Caldecote Primary School

Inspection Report Caldecote Primary School

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110603 Unique Reference Number CAMBRIDGESHIRE LEA LEA 278465 Inspection number 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006 Inspection dates Mr. Colin Henderson LI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Highfields Road School address Primary Type of school CB3 7NX Community School category 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01954 210263 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01954 210263 Fax number 124 Number on roll Mr.Stuart Hamilton Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mr. Rod Warsap Headteacher 15 January 2001 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 278465 26 April 2006 - 4 to 11 27 April 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This smaller than average school mainly serves the local and surrounding villages. New housing developments have increased pupil numbers rapidly and resulted in a high level of pupil mobility. The school building is currently being extended. Attainment on entry is broadly average. A small number of pupils speak English as an additional language. The number of pupils with additional learning needs is average. The school has had a high level of staff sickness and change in the last year. A new headteacher started in the week before the inspection.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Caldecote Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006

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Grade: 2

This is a good school, with some outstanding features. It is valued highly by pupils and their parents. They particularly appreciate the way in which it has retained its caring, family ethos during a period of rapid growth and change. Pupils' achievement is good. Children make a good start in Class 1 as a result of good teaching and a well organised and lively curriculum. This is built on successfully throughout the school, where pupils' enthusiastic attitudes, their outstanding behaviour, and good teaching help them to make good progress overall. The oldest pupils reach standards that are above the national average. They are often well above average, helped by the very effective use of support and extension groups. Key factors in the school's success are its outstanding ethos, good teaching, effective links with parents and the strong team of staff and governors that maintained high standards, despite recent staff difficulties.

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Grade: 2

The school has a generally accurate view on how well it is doing. Procedures to check if pupils are doing well enough are developing soundly, although subject leaders are not sufficiently involved in monitoring to improve teaching and learning. Pupils benefit from outstanding personal care and support, although they do not receive consistently good guidance through targets or marking of their work to know how to improve. The school has made good progress since the last inspection, especially in the Foundation Stage. The clear vision of the very new headteacher, supported by a strong team of staff, governors and parents, gives the school a good capacity to improve further. The school provides good value for money.

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What the school should do to improve further

- Extend the monitoring of teaching to improve subject leaders' understanding of its effect on pupils' learning. - Improve pupils' understanding of what they need to do to improve their work by more consistent use of improvement targets and effective marking.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress throughout the school. Good teaching and an interesting, well planned curriculum help children in the Foundation Stage to achieve well. Most attain above expected levels by the time they enter Year 1. This good progress continues from Year 1 to Year 6 as a result of good teaching and pupils' very enthusiastic attitudes to work. Year 2 pupils attain above average standards overall in reading and writing, and well above average in mathematics. However, standards in the current Year 2 are broadly average as there is a higher proportion of pupils, than usual who find learning difficult. Standards at Year 6, as shown in the results of national tests, are above average, although there has been some variation due to the small numbers of pupils involved and high levels of pupil mobility. The use of small teaching groups is particularly effective in raising the achievement of lower attaining

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Grade: 2

pupils and in extending the more able pupils. This is reflected clearly in the results of 2 Inspection Report: Caldecote Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006 the 2005 national tests for Year 6 pupils where all pupils, including those who find learning difficult, attained the nationally expected Level 4 in English and almost all achieved it in mathematics. The school achieved its challenging target in 2005 for the proportion of pupils attaining Level 4 and over 50% attained Level 5 in English. The good teaching of information and communication technology (ICT), supported by good resources, helps pupils to attain skills and knowledge that are well above those expected for their age.

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Grade: 1

The personal development of pupils is outstanding. Pupils behave very well and have excellent relationships with staff and one another. Pupils' enthusiasm for school is reflected in good attendance and their keen participation in after-school and lunchtime activities. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural education continues to be excellent. They have a very good understanding of their own and other cultural traditions, promoted very successfully by links with parents and the local community, for example, when celebrating the Chinese New Year. Assemblies are used well to encourage pupils to consider their feelings and to think of others less fortunate than themselves. As a result, they have a very good understanding of living in a diverse society and are caring members of their school and wider communities. Pupils know where to seek advice when they need help and the school council represents their views at their monthly

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Grade: 1

meetings. They know the importance of staying healthy and have a good awareness of how to keep safe. This is enhanced by a good range of physical activities that benefits from very good links with a local sports college. This high quality provision helps pupils to lead an active and healthy life. Pupils work well together and develop good basic skills that will help them in later life.

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Grade: 2

Good and often outstanding teaching helps pupils to achieve well. Lessons are lively, well planned and use a broad range of styles and resources to promote pupils' interest and involvement. This leads to an enjoyment of learning, as reflected in many pupils' comments. Most teachers have high expectations of pupils' work and attitudes and ensure that they stay focused on their learning. Many use their good subject knowledge successfully, for example in ICT, to extend pupils' skills. Teachers use questions well to extend pupils' learning, although, in some lessons, more able pupils could be stretched by being asked more complex questions. Teaching assistants are effectively used to provide good support to pupils, especially in group activities, although this is not so consistently well done in whole class sessions. Teachers use effective assessment procedures to check on pupils' learning and to guide their teaching. Some use

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Grade: 2

improvement targets to help pupils to raise their achievement in literacy and numeracy, although, mainly as result of staff absence, these targets are not consistently used in 3 Inspection Report: Caldecote Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006 all classes. Teachers mark pupils' work regularly and use praise and encouragement well to recognise achievement. Too few point out what pupils need to do next to raise the quality of their work. Some teachers encourage pupils to assess how well they or their partners have achieved and identify points for improvement. This is helping to raise standards.

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Grade: 2

The good range of interesting learning experiences is relevant to the needs of all pupils. There is a strong focus on developing pupils' literacy, numeracy and ICT skills, and pupils have good opportunities to extend these skills in other subjects. The curriculum is well planned to meet the needs of pupils in mixed-age classes and to build effectively on what pupils already know. The Foundation Stage curriculum enables children to make good progress in all areas of learning, although the range of some outdoor activities is restricted by the shape and size of the outdoor play area. The school includes a good range of additional activities, for example sporting clubs, visits and visitors to enrich pupils' learning and promote their enjoyment of school. The very good links with the local village college extend the skills of gifted and talented pupils.

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Grade: 2

Teachers and support staff know pupils very well and work hard to provide an outstanding level of personal care and support. Pupils needing extra help are identified early and supported effectively. Outside agencies are used well to provide additional support where needed. There are robust systems for ensuring pupils' safety and security, for example, during the current building programme and through effective child protection procedures. Pupils say that they feel safe and happy at the school This high quality care makes pupils feel valued and well looked after, although guidance over how to improve their academic achievement is not so consistently established.

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Grade: 2

The good leadership and management of the acting headteacher, supported well by staff and governors, have helped the school to maintain a very caring ethos and high standards of attainment, despite significant difficulties with staff absence and change. This has been valued by many parents, reflected in such comments as, 'I cannot thank the school enough for the care and support my child has received'. The school's arrangements for checking on how well it is doing, including an effective use of parental questionnaires, are satisfactory overall. Tracking procedures have been developed soundly to help teachers to set end-of-year targets and to check on pupils' progress. However, these are not supported effectively by systems to rigorously evaluate teaching and how it affects pupils' learning. The contribution of subject leaders in improving teaching and learning in their subjects has been limited by staff absence and is not

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Grade: 2

4 Inspection Report: Caldecote Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006 developed enough. Governors are very supportive and have been very effectively involved in working with the school and in planning for its expansion. They are kept well-informed about how well the school is doing, although their involvement in rigorously checking the quality of education provided is not fully established. The new headteacher has already gained a clear vision for how to improve the school's effectiveness, and given the strong team of staff and governors and parental support, the school is well placed to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Caldecote Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Caldecote Primary School, 26 April 2006 to 27 April 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 1 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 3 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 3 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for being so friendly and making me feel welcome when I visited your school recently. I enjoyed talking to you, looking at your work and watching you learn. What I liked most about your school: - Your teachers and other adults care about you as individuals, make sure that you are safe and listen to your opinions about school. - You get on well together and are kind to each other. I like the way older pupils help the school to run smoothly each day and are friendly to the younger ones. - You get to school on time and your behaviour is excellent. This means that teachers can get on with the job of helping you learn. - All the adults put a lot of effort into helping you do well and try to make your lessons interesting. You clearly enjoy your work and try hard to do what your teachers ask. I think you learn well. - The school puts on extra activities to help you have fun, like the clubs and trips out of school. I know you enjoy these

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

very much. - Mrs Quincy, as acting headteacher, the staff and governors have all worked hard to ensure that you continued to learn well despite some staff absences and changes. - Your parents think it is a good school, and I agree. What I have asked the school to do now: - Provide more opportunities for teachers who are responsible for particular subjects to look carefully at each others' teaching and see where they can help you to achieve even better. - Continue to help you, through marking and improvement targets, so that you know what you need to do next to improve your work. I hope that you will continue to work hard to achieve your targets. Very best wishes

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