North Crawley CofE School

Inspection of a good school: North Crawley CofE School Church Walk, North Crawley, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire MK16 9LL

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Outcome

North Crawley CofE School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school vision of ‘inspiring learners, growing together’ is fulfilled daily in this nurturing infant school. Despite being very small, the school has big ambitions for pupils. Governors, leaders and staff share high expectations for all, and pupils mostly achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff model the school values every day, which are seen in the perseverance, respect and friendship displayed by pupils. Everyone works together to help pupils to meet high expectations with happiness and pride. If pupils need support to manage their emotions, staff use expertise and compassion to guide them. This ensures a calm and positive atmosphere. As a result, pupils feel safe, joyful and confident.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders enrich school life with experiences including trips to the theatre, museum and Salcey Forest. Outdoor learning enhances both the academic and personal development of pupils. Links with local sports providers contribute to an impressive sports offer. Pupils love lunchtime basketball club, tennis coaching and regular visits to the local gymnasium. The club offer is impressive, with something for everyone.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils glow with excitement when describing memorable visits from an author, the fire service and a local farmer. Pupils were truly inspired by their interactive history day to celebrate learning about the great fire of London.

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

Children flourish with a strong start in early years, where language and mathematical skills blossom for all. As a result of excellent transition with families and local nurseries, staff get to know children and help them settle happily. Reading is highly prioritised from the start. Children learn sounds securely through a well-structured approach. They practise reading sounds with precisely matched books. Phonics teaching is effective, reflecting expertise across the staff team. If pupils struggle, they receive effective help. Staff use familiar and consistent strategies to help pupils self-correct and practise tricky 14 February 2024

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sounds. This determination to help pupils read enables them to access the whole curriculum. As they move through key stage 1, pupils develop fluency and confidence. They read aloud with expression, and are motivated to explore the school’s diverse range of books. Parents love regular reading sessions that get families involved.

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The ambitious and broad curriculum has been developed across the federation, with teachers leading subjects across the six schools. Curriculum planning is highly developed and contains engaging and exciting learning opportunities. Pupils’ writing in history is impressive, connecting pupils’ skills and knowledge across subjects. Many pupils show high motivation and understanding during lessons, helping them to learn and remember key content with great success. When staff spot gaps in pupils’ understanding, they give quick feedback to pupils to move learning on. Sometimes lesson activities do not ensure that the school’s high ambitions are fulfilled for all pupils. This means that some pupils remember experiences and activities, but are not able to recall important knowledge with precision.

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Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a strength. Working closely with teachers, support staff and families, leaders plan specific approaches to ensure that all pupils access the whole curriculum to make progress from their starting points. When external help is needed, staff use collaboration and dedication to find solutions. Support for emotional needs and learning behaviour is nurturing and well- considered. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Behaviour expectations have been prioritised to help pupils to manage their emotions and enjoy a fresh start every day. Relationships are warm, positive and forgiving. If pupils are distracted, staff swiftly respond to ensure that learning time is not lost. Leaders’ efforts to reduce absence have been particularly successful, as school attendance is now higher than the national average.

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Pupils thrive with an array of opportunities for personal development. Parents shared that the school ‘helps to grow the unique talents’ of their children. Pupils were proud to explain their work about ‘odd socks’, where they joyfully celebrated how we are all unique but share things in common. The religious education curriculum and links with the church enhance the spiritual and cultural development for all. Pupils learn about faiths and traditions across the world, preparing them well for future life.

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Governors bring a wealth of expertise. They show extensive knowledge and understanding of the school. The support and challenge they provide is robust and effective. Leaders are dedicated, enthusiastic, reflective and well-respected. Staff feel highly valued, happy and proud to work here. Everyone shares skills and training across the federation, which boosts teachers’ subject knowledge, and builds extra capacity for the school. Parents are unanimous in their praise for the school, saying it is ‘beautiful, friendly and supportive’ and ‘feels like an extended family’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 14 February 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, teaching activities do not ensure that all pupils learn key content securely. This means that some pupils do not remember the precise knowledge that leaders intend. The school should help staff to design tasks that are sharply focused on supporting pupils to learn and remember important content successfully over time.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. 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 good in September 2018.

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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). 14 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.northcrawley.milton-keynes.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a very small school with 27 pupils currently on roll. It is part of the Village Schools Federation. There are five other schools in the federation.  The executive headteacher has responsibility for all of the schools in the federation.  This school is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Oxford. The school was rated good in its most recent section 48 inspection in March 2019.  The school currently uses no alternative provision.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 14 February 2024

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 Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, lead teacher, special educational needs co-ordinator, subject leaders, teachers, support staff and governors.  The lead inspector spoke by telephone with a representative from the diocese and met with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. Inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed and evaluated pupils’ work across the curriculum, including science, personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) and religious education.  The lead inspector listened to a range of pupils read. The inspector observed catch up interventions to learn how staff provide extra support to pupils.  The inspectors gathered evidence to explore the impact of pupils’ behaviour, the

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school’s wider curriculum offer and how leaders support staff with their workload.  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.  The inspectors considered the responses to the staff survey and spoke to a range of staff about their views of the school.  The inspectors spoke to a range of parents and took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and the free-text responses.  Inspectors spoke with a range of pupils to learn their views about the school. Inspec- tors also considered responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Scott Reece, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Ellison His Majesty's Inspector 14 February 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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