Carwarden House Community School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school because: Teaching is almost always good and sometimes outstanding. This is the result of rigorous and sustained monitoring by the senior team. As a result of good teaching, the rate of pupils' progress has continued to improve.

Pupils make good progress in English and mathematics, and in many other subjects. Pupils in the sixth form achieve well because : of good teaching and robust monitoring. They thrive as a result of an outstanding curriculum which prepares them well for the next stages in their education.

The curriculum across the school is adapted well to meet the needs of pupils, with a good emphasis on the basic skills of reading,... writing and number. The management of behaviour has been very successfully and rapidly improved. The behaviour of pupils is now outstanding.

There are excellent relations between pupils and with staff. Pupils report that they feel safe and happy, a view confirmed by parents and carers. Their attendance is above average.

School leaders at all levels manage the school well. They robustly monitor and evaluate each aspect of provision, and ensure that standards of teaching and pupils' performance continue to improve. The governing body has a good grasp of the school's strengths and remaining areas for development, and governors provide significant challenge to, and support for, the school's leaders.

It is not yet an outstanding school because : Not enough good or better teaching enables a large majority of pupils to make outstanding progress. Teachers sometimes do not effectively record all the small steps in learning which pupils make. As a result, sometimes, plans are not sharply focused to ensure all the pupils achieve their best.

Teachers, on occasion, do not clearly show pupils how to improve their work and reach their learning targets.

Information about this school

The school provides for pupils with statements of special educational needs, predominantly with moderate learning difficulties. There are an above average number of pupils eligible for the Year 7 'catch-up' and pupil premium funding, which is allocated for pupils who are eligible for free school meals, are in the care of the local authority or who are the children of service families.

Currently there are no children in the care of the local authority. Most pupils are of White British heritage and the remainder are from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds. There are more boys than girls at the school.

There are currently no pupils who speak English as an additional language. About a fifth of pupils are in the school's sixth form. There are no pupils who have entered the school early and there is no alternative provision on other sites.