Cromford Church of England Primary School

Cromford CofE Primary School North Street, Cromford, Matlock, DE4 3RG

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This inspection: Good 2

Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The vast majority of the pupils make good progress, especially in reading and mathematics.  The quality of pupils’ learning is good because the teachers ensure lessons are matched to pupils’ prior learning and are interesting. This means all pupils are fully involved in their activities.  Pupils who find learning more difficult are well supported and make equally as good progress as their peers.  Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary and has a very positive impact on their learning. Pupils say they feel safe at school and that there is no bullying. The inspection evidence supports these views.  The headteacher has led the school very effectively since her appointment two years ago. Standards are rising and there is a consistent improvement in the progress made by pupils. The leadership has had a positive impact on raising the quality of teaching.  The staff, including non-teaching staff, work

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

very closely together as a team and this supports the school’s aims and promotes the good improvements made since the last inspection.  The governing body has improved its work, especially in the way it checks on the success of the school’s work.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The progress made in writing is not as strong as in other subjects. Some pupils’ writing is untidy and badly spelled or punctuated. Teachers do not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to write in different styles.  The school does not make full use of the outdoor facilities and resources for the youngest children. Planning lacks sufficient detail and assessments of children’s learning outside do not fully reflect their progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Nine lessons or parts of lessons were observed.  Meetings took place with the headteacher, staff, a sample of the pupils, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  A small number of pupils read to the inspector and talked about their work. Samples of pupils’ work were scrutinised.  Thirteen parents made their views about the work of the school known through the Parent View website.

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Inspection team

Geof Timms, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Cromford is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  A below average proportion of the pupils are supported through school action.  A broadly average proportion are supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  An above average proportion of the pupils are eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise standards and accelerate progress in writing by:  giving pupils more opportunities to write at length, for different purposes and in different styles  improving the presentation of pupils’ written work  improving pupils’ spelling and punctuation.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the outdoor learning for the youngest children by:  improving the environment and resources  ensuring planning is sufficiently detailed so that outdoor learning activities have clear objectives  developing staff skills in observing and assessing children’s learning outdoors.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Although numbers are very small and abilities vary widely from year to year, most children start at the school with knowledge and skills that are below those typically expected for their ages. Good progress is made through the Early Years Foundation Stage and, by the time children are ready to start in Year 1, their reading and mathematics skills, along with their creative development, mean that most of them have reached the expected levels.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has made efforts to improve the outdoor learning for the youngest children and this work is on-going. Even so, achievement is not as good as it should be because more remains to be done to provide a fully effective environment and resources to support learning. Staff do not always make it clear to children what they should be learning during outdoor activities. They have not yet established effective arrangements for assessing how well children learn outside.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In Years 1 and 2, good progress continues and, by the end of Year 2, the vast majority of pupils are achieving levels close to those expected. Good achievement is evident, for example, in reading, and most children clearly enjoy stories and books. In one lesson they very excitedly retold the story of a boy’s shopping trip through creating a storyboard and acting out part of the story.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The current progress made in Years 3 to 6 is good. Most of the Year 6 pupils make outstanding progress in reading and mathematics. By the time pupils leave the school, they have exceeded the levels expected of them although their writing skills remain weaker than their reading, speaking and listening and mathematical skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ good progress is due to very effective teaching which provides pupils with challenging and interesting activities that are well matched to their prior learning. In a mathematics lesson, for example, each group had appropriate tasks for their abilities although all tasks involved rounding number skills. Good opportunities are provided for pupils to use their skills. In science, for example, measuring skills were used to work out and record resistance through friction.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who find learning more difficult are well supported, often by very effective teaching assistants, and this means they are able to access the full curriculum and be fully included in all activities. The school’s data show that these pupils, alongside those eligible for pupil premium, make equally good progress as their peers and are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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The quality of teaching is good

 This small but effective team of teachers, with the support of some particularly effective teaching assistants, provide pupils with a good quality education enabling them to make at least good progress. A small number of lessons observed were outstanding and this helps promote the progress of pupils, especially in Key Stage 2.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teachers plan well for their mixed-age classes and the vast majority of lessons are well- matched to pupils’ capabilities and prior learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Lessons often challenge pupils to think for themselves. For example, one lesson which focused pupils in Years 3 to 6 on reading newspaper articles about the Olympics, and to separate factual reporting from opinion, was very effective in developing their critical skills and preparing them for life outside school. However, teachers do not always provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to write at length and in different styles.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers know their pupils well and are quick to spot any slide in attainment or slowing of progress. This has been helped by the increased use of, and familiarity with, termly data that measures pupils’ progress against the challenging targets set for them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have excellent relationships with the pupils. This encourages pupils to take a full part in lessons and not to feel afraid of making mistakes. The feedback given to pupils helps them to understand what they need to do to improve.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have developed a very effective system to help pupils respond to marking comments and to extend their learning. Insufficient focus, however, is put on correcting pupils’ spelling, punctuation and presentation when writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Training provided for teachers has supported their professional development in a number of areas. The teaching of mixed ages in mathematics, especially in Key Stage 2, has greatly improved as a result of training, as have staff skills at teaching letters and the sounds they make (phonics) to support younger pupils’ early reading skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils who are disabled and those who have special educational needs are taught well. Where occasional small group or one-to-one interventions take place, they are successful in helping pupils to achieve the targets set for them. The progress made is tracked well by staff so that the provision is continually reviewed and revised where necessary.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school is a very harmonious community. Pupils of different ages play and work very happily together and they show considerable pride in their school. A major strength is the way pupils help and support each other and work alongside those who find learning and socialising more difficult. In one example, a boy in Year 2 spontaneously said of another boy’s response to the teacher’s question, ‘He’s good, isn’t he?’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Behaviour in and out of lessons is outstanding and this has a very positive impact on the progress pupils make in their learning. The school’s good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a positive factor in their excellent behaviour. Teachers encourage high levels of cooperation, care and respect for others.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Whole-school worship has a good spiritual focus through the use of hymns, prayers and the lighting of candles. The youngest children play together well indoors and outside. They are developing well their skills in sharing, taking turns and helping each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Older pupils have many opportunities to work cooperatively and collaboratively. For example, small groups worked together very effectively to test the friction qualities of different footwear on a wide range of surfaces in class and around the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say they feel safe and this is supported by the parents’ and carers’ views. Pupils talk about how much they trust staff and would turn to them if worried or concerned. They are emphatic in their view that there is no bullying and they have a good knowledge of how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Attendance was below average last year due to the absence of a very small number of pupils. This was dealt with effectively by the school and does not reflect pupils’ enthusiasm for school, or their parents’ and carers’ efforts to maintain high rates of attendance.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since her appointment, the headteacher has worked closely with staff from the local authority to address the weaknesses identified. The local authority provides effective support and has helped the school through a period of previously unsettled leadership and through the improvements made since the last inspection.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides the school with a clear vision with the aim to be ‘happy and successful’ and this has created a strong team spirit among the staff all of whom say they are proud to be members of staff at the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Subject leadership is shared appropriately and all staff work very closely together to monitor the success of their teaching and the progress being made by pupils. Close collaboration, including opportunities to teach alongside each other, has enabled all staff to get a clear picture of provision throughout the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s view of its work is accurate and honest. This has helped staff to recognise areas of weakness and to address the improvements needed. Clear and detailed school improvement planning is based on agreed areas for development and this is monitored regularly and in detail by the governing body and the staff.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school uses a detailed tracking system that helps staff to see clearly how well pupils are progressing. This means any underachievement is quickly recognised, diagnosed and addressed. Extra support and expertise is then provided, especially to meet the needs of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum provided for pupils is broad and balanced. The school is at an early stage of reviewing this but has already made great strides in developing an appropriate curriculum for a class containing four year groups. That this has been done successfully is clearly evident in the good progress being made by pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  has improved greatly since the last inspection and is now providing the school with good support  is very effective in monitoring the success of the school’s work  makes good use of governors’ individual expertise, including through helping in school.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 112840 Local authority Derbyshire Inspection number 401312

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 34 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lynne Dunsmore Headteacher Elizabeth Foster Date of previous school inspection 5 July 2010 Telephone number 01629 822248 Fax number 01629 823737 Email address headteacher@cromford.derbyshire.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille,

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School details

please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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