Crowton Christ Church CofE Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 November 2024

Pupils are polite, well mannered and respectful. Staff create a caring and supportive learning environment. Pupils have warm, trusting relationships with adults and they feel safe in school. They behave well. Typically, within lessons, pupils concentrate on their learning. When outside on the playground, they play games together harmoniously. Everyone is made to feel a part of this small school community. Pupils are proud to take on additional responsibilities in school. They are excited to be part of the school council, so that they can think about how to make improvements to the school. Other pupils become 'junior safety officers'. They support teachers to improve pupils' understanding about how to stay safe, including when they are online. The school wants the very best for pupils. Recently, the school has made some swift improvements to the curriculum that pupils receive. For example, it is clearer what the key knowledge is that pupils need to know. However, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) at times do not receive effective support to access the curriculum on offer. Furthermore, in some curriculum subjects, pupils' achievement is not as strong as it could be.

What the school should improve

• Staff do not use their understanding of pupils' needs effectively enough in practice. This means that pupils with SEND occasionally do not receive the correct support needed to access the curriculum. The school should ensure that staff implement effective strategies in the classroom to enable pupils with SEND to access the full curriculum.
• Some pupils, including some children in the early years, do not have the knowledge and skills to write effectively. They have a fragile understanding of spelling rules, punctuation and handwriting. From time to time, they develop poor writing habits. The school should ensure that staff support pupils' understanding of different spelling, punctuation and handwriting, so they develop more positive writing habits over time.
• Staff do not use assessment strategies effectively in some subjects. They are, therefore, not sure what pupils know and understand. As a result, staff occasionally do not identify gaps in pupils' knowledge. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment strategies more consistently across the curriculum, to help pupils build up a secure body of knowledge.

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