Cardwell Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where staff have high aspirations for pupils. High standards are set, not just for academic success, but for personal achievements also.

As a result, pupils achieve highly, despite some challenging contextual issues. They leave the school well prepared for their secondary education. Pupils learn the school's routines quickly.

They take responsibility for their actions. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary in the classroom and around the school building. This helps pupils to feel safe and protected.

Pupils and their families benefit from all that the school has to offer, such as the work the school does to guide parents and carers to support their c...hildren's learning at home.

The school provides opportunities and experiences that nurture pupils' understanding of what it means to be a responsible citizen. Pupils take on responsibilities with pride, such as becoming members of the pupil parliament or neurodiversity ambassadors.

They fundraise for charity and make positive contributions to their community, for example by hosting food and clothing banks and visiting care homes to provide gifts, or to read to residents. Pupils are humble, kind and highly respectful of different cultures, faiths and backgrounds.

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

The school has designed a curriculum, including for children in the early years, that is ambitious and relevant for its pupils.

The school has given thoughtful consideration to ensure there are rich and diverse topics and core texts that enable pupils to feel represented. Curriculum thinking systematically sets out the key knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils need to know. This is carefully mapped out, so pupils' knowledge and skills build in a logical order over time.

Teachers in the early years and throughout the school have strong subject knowledge. They receive regular training from curriculum experts, including from the wider federation. This enables them to deliver information clearly and correct pupils' misconceptions when they arise.

Teachers regularly and precisely check what pupils know and remember. They do not move pupils on to more complex work until they have a secure understanding. This enables pupils to build a deep and broad subject knowledge base across the curriculum.

Pupils have regular opportunities to practise, rehearse and revisit their learning. This supports them to recall prior knowledge securely. The approach to teaching is well embedded across the school.

Children in the early years learn the routines for learning quickly. Learning in classrooms proceeds uninterrupted because pupils know and respect the school rules and expectations.

The school prioritises reading.

There is a systematic approach to teaching reading. Staff have the expertise to deliver the school's ambitious phonics and early reading curriculum effectively. A lower proportion of pupils met the expected standard in the phonics screening check than the school expected in 2024.

However, it has taken intelligent action to mitigate and address this. The school has highly effective processes to identify and address gaps in pupils' reading knowledge. This is enabling pupils to catch up and keep up.

The school works with a range of professionals who contribute to the curriculum and wider academic and creative experiences for all pupils. The school's positive and respectful culture of learning filters down from leaders, including the governing body, to staff and to the pupils. The whole school community understands and values learning.

The school works in partnership with other professionals to assess and understand the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This enables leaders to identify and put in place appropriate support. The school reviews this support regularly and makes adaptations where needed.

Pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers or an appropriate curriculum for their needs.

The school provides a range of experiences to develop pupils' confidence and resilience. This includes encouraging pupils to be ambitious for themselves through a carefully considered personal development offer.

Pupils explore future careers. They hear from past pupils, visit places of work in the city and meet with professionals in their local community, such as doctors and business owners. Pupils attend workshops on the dangers of joining gangs and are taught to keep themselves safe in the community.

The school provides a wide choice of clubs that develop pupils' interests and nurture their talents, including ballet, taekwondo and coding. These clubs are well attended by pupils, including those pupils with SEND.

The school ensures that all parents are aware that regular attendance impacts positively on their children's academic and personal achievement.

Consequently, most children in the early years and older pupils attend school regularly. When pupils' attendance rates fall, the school gets to understand the reasons why and successfully intervenes and puts support in place to help improve pupils' attendance at school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.