Cantrell Primary and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective at this school. There are too many weaknesses in the school's approach to safeguarding that leave pupils and staff at risk of considerable harm.

These weaknesses do not extend to the early years provision, where staff prioritise safeguarding.

Some pupils do not speak out about bullying or unkind behaviour. They are not confident that staff will act to improve things.

Others feel that there are adults in school they can speak to if they are worried or feel unsafe. However, some pupils feel that they are not listened to.

Many pupils enjoy coming to this school because of the strong friendships they fo...rm.

Most pupils behave well. However, a minority of pupils do not. On occasion, some pupils engage in fights and aggressive behaviour.

Staff do not consistently manage pupils' behaviour so that all pupils behave well.

The school provides a range of activities to enrich the curriculum, such as whole-class brass lessons, sports clubs and residential trips. However, there is an inconsistency with which the curriculum is planned and delivered across the different subjects, including staff's use of assessment.

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

The quality of education is not consistent across and in subjects. Typically, staff are knowledgeable about the subjects they teach. However, the curriculum is not taught consistently well across all subjects.

In some subjects, including English, the detailed knowledge that pupils need to know and remember is not identified well enough. This prevents some pupils from building their knowledge and understanding securely over time. Assessment is not always used well enough to check pupils' understanding of significant concepts.

This means that gaps in pupils' understanding are left unmet.

Children in the nursery get off to a flying start. The provision has been designed to promote children's learning and their personal, social and emotional development effectively.

The school has a well-planned and sequenced early years curriculum. Skilled staff work as a team to deliver this curriculum effectively. This includes for children who may have additional needs, for whom staff use a range of strategies to support their communication.

A love of reading, books, language and rhymes threads through the curriculum. There is strong partnership with parents and carers, with many attending the weekly Friday drop-in book-sharing sessions. Children respond well to the clear routines in place and the high expectations regarding their behaviour.

Reading is prioritised, starting in the early years with phonics. The school accurately identifies pupils who struggle with reading. Pupils who require it receive additional support to improve their reading.

They are becoming increasingly confident readers as a result.

The school has established routines to promote a positive learning environment. However, not all staff insist that pupils follow these routines.

Low-level disruption is not addressed well in some lessons. This leads to pupils' learning being disrupted. A minority of pupils do not enjoy their time at school because of the poor behaviour of others.

Targets for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are not precise enough. This is particularly the case for pupils who have education, health and care (EHC) plans. As a result, not all staff make suitable adjustments in lessons for pupils with SEND.

This means that some of these pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Some pupils with SEND misbehave out of frustration and an inability to access learning in lessons. These pupils do not have a consistently positive experience at school.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including when online. Staff help pupils to reflect on their feelings and emotions as part of learning to promote good mental health. Pupils' understanding of the fundamental British values and the protected characteristics is not strong enough.

Consequently, pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they could be.

Some staff do not feel supported well enough in their work. They lack confidence in the school's leadership and are not convinced that their well-being is sufficiently taken into account.

The governing body and the school do not evaluate as well as they should the impact of the strategies adopted to improve the provision. They are not aware if recent changes are leading to school improvement. Governors have an inaccurate and over-optimistic view of the school's effectiveness.

They do not hold leaders properly to account for their work. They do not sufficiently check the impact of the curriculum, attendance and behaviour on pupils' achievement and well-being. This has prevented them from developing an accurate understanding of the extent of the school's weaknesses.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

The school's approach to responding to concerns about pupils' welfare is not sufficiently robust. The school does not always consider well enough the information it receives about welfare concerns to establish whether these constitute safeguarding concerns, and of what nature or type.

Responses to concerns about pupils' well-being are not always timely enough. This puts pupils at risk because they, and their families, do not always get the help they need.

Some pupils have little confidence that the school will address concerns about their safety.

This is because they do not believe that leaders take their views seriously.

The school does not always undertake all the necessary recruitment checks before staff begin to work with pupils. The school has not, therefore, assured itself of the suitability of some staff to work with children prior to allowing them to work with pupils.

Concerns about staff's conduct, including towards pupils, that should be passed to other authorities are not always referred on appropriately.

Governors neither fully understand, nor fulfil, their safeguarding responsibilities. They have not received sufficient training in this regard.

They do not hold the school to account for its work to keep pupils safe.

Staff receive regular safeguarding training and know how to report any concerns that they have about pupils' welfare. There is an attitude of 'it could happen here'.

However, the school has not ensured that all staff receive updates to statutory guidance in relation to safeguarding in a timely manner.

Leaders do not use their records of welfare concerns well enough to inform how they educate pupils to be able to identify these concerns for themselves and manage any associated risks.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's work to keep pupils safe is not effective.

Weaknesses in staff recruitment, in recognising what constitutes a safeguarding concern and in responding to welfare concerns leave pupils at risk of considerable harm. The school must ensure that the safeguarding arrangements are effective and protect pupils from harm. ? Governors and leaders have an inaccurate, over-optimistic view of the school's effectiveness.

They do not evaluate accurately the impact of the work to bring about improvement. They do not hold others to account well enough. Consequently, they have failed to resolve weaknesses in provision, including in safeguarding.

The school must ensure that all leaders, including governors, have the required knowledge and skills to bring about the necessary improvement to the provision. ? The support that pupils with SEND receive, including in their learning, does not always closely match their additional needs. These pupils do not always achieve as highly as they could.

The school should ensure that the support provided to pupils with SEND enables them to learn well. ? There is an inconsistency with which the curriculum is planned and delivered across the different subjects, including in staff's use of assessment. Where the teaching of the curriculum is less effective, pupils learn less well.

The school should ensure that the expectations of what pupils should learn are clear in all subjects and that each subject's curriculum is delivered and assessed by all staff consistently well so that all pupils achieve well. ? The school has not ensured that all pupils behave well. Some pupils feel unable to speak about the behaviour of others, as they feel this will not bring about any change.

Low-level disruption in lessons is not always challenged. As a result, for some pupils, their experience at the school is not a positive one. The school should ensure that all staff apply the behaviour policy so that all pupils behave well.

• Not all staff trust leaders to support them. This affects their well-being. The school should ensure that staff's trust is restored in the leadership so that they feel supported in their work with pupils.

• Pupils' understanding of the fundamental British values and the protected characteristics is weak. They are not being prepared well enough for life in modern society. The school must ensure that work around pupils' personal development promotes their understanding of the British values and of difference.