Crabtree Farm Primary School

Inspection of Crabtree Farm Primary School Steadfold Close, Crabtree Road, Bulwell, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG6 8AX

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 10–11 December 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their school days. Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils behave well. They are friendly to one another. There are few bullying incidents. If bullying does occur, staff act quickly to ensure that it stops. Pupils know that there are caring adults they can turn to if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Despite these positive features, pupils do not achieve well enough. Some pupils do not learn to read fluently. The quality of education is not good enough in some subjects and pupils struggle to remember what they have been taught.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is at the heart of the local community. Staff know many of the families well. They want the best for every pupil. They provide high-quality care for pupils who need emotional support. Parents and carers value the kindness of staff and all they do for their children. Staff keep a close eye on pupils to help keep them safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are always looking for ways to extend pupils’ experiences. Pupils are active members of the local area band, primary parliament and ‘snappy opera’. They have an exciting range of educational visits, including residential visits for each year group from Year 1 to Year 6.

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better?

For a time, the school lost its way following the previous inspection. Under the leadership of the acting headteacher and acting deputy headteacher, the school is improving. Staff morale has improved. All staff are determined to make the school better. However, at this stage, pupils do not receive a good enough quality of education.

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better?

Pupils do not achieve as well as they should in some subjects. Leaders have put new curriculum plans in place. In mathematics, science and physical education (PE) these plans show clearly the knowledge and skills pupils will gain in each school year. In some other subjects, the curriculum is not as well planned or taught.

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better?

The teaching of phonics is now generally effective. It was not good enough in the past. As a result, too many pupils in key stage 1 cannot read as well as they should. Pupils who find reading difficult do not practise regularly enough. This limits the progress they make towards becoming fluent and confident readers.

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better?

Leaders want older pupils to read more regularly and with greater understanding. They have made changes to the curriculum to meet these ambitions. Currently, the quality of the teaching of reading is too variable. Not all teaching helps pupils to understand the texts that they read. Too few pupils choose to read for pleasure. 10–11 December 2019

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Geography and history are not planned well. Leaders have not given enough thought to what they want pupils to learn in these subjects. Pupils have a poor recall of their geography and history work. They are not well prepared for studying these subjects as they move on to secondary school.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not always get the right support that they need. Pupils who work in the ‘treehouse’ get support that meets their needs well. In some lessons, teachers do not adapt learning effectively enough. Some pupils with SEND do achieve well across the curriculum.

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Children get off to a good start in the Nursery and Reception classes. Adults plan activities so that they meet the different needs of individual children. There is a strong focus on helping children gain confidence and to make friendships. Children are very settled. They concentrate well when working with adults or in small groups with their classmates.

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Leaders recognise the importance of broadening pupils’ horizons. They make sure that pupils learn about a range of faiths and cultures. Other areas of the curriculum teach pupils about democracy and the rule of law. Pupils have opportunities to learn about keeping healthy. They have lessons about maintaining good mental health. Visitors to the school teach pupils about different careers and professions. The music curriculum gives all pupils the chance to learn to play a musical instrument and to enjoy a wide range of music.

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Pupils work hard in lessons and are respectful of adults and their classmates. This means that learning is rarely disrupted by silly behaviour.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They say that leaders support them well. They value the help they get to keep a healthy work–life balance.

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Recent appointments to the governing body have increased its effectiveness. Governors support and challenge leaders. They are ambitious for Crabtree Farm to continue to improve so that standards improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that there are clear arrangements for keeping pupils safe. They act quickly to keep pupils safe from harm. Leaders are persistent when seeking the right external support for pupils and families.

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Safeguarding

There are a number of specialist staff who provide helpful services and support for pupils. Parents value the assistance they get at difficult times for their families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils have a good understanding of the potential dangers they face when online. Visits to the school by organisations such as the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children also help pupils to stay safe. 10–11 December 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils who find reading difficult do not get enough effective support to help them to read well. These pupils do not achieve well as they cannot read accurately or fluently. Leaders must ensure that these pupils get effective support and are able to practise reading regularly.  Leaders have not ensured that the reading curriculum is well planned or ambitious enough. Some pupils do not understand what they read. Others do not read for pleasure. Leaders should make sure that teachers know what knowledge and skills pupils need to gain so they can understand and enjoy what they read.  Leaders have improved the quality of education in mathematics, PE and science. They should ensure that all subject areas are equally well planned so that pupils gain knowledge and skills progressively as they move through the school. They should make sure that, in geography and history, it is clear what pupils are expected to learn and remember. Teachers should ensure that pupils do not

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

forget the knowledge and understanding that they have learned.  Not all pupils with SEND get the support that they need to achieve well. They do not gain the same knowledge and skills as other pupils. Leaders should ensure that the provision for these pupils matches their needs well in all year groups and subjects.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 10–11 December 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10132690 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body David Lawson and Edith Pagliacci

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School details

Date of previous inspection 9–10 February 2016

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Information about this school

 Since September 2018, the school has been led by an acting headteacher and an acting deputy headteacher. There have also been considerable changes to the governing body. The governing body is now led by two co-chairs.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science and PE. We met with senior leaders and subject leaders. We conducted interviews with staff and pupils, visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work.  We spoke with a representative from the local authority and from the Nottingham Schools Trust. We met with five governors.  We reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising safeguarding records, questioning staff and through discussions with pupils.  We took into account the views of the school that were shared by parents, staff and pupils. 10–11 December 2019

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Inspection team

Anthony O’Malley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sally Manz Ofsted Inspector 10–11 December 2019

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