Cheam Common Junior Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to develop the quality of teaching, learning and assessment so that:
  • pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities receive work matched more closely to their needs
  • the most able pupils complete tasks that are routinely challenging.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• Leaders have worked systematically and with a clear rationale to improve the school since the predecessor school’s inspection and the school’s opening. Leaders, governors and staff from the LEO Academy Trust provide highly effective support to bring about rapid improvements. As a result, the quality of education has improved significantly.
• Leaders know the school well. They focus relentlessly on teachers’ professional development. Previous difficulties in recruiting staff have been successfully tackled. Staff are motivated by the school’s vision and feel well supported. They told inspectors that Cheam Common Junior Academy is like ‘a big family’.
• Senior and middle leaders work collaboratively to discuss and implement further changes. Senior leaders’ open-door approach allows middle leaders to feel empowered to take initiatives in their areas of responsibility. Middle leaders are enthusiastic and reflective and know their current priorities well.
• Leaders have significantly improved the school’s curriculum. They reflect on how to make the curriculum more meaningful for pupils, while building on their reading, writing and mathematical skills.
• Leaders use assessment information well to raise pupils’ achievement. Senior and middle leaders review pupils’ progress through regular ‘standards meetings’. This information is used to provide additional support for those pupils who require it. As a result, pupils’ achievement has improved significantly over the last three years.
• The physical education (PE) and sport premium is used highly effectively. Leaders are keen to develop pupils’ sporting experiences. They ensure that regular professional development of staff is sustained to build teachers’ confidence in teaching PE lessons. Leaders focus successfully on providing opportunities for pupils to take part in competitive sport, including building links to local sporting facilities and sports clubs. As a result, a large proportion of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, represent the school in sporting competitions.
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively. Leaders ensure that disadvantaged pupils receive strong provision, particularly in taking part in extra-curricular opportunities across the curriculum. As a result, these pupils achieve highly.
• Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school. Pupils speak confidently about the school’s ‘PRIDE’ values, which include perseverance and imagination. They are caring towards each other; one pupil expressed a commonly held view about the need for respect, saying that everyone is ‘unique’. The school provides rich experiences, such as residential trips to France, which help broaden pupils’ cultural development. Assembly themes help to nurture pupils’ understanding about their rights and responsibilities. As a result, pupils were able to give insightful views, such as their dream to end world poverty.
• Funding for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is used effectively. The academy trust provides hands-on support to leaders. As a result, leaders have developed their understanding of pupils who have additional needs. However, leaders have not yet ensured that adults who support pupils who have SEN make precise use of the assessment information available to them.
• The vast majority of parents share positive views about the school. They recognise the significant improvements in the school and value the wide-ranging extra-curricular opportunities available to pupils.

Governance of the school

• The trust and local governing body have been pivotal to the development of the school. They provide targeted support to leaders and staff and have introduced appropriate systems to hold staff to account. Trust members and governors do not shy away from taking difficult decisions.
• Governors demonstrate an insightful understanding of the school’s development. They benefit from a range of expertise and know the school’s priorities extremely well. Governors ensure that they have regular training and use their roles effectively. For example, they provide support to leaders and staff with regard to updates to statutory safeguarding guidance.
• Governors visit the school regularly to develop their understanding of key priorities. For example, they meet with the school council to check pupils’ aspirations and gather pupils’ ideas about how to improve the school. Governors meet with senior leaders and evaluate the school’s strengths and weaknesses well.
• Trustees, governors and leaders have transformed the expectations of all stakeholders and focused to improve the school’s environment. As a result, the school is a friendly and enjoyable place for staff and for pupils to learn.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Pre-employment checks are thorough and follow statutory requirements. Staff demonstrate a good understanding of how to raise concerns should they need to. Leaders make effective use of external agencies when required. Staff are vigilant and take pupils’ safety seriously, in line with recent changes to statutory guidance.
• Leaders demonstrate a strong understanding of potential risks to pupils, including the dangers of radicalisation. Leaders’ design of the curriculum is reflective and purposeful. For example, the personal, social, health and economic education lessons enable pupils to develop their understanding of keeping safe.
• Pupils have a strong understanding of how to keep safe online. They were able to provide inspectors with practical examples of the potential dangers of using social media and online gaming, for example. Leaders work proactively with pupils and parents when concerns are raised.
• All pupils spoken to during the inspection said that the school is a safe place, and they feel confident to speak to adults should they have concerns.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching has improved significantly since the predecessor school’s inspection. Teaching is consistently effective, which contributes to most pupils’ strong progress across the curriculum.
• Adults work together well and plan lessons that are interesting and engage pupils’ enthusiasm. Relationships between pupils and adults are characterised by mutual respect.
• The strongest teaching encourages pupils’ deeper understanding through targeted questioning. Teachers develop pupils’ speaking and listening skills by encouraging discussion. For example, in an art lesson, pupils eloquently shared their opinions about L. S. Lowry’s use of form and mood to portray a social message.
• The school’s new ‘integrated curriculum’ approach is central to the development of pupils’ knowledge and understanding. Teachers plan well-thought-out lessons that link with other areas of the curriculum. For example, Year 6 pupils used their knowledge of the Victorians and their class novel ‘Street Child’ to write diary entries to empathise with a character. As a result, pupils successfully wrote interesting pieces with attention to detail. Pupils told inspectors that this new approach to the curriculum helped them to understand their work in more depth compared with previous years.
• Teachers give due weight to the improvement of pupils’ reading and writing skills. Pupils write fluently, with typically neat handwriting and cohesion between paragraphs. Teachers encourage pupils to take part in annual competitions to read 50 books in a year; pupils respond well to this. Pupils typically read with expression and have strong comprehension skills. They use challenging texts well to explain their answers when evaluating an author’s use of language, for example.
• In mathematics, teachers consistently use well-sequenced lessons to develop pupils’ mathematical skills. They provide regular opportunities to develop pupils’ fluency, including in multiplication tables. This helps pupils develop their accuracy and recall. When adults give pupils time to use practical resources to discuss and deepen their thinking, pupils make very good progress.
• Pupils enjoy well-structured PE lessons. They collaborate well during their learning and adults build on pupils’ skills through careful questioning. For example, Year 3 pupils reflected on the importance of using a range of defensive skills during a tag-rugby lesson.
• Teachers demonstrate good subject knowledge across the curriculum. For example, following good modelling by the teacher, Year 5 pupils successfully performed a calypso rhythm using different instruments. Pupils told inspectors that they valued the opportunity to learn instruments, including drums and brass.
• The teaching of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is inconsistent in quality. When adults provide support and use additional resources carefully, these pupils make good progress. However, on occasions when tasks are not matched closely to their needs, pupils do not develop their independence to complete work and are over-reliant on adult help.
• Most-able pupils are highly articulate and have positive attitudes to their learning. They explain the meaning of more technical vocabulary well, such as ‘cohesive devices’ in their writing, for example. However, tasks set for the most able pupils are not routinely challenging, which limits the progress they can make. Many of these pupils told inspectors that the work set for them was too easy.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school environment is underpinned by warm relationships between adults and pupils. Pupils feel safe at the school and trust adults to share any concerns they may have. Pupils speak positively about the school’s tangible improvements over the last few years. All pupils who spoke with inspectors said that bullying at the school is rare.
• Pupils benefit from wide-ranging extra-curricular clubs, including those for sporting and creative opportunities. They are motivated to take part in regular competitions, including for reading and multiplication tables. Pupils demonstrate empathy towards others and speak confidently about the dangers of stereotyping. Pupils told inspectors that they aspire to ‘treat everyone the same’ at Cheam Common Junior Academy.
• Pupils enjoy taking additional responsibilities, including those of school councillors and sports ambassadors. They have a strong understanding of keeping themselves safe, including online.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are polite and welcoming. Pupils like being recognised for achievements in their classes and during assemblies. They proudly display badges that recognise a milestone they have achieved.
• Pupils concentrate on the tasks they are given. When teachers encourage pupils to collaborate and discuss their learning, they do so with maturity. However, when work is not matched to pupils’ abilities, there is some loss of concentration and they wait too long for adult support.
• Pupils play together sensibly during playtimes and are well supported with a good level of adult supervision. Pupils know routines well and line up efficiently when returning to class. They typically walk around the school in an orderly manner.
• Attendance remains broadly in line with the national average. Leaders have worked well to improve the punctuality of some pupils who are regularly late. Outcomes for pupils Good

• Outcomes have significantly improved over the past few years. Pupils leave the school well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Year 6 pupils’ progress at the end of 2017 was significantly above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. Unvalidated assessment information for 2018 indicates that these high progress figures have been maintained.
• Pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 2 is significantly above the national average. Nearly all pupils meet the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics. A well above average proportion of pupils attain the higher or greater depth standard.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ achievement is high. They make strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2017 and 2018, the proportions of disadvantaged pupils attaining at least the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics were above the national average.
• Current pupils in the school make strong progress. Pupils typically enter the school with skills above those expected for their age. They maintain these standards because of consistently good teaching.
• Visits to classrooms, discussions with pupils and scrutiny of pupils’ work show that pupils make strong progress across the curriculum. They demonstrate a good understanding of class novels and these build on their understanding of historical periods. For example, pupils demonstrate good knowledge of the Romans and the impact of the Roman invasion on Britain.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities mostly do well. Those pupils that have work closely matched to their abilities develop their independence and make good progress. They write with increased confidence and use practical resources to help their number work. However, reflecting some inconsistency in teaching, some pupils who have SEN do not develop their knowledge and understanding as well as they could.
• Overall, the most able pupils make sustained progress in the school. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher standards at the end of Year 6 continues to increase. However, when tasks are not sufficiently challenging, these pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.

School details

Unique reference number 142398 Local authority Sutton Inspection number 10053476 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Junior School category Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 7 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 443 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Bernard Tomkins Executive Headteacher Phillip Hedger Head of School Miss Sophie Gunner Telephone number 0208 337 1844 Website www.cheamcommon.org.uk Email address ccjoffice@leoacademytrust.co.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• Cheam Common Junior Academy is part of the LEO Academy Trust, which it joined in January 2016. The predecessor school was judged as inadequate in December 2014.
• The school is slightly larger than the average-sized primary school. The majority of pupils come from a White British background.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is slightly above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is slightly above the national average. The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is below the national average.
• The LEO Academy Trust executive headteacher has been in post since January 2016. A new substantive head of school was appointed in September 2018. The board of trustees has overall responsibility and oversees a local governing body.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection was carried out with one day’s notice.
• Meetings were held with members of the trust, the governing body, senior leaders, middle leaders and members of staff to evaluate the effectiveness of their actions.
• Inspectors observed learning in all year groups at least twice and scrutinised pupils’ work in books. Most lesson observations were undertaken jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors spoke with pupils to discuss their learning.
• Inspectors considered a range of documentation, including attendance records and records relating to safeguarding and behaviour.
• Pupils took an inspector on a tour of the school and shared their views about the school.
• Inspectors took into account the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys, including 75 responses from parents, 27 from staff and 84 from pupils.

Inspection team

Noeman Anwar, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ellie Whilby Ofsted Inspector Teresa Neary Ofsted Inspector