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 Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 3 and 4 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this friendly school where everyone is welcome. The warm and caring environment that the school provides creates a safe space for pupils to flourish. Pupils benefit from kind and supportive relationships with staff. They are happy and confident learners.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s successful work to embed high standards of behaviour means that pupils feel safe. Pupils enjoy being in the calm setting that the school provides. They understand the school rules and they are eager to follow them. Pupils strive to be ‘Crabtree Superstars’ and earn house points for their team. One pupil, typical of many, said, ‘We have lots of lovely teachers. They all help us to shine in our own way.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ achievement. Pupils live up to these expectations. They listen carefully and work hard during lessons. The ethos of ‘every child, every chance, every day’ is evident throughout the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school staff know pupils and their families well. Parents and carers are just as important as the pupils here. There is a real ‘family feel’ to this school. Everyone is part of this school community, including Bob and Fred, the school dogs.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is broad and ambitious. It meets the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), well. In response to historically low outcomes, the school has decisively improved the curriculum. The subject curriculums have been carefully sequenced so that they build on the strong start that children enjoy in the early years. The school has benefited from external support to strengthen the curriculums in reading, writing and mathematics.

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better?

The school has ensured that, in most subjects, pupils are introduced to new learning in small, logical steps. Pupils build on what they have learned in previous lessons. In a small number of subjects, this is not as precisely the case as it is in most. Sometimes, pupils can discuss the activity that they have undertaken, but they are less secure in the knowledge that they should have learned.

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better?

Reading is a top priority in this school. Staff spark and develop pupils’ love of reading. The school ensures that phonics teaching is systematic. Children begin learning phonics as soon as they join the school in the early years. Staff ensure that the books that pupils read closely match the sounds that they know. This helps pupils to read with fluency and confidence. The school ensures that any pupils who are at risk of not keeping up in reading receive appropriate help to catch up with their peers. 3 and 4 October 2023

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As pupils move into key stage 2, they read a wide range of high-quality texts from the well-stocked reading areas. The school inspires pupils to read often. Pupils enjoy reading. They are proud to receive reading badges for their efforts.

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Pupils’ behaviour is consistently good across the school. In the early years, children play happily and learn essential behaviour skills, such as how to work together. In lessons, staff clearly link their expectations to the school’s values, which they model well. These are supported by clear and embedded routines.

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Rates of absence are currently too high, and this is a barrier to some pupils’ learning. Leaders know this and have made considerable efforts to try and address it. However, these have not been successful enough, and too many pupils are persistently absent.

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Pupils with SEND flourish under the care and guidance of the school. Their needs are identified well. Pupils receive appropriate help and support so they can mostly learn the same curriculum as their friends. They enjoy all the school has to offer, both academically and socially.

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Pupils benefit from a wide variety of opportunities to be active and responsible citizens. They make a strong contribution to school life. Pupils are proud to be peer supporters, school councillors and eco warriors. The school encourages pupils to challenge stereotypes and celebrate diversity. For example, pupils learn to play football with a local women’s professional football team. Pupils learn about different faiths, cultures and values, such as respect and democracy. They have time to reflect on their own beliefs. All these experiences prepare pupils well for life in modern British society.

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Governors have a clear and ambitious vision for the school. They support and challenge the work of the school well. Staff value the time and training that they receive so that they can carry out their roles with confidence. They are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, it is not clear in lessons what pupils should learn. The most important knowledge or concepts are not always made explicit. When this is the case, some pupils do not reliably recall the most important knowledge. Leaders should continue to refine the curriculum so that teachers know exactly what they want pupils to learn and remember in these subjects. 3 and 4 October 2023

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 The proportion of pupils who are regularly absent from school is too high. As a result, they miss too much learning and do not achieve as well as they could. The school should continue to work with pupils and their families to reinforce attendance expectations and to make sure that pupils attend school regularly, so that they can maximise their achievement.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘ disadvantaged pupils ’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 3 and 4 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 December 2019

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Information about this school

 There is a before-school breakfast club on site.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and a range of staff. 3 and 4 October 2023

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 The inspectors met with the governing body, including the chair of the governing body. The lead inspector spoke with the school improvement partner and a representative from the Nottingham Schools Trust.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspectors also met with the leaders of physical education, music and English. The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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 The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school. They considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. The inspectors met with groups of staff and pupils and considered responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Norbury, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jayne Ashman His Majesty’s Inspector 3 and 4 October 2023

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