently, pupils enjoy attending school and do so regularly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is impeccable because they share a belief that only the highest standards of conduct are acceptable. Together, staff and pupils foster a climate of respect and positivity. Everyone is welcomed, included and valued.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has an extremely high level of ambition for all pupils. This is matched in equal measure by pupils’ own determination to succeed. Pupils work hard. Pupils achieve exceptionally well, as reflected in published outcomes. Many sixth-form students secure offers from and places at some of the country’s most prestigious universities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ academic learning is enriched by a myriad of opportunities to embrace new interests. Regular productions, concerts and public performances showcase pupils’ artistic and musical talent. Pupils proudly represent the school in sporting competitions. Many pupils enjoy life-defining experiences, such as visits to Kenya or the battlefields of Europe or completing their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

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

The school aspires to provide pupils with a ‘world class’ educational experience. To achieve this, it has developed a highly ambitious curriculum. Pupils learn the knowledge they need to become the subject experts of the future. The curriculum routinely goes beyond the depth of the national curriculum.

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

Pupils are thirsty for knowledge. They are excited to learn more because of their teachers’ infectious enthusiasm for the subjects they teach. Teachers skilfully help pupils apply what they already know to help them learn new, increasingly complex ideas. New knowledge is broken into small pieces. Teachers explain these in a way that pupils easily understand. Teachers guide and prompt pupils to draw these small pieces together. Pupils also learn vital learning skills to help them secure and use new information. This helps them produce written work of an exceptional standard. Pupils confidently use technical and subject-specific language with accuracy. Pupils become proficient problem solvers. They apply knowledge with ease in different contexts. Pupils clearly articulate the deep understanding of the topics they have learned.

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

Teachers are highly proficient at adapting their approaches. This supports pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), access the curriculum as intended. Teachers have a detailed knowledge of individual pupils. They know pupils’ interests and their potential barriers to learning. Teachers use this information to amend how they teach. Staff carefully check what pupils know. They identify how well pupils have understood what they have been taught. Teachers fix any misconceptions or 25 and 26 February 2025

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misunderstandings immediately. Consequently, pupils, including those with SEND, learn extremely well.

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The school has ensured that reading is at the core if its curriculum. Pupils who find reading difficult are quickly identified. Experts in reading design individual programmes to help these pupils. Pupils are supported by an enthusiastic team of volunteers, including sixth-form students. They rapidly catch up and become confident, fluent readers.

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The school has extended its ambitious curriculum to provide for students in its recently opened sixth form. Students benefit from being able to choose from a broad offer of subjects. The school has invested in enhancing teachers’ knowledge and expertise in order to teach these new courses. Consequently, students benefit from exceptional teaching. Students develop a rich insight of the complex and often abstract topics they learn. Students, including those with SEND, achieve highly.

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Pupils have a strong desire to learn. They enjoy a school culture that respects this right to learn. They share an understanding of what excellent conduct looks like. Older pupils mentor younger pupils to help them meet these standards. This means that learning is rarely disrupted. Pupils celebrate the diversity of their school community. They are proud of and celebrate the differences that unite them.

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The school’s personal development provision is exceptional. Pupils are well prepared to become positive members of modern society. They routinely demonstrate important values like tolerance. They respect that others may have views different to their own, and why this is important in a democratic society. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They know the importance of maintaining healthy minds, bodies and relationships. The careers programme interweaves through all aspects of the school’s curriculum. Access to relevant and detailed information helps pupils make well-informed choices for their future.

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Governors and trustees play a key role. They have a deep understanding of and pride in the school’s strengths but remain determined not to let things stand still. They robustly hold leaders to account for the impact of their actions. Staff are proud to work at the school. They are highly valued and respected by the school and the trust.

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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. 25 and 26 February 2025

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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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,128

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form

Headteacher Rolf Purvis (Executive Headteacher) Lucy Scott (CEO) Website www.ccc.tela.org.uk

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form

Dates of previous inspection 6 and 7 July 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act, 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Eastern Learning Alliance.  The school has co-headteachers, the executive headteacher and the trust CEO. The executive headteacher took up his position in September 2021.  The school’s sixth-form provision opened in September 2022.  The school uses two registered and two unregistered providers of alternative provision.  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. 25 and 26 February 2025

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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.  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 held meetings with leaders, including the executive headteacher, deputy headteachers and the special educational needs coordinator. The lead inspector also met with the chairs of the local governing committee, the trust board and the CEO of the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, science, geography, drama and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to staff, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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Information about this inspection

 To further inspect the curriculum, inspectors looked at examples of pupils’ work in history, art and design, and politics, and reviewed documentation setting out support for pupils with SEND.  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 considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments submitted. There were no responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for pupils or staff. Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils about their experiences of school life and their learning in lessons to understand what it is like to be a pupil in their school.

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Inspection team

Dave Gibson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sophie Laing Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 2025

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Polly Lankester Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 2025

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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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