Caldew School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 June 2022

Pupils, including students in the sixth form, are proud to attend Caldew School. They feel well supported, happy and safe in this welcoming community. There are high levels of trust and respect between pupils, students and staff. Staff have high expectations for pupils' and students' behaviour and learning. Pupils and students behave well in lessons and around the school site. They are polite to each other and look out for others in the school. Pupils and students are expected to participate fully in learning during lessons. They are confident that on the rare occasions that bullying occurs, leaders will deal with it quickly and effectively. Pupils and students value the wide range of opportunities that they are offered. They benefit from working with pupils and students across all year groups on musical performances and shows, and in the wide range of clubs available across the school. Pupils and students particularly enjoy the opportunity to learn on the school farm. They described their enjoyment of raising chicks from when these first hatch and caring for a range of animals. Pupils and students achieve well.

What the school should improve

• The support for pupils who struggle with reading in key stage 4 is not as effective as it should be. This means that some pupils struggle to access the curriculum in key stage 4. Leaders should ensure that staff receive training to support those older pupils who find reading difficult, so that they become fluent and competent readers.
• Students in sixth form do not have access to a sufficiently strong personal development programme. This means that students are not able to build on the solid foundations that they gain in key stages 3 and 4. Leaders should ensure that students have access to a more effective personal development curriculum, including coverage of relationships, health and sex education.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)