The Craylands School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 January 2025

Pupils are proud of their school community and excited to share their learning. The school's values thread through every aspect of school life. As 'Cray Learners', pupils develop the behaviours to be 'learners for life'. For instance, in Year 5, pupils work together to research their history topic. Across the school, pupils challenge themselves by answering more demanding questions and demonstrating their understanding through knowledgeable responses. The school has high expectations of pupils, and pupils achieve well. Behaviour throughout the school is calm and positive. Pupils are happy and know that if problems occur, adults will help to solve them. Leaders create a culture which embraces difference. Pupils are respectful. They understand individual needs and help each other. Leaders encourage pupils to have a voice, and the school is proactive in implementing new ideas. For instance, pupils requested more support with their emotional and physical health. Pupils learn strategies to regulate their emotions and enjoy using the newly installed running track to help keep themselves fit. Key stage 2 pupils take their leadership roles seriously. They want to make a positive impact on the school. Pupil play leaders make playtimes fun, creating and supervising games for younger pupils. The meadow provides exciting outdoor learning opportunities. For instance, pupils enjoy building obstacle courses and berry tie-dying. They value working collaboratively and learning from each other.

What the school should improve

• Some pupils' gaps in their phonics knowledge and handwriting are not addressed swiftly enough. This means they have delayed fluency in reading and writing which hinders their learning. The school should ensure that pupils are provided with timely support to ensure they can read and write fluently and accurately.

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