Crags Community School

Inspection of Crags Community School Strauss Crescent, Maltby, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S66 7QJ

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 February 2024

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The headteacher of this school is Elizabeth Normington. This school is part of Nexus Multi-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 (CEO), Warren Carratt and overseen by a board of trustees, in this case called directors, chaired by Andrew Child MBE. 27 and 28 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a calm and encouraging environment for pupils and their families. Parents are kept well informed about what and how their children are being taught and so many continue to help them at home. This relationship starts in the early years with ‘stay and play’ and reading events.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years learn and follow routines exceptionally well. They learn how to read well from an early age. However, this strong start is not built on successfully in some parts of English other than phonics. Some pupils are not as confident in their reading and writing as they need to be.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships across the school are strong. Pupils are happy and settled. Staff use these relationships well to ensure pupils are attentive and committed to their learning. The school has high expectations of what pupils can do and how they should behave. Pupils usually rise to these expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are a host of opportunities for pupils to show their leadership potential. For example, the ‘artists in residence’ give support and advice to younger pupils. The members of the ‘mini-police’ encourage others to not drop litter and look after their local environment.

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better?

Leaders have a detailed knowledge of their community. The school has responded to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic well. It has focused on ensuring that pupils are in school and focused on their learning. There is currently a focus on developing pupils’ spoken language due to the gaps in their speaking and understanding that many pupils have.

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better?

This focus on children’s communication and language starts in the early years. Staff are expert at improving pupils’ speaking and listening. Children are exceptionally interested in their tasks throughout the early years. All of this contributes well to the success that children have in many areas of their education at the start of their time in the school.

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better?

The school builds on these early successes through a well-crafted early reading offer. Children quickly learn the phonics that they need to read words. Any children who are struggling are given the right help to support them catching up. This also applies to any older pupils who need to continue to practise their reading.

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better?

However, outside this strong offer for early reading, pupils do not achieve as well in other parts of English. In 2023, outcomes for pupils in reading and writing were lower than the national average. Leaders have a curriculum for English but teachers do not consistently use it well. Pupils are sometimes asked to do too much all at once. Some pupils are not secure in basic skills such as using full stops or forming and joining letters correctly. Some pupils cannot fluently read the texts that they are 27 and 28 February 2024

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studying. Leaders are aware of this. They have focused on early reading and mathematics and have plans to improve the teaching of other aspects of English.

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In mathematics, pupils’ outcomes in 2023 were also low. However, pupils in school are building up their mathematical knowledge successfully. Teachers follow the set curriculum and address gaps in pupils’ understanding when needed. In other subjects, pupils are supported to develop their knowledge and skills. For example, in art and design, pupils produce high-quality pieces that they can create independently. All subjects have been clearly mapped out and teachers mostly follow the curriculum. In some subjects, teachers occasionally choose activities that do not help pupils to accumulate the knowledge that they need.

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The school has clear systems for identifying any special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) that pupils have. Staff support pupils with SEND well and help many of them to keep up with the curriculum. As with other pupils, some pupils with SEND struggle a little in their written English and this is sometimes a barrier to their learning in other subjects. However, the school does support these pupils well across other subjects and enables them to be successful in those lessons. The school’s focus on improving pupils’ spoken language benefits all pupils.

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Pupils have plenty of time to grow their enjoyment of the arts. They learn about different musicians each term. Pupils are respectful of others and learn about the differences in society. There is a wealth of clubs that pupils can attend and the school makes sure that there is something for everyone to go to if they want.

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Leaders know the context and needs of the pupils in the school. The school has worked successfully with many families to improve levels of engagement. This is having a positive impact. Attendance has improved. Leaders have also provided high-quality pastoral support for many pupils with SEND. Pupils with SEND feel well cared for. Many pupils, including some pupils with SEND, have improved their behaviour markedly. Suspensions are very low. Pupils are happy and well-behaved throughout school.

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Staff thoroughly enjoy working in the school. So much so, that many of the teachers previously had other roles in the school before being inspired to train to teach. Leaders support staff with regular training that develops their confidence to carry out their roles. Directors have a clear and accurate picture of what is happening in the school. Through their work with the academy council, they challenge leaders where needed and have ensured the school has the resources that it needs.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 27 and 28 February 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In English, some tasks are not broken down into small enough steps. Pupils are often asked to do too much all at once and do not secure some of the basics needed. Pupils’ reading and writing attainment is too low in key stage 1 and key stage 2. Leaders need to ensure that teachers are breaking down the knowledge and skills in English lessons, as set out in their curriculum, and that pupils are securing important basics before moving on.  Handwriting is not taught consistently well across the school. Some pupils are not able to write confidently and automatically. This can also limit their success in other subjects. Leaders should ensure that there is a clear and coherent curriculum for transcription and that this is followed successfully by teachers.  At times, teachers do not choose appropriate learning activities in some subjects. Pupils do not accumulate the knowledge and skills that they need to over time.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders should continue to provide training for all teachers to select purposeful and appropriate activities as they develop and improve the curriculum.

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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). 27 and 28 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority Board of directors

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School details

Website www.crags-community-school.org.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school were not using any alternative provision at the time of the inspection.  There is provision for two-year-olds as well as a nursery for three- and four-year- olds.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with school leaders, the CEO and a director and members of the academy council about actions since becoming an academy.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: art and design, early reading, English, geography and mathematics. For each deep dive, inspectors held 27 and 28 February 2024

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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.  To gather further evidence on the quality of education, inspectors also looked at samples of work in history and science. Inspectors visited the early years and spoke to leaders about communication and language and physical development in this part of the school.  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.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils about what it is like to attend the school.  The personal development programme was discussed and inspectors looked at some of the work pupils produce and spoke to pupils about it.

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 Inspectors evaluated the views of pupils and staff through the online surveys as well as in conversations with them.  Responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, were also evaluated and inspectors spoke to parents outside the school about their views.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator and visited pupils with SEND in their classrooms to see how well the plans that leaders produce were being used.

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Inspection team

Matthew Knox, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Sam O'Brien Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 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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