Cambian Chesham House School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 October 2024

Some pupils value the opportunity that this school provides them with to have a second chance at their education. They appreciate the care that is given by some staff. This helps them to feel a sense of belonging. For some pupils, the school's behaviour management systems have been transformational in helping them to improve their conduct. Some pupils increasingly develop a positive attitude to learning and begin to enjoy school. Nonetheless, some pupils are not supported as well as they should be to overcome the challenges of managing their behaviour. Consequently, some pupils continue to spoil the learning experiences of other pupils and do not engage in their own learning. The school is developing an ambitious curriculum that meets the social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs of pupils. Some aspects of this new curriculum help pupils to build resilience and prepare them well for life beyond school. However, pupils' learning across the curriculum is uneven as, in some subjects, their needs are not met as well as they should be. The school is at the early stages of developing opportunities to promote pupils' personal development. Some pupils enjoy the sporting activities that the school arranges for them. For instance, they enjoy using the gym and spending time on adventurous activities such as climbing.

What the school should improve

• At times, some staff do not choose suitable activities to help pupils to learn the intended curriculum. This hinders how well some pupils engage in their learning and develop their subject knowledge. The school should ensure that staff are equipped with the knowledge and skills that they need to design effective learning activities which help pupils to learn well.
• The school's assessment strategies are underdeveloped. Teachers do not fully understand what pupils have learned and remembered. At times, this means that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge. The school should ensure that assessment strategies focus sharply on gaps in pupils' knowledge so that teachers can address these effectively.
• The school does not identify the additional needs of some pupils sufficiently well. At times, this means that these pupils do not access the curriculum as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff understand pupils' specific needs so that they can better support pupils to access the curriculum.
• The school has not ensured that some pupils who are struggling to learn to read are supported effectively. This means that these pupils do not read with confidence and fluency. The school should ensure that gaps in pupils' reading knowledge are identified and addressed effectively so that pupils learn to read as well as they should.
• The behaviour management strategies that are used by some staff are not effective. This means that some pupils do not engage with their learning well. The school should ensure that staff have the support that they need to help some pupils to regulate their emotions and behaviour to minimise disruption to their learning and that of other pupils.
• At times, the school does not help some pupils to overcome their barriers to attending school. This leaves some pupils with longstanding absences that impact how well they learn. The school should further develop the strategies that it uses to help improve the attendance of some pupils.

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