Cringle Brook Primary School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Cringle Brook Primary School 388 Slade Lane, Levenshulme M19 2HT

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 January 2024

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Outcome

Cringle Brook Primary School continues to be an outstanding school.

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Outcome

The head of school of Cringle Brook Primary is Helen Chase. This school is part of the Kingsway Community Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Lisa Vyas, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Atiyah Malik.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are extremely proud and happy to attend Cringle Brook Primary School. They thrive in the caring and supportive school community. From their arrival into the Reception Year, staff teach children to be polite and kind towards each other and to adults. Pupils behave in an exemplary manner across the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils spoke about how their school motto, ‘dream it, achieve it’, inspires them to persevere to achieve their goals. This is embodied in the exceptionally high expectations for achievement that the school has for pupils, which they rise to. They develop a thirst for knowledge that helps them to become keen and resilient learners. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve very well across a range of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic about the praise that they receive for their impressive attitudes to school life. They are proud to receive the prestigious ‘star of the week’ and ‘friend of the week’ awards. Pupils relish the many leadership roles available to them, such as being house captains, sports leaders or members of the eco-committee. These responsibilities help pupils to make a meaningful contribution to their school and to the local community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a variety of opportunities that support pupils to develop their talents and interests. For example, pupils visit television studios, museums, theatres, mosques and art galleries. They also benefit from an extensive range of clubs, such as journalling, yoga, ukelele, dance and cricket. 24 and 25 January 2024

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school ensures that pupils receive a high-quality education. Working with the trust, staff have designed an exciting and engaging curriculum that successfully deepens pupils’ knowledge and understanding over time. The curriculum identifies the precise knowledge that pupils should know and remember in each subject.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school serves a diverse community. Many children who join in the early years speak English as an additional language. Staff support these children to develop strong communication and language skills. This enables them to learn extremely well. The school also skilfully identifies and addresses the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Staff swiftly address any barriers to pupils’ learning. As a result, pupils with SEND progress well through the curriculum alongside their peers.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Staff development is prioritised by the school and the trust. Appropriate training helps to build staff’s confidence in checking carefully on how well pupils understand and remember what they have learned. Teachers skilfully adapt how they deliver the curriculum to address pupils’ misconceptions as they arise.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Reading is at the centre of the curriculum. Pupils are immersed in a broad range of high- quality and culturally diverse texts. They develop a deep and lasting love of reading. Pupils receive exciting rewards for reading widely and often, including from a book vending machine. They have many special opportunities to enjoy stories with their friends in classrooms, the school library and outdoors. Older pupils are proud of their roles as librarians and reading buddies.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

In 2023, the proportion of Year 1 pupils meeting the expected standard in phonics was lower than the national average. However, the school identified the reasons for this and effective changes to the way phonics is taught have been made. Staff have been trained to deliver the phonics programme consistently well and with fidelity. Staff quickly identify pupils who fall behind and provide them with high-quality support to help them to catch up with their peers. The school ensures that the books that pupils read from closely match the sounds that they already know. As a result, pupils learn to read fluently and with high levels of comprehension.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

From the beginning of the early years, routines and expectations for behaviour are established well. In classrooms, pupils sustain high levels of concentration. The school has been proactive in identifying the reasons for the decline in attendance rates for some pupils since the pandemic. It has taken effective action to provide support for pupils and their families. As a result, attendance rates are improving.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils benefit from a wealth of well-thought-out experiences that help to prepare them exceptionally well for life in modern Britain. For example, pupils discuss and consider topical issues with deep understanding and empathy. They have an impressive understanding of equality. Pupils fully respect differences between themselves and others.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Trustees and governors assure themselves that the school’s systems are working well. They ensure that pupils continue to receive an outstanding education. Staff value the 24 and 25 January 2024

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support that they receive. They appreciate how the school, trustees and governors make sure that their workload is manageable. Staff are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in February 2017.

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 24 and 25 January 2024

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School details

Headteacher Lisa Vyas (Executive Headteacher) Helen Chase (Head of School) Website www.cringlebrook.manchester.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 9 and 10 February 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a free school. It opened in April 2014 and is part of the Kingsway Community Trust.  The executive headteacher is also the CEO of the trust.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection that the school has received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken this into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector conducted deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions 24 and 25 January 2024

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about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector spoke with subject leaders and some pupils about their learning in some other subjects.  The inspector observed pupils from key stages 1 and 2 reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector spoke with the executive headteacher, who is also the CEO. The inspector also spoke with the head of school and with other school leaders.  The inspector met with representatives of the trust, including the chair of the trust. She also met with members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector talked with staff and leaders about their workload and well-being.  The inspector met with the leaders responsible for behaviour, SEND provision and pupils’ wider development.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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.  The inspector spoke with pupils about their experiences at school. She looked at a range of policies and documents related to pupils’ welfare and education. She also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around school.  The inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.  The inspector met with parents at the start of the school day and took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Jewitt, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 24 and 25 January 2024

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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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