Haberdashers' Crayford Primary

Inspection of Haberdashers’ Crayford Primary Iron Mill Lane, Crayford, Dartford, Kent DA1 4RS

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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 Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The principal of the school is Kate Ellis. The school is part of the Haberdashers’ Academies Trust South, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Jan Shadick, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Nick Scarles. 12 and 13 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this small, friendly and welcoming school. Working relationships between staff and pupils are nurturing and warm. This is because staff know pupils well and respond to their needs swiftly. This contributes to pupils feeling happy and being kept safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff notice quickly if any pupil needs extra support, such as for their learning or behaviour. Pupils use the ‘worry box’ to let staff know if they have any concerns. Pupils are sensible and respectful of others, and they are kind and considerate. The school community is calm and friendly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ learning and achievement. Pupils achieve well across a range of subjects, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They are proud of their learning, including children in Reception.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak enthusiastically about the things they know and the cultural events they experience. The school holds a regular ‘Global Goals Day’ to consider issues such as poverty and climate change. Pupils have a range of opportunities to take on positions of responsibility and leadership. These include being reading ambassadors, digital leaders or even part of the trust’s youth advisory board.

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious and rich curriculum that meets the needs of pupils. The curriculum is structured around three key strands. These help pupils to develop their subject knowledge and skills and to learn about the world around them. In the early years, adults help children to develop their language and communication skills well. Children explore and build their understanding of the world. Staff develop children’s creativity with increasing independence through well- planned learning opportunities. Outdoor spaces are well-resourced and have a clear learning purpose. Pupils are ready for the next stage of their education.

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better?

Pupils, including those with SEND, develop their knowledge in a broad range of subjects. The school’s curricular thinking enables pupils to build their knoweldge and skills in a coherent way from early years to Year 6. For example, in science, children in Reception learned about the lifecycle of a chick by looking after real chicks in school. This helped them to understand words such as ‘hatching’ and ‘nest’. By Year 5, pupils understand about the lifecycles of a range of animals and more complex vocabulary such as ‘metamorphosis’.

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better?

Leaders know the needs of pupils with SEND and have high ambition for them. Individual support for pupils with SEND is well devised. Pupils with SEND benefit from adaptations to teaching and resources that support them to learn well alongside their peers. 12 and 13 March 2024

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Reading is prioritised at the school from the very start of Reception. The school recently introduced new reading programmes for both younger and older readers. This is leading to improved outcomes. Staff receive the training they need to become early reading experts. The school works proactively to develop a love of reading among pupils. The well-stocked library sits in the centre of the school. Pupils read books from the ‘literature cannon’ and the ‘global cannon’. Books such as ‘The Great Food Bank Heist’ and ‘No Ballet Shoes in Syria’ help pupils to develop their comprehension of language and the wider world.

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In a small number of foundation subjects, the curriculum is not implemented securely in a way that is sufficiently ambitious for all pupils. As a result, pupils’ quality of work does not match the aims of the curriculum. In these subjects, pupils do not deepen their subject-specific knowledge and skills.

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The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attendance. From the early years upwards, the school has strong routines that support pupils to behave well and to attend school regularly. However, there has been a significant increase in suspensions this year. This is because a small number of pupils have not met the school’s expectations for behaviour. The recently introduced behaviour strategy is starting to have a positive impact but is not fully embedded.

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Staff develop pupils’ understanding about the importance of making healthy food and lifestyle choices. They teach pupils to stay safe, including online. They enable pupils to have an age-appropriate knoweldge of friendships and relationships. Pupils take part in lots of clubs and visits. They visit the British Museum, Young Voices and the London Aquarium. Pupils in Year 5 recently took part in a ‘Dragons’ Den’ day to develop pupils’ entrepreneurial skills.

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Staff appreciate leaders’ support for their workload and well-being. Leaders, including the governing body and board of trustees, have clearly structured roles that they use effectively to help the school improve its work further. The school recognises the need to work more closely with some parents and carers to enhance their confidence in the school’s work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of foundation subjects, the curriculum is not securely implemented in a way that is sufficiently ambitious for all pupils. Some aspects of the curriculum are taught in less depth and with less rigour. As a result, pupils’ quality of work produced and understanding of subject content are not in line with the aims of the curriculum. The school needs to ensure that all subjects are 12 and 13 March 2024

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implemented so that teaching supports pupils to develop the full range of subject- specific knowledge and skills.  Some pupils have not met the school’s expectations for behaviour, which has resulted in a signficant increase in suspensions this year. The school must ensure that recently introduced behaviour strategies are fully embedded across the school, and applied consistently by all staff.  The school recognises that it is important to engage with parents so that they all have confidence in what it is doing. This has not always been the case in the past. The school should continue to communicate and collaborate with parents in order to support pupils in their learning.

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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). 12 and 13 March 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Haberdashers’ Academies Trust South. Previously, the school was an all-through school with secondary provision. In August 2019, the school was de-amalgamated into a primary school.  The school provides an additional resourced provision for up to 12 children with autism.  The school uses one registered alternative provision.  The school also runs a breakfast club.

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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. 12 and 13 March 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 other senior leaders. They also met with the chair of the trust, the CEO and other trust advisory staff. Inspectors also met with members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons and spoke to teachers. They also spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors spoke to parents at the school gate and considered the views of parents who responded to the online parent survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also considered the views of staff and pupils who responded to the online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Christian Hicks, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Naomi Leaver Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 March 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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