Cheam Common Infants' Academy

Cheam Common Infants' Academy

Address: Balmoral Road, Worcester Park, Surrey, KT4 8SS Unique reference number (URN): 145481

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Personal development and wellbeing Exceptional

Pupils' personal development is central to all that the school does. Leaders have explicitly planned how pupils develop their personal, social and emotional knowledge and skills from the early years and build on this over time. Children in the Nursery and Reception are taught a wide range of precise language to explain their wants, needs and emotions. Over time, they become highly successful at working and playing together harmoniously. This ensures that pupils experience high levels of cooperation and resolve any disagreements with very little need for adult support.

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Personal development and wellbeing Exceptional

The school provides an ambitious programme to support pupils' personal development. Despite their young age, pupils are taught in detail about the world around them. For instance, they learn about how to use technology as a useful tool to support their learning. They know in detail about how to stay safe online, such as how a person online may impersonate a friend, and how artificially generated images may be used to convince them of something that is not real. Pupils report any concerns swiftly and confidently. Across the personal, social, health and economic curriculum, pupils are taught highly detailed content and precise vocabulary to help them discuss it. For instance, pupils know specific terminology about how to 'budget' for financial needs, or see when a friend is emotionally 'dysregulated' and needs some help to feel calm again. Pupils engage in well-informed discussion about the world around them.

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Personal development and wellbeing Exceptional

Pupils know in detail about a wide range of culture, heritage and religious beliefs. They have a firm understanding of how rules keep them safe within school, and how the rule of law protects people beyond school. Pupils understand that democracy is meant to ensure that everyone has a fair say. Pupils consistently apply their detailed understanding of the world around them within their own behaviour. Pupils benefit greatly from an extensive range of opportunities to pursue interests and try new things. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities participate fully and benefit from all that the school has to offer. Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life in their community and beyond.

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Achievement Strong standard

Pupils develop detailed and broad knowledge across the curriculum. They eagerly discuss what they have learned and show interest and curiosity across the curriculum. Pupils produce work that reflects their well-developed subject-specific knowledge and increasingly sophisticated understanding. They are extremely well prepared for each stage of their education within the school and for the transition to their next school. This includes pupils who have additional barriers to their learning, such as disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. All groups of pupils achieve well. In the national phonics screening check, pupils consistently perform better than others nationally. This reflects the impact of the school's reading curriculum, which enables pupils to quickly secure the knowledge they need to be confident, fluent readers. Likewise, pupils' writing is accurate, well controlled and creative. Their mathematical knowledge is secure.

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Achievement Strong standard

These well-developed skills support pupils' success across the curriculum and particularly their love for reading.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders promote the benefit of regular attendance at school widely. Pupils and families form very positive attendance habits from children's earliest experiences at school, when they join the nursery. These good habits are sustained throughout the school. Pupils have high attendance. Leaders have established robust systems to identify where attendance begins to drop. They act swiftly on absences, identifying the reasons for these and offering any support that families may need. Where there are complex reasons for pupils being absent from school, leaders ensure extensive support for them.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Pupils' behaviour is excellent. Bullying is extremely rare. Pupils demonstrate high levels of curiosity and confidence in their learning. Leaders have established routines that help pupils to settle in quickly and make the most of their time in the classroom. They ensure that no time is lost between learning activities. Pupils pay close attention to their teachers and concentrate well for extended periods on their learning activities. Pupils learn behaviours that help them to cooperate with others, such as sharing, taking turns and including others in their play. This supports pupils to be flexible and resilient when working with others. Staff are highly attentive to pupils' behaviour. They respond swiftly and sensitively to support pupils where needed.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have carefully designed a broad, ambitious and logically sequenced curriculum, which enables pupils to develop detailed knowledge across a wide range of subjects. The curriculum begins in the early years with foundational concepts so that children are very well prepared for the demands of Year 1.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders ensure a highly consistent approach to teaching language, communication and mathematics. They promote a sharp focus on precisely the skills and knowledge pupils need to succeed in these foundational areas. All staff are highly skilled in promoting ambitious vocabulary and they do so consistently. Likewise, teachers methodically develop pupils' skills in speaking, writing and reading.

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Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Teachers have detailed subject knowledge. They are experts in how to deliver the curriculum so that pupils can learn it well. Teachers routinely break content down into manageable chunks so that pupils can understand new concepts securely. They repeat key language and knowledge to help pupils remember it. Teachers check pupils' understanding thoroughly and address misconceptions swiftly. They provide well-designed opportunities for pupils to apply what they have learned to tasks that deepen their understanding further. Staff anticipate where pupils may have barriers to learning, including any related to a special educational need and/or disability. They provide judicious adaptations to ensure that all pupils can access and learn the curriculum well.

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Early years Strong standard

Leaders have deep, detailed knowledge of the early years. They have designed a curriculum, beginning in the Nursery, which purposefully develops children's early knowledge and skills to prepare them well for later learning.

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Early years Strong standard

Relationships in the early years are built on kindness and care. Staff provide a deeply nurturing environment, where children settle quickly, feel safe and are confident to explore and take risks in their play. Children are highly curious. Staff encourage children to engage with a broad range of carefully designed activities that build their knowledge across the breadth of the curriculum. This ensures that children regularly encounter new experiences and ideas that extend their knowledge. Staff consistently make excellent use of these new experiences to teach children ambitious vocabulary and develop their communication. As a result, children in the early years communicate with confidence and accuracy.

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Early years Strong standard

Children's achievement at the end of Reception is consistently better than for most children. They are confident, knowledgeable and have the skills they need to get off to a flying start in Year 1. This includes secure mathematical knowledge and high levels of control in their writing. Staff have a comprehensive understanding of children's strengths and developing skills. They identify any additional needs children may have swiftly and provide timely support for them.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders get to know families and pupils before they start at the school. They involve parents and carers right from the start so that they can work in partnership to identify any needs pupils may have. Leaders take careful account of what parents say and make close observations of pupils in the classroom. This enables them to identify and address any needs pupils may have swiftly and accurately.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders understand their context well. They know that many pupils speak multiple languages. They actively promote and celebrate the 35 languages spoken within the school. Leaders know that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities have a range of individual needs, and that speech, language and communication needs are the most common of these. They take care to understand individual pupils' needs in detail. All staff are well trained in how to overcome pupils' barriers to learning and/or wellbeing.

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Inclusion Strong standard

The school provides carefully tailored additional support for pupils and families who are entitled to extra help, such as those who receive the pupil premium funding, or support from children's social care. Leaders check regularly on how well the school supports all groups of children to thrive. They adjust the help provided precisely.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders have created a school community in which staff, school leaders and the trust collaborate to continually improve the school's provision. At the centre of leaders' work is a sharp focus on pupils' experiences. Leaders, including trustees and governors, check extensively on the impact of school systems and processes. This provides rich information from which leaders precisely identify strengths and areas for development. They act on any improvement priorities without delay. This maintains high and rising standards within the school.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Parents and carers are highly positive about their experience of the school. Leaders ensure that parents are valued partners in their children's education. This includes parents of pupils who may need additional support or adjustments from the school, for instance due to a special educational need and/or disability, or other barriers such as being new to speaking English.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Staff are proud to work here. They benefit from consistent, high-quality professional development, which sharpens their expertise and their practice. Leaders regularly consult them when making decisions. Staff workload and wellbeing are carefully considered and staff report a strong sense of professional community within the school.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Trust leaders, along with governors and trustees, rigorously oversee the school's work. They ensure that the school has enhanced opportunities to use a wide range of expertise to further enrich its work.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils flourish both academically and socially at this school. Staff provide a warm and welcoming climate in which pupils grow in confidence and independence. Relationships are at the heart of the school. Staff model high levels of respect, consideration for others and enthusiasm for learning. Pupils respond by showing these qualities consistently in their own behaviour.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils' behaviour is excellent. The school is abuzz with learning. Pupils concentrate well and try their very best in the classroom. From the early years, children get along well with each other. They help one another and are sensitive to others' needs. Pupils are consistently considerate of others. This considerate culture helps to protect pupils from bullying and unkind acts.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils thoroughly enjoy learning. Pupils can recall their learning in detail and confidently articulate their ideas across the curriculum. Pupils learn to communicate well. Beginning in the nursery, children are taught rich, ambitious vocabulary. Later, pupils apply this to their written work with accuracy and control. They speak and write with expression beyond that which is typical for their age. This contributes to them being very well prepared to move on to their next stage of education.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are happy and safe at school. They love learning and all can engage widely with plentiful opportunities to develop their talents and interests, such as in coding, sporting competitions and musical performance. Pupils develop a deep appreciation for different people's heritage, culture and background. They delight in learning about each others' home languages and traditions. Pupils' knowledge of the modern world is exceptionally well developed. For instance, they understand how financial decisions could affect their wellbeing, can think critically about whether online material is real or artificially generated, and how people with disabilities may need adjustments to ensure that they have equal experiences.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to refine and embed their identified priorities for improvement in order to drive a transformational impact for all pupils.

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About this inspection

This school is part of LEO 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, Phillip Hedger, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Dean Clark.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMI.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with school leaders, trust leaders, trustees, academy governing committee members, parents and carers, staff and pupils during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school is an infant school with a nursery. It is located next to Cheam Common Junior Academy, which is also run by LEO Academy Trust and shares several staff members, including a Vice Principal and the special educational needs coordinator.

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About this inspection

The school currently uses no alternative provision.

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Lead inspector:

Rebecca Iles-Smith, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Edison David, Ofsted Inspector Deborah Walters, His Majesty's Inspector Russell Bennett, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 4.6% 5.2% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 10.9% 13.0% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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