Crossflatts Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Crossflatts Primary School Morton Lane, Crossflatts, Bingley, West Yorkshire BD16 2EP

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Outcome

Crossflatts Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At Crossflatts Primary School, there is a clear ethos throughout the school community: ‘Come as you are, leave at your best’. Pupils are welcoming and accepting of others. Being different is never a barrier to doing your best. The school is ambitious for all pupils. Staff help them to become resilient to new challenges. Pupils demonstrate pride in their work, their school and one another. In the words of one pupil, ‘This is a unique experience for seven years of your life.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well and with great maturity. If pupils do experience problems with their peers, these are quickly sorted out. Pupils are confident to talk to an adult if they have worries. This helps them to feel safe at school. The school places equal emphasis on academic and personal improvement. Parents and carers speak highly of the school’s approach to developing pupils’ confidence and character.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand how to live happy and healthy lives. ‘The Big Start’, a forest school, regular swimming lessons and a bike track ensure pupils stay active and regularly get to explore the world around them. Trips to local caverns, heritage sites and residential visits further afield enrich pupils’ life experiences. An annual Money Week provides the whole school with an opportunity to learn about this important aspect of adult life.

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

The school has carefully considered the most important knowledge and vocabulary they want pupils to learn within their curriculum. Staff connect learning in different subjects together, to help pupils develop a stronger understanding of the curriculum. For example, pupils look at the life and achievements of different explorers. This enables pupils to understand more about the history, geography and science of the world around them. The early years curriculum provides a strong foundation to children’s later learning. Staff have high expectations. Pupils leave school well prepared for the next stage of their education. They achieve well and make good progress, particularly in mathematics. 15 and 16 May 2024

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In most lessons, staff consider the intended learning that is to take place when planning tasks. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, the way in which learning is organised does not help pupils develop as strong an understanding of each topic as they might. Additionally, the way that teachers check what pupils know and remember needs further refinement in the foundation subjects. This means that some pupils do not develop the deep, rich body of knowledge the school intends.

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Reading is a high priority across the school. Pupils love to read and spend social times enjoying the Reading Village, where a wide range of books match their interests. Children in the early years begin to learn to read quickly. Staff teach phonics well so that pupils soon read confidently and with meaning. Pupils who need extra help learning to read get the support they need. Books and stories form an important part of the school curriculum.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well understood, cared for and included. Staff and leaders are ambitious for what they can, and do, achieve. Children who might need extra support in the early years are quickly identified. Throughout the school, support for pupils with SEND has a strong impact on their confidence, academic success and personal well-being. Staff working with the most vulnerable children in the resourced provision are well trained and highly skilled.

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The early years environment is carefully designed to enable children to learn the curriculum and explore their own interests. The familiar stories and rhymes that children learn link to activities in the indoor and outdoor areas. Children develop a range of important skills, such as teamwork, listening to others and speaking with confidence. Children play and learn together extremely well, supported by staff in the setting.

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The curriculum for personal, social and health education is precisely planned. This means that pupils have a strong understanding of how to stay safe online, appreciate others’ differences and of the British values. Pupils are encouraged to become positive citizens and take on responsibilities in the junior safeguarding team or pupil parliament. These pupils make a genuine difference to the school and wider community, for example by raising money for local causes.

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The school goes above and beyond to ensure that pupils have a wide, rich set of experiences and that they leave at their best. Despite much of the school being closed because of the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), everyone has worked tirelessly to ensure that pupils are not negatively impacted. Parents recognise the exceptional dedication of leaders and staff in these challenging circumstances. Despite this disruption, staff well-being and professional development have remained a priority. Staff appreciate the support they receive. Governors have an effective oversight of what the school does well and its current priorities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 15 and 16 May 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some areas of the foundation curriculum, the structure of learning activities and the way that pupils’ knowledge and skills are assessed requires refinement. Some pupils do not develop a deep and rich understanding of the topics they have been taught. The school should work with staff to ensure that learning is carefully sequenced so that pupils develop a strong understanding of the intended curriculum. The way that skills and knowledge are assessed should also be reviewed to ensure that gaps in pupils’ understanding are identified precisely and that staff can address these in future teaching.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2014.

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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, 15 and 16 May 2024

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looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 15 and 16 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 October 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with autism.  The proportion of pupils at the school with SEND is above average.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school provides a breakfast club and after-school care.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The inspector also spoke with members of the governing body.  The inspector carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum 15 and 16 May 2024

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with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with some pupils and teachers, and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also met with staff and pupils to discuss the science and geography curriculum.  The inspector also met with leaders with responsibility for children with SEND and pupils’ personal development.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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 inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in a range of situations, including in corridors and in lessons. The inspector also spoke to pupils about behaviour and bullying. The inspector spoke with leaders, teachers and pupils about the school’s programme of personal development.

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 The inspector considered the responses from parents to Ofsted Parent View, including the comments submitted via the free-text facility. The inspector also considered responses to Ofsted’s online pupil and staff surveys.

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John Linkins, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 15 and 16 May 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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