Cage Green Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school? '

I love Cage Green and I know Cage Green loves me,' was how one pupil explained what it is like to attend this happy, friendly and successful school.

Pupils know well the school's values of determination, excellence, integrity, respect and responsibility. From a young age, pupils embrace these and aspire to meet them.

They become confident, well-rounded and respectful individuals. Pupils are inspired and empowered to become active citizens and leaders in many different ways. They are proud to be members of the eco-committee, justice league or anti-bullying ambassadors, to name just a few.

Pupils are also impeccably polite and respectful. They hold doors for o...thers and reply, 'You're welcome' when thanked for doing this.

In lessons, pupils show impressive levels of focus and concentration, including in the Phoenix Centre.

Pupils are highly motivated and enthusiastic about learning. They rise to the high expectations that this aspirational school has for them.

At breaktimes, an imaginative range of pallets, tyres, tubes, guttering and ropes promote pupils' curiosity, creativity and teamwork.

This is typical of the careful thought that has gone into everything that pupils experience. The school takes any rare anti-social behaviour extremely seriously and deals with it well.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Outstanding leadership has totally transformed this school since it opened as part of the Connect Schools Academy Trust.

The school has high aspirations for every single pupil. Pupils themselves make a striking contribution to the school's positive culture through their admirable conduct and attitudes. Strong governance and well-judged support from the trust's small executive team unite everyone in a common purpose.'

More people, more places, more choices for our tomorrow', is the clear mantra that runs deeply through everything the school does. This includes the seamlessly planned curriculum from early years onwards. Pupils in the Phoenix Centre access the same ambitious curriculum, adapted to meet their needs.

Opportunities to expand pupils' life experiences and vocabulary are carefully planned.

The curriculum is brought to life by skilled staff, who teach it with clarity and precision. The school's approach to assessment of 'lesson-by-lesson, term-by-term, year-by-year,' is well established.

It is used effectively by adults to check that pupils' learning 'sticks'.

The culture of reading is strong. Phonics teaching is confident and well established.

Pupils develop excellent reading habits and, often, a genuine love of reading. Careful thought has gone into the range of texts pupils encounter across the school. Pupils who fall behind are quickly identified and given extra help.

The school's continuing work to improve reading is a mark of its relentless determination to secure the very best outcomes. The school is still striving to overcome a legacy of weaker past practice that still shows in aspects of the key stage 2 test results.

The school serves pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and their families extremely well.

There is a tight approach to planning, giving and reviewing support. Staff know pupils well and habitually use individual approaches and resources that work. The environment, routines and activities in the Phoenix Centre are specifically designed according to pupils' needs.

From early years onwards, children and pupils remember and use what they learn, so get better across subjects. On top of this, the school's commitment to developing pupils as well-rounded individuals is exemplary. Pupils are inspired by a wealth of opportunities to make a difference in the community, or grow and flourish in leadership roles.

These opportunities are open to all. The school makes sure that pupils who would benefit most take part in wide-ranging activities from sport to music and origami to cooking.

The school is uncompromising in its determination that pupils need to come to school every day.

This approach is sensitively balanced with suitable empathy, understanding and support. Staff work closely with families. Considerable time and effort are invested in the constant search for any possible factor that might help reduce absence.

Recent attendance figures show this tenacity is paying off. Improvements in the attendance of disadvantaged pupils is a particular success.

Relentlessly high expectations and unfailing self-awareness mean that the school understands exactly where it excels and where it wants to achieve even more.

There are convincing ongoing plans aimed at securing the highest quality of education in all respects. Staff feel consulted and involved in the drive to improve the school and unanimously proud of what has been achieved.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

• More refinement is needed for the school to secure the highest quality of education and consistently excellent outcomes that it desires for all pupils in all things. There is more to do to ensure that the last remaining subjects are as comprehensively developed as others, and to fully eradicate some minor variabilities in how effectively different aspects of the curriculum, teaching and assessment are realised. The school should continue to implement its proven and successful strategy and approach to school improvement, so that the quality of education the school aims for and intends is embedded consistently and securely.

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