Caldecote Church of England Academy

Overview

Caldecote Church of England Academy is described as a “close-knit community” where pupils are “kind and respectful” and settle quickly. The report highlights that the school has “reviewed and improved the curriculum” since its previous inspection, resulting in good progress for most pupils and effective support for those with special educational needs.

Strengths

• Staff ensure pupils get to know families well, helping children “settle quickly” and fostering positive parental views.
• Pupils display “good levels of focus in lessons” with “rare” disruption, adhering to clear behavioural expectations.
• The curriculum is “planned out clearly” and enhanced by “purposeful enrichment opportunities,” such as virtual rock pool visits.
• Phonics teaching is “precise and skilful,” with swift support ensuring pupils who fall behind can “catch up.”
• “Robust systems” ensure swift identification of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), with staff using effective strategies to support them.

Areas to improve

• In some curriculum areas, teachers do not “routinely check what pupils know and understand,” leading to unidentified gaps in learning.
• New content is not always adapted to build on pupils’ different starting points, meaning some do not “achieve as highly as they should.”
• The school must ensure plans clearly identify where teachers should assess learning and that staff have the skills to adapt teaching accordingly.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”