Cranleigh Church of England Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Kate Pelazza Headteacher Cranleigh Church of England Primary School Parsonage Road Cranleigh Guildford Surrey GU6 7AN

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Primary School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 12 and 13 September 2023, on behalf of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require special measures following the graded (section 5) inspection that took place in December 2022.

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Primary School

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s overall effectiveness, but to identify and report on the school’s progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school’s previous graded inspection.

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Primary School

During the inspection, I discussed with you and other senior leaders, the chair of the Interim Executive Board (IEB) and the local authority, the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. I visited lessons, spoke to pupils, looked at pupils’ work and observed pupils’ behaviour. I scrutinised school documents, talked to staff and took into account the responses to the staff and parent surveys. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is

necessary for the school to be no longer judged as requiring special measures.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Since the previous inspection, there have been significant changes to the leadership of the school. This has meant that it has taken longer than anticipated to begin some of the necessary improvements to the quality of education. However, the appointment of an experienced IEB has allowed the improvement work to gather pace. Your appointment and the appointment of a special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) from September 2023 has also increased the school’s capacity to improve further. Furthermore, the Department for Education is seeking a multi-academy trust to sponsor the school to give the school additional support.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You have reviewed the school’s curriculum to identify the key knowledge that pupils need to learn. This is now beginning to be taught across the school. You have identified appropriate training for subject leaders so that they can support teachers to deliver the curriculum effectively. Once established, these developments should ensure that pupils experience a broad curriculum and build their knowledge and understanding well.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You have shown a clear determination to improve teaching. You are introducing a carefully considered approach to achieve this. Staff have received appropriate training to improve their subject knowledge. This will enable them to design activities that support pupils to remember their learning and achieve well. However, the use of these new strategies and systems is very much in its infancy. They are currently not used consistently well in all classrooms. You have rightly recognised that there is still a significant amount of improvement needed in this area.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Further improvements are still required to help all pupils learn to read confidently and fluently. Staff training to teach phonics has not yet had the intended impact. While there is some effective phonics teaching, often gaps in pupils’ understanding and skills are not identified and addressed appropriately. Furthermore, the books that pupils are given to read do not always match the sounds they know so pupils are not able to practise reading with confidence. The teaching of reading needs further work as a matter of urgency.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The early years provision is improving. You have raised expectations for what children should achieve. In most areas of learning, you have identified the key knowledge that children need to know to be ready for Year 1. Leaders’ effective support, including modelling positive learning behaviours, has enabled this year’s Reception children to get off to a good start. Planned improvements to the learning environment and further refinement of the curriculum should ensure that children in the early years flourish.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

You have high ambition for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to achieve well. The new SENCo has a clear understanding of what provision for pupils with SEND needs to be in place. This includes accurate identification of pupils’ needs to ensure that appropriate support is provided. However, teachers are not trained well enough in adapting the curriculum for these pupils. As a result, pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should. All staff need further training in supporting pupils with SEND to achieve well.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Effective action has been taken to improve pupils’ attendance. Since the previous inspection, attendance for all pupils has improved. The number of pupils who are persistently absent has also fallen. The school needs to continue this work to ensure these improvements are embedded.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Pupils’ behaviour is improving. Pupils enjoy school and want to learn. You have recently introduced a new approach to managing behaviour. However, this is not yet applied consistently across the school. In lessons, too many pupils do not yet focus on their learning. This is because the most effective strategies to engage pupils are not used consistently. Further guidance is needed to ensure that the new behaviour policy is clearly understood and implemented by all.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The school has rightly focused on the areas for improvement identified by the previous inspection. Since their appointment, the IEB has appointed new senior leaders. The IEB have also diligently provided appropriate support, including working closely with external partners to source helpful training and development for staff. In the short time that you have been at the school, you have demonstrated a clear understanding of the priorities for improvement. These include establishing a culture of high expectations to help all pupils achieve well. Staff are keen to work together to make the necessary improvements. While they recognise that there is still significant work to do, they are positive about the future.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Appropriate safer recruitment checks are in place and staff know how to report any concerns they may have about a pupil. Pupils feel safe in school. They have a clear understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including when online.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

I am copying this letter to the chair of the IEB, the director of education for the Diocese of Guildford, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for Surrey. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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