Croyland Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 9 June 2026

Croyland Primary School is a special place to be. Leaders want all pupils to be 'warm, safe, nourished and happy'. This starts right from the beginning of the day. Pupils are warmly welcomed into school. They settle quickly and are eager to share 'book time' in the library. Parents and carers value the commitment and care that staff demonstrate. One parent explained, in a view shared by many, that staff and leaders 'go more than the extra mile' for pupils and their families. Unsurprisingly, parental support for the school is high. Pupils thoroughly enjoy learning in the many different outdoor areas. They value the places to be quiet, such as the 'mini forest' as well as the trim trail where they can challenge themselves physically. Typically, they play together well and enjoy learning new games to try out. Pupils feel safe and know who they can go to with any worry, however small. They say that adults always sort out any problems straight away. Pupils know that they need to 'do good, be good, be golden'. They conduct themselves well around school and usually listen carefully in class. They understand the shared values of 'the Croyland way'. Leaders want all pupils to be ready for the future. Many pupils, such as those who speak English as an additional language, flourish. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, enjoy their learning and more pupils are well prepared for their next steps because of changes that leaders have made. These are beginning to make a difference to pupils' achievement, but there is more to do. Good attendance is strongly promoted. However, there are still too many pupils who do not benefit from the education that the school provides because they do not come to school as often as they should.

What the school should improve

• Leaders' work to improve attendance should continue to be focused precisely on those groups of pupils who do not come to school often enough.
• Leaders should ensure that they continue to evaluate the impact of their actions to improve pupils’ attainment closely so that they have a clear understanding of what is working well and what should be modified.
• Leaders should ensure that there is a consistent approach to the teaching of transcription so that pupils write accurately and fluently.
• Leaders should ensure that the strategies that teachers use to close gaps in pupils’ knowledge are applied consistently so that all pupils achieve well.
• Leaders should ensure that they evaluate precisely the impact of the positive work that they are doing to improve the school and that governors support the evaluation process through robust challenge.

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