Edith Cavell Academy and Nursery Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve leadership and management so that pupil attainment is closer to national averages by ensuring that:
  • checks on teaching identify the impact of teaching on learning over time so that best practice can be shared more widely
  • systems for assessing pupils are more streamlined and better used to identify where pupils’ progress is accelerating and where more support is needed
  • plans for the use of pupil premium funding clearly identify and address barriers to learning for disadvantaged pupils so that all disadvantaged pupils make rapid progress.
  • Improve teaching and learning by ensuring that:
    • lesson time in some classes is better used so that pupils maximise learning time
    • where feedback is provided by teachers in line with school policies, this has greater impact on pupils’ subsequent work
    • challenge is provided for the most able pupils more consistently across classes and subjects. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken to assess how this may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders, governors and trustees have robustly tackled weak teaching that previously existed in the predecessor school and have worked effectively to establish stability and a positive ethos. They are determined to ensure that the school’s motto ‘happy children achieve’ is a reality on a daily basis.
• The head of school has brought enthusiasm and determination to her role, establishing a strong staff team who work together well. Staff value the support and professional development provided to them and those who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire said that they feel respected and valued.
• Leaders know the school well because they regularly carry out checks on all aspects. As a result, their self-evaluation is accurate and they know the school’s strengths and areas for improvement well. Plans to address weaknesses are proving effective in securing rapid improvements, particularly in early years and key stage 1. Leaders are acutely aware that while progress for pupils in key stage 2 has improved, improving attainment remains a key priority for the school.

• The organisation of staff into teams who take responsibility for the leadership of a range of subjects has helped to develop the skills and expertise of less-experienced staff because they work alongside those with more experience.
• Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils are encouraged to take on responsibilities and to work together. The school has carried out innovative work to help pupils understand about equality. As a result, pupils are well informed about people from different backgrounds and about respect and tolerance.
• Leaders ensure that funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used effectively. As a result, these pupils are well supported and make good progress relative to their starting points.
• Leaders have ensured that sports premium funding has had a positive impact on the provision of additional sporting activities. Pupil participation in sporting competitions has increased and the provision of extra play equipment has helped to make playtimes and lunchtimes a happy and enjoyable part of the school day.
• Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is planned so that pupils learn about a range of subjects and also engage in additional activities, such as looking after the school allotment. Lessons are enhanced by clubs and by visits which broaden pupils’ experiences and extend learning.
• Leaders check the quality of teaching regularly. However, sometimes these checks focus too closely on what is working well in an individual lesson rather than how teaching is accelerating learning over time.
• Leaders have implemented a range of assessment systems. Some of these are too unwieldy and do not help leaders to clearly identify where pupils are making either rapid or insufficient progress.
• Some parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire or who spoke to inspectors during the inspection raised concerns about the school. For example, some parents are unclear if there is a parent governor. This is because leaders and governors have not done enough to ensure that parents know how the school has improved and to encourage parents’ wholehearted support for the school.

Governance of the school

• Governors and trustees know the school well. They have clearly defined responsibilities and fulfil these assiduously. Regular meetings of committees maintain a strong focus on pupil achievement. Governors and trustees have confidence in leaders because they recognise how much has been achieved. However, they also confidently provide challenge for leaders and highlight areas that still need improvement.
• Governors and trustees monitor school expenditure and check that, for example, funding for disadvantaged pupils is being used appropriately. However, governors did not ensure that the current pupil premium plan identifies and addresses pupils’ barriers to learning with sufficient clarity.
• The academy trust provides good support for the school. They have good systems for sharing of expertise across the trust and provide an additional layer of support and challenge which is helping the school to move forward rapidly.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that keeping pupils safe has a high priority in the school. Staff recruitment checks are carried out in accordance with statutory requirements. Training for staff is regular and thorough. As a result, staff know what signs to look for that may indicate a child is at risk. Concerns are recorded carefully and are followed up by appropriate action. Pupil files for those about whom there are concerns are well maintained and demonstrate that leaders are tenacious in ensuring that action is taken by external agencies when needed. Pupils demonstrate a good knowledge of how to keep themselves safe including when online. This is because teaching reinforces with pupils what they should and should not do to remain safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers use their good subject knowledge to plan and teach lessons which are interesting and engaging for pupils and which help them learn successfully.
• Teachers and pupils enjoy positive relationships which contribute to pupils’ willingness to learn and participate in lessons. Many teachers use humour effectively to manage pupils’ behaviour. For example, in Year 3 the teacher encourages pupils to listen and pay attention by reminding them to ‘assume the Mona Lisa pose’.
• Classrooms are well-organised and attractive with lots of support for learning. For example, working walls remind pupils of current areas of learning and are referred to by pupils during lessons. Each room also has a role play area appropriate to pupils’ ages which encourages pupils to use and develop their imagination and creativity. For example, in Year 5 the area is a stone age cave which pupils can enter to find out more about this period of history, which is the current topic for the class.
• Pupils make good progress in writing. They explore story structures through regular story telling sessions. This helps pupils to learn and use the language of stories when writing. Teachers also provide good support for pupils in improving their sentence structures through a specific teaching programme, and this has had a positive impact on the quality of pupils’ writing.
• Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ work; they encourage good presentation, for example through issuing ‘pen licences’ for neat handwriting.
• Reading is taught well through the school. Phonics sessions are well structured and cater for pupils’ needs. Teachers in key stage 1 make learning sounds fun, for example by hunting for ‘alien words’ around the classroom. Older pupils are encouraged to read for pleasure. Each class displays the books their teachers and other adults are currently reading to model that reading is a skill for life.
• Teachers ask questions to both probe and deepen pupils’ understanding. For example, in Year 6 the teacher was working with a group of pupils modelling calculation strategies and asking pupils to explain how they would solve a problem.
• Additional adults support learning well. They work with groups and individuals sensitively, asking questions which extend their learning. Pupils who have special educational needs are well supported in lessons through adult support and because teachers provide appropriate work and resources to meet their needs.
• Good links are made by teachers between different subjects, which enhances pupils’ learning. For example, pupils develop their writing skills by exploring the story of Rama and Sita in religious education, and writing their own versions.
• Pupils are given time to improve their work and this is effective in helping pupils to become more self-critical and to develop independence in their work. In some classes, teachers’ feedback is used well by pupils to improve their subsequent work. However, in other classes, teachers spend time writing comments in pupils’ books but these are not used by pupils. Consequently, pupils do not make as much progress as they could.
• Pupils are encouraged to challenge themselves, for example through ‘choice challenges’ in mathematics. This works well for most pupils. However, sometimes the most able pupils choose challenges which are too easy and so do not make as rapid progress as they could.Time in lessons is not used consistently well in all classes to maximise pupils’ learning. Pupils are not expected to achieve as much as they are capable of in some lessons. As a result, some pupils do not make as rapid progress as others. 

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are well cared for by adults who know them well. Good support is provided for pupils who struggle with their learning or have emotional difficulties. Parents are also well supported by the school’s inclusion manager.

• Pupils are confident and enthusiastic about school. Pupils spoken to during the inspection said that they like coming to school because ‘everyone is kind and helpful’ but also said that ‘teachers push you to do your best’.
• Pupils say that they feel safe in school, and that there is always an adult to talk to you if you are upset.
• Pupils are encouraged to take on responsibilities. For example, some pupils are ECUES (Edith Cavell Uniting Everyone Squad), who help to ensure that playtimes are happy times for everyone.
• At lunchtimes, staff and pupils eat together and this time is used to reinforce positive behaviour and social skills. Pupils help to pass around food and to pour water while staff and other pupils chat politely, and wait until others have finished before leaving the table.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe because they are taught about this in lessons. Pupils were able to talk confidently about what they should, and should not, do online to stay safe. Pupils know what bullying is and say that bullying is very rare at the school. One pupil said, ‘We all have our blips, but generally everyone gets along.’
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils show positive attitudes to others and are helped to develop strong social skills. They know the difference between right and wrong and enjoy working and playing together.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils behave well in school. They listen to their teachers and respond to directions. The school is an orderly environment because staff take time to establish and reinforce routines and expectations about how pupils should behave. Those pupils who have behavioural difficulties are well managed by staff so that others are not distracted in their learning.
• Pupils play together sensibly outside at lunchtimes and playtimes. Older and younger pupils are given opportunities to work and play together, for example by sitting at mixed tables at lunchtimes, and being part of whole school house teams. Despite the good behaviour evident, some parents continue to feel that behaviour could be better at school.
• Attendance has improved because leaders have taken effective action to address absence. For example, they have met with parents to discuss reasons for absence; parents are informed about the impact absence and lateness has on children’s progress; and regular information is sent home to parents about their child’s attendance rate for the term. Leaders acknowledge that improving attendance and punctuality further is an ongoing priority for the school.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils achieve well in the Year 1 phonics checks because the teaching of phonics is strong and enables pupils to quickly learn and use their sounds when reading. Pupil attainment in Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics was below average in 2015 but rose substantially in 2016 due to the improvements in teaching and learning that had taken place. Pupils’ current work demonstrates that these improvements have been sustained and that pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils achieve well in writing across the school because leaders have put in place a comprehensive programme to improve the quality of pupils’ writing.
• Leaders are very aware that attainment in Year 6 in reading and mathematics in 2016 was too low because pupils had suffered from previously weak teaching. They have taken effective action to support current Year 6 pupils and the work in their books shows that these pupils are making rapid gains in learning. Despite this, leaders know that gaps remain which continue to impact on pupils’ attainment.
• In Years 3, 4 and 5, pupils make generally good progress because teachers clearly identify where pupils have previously fallen behind and teach lessons which help pupils make up lost ground. However, leaders recognise that more pupils are making accelerated progress in some classes than in others because teachers’ use of time, assessment and feedback is more effective.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points. Leaders have ensured that teachers know the needs of these pupils well and take responsibility for planning work and support which ensures that these needs are met.
• Most pupils who are disadvantaged make good progress from their starting points. However, plans for supporting these pupils are not as tightly focused as they could be. Consequently, some disadvantaged pupils are not making the rapid progress that is needed to ensure that they meet the standard expected of them for their age. Some most-able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, are not making as much progress as they are capable of because teachers’ expectations of them are not high enough. Sometimes, these pupils are allowed to work at a level that is too easy for them.

Early years provision Good

• Children in the early years are making good progress due to the good-quality provision that has been put in place. In 2016, the proportion of children who achieved a good level of development was lower than that found nationally. Leadership of early years has changed this and as a result provision has improved. Leaders are confident that the proportion of pupils set to achieve a good level of development is set to rise substantially this year. Children’s learning journeys confirm the good progress being made by pupils currently in the Reception class.
• Leadership of early years is good. Leaders provide training and support for team members. Leaders have improved provision to ensure that all children benefit from a wide range of interesting activities. Leaders know the strengths and areas for improvement for the early years and have ensured that children’s progress improves rapidly.
• Children get off to a good start in Nursery. Home visits ensure that adults know the children and their parents before school starts and so children settle quickly. Good routines are quickly established so that children know what is expected of them. Children currently in the Nursery are well behaved and sociable. They know when to listen and are confident in responding to adults’ questions.
• An attractive learning environment is provided both indoors and outdoors with enticing activities which help children to learn. For example, children were enjoying using torches in the dark under the stairs area and investigating what happens when they shine them on a sensor-activated light.
• Children are supported in developing independence, selecting resources and taking responsibility for them. They choose activities and tasks and concentrate well when taking part in these.
• Adults support learning well. They intervene in children’s play to move learning on. They look for opportunities to extend learning. For example, during the inspection an adult worked with two children, supporting them in writing instructions for playing football and encouraged them to use the sounds they know when writing.
• Careful records are kept of children’s learning in their learning journeys, which are well used by adults to plan children’s next steps. Children have access to their learning journeys and enjoy looking through these and identifying the progress they have made.
• Parents are encouraged to contribute to children’s learning. Regular drop-in sessions for parents are provided so that parents can find out about their child’s progress and staff run workshops to support parents in helping their children to learn at home.
• While children make good progress, leaders know that some most-able children need to be challenged further so that they achieve beyond the expected level by the end of the Reception Year.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140990 Norfolk 10031344 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy converter 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 247 Appropriate authority Right for Success Academy Trust Chair Head of school Pat Clark Paula Jones Telephone number 01603 621927 Website Email address www.edithcavellacademy.co.uk/ headofschool@edithcavellacademy.co.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school became part of The Right For Success Academy Trust in July 2014.

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. Prior to the inspection the school’s pupil premium report had been removed for updating. This was replaced during the inspection.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school meets the current government floor standards, which are the minimum standards expected for pupils at the end of Year 6 in English and mathematics.

• The school is slightly smaller than the average-sized primary school nationally.
• The majority of pupils are of White British background.
• The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is higher than is found on average nationally.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities or are supported by an education, health and care plan, or statement of special educational needs, is below average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed lessons in all classes. Some joint observations were carried out with senior leaders.
• Inspectors looked at pupils’ books, school assessment information, leaders’ evaluation of teaching and learning and a range of school documents.
• The inspectors spoke with a small number of parents, took account of 42 responses to the Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View, and met with some pupils from Reception through to Year 6.
• Inspectors listened to a small number of pupils read.
• Inspectors spoke with three members of the governing body who are also trustees, and with subject and other leaders.
• Policies and procedures for the safeguarding of pupils were examined, including mandatory checks made during the recruitment of new staff.

Inspection team

Maria Curry, lead inspector Heather Hann

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector