Crondall Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that teachers consistently have the highest expectations for what pupils can achieve.
• Develop the effectiveness of middle leaders to further improve teaching and its impact on pupils’ progress, including in mathematics and writing.
• Ensure that the curriculum enables pupils to excel across a wide range of subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The interim headteacher has a clear and ambitious vision for the school. She provides strong and stable leadership. Sensible management arrangements have been put in place until the substantive headteacher takes up her post in January 2019. The new headteacher and interim headteacher are working closely together towards a smooth transition. This highly effective partnership is already having a positive impact on all aspects of provision.
• The interim headteacher firmly holds teachers to account for the difference their work makes to pupils’ outcomes. She monitors the quality of teaching carefully, rightly focusing on the impact of adults’ work on pupils’ learning.
• Middle leaders, including those who are new to their role, are enthusiastic and show an increasing understanding of their responsibilities. Senior leaders are wisely providing appropriate training and support aimed at strengthening middle leaders’ contribution to ensuring a high standard of teaching across all subjects.
• Pupils benefit from meaningful activities and experiences in a wide range of subjects including music and personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. However, the curriculum in each subject is not consistently of the high quality required to promote the strongest skills, knowledge and understanding.
• Leaders use the primary physical education (PE) and sport premium well to increase the range of activities available to pupils. Pupils take part in a variety of after-school sports clubs and receive specialist coaching prior to tournaments. Pupils enjoy the different sporting activities offered at lunchtime. The newly appointed PE leader is ambitious to build on the school’s silver sports award and further develop staff’s confidence in teaching PE.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength of the school and pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Fundamental British values are explored effectively through different activities woven through the curriculum. Older pupils’ understanding of democracy is further enhanced through the rigorous application process they have to complete to take on their positions of responsibility within the school.
• Leaders make sure that the provision for the small number of disadvantaged pupils is effective in supporting these pupils, both academically and pastorally. The progress of disadvantaged pupils is closely monitored and when it slows support is put in place promptly. As a result, the majority of this group of pupils make good progress. However, leaders are rightly ambitious for this progress to be further strengthened.
• Leaders ensure that the provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is carefully planned and meets their specific needs. Leaders make sure that staff are suitably trained to provide individual support to help pupils learn. Overall, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities have access to a range of appropriate resources, supporting their learning. As a result, most pupils make good progress from their starting points.
• The majority of parents and carers value and support the school. They appreciate the care and help their children receive. Some parents, although anxious about the recent changes in leadership, rightly feel that these have been well managed and have not had a negative impact on their children’s education. Many parents understandably spoke about the school’s distinctive family feeling and adults’ highly nurturing approach.
• The local authority has an insightful and accurate understanding of the school and is working effectively with the new leaders to secure improvement. The local authority has played a pivotal role in commissioning the support of the interim headteacher. It has also worked closely with governors on the successful appointment of the new headteacher.

Governance of the school

• Governors have acted swiftly and effectively in response to the recent changes in leadership. Their appointment of an interim headteacher before the new substantive headteacher takes up her role, in January 2019, has ensured that school improvement continues uninterrupted and no time is wasted. As one governor commented: ‘Our focus has been the pupils and we have ensured that provision is put in place regardless.’
• Governors are ambitious for the school. They have a deep understanding of the community the school serves and work collaboratively with different stakeholders for the benefit of the pupils. For example, the school has strong links with the neighbouring church and takes part in many fundraising events in the village.
• Governors have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Minutes of the governing body’s meetings show governors’ keen sense of enquiry, through their challenging and well-informed questioning of leaders.
• Governors ensure that they are well informed about their legal responsibilities and fulfil them successfully. They are highly motivated and participate in extensive training to enhance their skills. They ensure that their development matches the school’s priorities.
• The recruitment of new governors is carefully planned to complement the skill set of the governing body. For example, a governor was recently recruited for their extensive personnel experience and another governor for their safeguarding expertise.
• Governors’ monitoring has been increased this academic year, with governors checking leaders’ assertions more thoroughly, including through visits to see how staff are improving provision.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that staff receive regular and appropriate safeguarding training. Staff understand their responsibilities well, including their duty to prevent radicalisation or extremism, and are familiar with the government’s latest guidance.
• Leaders ensure that thorough recruitment checks on anyone working or volunteering in the school are carried out. Records are detailed and meticulously maintained.
• Reliable systems are in place to ensure that vulnerable pupils are swiftly and sensitively supported. Leaders act promptly on information received, working closely with the relevant external agencies and other professionals to ensure the safety of pupils.
• Pupils say that they feel safe in school, and parents and staff confirm that pupils feel safe. One parent commented: ‘All of the staff do a fantastic job in providing a safe, fun, comfortable and enjoyable learning environment for our children.’
• Pupils have a highly developed understanding of how to keep themselves safe when online. E-safety is an integral part of the school’s curriculum from the early years upwards. Pupils can confidently explain how they make sure that they are safe when using the internet, citing examples of what they have learned.
• Leaders and governors regularly check the administration of safeguarding processes. They have recently undertaken a careful audit to ensure that the school’s procedures are up to date.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Excellent relationships between staff and pupils mean that pupils work hard and want to do well. They demonstrate an eagerness to learn.
• Teaching successfully develops pupils’ love of reading. Reading and the use of high-quality texts are at the heart of the teaching of English. The choice of text relates closely to the termly topic for each class to support pupils’ learning. Teachers develop pupils’ vocabulary skilfully through their careful planning and questioning about texts. The well-stocked library at the heart of the school is much valued by pupils, who enjoy using it as often as they can.
• Early reading is also taught well. Recent changes to the teaching of phonics have contributed well to younger pupils’ stronger progress in reading. Teachers make sure that pupils’ reading books closely match their reading ability.
• Leaders have recently introduced greater challenge, particularly for the most able pupils in lessons. This is particularly evident in mathematics, resulting in learning that often extends and deepens pupils’ thinking.
• Teachers provide purposeful opportunities for pupils to practise their writing skills in other subjects. However, teaching does not consistently reflect the importance leaders place on this aspect. As a result, pupils can become careless in their work when teachers’ expectations are not high enough.
• Teachers adapt resources skilfully so that pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and any pupil who requires extra support can succeed. For example, pupils were helped in a mathematics lesson to subtract using counters to represent hundreds, tens and ones in a place-value grid. This enabled pupils to confidently and independently achieve the learning task. One pupil explained that this activity helped him when he was unable to work out the answer in his head.
• Teaching assistants provide a good balance of support and challenge for pupils who need extra help. Inspectors observed teaching assistants working effectively and sensitively with pupils who found the learning challenging. The teaching assistants worked to help pupils succeed against their individual targets, while managing behaviour skilfully and offering appropriate reassurance. Teaching assistants have a significantly positive impact on the progress of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities.
• Within a positive overall picture of the quality of teaching, some variabilities remain. Teachers’ expectations for what pupils can achieve are not consistently high enough.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils and staff enjoy friendly relationships. Staff know pupils well and help to nurture and guide their development. Many parents commented on the school’s strongly held values, and the care and kindness that older pupils show to younger pupils.
• Older pupils relish the responsibilities they are given and carry out their duties with enthusiasm. They take great care in making their applications for positions such as house captain, playleader, shed or library monitor. They wear their badges with considerable pride.
• Pupils shows a deep understanding and respect for each other’s differences. Leaders provide a range of highly engaging activities through PSHE. Weekly ‘big questions’ are discussed in class and at assemblies, where pupils consider world issues, current affairs and other cultures. As a result, pupils challenge stereotypes and state that ‘nobody is more important than anyone else.’ They have a developing understanding of wider issues such as mental health.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are proud to be members of Crondall Primary School. They are polite to each other and visitors, opening doors and showing good manners.
• The atmosphere around the school is calm and purposeful. Pupils show a desire to learn. They treat each other, their teachers and their environment with respect.
• Pupils have a good understanding of the school’s behaviour policy, although leaders are currently reviewing this to ensure greater consistency across classes. Leaders ensure that appropriate support is in place for pupils whose behaviour is more challenging. This has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of incidents of poor behaviour.
• Pupils say that bullying is very rare. They say that when minor arguments or disputes happen, adults help resolve these and ‘things get dealt with’.
• Pupils enjoy coming to school. Leaders monitor their attendance very closely and are highly alert to any patterns of absence and the reasons for these. Although the attendance of all pupils shows a very slight dip compared to the previous year, it remains above the national average. Leaders’ proactive approach to attendance tracking shows some improvement for individual pupils. Nonetheless, leaders are not complacent and continue to work closely with parents to improve attendance.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils reach high standards of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stages 1 and 2. The proportions of pupils achieving and exceeding the expected standards have shown a rising trend in recent years, and exceed national averages.
• Pupils make the strongest progress in reading. Many pupils read for pleasure extensively and leaders ensure that pupils read to adults often. Pupils demonstrate an impressive understanding of vocabulary, often using their comprehension skills to work out the meaning of words.
• Except for a brief blip in 2017, in recent years a high proportion of pupils have achieved the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. Most pupils successfully use their phonics knowledge to segment sounds and blend words when they read.
• From early years on, children and pupils develop their writing skills well. Most pupils take pride in their work and their handwriting, particularly in key stage 1. However, pupils do not use these skills to the best of their abilities consistently enough across subjects.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress over time because their needs are understood and met well by leaders, teachers and teaching assistants.
• The most able pupils are increasingly developing their learning at a higher standard, particularly in English and mathematics. These pupils can apply their mathematical knowledge to solve complex problems. For example, in Year 1, pupils were confidently able to explain and prove why a mathematical statement might be true or false.
• Work seen in the books of current pupils across the curriculum does not consistently reflect the highest quality and success. Leaders recognise the further improvements necessary to the curriculum and the quality of teaching to ensure that pupils make the best possible progress in all subjects.

Early years provision Good

• Children in the early years get an excellent start to their schooling. The highly capable senior leaders with responsibility for early years bring a wealth of expertise and a clear and ambitious vision for the children in their care.
• The proportion of children who achieve a good level of development by the end of Reception has been consistently higher than the national average for the past three years. This provides children with a secure foundation for learning when they enter key stage 1.
• Leaders manage the transition of children into school thoughtfully, establishing routines quickly. Children understand the school’s rules. This is exemplified by the use of ‘mini-me’ signs that children use to keep their work safe. Children know what these signs mean and, as a result, show respect for the work of their peers.
• The stimulating outside area, which includes ‘The Rainbow Lodge’, enables children to explore learning safely and independently. They play well together, learning how to share and take turns.
• Leaders ensure that children know how to keep themselves safe in a variety of ways. For example, children understand that they wear brightly coloured jackets when they use the climbing frame and put on helmets to ride on the bikes. Children know what they need to do if there is a fire alarm and ‘think before they click’ when using a computer.
• The teaching of early reading and writing is effective and includes frequent and carefully structured phonics lessons. Adults demonstrate how to use the sounds that letters represent to read and write. Occasionally, these sessions lack challenge for those children who already know their sounds. Children are given many opportunities to write and happily have a go at writing words and sentences in their writing books and on whiteboards. Leaders have run useful phonics workshops, so parents know how they can help their children at home.
• Teachers carefully consider children’s interests and use this knowledge to plan appropriately engaging activities. As a result, children enjoy their learning and quickly become absorbed in their tasks. For example, children were observed cheerfully making ‘spooky’ houses and confidently counting coins when buying items at a toy shop.
• Adults’ skilful open-ended questions encourage children to think and work things out for themselves. For example, a group of children building a bridge were encouraged by an adult observing them to work as a team to solve the problem of how to make it higher.
• Relationships between adults and children are warm and caring. Adults give close attention to children’s well-being. Children are happy and settled. Leaders have carefully considered the provision needed to meet the specific needs of children who have SEN and/or disabilities. This group of children are supported extremely well.
• Parents appreciate the high-quality teaching and expert care their children receive in Reception. Leaders provide them with many opportunities to be involved in their children’s learning. For example, weekly communications help parents to know what their children have been learning. Displays of ‘proud clouds’ celebrate the successes of individual children. In addition, very effective use is made of the home-school communication books.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 115878 Hampshire 10046488 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 5 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 184 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Louise Grant Interim Acting Headteacher Sonia Denning Telephone number 01252 850291 Website Email address www.crondall.hants.sch.uk adminoffice@crondall.hants.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 21–22 March 2012

Information about this school

• Crondall Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The school is being led by an interim acting headteacher for one term.
• A new substantive headteacher and deputy headteacher have been appointed and will be in post from January 2019.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.
• The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.
• The school has one class in each year group from Reception to Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 22 lessons across all year groups. All lessons were visited jointly with senior leaders. Inspectors listened to pupils read and met with groups of pupils from Years 1 to 6.
• Inspectors looked at a range of pupils’ work in lessons. In addition, a selection of pupils’ books were scrutinised. Pupils’ behaviour was observed in lessons, during breaktimes and around the school.
• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders and subject leaders. The lead inspector met with two members of the governing body, including the chair. The lead inspector also met with a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors met with parents at the beginning of both inspection days to gather their views on the school. Inspectors also considered 33 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 30 free-text comments.
• A wide range of documentation was evaluated, including information and documents on the school’s website, the school’s self-evaluation, minutes of governors’ meetings and leaders’ records of pupils’ attendance, behaviour and academic standards.
• The school’s safeguarding procedures were also reviewed.

Inspection team

Frances Nation, lead inspector Jon Hills

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector