Cambo First School

Overview

Cambo First School is described as a “caring, nurturing school at the heart of a rural community” with a “strong sense of family and inclusion.” Pupils are “safe and well cared for,” achieving well in reading and mathematics within mixed-age classrooms. The report highlights that the school promotes a love of reading and provides effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Strengths

• The school “promotes a love of reading,” using engaging books and a therapy dog to encourage younger pupils.
• Staff are “trained well in how to teach phonics,” ensuring books align with taught sounds so pupils become “fluent and accurate readers.”
• The early years curriculum is “well planned and sequenced,” preparing children effectively for Year 1 through a mixture of play and formal learning.
• Pupils with SEND are “supported effectively to access the curriculum,” with teachers closely monitoring progress towards learning targets.
• The school fosters personal development through a “well-structured curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education,” helping pupils understand diversity and equality.

Areas to improve

• The curriculum in some foundation subjects is “not fully developed,” meaning learning activities occasionally fail to secure understanding or build on prior knowledge.
• The school does not routinely keep written records of low-level safeguarding concerns, which prevents a clear chronology of actions taken.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are “effective,” though the report notes that “some minor improvements need to be made to strengthen written record-keeping” regarding low-level concerns.