Crockham Hill Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 26 April 2023

The school is a happy place. Pupils enjoy their learning. They live out the school's core values of respect, empathy, resilience and aspiration. Pupils look after one another. As one parent said, reflecting the views of others, 'There is fantastic engagement between pupils in different year groups.' Leaders and the wider staff team have high aspirations for all pupils' achievement. Teachers make sure that pupils have to think deeply as they complete tasks, and staff expect work to be of high quality. Pupils attain well in a wide range of subjects. Staff have high expectations for pupils' behaviour. From the early years upwards, pupils are helped to understand what staff consider to be appropriate behaviour. Pupils respond positively, conducting themselves well. Leaders, together with staff, deal with bullying effectively. This helps pupils to feel safe. Pupils benefit from an extensive programme to enhance their learning and personal development. One parent summed up the thoughts of many parents, saying, 'This is a great school for nurturing self-confidence and academic and social development.' Pupils take part in a wide range of activities outside of lessons. They learn about diversity through the school's links with communities in London and Tanzania.

What the school should improve

• Teachers' checks on pupils' learning are not always effective enough. This means that there are times when work set for pupils is not pitched well enough. Leaders need to support staff to assess accurately how well pupils are learning and to act on this information.
• Staff do not consistently help pupils to recall what they have learned before. This means that sometimes, pupils are not able to use prior knowledge to make sense of new learning. Leaders should ensure that teachers systematically revisit and build on previous learning.

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