Cranford CofE Primary School

Inspection of Cranford CofE Primary School Church Lane, Cranford, Kettering NN14 4AE

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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 Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

The principal of this school is Robert Tyman. This school is part of Peterborough Diocese Education Trust (PDET), which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Ruth Walker-Green, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Margaret Holman. There is also an executive headteacher, Erica Holt, who is responsible for this school and two others.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Cranford CofE Primary 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. However, the academy received an ungraded inspection under section 8 of the Act on 6 October 2021. 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. 6 and 7 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Cranford CofE Primary School is a welcoming and friendly school that is at the heart of its community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s caring community helps pupils settle quickly when they join the school. The school has high expectations for all pupils. Teachers know the pupils well. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the extra support they need in an inclusive and sensitive way.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know the school’s rules and expectations. Typically, they behave responsibly. Pupils demonstrate their understanding of the ‘Cranford Way’, which reflects the school’s values of respect, happiness, courage, honesty, thoughtfulness and forgiveness. Pupils have a good sense of fairness and believe that people should be treated equally. If bullying happens, pupils trust staff will address it. Pupils know that staff will help them if they have any concerns, and they value the ‘worry monsters’ they have in classrooms to share any worries that they have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have forged strong partnerships with parents and carers and families, who are overwhelmingly positive about this school. The principal and staff are highly respected by parents, carers and pupils. One comment, typically of many from parents, was: ‘This is a wonderful little school that brings so much to the children, their families and the wider community.’

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better?

The school has a well-organised, carefully sequenced curriculum that develops pupils’ knowledge and expertise across a broad range of subjects. The school has carefully mapped out the key knowledge that pupils will learn. In a few of the foundation subjects, changes to the curriculum are recent and need time to embed. In these subjects, pupils do not yet develop the same depth of knowledge as they do in others. Teachers present the learning clearly. They reinforce key vocabulary, so that pupils develop the language they need to succeed. The school’s systems for checking how well the curriculum is being delivered are effective.

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better?

Children flourish in the early years. The school has identified precisely what children will learn and in what order. Skilled staff support children to understand and remember their learning over time. Staff deliberately choose activities to develop children’s knowledge and skills across all areas of learning.

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better?

The school has clear systems and processes in place for identifying pupils with SEND. Disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND benefit from following the same curriculum as their peers. Staff work in strong collaboration with parents to ensure that pupils with SEND achieve well.

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better?

The school has a strong reading culture. Reading is woven through the school, with careful consideration given to how to build opportunities to read into all subjects. 6 and 7 February 2024

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Pupils at this school love to read and read often. Children learn the sounds that they need to read from the beginning of the Reception Year. Children in the Reception Year read books that are closely matched to their ability. This helps them to become fluent readers. Children relish learning through story, song and rhyme in the early years.

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The school fosters a strong sense of belonging among pupils. Pupils enjoy coming to school and learning with their friends. The vast majority of pupils behave well, both socially and in lessons. They respect each other’s right to learn. Staff provide effective support for pupils who need extra help to focus and regulate their behaviour.

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Children in Reception show exemplary levels of concentration and independence. Interactions between staff and children are of a consistently high quality, which means children develop strong language and communication skills. This prepares children exceptionally well for their learning in Year 1.

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The school offers a broad range of extra-curricular activities. These provide pupils with opportunities to explore and nurture their individual talents and interests. Pupils value and make good use of these. They speak with pride about their recent choral performance at the Young Voices Concert at the Birmingham Arena.

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Pupils have a clear understanding of fundamental British values and are well prepared for life in modern Britain. There is a wide variety of opportunities for pupils to take on positions of responsibility, for example ‘book squad’, collective worship ambassadors, school councillors and running clubs such as the ‘144 maths club’. Pupils in Year 6 run the ‘reflection cabin’ safe space for other pupils during breaks.

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The school prioritises pupils’ well-being. Pupils learn how to be healthy in mind and body, as well as how to stay safe online. Pupils speak positively about the support they can access from the school’s emotional literacy support assistants.

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Trustees and governors work extremely well together. There is a clear vision for the school, which all leaders understand and are eager to drive forward. Trust leaders have been crucial in ensuring that the school maintained high standards of education during some changes in leadership. The trust is refining some systems to ensure that oversight on a local level is always purposeful and supports the school’s improvement priorities.

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Staff in this school, including those in the early stages of their career, feel very well supported. Leaders are very considerate of their workload and support their well- being effectively. Staff are happy and proud to work in this school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 6 and 7 February 2024

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There are some minor issues with some safeguarding records. A small number of records are not clear enough about the actions that leaders have taken to keep children safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few of the wider curriculum subjects, changes to the curriculum are recent and need time to embed. In these subjects, pupils do not yet develop the same depth of knowledge as they do in others. The school needs to continue to develop the curriculum so that pupils have the same depth of knowledge across all subjects.  There are some minor issues with some safeguarding records. A small number of records are not clear enough about the actions that leaders have taken to keep children safe. This makes it harder for the school to check that the right course of action has been followed or identify patterns or trends with safeguarding issues. The school must ensure that all safeguarding records contain details that enable staff to have a clear overview of actions taken.

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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). 6 and 7 February 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 October 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Cranford CofE Primary School converted to become an academy school in July 2017. The school is part of the Peterborough Diocese Education Trust (PDET), which is a multi-academy trust.  There has been a change in leadership since the last inspection. The current principal took up his post in September 2022 and the executive headteacher started her role in September 2023.  The school is part of the Diocese of Peterborough. The religious character of the school was inspected in May 2016 and judged to be outstanding. A further Section 48 inspection is due, but these inspections have been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The school does not use any alternative providers.  The school operates a breakfast club, managed by the governing body. 6 and 7 February 2024

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To explore the wider curriculum, the lead inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects with curriuclum leaders and looked at pupils’ work.  Inspectors held meetings with a range of leaders, including the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documentation provide by the school, including documents on the school’s website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with pupils to discuss their experience of school life.  The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer of the trust and some trust directors, and the chair of governors.  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.  An inspector met with early career teachers and staff involved in their induction.  Inspectors considered the responses, including the free-text responses, received during the inspection to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View.

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Inspection team

Anne Maingay, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Caroline Barton Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 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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