Craven Primary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Encourage pupils to apply their previous knowledge and skills more confidently when tackling new work, particularly when solving problems in mathematics or conducting investigations in subjects such as history and science.
• Ensure that pupils apply their basic skills of spelling, grammar, punctuation and handwriting accurately in all their written work.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The principal and other school leaders, including members of the school’s education advisory board (governors) and the academy trust, have successfully steered the school’s actions so that it is the best it can be since its establishment as an academy. The relentless drive to raise achievement has led to rapid improvements in teaching, learning, behaviour and outcomes for all pupils, irrespective of their starting points, ability and backgrounds. There is equal opportunity for all.
• The principal is extremely well supported by her leadership team and other staff, all of whom are totally committed to increasing the life chances of all pupils. Expectations of staff and pupils are very high. The school operates a very positive ‘can do’ culture. Staff receive the support and training they need to excel and leaders monitor very closely the progress of each pupil, making sure that those at risk of falling behind are identified early and promptly receive the support they need to stay on track.
• The school has a very high proportion of disadvantaged pupils. Robust systems are in place to make sure that their needs are identified quickly and extra support is provided, including from specialist staff, to help these pupils overcome the barriers they face in their learning. The school uses its pupil premium funding to maximum effect to support these pupils and their families to secure the best outcomes possible.
• Leaders use strong systems to monitor and review all aspects of the school’s work, which ensures that school improvement is effective and sustained. Senior leaders and subject leaders act quickly to address any lapses in performance, among both pupils and staff. Teamwork among staff is strong. Weekly discussions regarding pupil progress enable leaders to ensure that staff and pupils are on track to achieve the targets set. Information gathered through pupil progress meetings informs the school’s subsequent planning, including in adjusting the curriculum to meet pupils’ needs.
• The principal and governors have successfully recruited staff who share the academy’s aspirations to be the best. Leaders make sure that pay awards are closely linked to the quality of teaching, whole-school priorities and pupil outcomes. The monitoring of teaching is rigorous and staff respond well to the guidance they receive. Teachers have excellent opportunities to share good practice, for example regarding assessment with partner schools, to learn from others and develop provision in their school.
• The school’s use of the primary schools’ sports funding has been used well to develop expertise among staff, for example, in dance, gymnastics, football and other sports, and thus to broaden the physical education curriculum. Pupils enjoy many opportunities to compete with other schools. The school promotes healthy lifestyles very effectively and participation in sports clubs is high.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is exceptionally well provided for. Through assemblies and discussions, for example, in literacy, history and religious education, pupils learn what it is to be part of a community and how they should respect those from other cultures, faiths and backgrounds. Pupils engage in charity events, act as peacemakers in the playground, look after younger children at lunchtimes and help around the school. They explore global issues such as pollution and safeguarding wildlife. Visits to galleries, museums and residential trips to London, for example, broaden their horizons and prepare them for a world beyond school.
• The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum, with topics that knit subjects together so that they make greater sense to pupils. For example, work on America, Columbus, Martin Luther King and Barack Obama helped pupils appreciate how events there have shaped the world. With opportunities to undertake research of their own choosing, pupils pursue their ideas and interests and thus engage enthusiastically in their learning. Pupils are very well prepared for life in modern Britain, as respect and tolerance are taught through discussions about the EU referendum, exploring religious festivals in other faiths and learning to speak a different language.
• Parents receive regular newsletters about their children’s learning and events in the school. Parents speak very highly of the school and all that it does to support their children’s progress and well-being.
• The academy trust monitors the work of the school very closely. It challenges and supports school leaders effectively and holds all staff to account for pupils’ progress.

Governance of the school

• The governors have a wide range of skills and experience and use them exceptionally well to support and challenge leaders and staff. Governors are very ambitious for pupils and are extremely committed to ensuring that teaching is of the highest quality. Governors have taken effective actions to support leaders in driving school improvement and to ensure the highest outcomes for all pupils.
• Governors monitor closely the standards within the school by scrutinising the school’s performance data and hold leaders to account for the progress pupils make. Governors have a comprehensive overview of how the school is performing in relation to schools nationally. They monitor the funding for primary sport and for disadvantaged pupils and know the impact of this spending on outcomes for pupils.
• Governors scrutinise pay awards to ensure that they are commensurate with teachers’ performance. The performance management of the headteacher is rigorous.
• Governors also ensure that the school’s policies for safeguarding and all other statutory policies are in line with current guidelines. They review the school’s website to check that information for parents and carers is readily accessible.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders and governors check that all the required training to protect children and keep them safe is up to date and that the policies are reviewed regularly. All required checks are carried out to certify that staff are eligible to work with children. Staff know the action they must take if they have any concerns regarding pupils’ welfare and safety. Systems are robust and any concerns are followed up quickly. The school takes its duty of care very seriously and involves other agencies where necessary to keep children safe. Parents are fully informed about the procedures to safeguard children through newsletters and via the school’s website.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Teaching over time is resulting in the outstanding outcomes for current pupils in the school. School assessment data and work in pupils’ books show that progress is outstanding, in relation to their starting points. This is because teachers’ expectations of pupils are high in all classes and all subjects.
• Pupils are encouraged to challenge themselves, and teachers and teaching assistants provide effective support to guide them in their learning. Pupils move on to harder work safe in the knowledge that it is fine to make mistakes or ask for help if they get stuck. As one pupil said, ’Teachers are there to help us get it right.’
• Teachers have excellent subject knowledge and plan activities and tasks that capture pupils’ interest and arouse their curiosity to learn more. Pupils are not frightened to ask questions and prompt each other if teachers are not readily at hand to help them.
• Teachers are very skilled in asking questions that deepen pupils’ understanding and assess their progress. Pupils are encouraged to think about their learning and extend their ideas. Many pursue topics that they want to study on their own and staff steer their learning productively. For example, pupils in Year 5 explored America from many perspectives including history, geography, sport, music and literature. Teachers raised questions and posed challenges to increase pupils’ self-reliance and confidence.
• Pupils who grasp new learning quickly receive harder work to stretch them further. Those less secure receive additional support to help them learn effectively. Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive throughout.
• Teaching assistants are well trained and highly effective in their roles. They support individual pupils or small groups and know their specific needs and abilities. Planning is based on what pupils have already achieved and this helps them to move forward step by step at a pace that secures effective learning.
• Teachers adhere to the school’s marking and feedback policy; pupils know from the guidance they receive what they need to do to improve their work. While most pupils consistently submit their best work, a number sometimes slip in the accuracy of their spelling, grammar, punctuation and presentation. This detracts from the quality of their work, and when it goes unchecked, errors persist.
• The most able pupils, including many who are disadvantaged, receive a high level of challenge through the tasks teachers set. Teachers pose the questions and let pupils plan and organise their own learning. Many exceed expectations because pupils are not constrained by any set limits as to how much teachers expect from them.
• While pupils generally are very eager learners, some occasionally lack the confidence to apply previous knowledge when facing new work. They fail to work systematically, for example, when tackling multi-step problems in mathematics. In a bid to complete calculations quickly using the inverse method to check their answers, some pupils in Year 5 took short cuts and then had no way of seeing where they went wrong. When devising investigations in science, some pupils take insufficient account of what they already know about the world to formulate sensible hypotheses and predictions. For example, Year 2 pupils already knew that denim is a tough material but considered that paper might be just as good to make trousers.
• Phonics teaching is of an exceptionally high quality. It starts in the early years and continues until pupils are confident in their reading and spelling skills. Pupils enjoy the daily routines that recap previous work before teachers introduce new content. Pupils rehearse the pronunciation of letters and sounds accurately and staff intervene promptly when errors occur. Pupils’ ability to apply phonics when reading unfamiliar words is very secure. Older pupils who have not had this level of phonics teaching are less confident in their spelling when writing.
• The teaching of writing is overall is outstanding in literacy. Writing is strengthened further through pupils’ work in other subjects. Pupils have extensive opportunities to write and select appropriate features, for example, for writing factual accounts or more creative texts. Older pupils say that they learn much about how to make their writing more interesting and ‘grown-up’ through their reading activities, particularly their ‘guided reading’ sessions. For example, they said, ‘When we discuss characters and plots we get ideas to make our writing better.’ Younger pupils said listening to stories helps them write ‘good stories with lots of big words’. There is a strong focus on vocabulary.
• Teaching in other subjects is at least good and often better because teachers’ strong subject knowledge and enthusiastic presentations hold pupils’ attention and inspire their learning. Pupils’ work in history and geography is at a depth that gives them a secure grounding in these subjects in preparation for secondary school. Science is taught well, with pupils acquiring investigation skills effectively. Pupils say that teachers make work ‘interesting and fun because they want us to love learning’.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• The school is a very safe, well-ordered environment where pupils feel valued and respected. Pupils say that they love school and are happy there because teachers care about them. Pupils trust all the staff that work with them and know whom to go to if they are upset or worried. As one pupil explained, ‘We are like one big team here. There are loads of people to help you, like the peacemakers in the playground.’
• The school is very inclusive and all pupils are taught to value and respect one another. Parents agree that the school provides pupils with good examples of how to be with each other and applaud the way older pupils look after younger ones, for example at playtimes. Unprompted, pupils help each other in lessons if teachers are busy.
• Pupils have many opportunities to develop their own ideas and opinions through assemblies and class discussions. They learn to respect the views of others and become well informed, confident young learners aware of the need to show tolerance towards those they disagree with. Pupils are very well prepared for the rigours of secondary school because they believe in themselves.
• Pupils take on responsibilities as school councillors, playground peacemakers and school shop managers and so learn that they are trusted and trustworthy and that they have a contribution to make to the wider community. Pupils display high levels of maturity and good sense as they move up the school and are very good citizens.
• Pupils have a very clear understanding about how to keep themselves safe at school and beyond. They know the risks posed by social media sites and to not divulge personal information on the internet. They also know to report any issues immediately.
• Pupils know the school grounds are secure and which areas are out of bounds at specific times of the day. ‘We don’t go around there because we have been told not to!’ They know the rules are there to keep them safe and to disobey is not acceptable.
• Pupils understand that bullying is not the same as ‘falling out’, because, ‘people do fall out in real life’. They explain clearly how they should report bullying to teachers but say that it does not really happen at the school much because the teachers ‘won’t have it’. They explain that teachers deal with any unkind behaviour promptly. The school’s parent survey affirms that teachers deal with bullying complaints effectively.
• Parents also explained in this survey that the school takes good care of their children and that the school has gone from strength to strength since it became an academy. As one parent expressed, ‘My child loves it here. I’m really pleased he’s at this school.’

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils love their school and understand the rewards and sanctions regarding behaviour. Pupils want to behave well because they know it is the right thing to do. In classrooms and around school generally, pupils show courtesy and care towards others. Older pupils model exemplary behaviour and children in the early years know what is expected of them from the outset and conform accordingly. Lapses do occur but are managed swiftly and consistently by all staff.
• Older pupils are charged with looking after younger ones and with safeguarding against any boisterous behaviour in the playground. Pupils look out for each other and respond sensibly if accidents occur. Pupils were quick to voice that, ‘No one bumps into you deliberately but sometimes you just crash into each other by accident.’
• Pupils’ behaviour in lessons is exceptional. They listen attentively, settle to tasks quickly without undue fuss, and this creates a purposeful environment for all. Pupils explained that, ‘You are here to learn, not mess about and spoil it for others.’ When excited enthusiasm bubbles over, teachers remind pupils gently to calm down to work.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary. They try hard and want to please but also want to get it right. Pupils’ love of learning is evident in the way they conduct themselves even when not directly supervised. Older pupils explain that they want to do well so they can move into top sets when they go to secondary school, because ‘That’s where all the best children are.’
• Pupils’ attendance has risen to just above national average this year through the school’s continued efforts to reward good attendance. Pupils value the rewards and incentives but also like being at school. Most attend every day and arrive on time. The free breakfast club is well attended and the morning dance sessions very enticing.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Improvements in teaching over time have resulted in pupils’ current outstanding outcomes. Strong teaching is very successfully helping all pupils achieve outstandingly well. Attainment at the end of Year 6 this year in reading, writing and mathematics has put the school in the top 5% of schools nationally.
• The proportion of Year 1 and Year 2 pupils who reached the expected standard in the phonics screening check in 2016 is well above national averages. It has increased further this year because the teaching of phonics is exceptional. This reflects outstanding progress from children’s starting points in the early years, which are lower than typical.
• The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard at the end of key stage 1 is also above age-related expectations as an increasing number of pupils have exceeded expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. The unvalidated data for this year’s Year 2 pupils is stronger than for pupils’ performance in 2015. This confirms that the school continues to improve. The number of pupils working at greater depth in reading and writing is not as high as in mathematics, however. Plans are in place to address this.
• While data from 2015 and 2016 cannot be compared directly, the overarching picture is that pupils continue to make better than age-related progress, and this year by a significant margin. In the national curriculum test results and assessments in 2016, the combined national figure for reading, writing and mathematics is 53%. In the school this figure is 79%. In all subjects, pupils did better than pupils nationally. Pupils who exceeded expectations included many disadvantaged pupils and many from ethnic minorities.
• The disadvantaged pupils in the school outperformed all pupils nationally by a considerable margin in writing and mathematics. Outcomes in reading were not as strong for the most able disadvantaged pupils but were nevertheless better than those for all pupils nationally. Disadvantaged pupils in the school make outstanding progress through excellent support, both in their learning and their personal development.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive very precise individual support that helps them stay on track to make the best progress they can against their starting points. Parents are extremely positive about the way the school supports these children and how parents can help at home. As a result, these pupils make outstanding progress and enjoy taking part in the same activities as their classmates.
• The most able pupils make outstanding progress because, as they gain in confidence and become more self-assured, their aspirations rise. They know learning is important if they want to get good jobs one day. The school opens pupils’ minds to what they could achieve through hard work and sets challenges that require perseverance to extend their knowledge and skills.
• Pupils read well and enjoy reading. They have many strategies to decode words and make sense of their reading, with errors only arising among less confident readers who fail to use punctuation correctly and thus lose fluency. Most correct themselves quickly and move on to talk about the different features authors might use to make the stories come alive. A love of reading is nurtured from the early years and, as pupils progress through the school, they know which authors they like and why.
• Pupils’ writing skills are developed well, from children forming simple words as early as in Foundation One to pupils composing poems and book reviews subsequently. Pupils know what makes writing interesting and borrow ideas from their reading to influence their writing. Through topic work, pupils continue to extend their skills in other subjects and have a secure grasp of what features to use in factual texts as opposed to creative writing. The high standards of writing pupils produce in their English books are occasionally not replicated as accurately in other subjects.
• Achievement in mathematics is high, particularly among the most able pupils, because the basic skills are taught effectively and pupils gain a good grasp of number from an early age. Teachers make sure that pupils can apply a range of strategies in their work to calculate answers and explain their understanding. Pupils’ mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills are generally good, but lapses do occur when pupils try to take short cuts or misinterpret written problems. This stops them achieving even more.
• Pupils’ work in science and the humanities shows that pupils make at least good progress in these subjects, simply because teachers make the topics relevant and interesting and allow pupils opportunities to develop their own ideas and opinions. Even where pupils are not overly confident in literacy and numeracy, many shine in subjects such as history, science and physical education because the work engages their full interest.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Children generally start school in the early years with skills which are below those typical for their age. Their personal development and language and communication skills are often less secure. They make very rapid progress because teachers’ expectations are very high; routines are well established and teaching is outstanding. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development in 2016 increased markedly to be almost in line with the national average and current children are on track to achieve even more.
• The arrangements to help children become school-ready are very effective. Children visit frequently before they start to help them familiarise themselves with their new surroundings. In this way, children integrate quickly and settle well. With Foundation One working alongside Foundation Two, the younger children follow the example of those who are older and this supports their rapid progress.
• Leadership of the early years is strong. There is a very vibrant atmosphere in the early years as staff work together to bring the best out of the children. Children have excellent opportunities to work with adults or select activities. With a topic or theme to underpin the learning, staff organise groups for directed time, for example for phonics, writing or number, to make sure that children are secure in these basic skills as well as exploring on their own. Children respond well when working with adults and then replicate their learning as they play, using new vocabulary excitedly.
• The leader ensures that all staff record children’s progress carefully and identify any children who need specific additional support. External agencies become involved where staff identify concerns about children’s speech and language or personal development and this allows early interventions to help children catch up. Relationships with parents are very positive; parents are kept fully informed where concerns arise. Assessment records are sometimes too detailed for parents to access their child’s progress information readily.
• Assessment procedures are rigorous and information is used to inform teachers’ planning. Staff review children’s progress weekly to ensure that children are challenged appropriately. Staff ask children to challenge themselves continually. For example, children worked freely on sounding out three-letter words and writing these. The group included children from Foundation One and Foundation Two. They challenged themselves to write, ’just one more word’ for over 10 minutes. Others tackled simple calculations as they rehearsed number bonds to 20.
• Children learn in a highly stimulating and safe environment. They are free to move to activities when not working with adults but staff check that pupils try everything, including areas of learning they find difficult. They have good resources to support their learning and role play and art and craft areas often become very busy places. However, children organise themselves well and share sensibly, waiting their turn, for example when playing in the water or climbing.
• Children know how to stay safe, reminding each other not to run when excitement overtakes them. They know to report any accidents and mishaps immediately and to wash their hands before taking a snack. The level of orderliness among such busy little learners is remarkable. It appears effortless because routines are so well embedded.
• Children laugh and chatter excitedly, for example, when recounting the story of Goldilocks, and explain that, ‘she was a very naughty girl to break the chair’. Others explained that it was silly of the bears to go out and not lock the door. Such dialogues show how absorbed children are in their learning and how it relates to real life.
• The teaching of phonics is extremely well planned. Children love the regular routine where they learn letters and the sounds that they make and then look for words that have that sound in them. Finding more each day becomes a game. Staff correct errors sensitively and make learning fun, often using games and rhymes to embed learning.
• Children are hungry to learn. They listen avidly, absorbing everything staff tell them. For such a young age, children behave impeccably. They try hard because they want to do their best. They talk eagerly about how they have grown seeds and what creatures they found in the mud, especially after it rained. Visits out of school increase children’s sense of awe and wonder as they relate their learning to the world around them. They are happy at school because they know teachers care about them and will help them.

School details

Unique reference number 140169 Local authority City of Kingston upon Hull Inspection number 10019695 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy sponsor-led 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 196 Appropriate authority Education advisory body Chair Principal Telephone number Website Email address Peter Barley Trudi Bartle 01482 327626 www.cravenprimaryacademy.org.uk info@cravenprimaryacademy.org.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department of Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school is part of a sponsor-led academy trust, with 28 schools in the trust in the local area and further afield.
• The school was established as an academy in November 2013.
• The school has close partnerships with other schools in the local area.
• Most pupils are of White British heritage.
• A below-average proportion of pupils are from a range of other White ethnic minority backgrounds. Most of these pupils speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged and are supported with pupil premium funding is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• The early years comprises children in Foundation One (who attend part time after their third birthday) and Foundation Two (who attend full time after their fourth birthday).
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors visited lessons to observe learning and to talk to pupils about their work. Nearly half of these observations were carried out with the principal and the vice-principal. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in books and conducted this exercise with the senior leaders. Inspectors listened to pupils read and met formally with pupils to discuss their experiences of school life. Inspectors talked to pupils informally during lessons and around school. The school did not complete the pupil questionnaires.
• The inspectors checked the school’s documentation on safeguarding, attendance, behaviour and the quality of teaching. They also looked at the school’s analysis of its own work, its improvement plan, information about pupils’ progress and teachers’ performance management.
• Discussions were held with the principal and vice principal and other key leaders, including subject leaders. Inspectors also had a meeting with the school’s education advisory board (governors) and a representative from the academy trust.
• Inspectors took into consideration the results of the parent survey that the school conducted in 2016 and the views of the 12 responses to the Ofsted online Parent View questionnaire, as well as the views of one or two parents on site. Inspectors also took into account the views of staff, although no staff questionnaires were submitted on line.

Inspection team

Rajinder Harrison, lead inspector Wendy Ripley

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector