Cragside Primary School

Inspection of Cragside Primary School Cragside, High Heaton, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE7 7EL

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since February 2014. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 18 and 19 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this nurturing and aspirational school. Everyone has the highest ambitions for pupils’ learning, behaviour and success. These ambitions are well understood and realised. Pupils are proud and happy to attend this school. It is a place where difference is respected and celebrated.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff share a strong sense of belonging to the ‘Cragside family’. Pupils are taught to be polite and courteous, as well as confident and independent. They wait patiently while listening to others speak. Pupils and adults show great respect for each other. Behaviour is exemplary across the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum, for both academic and personal development, is exceptionally well considered. The school ensures that all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), use every moment to learn effectively. Lessons are fun and interesting. Pupils strive to do their best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s personal development offer is vibrant and extensive. Pupils benefit from exciting opportunities to develop them beyond the classroom. For example, there is a wide variety of musical instrument tuition on offer, and through the school’s work with external agencies, pupils excel in their creativity. Pupils relish the opportunity to take on roles of responsibility, such as art and science ambassadors.

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

The school has created a well-considered, ambitious and exciting curriculum. The curriculum has been designed to build knowledge over time, placing a sharp focus on acquiring a rich vocabulary. Teachers are highly skilled in delivering the curriculum creatively. For example, in science, pupils act as liquids, solids and gases. Staff have strong subject knowledge and use assessment effectively to identify gaps in knowledge. This results in pupils achieving extremely well.

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

The school is an inclusive place to learn. There are robust systems in place to ensure that pupils with SEND are swiftly identified. Through adult support and adaptations to the curriculum, pupils with SEND produce work of a high quality and develop a depth of understanding.

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

Children in the early years get off to a flying start. Staff share a high ambition to design exciting challenges that interest and engage children. They take every opportunity to develop children’s spoken language. Staff model vocabulary in highly effective ways. As a result, children talk with increasing confidence about their learning. For example, they use correct technical vocabulary to sort photos of old and new vehicles. As a result, the impact on what children know, can remember and do is strong.

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

The school has created a culture where reading is celebrated. The woodland-themed library is full of high-quality, diverse texts that pupils enjoy. From the outset, children receive a well-organised, structured approach to learning phonics. Staff are highly skilled. 18 and 19 March 2025

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They provide effective support to help pupils as they read age-appropriate books. Those who struggle with learning to read are swiftly identified, and extra support is put in place to enable them to catch up quickly.

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Pupils behave exceptionally well, both in lessons and during social times. This is because expectations are clear. Pupils actively support the well-being of others through recognising the need for some to access safe spaces in school. Pupils’ motivation and determination to succeed are evident in their highly positive attitudes to learning. Attendance rates are high.

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is exceptional. The planned programme of experiences develops pupil’s confidence, character and resilience. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about their involvement in Parliament week, having the opportunity to perform in a notable North East venue and working alongside engineers from the local university. The range of clubs for pupils to attend, including choir and Chinese calligraphy, are extremely popular. Pupils speak with enthusiasm about the trips and residentials they attend. They relish opportunities to take on leadership responsibilities, such as the ‘Creativity Champions’ who introduced a reward token system for pupils displaying any of the creative traits of persistence, collaboration, creativity, discipline or imagination. Through the school’s rich assembly programme and personal, social and health education programme, pupils learn about equality. They respect and celebrate diversity. Pupils

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confidently debate and listen to one another. They learn first-hand about a range of diverse careers, including marine biologists and architects. Pupils are fully prepared for life beyond the school.

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Leaders have a clear, ambitious vision for the school. Governors share this vision. They hold school leaders to account through effective support and challenge. The determination for all pupils to be successful is a priority shared by all. There are extensive training opportunities on offer for staff. The consideration given to staff’s well- being and workload is extensive. Staff feel valued and are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 18 and 19 March 2025

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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). 18 and 19 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 February 2014, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The school offers a breakfast club at the beginning of the school day. This is run by school staff and 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 18 and 19 March 2025

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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 held meetings with the headteacher. In addition, they met with members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and the school improvement partner for the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and art. For each deep dive, inspectors held 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.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in these subjects: science and computing.  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

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents and carers, Ofsted Parent View. This included any free-text responses. The responses to the staff and pupil questionnaires were also considered by inspectors.

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Inspection team

Lynn Chambers, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Zoe Carr Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 March 2025

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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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