Cavendish Primary School

Cavendish Primary School Inspection report

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107243 Unique Reference Number Bradford Local Authority 309352 Inspection number 9 January 2008 Inspection date Keith Bardon Reporting inspector

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

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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 360 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr R Thornton Chair Mrs M Nixon Headteacher 15 November 2004 Date of previous school inspection Hall Road School address Eccleshill Bradford West Yorkshire BD2 2DF 01274 772175 Telephone number 01274 772175 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 9 January 2008 Inspection date 309352 Inspection number .

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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 one Additional Inspector. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: standards and achievement, teaching and learning, leadership and management and some aspects of pupils' personal development. Evidence was gathered from the school's self-evaluation, national published assessment data and the school's own assessment records, policies and minutes, observation of the school at work, interviews with senior members of staff and pupils, and the parents' questionnaires. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

This large primary school serves a disadvantaged area on the outskirts of the city. Most pupils are White British and with a few exceptions speak English as their first language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is average and there are no pupils with a statement of special educational need. The school has achieved a number of awards: Healthy School, Investors in People, Investors in Pupils and the Basic Skills Quality Mark. The school provides parental support and study support and privately managed year-round childcare is available to pupils.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Cavendish Primary School, 9 January 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school which is led with vision and purpose. Pupils achieve well because staff give very careful thought to their needs and provide them with an education that is lively and stimulating. 'I love school because they let you learn step by step and you can be proud of yourself' is typical of the comments pupils made during the inspection. Parents are equally positive, describing Cavendish as a school 'that cares about its pupils' and staff as 'professional, approachable and friendly'. Many children enter Nursery with skills that are below expectations for their age. They make good progress throughout the school and by Year 6 attain standards that match the national average. Since the last inspection, successful initiatives in the younger classes have improved standards in reading and writing, which by Year 2 are now very close to the national average. After showing an upward trend for a number of years, the results of Year 6 pupils in the national

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Grade: 2

English tests fell in 2007. Although this was a considerable disappointment to staff, their response was typically thorough. Test papers were analysed in fine detail and the mistakes pupils made carefully identified. These centred mainly around the content of pupils' writing, which was not always in the correct style and at times did not maintain the theme well enough from start to finish. Development is taking place and there are early signs of improvement, but standards in writing have further to rise. The school missed the challenging targets it had set for Year 6 pupils' performance in English in 2007, but met its challenging targets in mathematics. Pupils' attainment in mathematics is a strength and standards by Year 6 are consistently at or above the national average. The school has set equally challenging targets for 2008 and is using carefully planned strategies to move pupils towards them.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are enthusiastic learners who enjoy excellent relationships with staff. Teachers have a good understanding of how pupils learn best and plan interesting activities which engage pupils in making decisions and working things out for themselves. Pupils respond well by thinking hard and sharing their ideas with others sensibly and productively. Working regularly as part of a group enhances pupils' personal skills and lays a solid foundation for the future. Teachers give careful thought to the context in which they set work for pupils so that tasks have meaning and realism. For example, younger pupils were using sweets to help them understand how to use data in mathematics and older ones were discussing the life of John Lennon as the basis for research in history. Both of these activities generated high levels of interest (and not one of the sweets disappeared!). Pupils make good progress in their personal development and mature into sociable individuals

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Grade: 2

with a strong sense of right and wrong. Behaviour is good and pupils take considerable pride in the awards they receive from the school. Lessons are calm and orderly and pupils pay careful attention to what their teachers say. Although pupils admit they occasionally fall out with each other, they have no concerns about bullying and feel safe and secure in school. Pupils appreciate the trust the school places in them. School council members utilise the budget they are given very thoughtfully and in full consultation with others. Year 6 pupils take their senior position in the school very seriously and readily give their time to helping other pupils, particularly those younger than themselves. Pupils show respect for staff and feel they can readily approach them with problems or requests for help. They recognise the importance of eating a healthy diet and older pupils in particular are eager to take regular exercise. While pupils' spiritual, moral, social

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Grade: 2

and cultural development is good overall, their understanding of the multicultural nature of modern Britain is limited. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Cavendish Primary School, 9 January 2008 Procedures for safeguarding pupils meet requirements. Staff pay close attention to pupils' care and well-being. Systems for supporting vulnerable pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, function effectively. As a result, all pupils make good progress and are able to participate fully in activities. Effective strategies are used to support pupils who are at risk of becoming disaffected which help to raise their self-esteem. Throughout the school pupils are set carefully structured personal targets to assist their learning. They know and understand these well and are able to use them effectively to evaluate their own progress. While pupils' work is marked regularly, teachers' comments often lack the detail of what has

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Grade: 2

been done well and what needs to improve. The school works closely with parents and the local community. Several parents have commented on the valued support they and their children have received from the school. Successful efforts have been made to improve attendance and this is currently in line with the national average. Systems for checking how well the school is performing are extremely thorough and provide detailed and accurate information. This information is used well by senior staff and governors to plan the school's further development and ensure that it continues to improve at a good pace. At the heart of the school's very positive ethos is the determination of the headteacher and senior staff to equip pupils well for whatever the future may hold for them. To this end they are continually looking for ways to enhance pupils' experiences both within and beyond the curriculum. The team spirit in school is strong, helping to provide pupils with a secure

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Grade: 2

environment in which to learn and develop.

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Grade: 2

When they first join the Nursery, many children lack the skills and knowledge normally found at this age, particularly in the area of communication and language. Children are taught well in Nursery and Reception and benefit from a wide range of lively and colourful activities well matched to their age and needs. Despite making good progress while in the Foundation Stage, by the end of Reception a significant proportion of children are not yet working securely within the targets for their age in all areas of learning. Management of the Foundation Stage is good and has led to good improvement since the last inspection, particularly in the way in which children's development is assessed and closely monitored. Staff place due emphasis on developing children's communication skills. For instance, Nursery children went on an imaginary train journey, giving and receiving tickets and following instructions to 'drive' the train, while

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Grade: 2

Reception children wrote stories and participated in role play around the theme of 'ice and snow'. Such activities bring children's language skills forward at a good pace.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve pupils' ability to write for different purposes and to sustain a theme from start to finish. ■ Improve the quality of marking to ensure that pupils have clear information about what they have done well and how they could improve their work. ■ Increase pupils' understanding of the multicultural nature of modern Britain. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Cavendish Primary School, 9 January 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Cavendish Primary School, 9 January 2008

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Cavendish Primary School, 9 January 2008

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Cavendish Primary School, 9 January 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Cavendish Primary School, Bradford, BD2 2DU Thank you very much for the very friendly greeting you gave me when I visited your school recently. Lots of you smiled and chatted to me and I felt comfortable and welcome. I thoroughly enjoyed finding out about the work you do and a special thanks to those who talked with me about the school. Cavendish is a good school and I can see why you enjoy it so much. I thought your behaviour in class and around school was good and was pleased to hear that everyone gets on well. I am very impressed with the way Year 6 pupils help around school, particularly the way you help other pupils. I enjoyed my discussions with you and it is clear that you develop into responsible and mature young people. You make good progress because you are well taught and work hard. Teachers plan interesting activities and give you plenty of help and encouragement. When I popped into lessons I enjoyed

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

watching you tackle problems and discuss ideas among yourselves. These are important skills and you use them well. I did not have time to look at all subjects but you are clearly good at mathematics. Your writing is coming along but I discussed ways of making it even better with the school. Always try to use the best style of writing for the work you are doing and make sure you keep the same theme going right from start to finish. You have a very good understanding of your own targets and how to use them to help you improve. I suggested to the school that when teachers are marking your work more comments on what you could have done better would be helpful. You can help by looking very carefully at what teachers write and using it to help you to improve even more. Staff take good care of you and I was pleased that you feel you can turn to them for help and advice if you need it. I think you learn a great deal and clearly enjoy learning new things.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Something I think you need to learn more about is how people from backgrounds that are different to your own live, and I have suggested this to the school. Thank you once again for a very enjoyable day and I wish you lots of luck in the future. 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Cavendish Primary School, 9 January 2008

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