Crawshaw Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 October 2024

The school has clear ambitions for pupils to achieve their best, underpinned by a belief that they deserve every opportunity to succeed. Older pupils and staff acknowledge the positive changes that are being made to improve the education on offer. However, some pupils do not achieve well enough. The quality of education that pupils receive is varied across subjects and within subjects. The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour and attitudes. However, these are not consistently realised. While many pupils exhibit positive behaviour, some do not behave well enough. Some pupils disrupt the learning of others. Many pupils are happy here and some describe the school as a family. They know that they are safe and looked after. Pupils know that adults will listen to them if they need to share any concerns. Pupils benefit from a range of leadership opportunities at the school. The members of the student leadership team are eloquent ambassadors for the school and a valued voice within the school community. They work with year group representatives to influence positive change within the school. Pupils access high-quality sporting and performance activities.

What the school should improve

• The ambition of the planned curriculum is not consistently achieved across the school. On occasions, teaching does not sufficiently consolidate prior learning, limiting pupils' ability to securely move on to new knowledge. The school and trust should work with staff to better implement the curriculum.
• The targets and teaching strategies for pupils with SEND in mainstream classrooms sometimes lack clarity and are not sufficiently tailored to their individual needs. This limits how well these pupils can access the curriculum, fully engage in lessons, and make sustained progress. The trust should ensure that all staff have the necessary training and ongoing support to meet the needs of all pupils, particularly those with SEND.
• There is variation in how well behaviour is managed. Low-level disruption can interrupt learning and the boisterous behaviour of some pupils can undermine calmness outside of lessons. The school should ensure that the recently introduced behaviour policy is fully embedded to help all pupils understand and meet the school's expectations for behaviour.
• Although new leadership structures and stronger systems are now in place to support improvement, inconsistencies remain in some areas of leadership and management. This affects the pace of overall improvement. The trust should ensure that they provide leaders at all levels with the necessary support and resources they need to build on the positive steps already taken and drive sustained, meaningful improvements.

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