Cramlington Village Primary School

Inspection of Cramlington Village Primary School Bowmont Drive, Cramlington, Northumberland NE23 2SN

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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 Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The principal of this school is Lucy Whitehead. The school is a free school and single academy trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Chris Dale. 27 and 28 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Since the previous inspection, significant changes in staff, including leaders, have resulted in pupils receiving an education of variable quality. This has hampered pupils’ achievement. Where the curriculum is better designed and taught, pupils focus on their learning and their achievement is improving.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have a clear vision for the school. The school’s expectations of pupils have increased. For example, a sharp focus on the teaching of phonics and mathematics is having a positive impact on pupils’ achievement in these subjects. However, there is still much work to do to ensure that pupils receive a high-quality education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. This is reflected in their improving attendance. They appreciate the changes that staff are making to the school. For example, incidents of serious behaviour are reducing due to the new behaviour policy. However, staff do not apply this policy consistently. This means that pupils are not clear about what is expected of them and there are some instances of low-level disruption in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that bullying does sometimes happen. They are confident that adults will sort this out. Pupils feel safe in school. They know they can talk to a trusted adult, or use the class worry box, if they have any concerns.

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better?

The school is working to improve its curriculum. In some subjects, such as phonics and mathematics, pupils benefit from clear lesson structures. Here, teachers regularly check pupils’ understanding. They put extra support in place where necessary to help pupils catch up with their peers. This means that pupils soon become competent readers and mathematicians. The school has invested in new reading books for the school library. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ attitudes towards reading. The school is now working on improving parental engagement with reading. This includes reviewing how home-school reading diaries could be used more effectively to check how often pupils read.

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better?

The school’s improvements to the curriculum in several other subjects, such as history and science, are less well developed. Teaching does not meet pupils’ needs. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Incidents of low-level disruption and off-task behaviour are more frequent in these lessons and pupils’ attitudes to learning are less positive. The checks that teachers make on what pupils know and remember are not sufficiently rigorous in these subjects. Consequently, pupils’ knowledge is not building and developing over time.

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better?

Children in the early years enjoy positive relationships with adults. The learning environment is calm. However, the curriculum in early years does not take sufficient account of children’s starting points or previous experiences. While there is some focus on developing children’s communication and language skills, this is not sharp enough. For example, the school is not clear about the vocabulary that children 27 and 28 February 2024

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should know and be able to use so that they are ready for Year 1. Systems are in place to quickly identify children with potential SEND.

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The newly established family support team provides strong support to pupils and their families. This is particularly the case for families of pupils with more complex SEND needs. The school uses external agencies, such as children’s social care, where necessary. The school’s breakfast club is well attended. This is helping a greater number of families get pupils to school on time. As a result, attendance and punctuality are improving.

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The school has put a new curriculum for personal, social and health education in place and made sure it meets pupils’ needs and matches the school’s context. For example, pupils learn about water safety due to the school’s proximity to the coast. Some aspects of the wider personal development offer need more time to embed. Pupils’ knowledge of different faiths, for example, is underdeveloped. Through assemblies, pupils learn about the protected characteristics and how to respect these. Pupils are clear that everyone is treated equally in the school. Some pupils can talk about the fundamental British values and why these are important. Parents and carers, as well as pupils, appreciate the new after-school clubs. The school has started to forge links with the local community. For example, pupils visit the local church for the harvest festival.

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Despite having been through a difficult period, staff show commitment to the school. They are optimistic about the school’s future and fully support new leaders. The school offers staff extensive training and professional development. Teachers who are new to the profession feel well supported. Historically, those responsible for governance have not done enough to prevent the school’s decline. New leaders have been swift in bringing about improvements.

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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, such as history and science, the curriculum is not adapted to meet the needs of pupils in the school. This means that teaching does not meet the needs of all pupils. Pupils do not build up a secure grasp of important knowledge over time. The school should work to refine these curriculums to ensure that pupils achieve well across the curriculum and are prepared for the next stage of their education.  The new behaviour policy is not implemented consistently across school. Consequently, pupils are not clear about what is expected of them in terms of their behaviour, and some instances of low-level disruption go unaddressed. The school should ensure that the policy is applied consistently by all staff. 27 and 28 February 2024

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 Pupils’ knowledge and understanding of different faiths is limited. This means that they cannot fully demonstrate respect for those who have different beliefs to themselves. The school should ensure that pupils’ knowledge and understanding of different faiths builds and develops over time.  Over time, governors and trustees have not effectively held leaders to account for the quality of education that pupils receive. As a result, standards in school have declined since the previous inspection. Governors and trustees should ensure that they seek out the training and development that they need to enable them to provide effective support and challenge to the school.

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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

Date of previous inspection 19 September 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is a single academy trust and free school.  Since the previous inspection, there have been significant changes in staffing, including three principals. The current principal started at the school in September 2023, along with several new teachers.  A high proportion of the teaching staff are early career teachers.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.  A higher-than-average proportion of pupils with SEND attend the school.  The school operates a breakfast club which is managed by the governing body.

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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. 27 and 28 February 2024

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 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 met with the principal and deputy headteacher, who is also the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator. They also held meetings with the chair and other members of the governing body and trust board, as well as the school improvement lead from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions 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.  Pupils were observed reading to familiar adults.  The curriculum offer for pupils’ personal development was considered.

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 Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during breaktimes was observed.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 responses made by parents to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including any free-text comments, were considered as part of the inspection. Inspectors also considered the responses to the staff and pupil questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Philippa Kermotschuk, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Johnson 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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