Cranborne Church of England First School

Inspection of Cranborne Church of England First School Water Street, Cranborne, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 5QB

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 October 2023

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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 Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Annette Faithfull. This school is part of Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Mark Lacey, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Rosemary Tong.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Cranborne Church of England First School as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection of the predecessor school. 12 and 13 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe. They enjoy warm relationships with each other and with staff. Pupils are polite and know the school’s distinctive values ‘love, learn, fly’ well. They enjoy earning ‘star’ awards when they demonstrate these values. Parents and carers speak highly of the care and support that their children receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The youngest children get off to a flying start. Staff know their needs exceptionally well and are highly ambitious for their learning. Children gain a strong foundation in reading, writing and cooperating with each other. Consequently, they are very well prepared for Year 1.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and achievement. Most pupils conduct themselves well and have positive attitudes to learning. However, on some occasions, a small minority of older pupils do not live up to the school’s expectations. This hinders their learning and sometimes that of others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of extra-curricular opportunities. For example, they enjoy visits to local museums, singing in the choir and sports activities, such as skipping. Some pupils have responsibilities on the school’s different ‘councils’, while others lend a hand in collective worship and in their classrooms.

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better?

Pupils learn a broad and ambitious curriculum. The curriculum is well sequenced, starting in the Reception Year and leading to what pupils need to know in Year 4. In the early years, the curriculum sets out precisely the wide vocabulary that children learn. Here, teaching has a sharp focus on the development of children’s communication and language. As a result, the youngest children are prepared very well for their future learning.

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better?

Teachers have the subject knowledge they need to teach the curriculum well. In the early years, teachers check children’s understanding and adapt their planning if children have not grasped new ideas. However, at times, older pupils do not develop detailed subject knowledge and skills because assessment does not check closely what they know and remember. Therefore, subsequent teaching is not always directed towards rectifying where gaps in pupils’ understanding exist.

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better?

Children in the early years get to know songs, rhymes and stories well. They start learning phonics as soon as they join the Reception Year. At all ages, pupils read books that are selected carefully to match their reading ability. This helps pupils to build their reading fluency and confidence securely. Once pupils can read accurately, they read books that challenge and develop their interests. Teachers read to pupils regularly and celebrate different types of literature, such as poetry and biography.

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better?

The school identifies accurately the needs of pupils with special educational needs 12 and 13 October 2023

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and/or disabilities. Leaders provide useful information to teachers which they use to meet pupils’ needs. Parents work with the school to review the impact of the support their children receive. As a result, the curriculum is typically adapted to help pupils learn successfully.

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Most pupils conduct themselves well and follow routines conscientiously. Highly effective teaching in the early years means that the youngest children quickly develop their independence and resilience. They sustain high levels of concentration and have very positive attitudes to learning. However, a small minority of older pupils do not show the same level of commitment to their learning.

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The school is ambitious for pupils’ wider development. An effective personal, social and health education curriculum helps pupils know, for example, how to form healthy relationships. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, both off and online. The school has considered the gaps in pupils’ learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has made appropriate adaptations to the programme as a result. Children in the early years are well supported to be active and develop physically.

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Pupils learn to celebrate differences in the world and its people. To support this understanding, teachers read stories to pupils from thoughtfully chosen books. Pupils discuss these stories well, showing respect and understanding. Pupils learn the importance of being active citizens and helping others in need. For example, they make donations to charities and take part in community events. Pupils learn to reflect on their actions by hanging words on ‘reflection trees’.

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Trustees provide strategic direction to the school and ensure that resources are well managed. Local governors understand their role well. The trust and the school have worked successfully to ensure pupils receive a good quality of education. Staff value their professional learning which supports them to develop their teaching.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, assessment is not used effectively. Pupils sometimes do not have the secure prior knowledge they need to help them to move confidently on to new concepts and ideas. The school and trust should ensure that assessment is used to inform teaching so that gaps in pupils’ learning are identified and remedied.  A small minority of older pupils do not follow routines well. This hinders their own learning and sometimes disrupts the learning of others. The school and trust should ensure that high expectations are insisted on by all staff so that all pupils behave well and are committed to their learning. 12 and 13 October 2023

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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). 12 and 13 October 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Diocese of Salisbury Academy Trust.  The school is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Salisbury. The school received its last section 48 inspection in June 2016.  The school does not use 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 inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single 12 and 13 October 2023

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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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum planning, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey and to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

James Oldham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Helen Torrance Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 October 2023

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regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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