Croft Junior School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Croft Junior School Northumberland Avenue, Stockingford, Nuneaton, Warwickshire CV10 8ER

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school’s work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school rules of ‘be kind, be safe, be brilliant’ are at the centre of this caring school’s commitment to pupils. Pupils enjoy coming to school and want to learn. Pupils are happy and polite and demonstrate excellent manners. During lessons, pupils learn free from distractions. On the playground, they enjoy the activities available to keep them active.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils. However, this ambition is not being fully realised. Currently, some pupils do not achieve as well as they are could. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This means that some pupils are not ready for the next steps in their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The ‘Croft pledge’ is one of the many initiatives in place to enrich pupils’ wider personal development. This includes the chance to go on residential trips, play musical instruments, visit the theatre and enjoy exploring outdoor learning in the school’s forest area. Pupils also benefit from the chance to take on leadership roles such as digital leaders, school councillors and librarians.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school rightly maintains a sharp focus on attendance. All staff promote the importance of being in school regularly. This is all leading to an improvement in pupils attending school. 25 and 26 March 2025

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

Leaders and members of the governing body recognise that pupils’ outcomes are not high enough. Some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and skills. This means that they do not know more and remember more over their time at the school. Pupils also find it hard to remember their learning and how this can help them across the curriculum. The school is taking positive action to address this. It has recently set about redesigning its curriculum and assessment processes. Leaders are also training staff to ensure that the curriculum is implemented in the way that the school intends. However, it is too soon to see the full impact of this work.

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

Improved checks on pupils’ learning mean that gaps in pupils’ knowledge are now being identified more effectively. This is helping staff to understand pupils’ starting points. However, teaching does not consistently or routinely address pupils’ misconceptions to inform lesson content. This means that, sometimes, pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. It also means some pupils do not get the chance to deepen their knowledge further.

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

The school’s processes enable it to identify pupils’ additional needs. This information is used to shape pupils’ most important next learning steps. Targeted support addresses some key aspects of pupils’ needs effectively. However, teaching is not consistently adapted well enough to meet pupils’ needs. This means that some pupils with SEND do not get the help or guidance they need to complete their work successfully or achieve their long-term goals.

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

Some pupils who join the school are still at the early stages of learning to read and are not yet fluent readers. The school’s new phonics programme is supporting these pupils well. Skilful staff are helping pupils to catch up with their peers. Daily stories, a new reading scheme and the use of high-quality texts are increasing pupils’ love of reading.

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

Classrooms are calm and pupils play well together during breaktimes. The inclusion team provides effective support for those pupils that need it. Pupils are familiar with their school values, which help to prepare them as confident, happy citizens. They learn how to stay safe online and the importance of staying healthy. Pupils appreciate extra activities such as sport, drama, orienteering, darts and enterprise club.

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

The governing body has an accurate evaluation of the school. It supports and challenges leaders in good measure to help improve the school. Leaders make decisions in the best interests of pupils and have brought in many changes. Staff and leaders are working closely together to strengthen all aspects of the school, particularly the quality of education. They know that this is pivotal to improving pupils’ outcomes. Staff appreciate how leaders support their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 25 and 26 March 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not ensured that teaching is adapted well enough to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. As a result, some pupils are not supported well enough to enable them to experience success and achieve their long-term goals. The school needs to ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills they need so that the curriculum and teaching for pupils with SEND is fully effective.  The school has not ensured that checks on how well pupils are learning are sufficiently precise. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and struggle to connect and apply new knowledge to what they have previously learned. The school needs to ensure that there is a consistent and effective approach to checking what pupils have learned so any gaps in their learning can be addressed.  The school has not ensured that teaching takes account of pupils’ previous learning. As a result, sometimes pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. The school

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

should ensure that all staff understand the curriculum sequence and provide pupils with learning that successfully builds on what they know and can do.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2020. 25 and 26 March 2025

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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, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 25 and 26 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 28 and 29 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher took up post in September 2023. Two assistant headteachers and two other members of the senior leadership team were appointed in September 2024.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school runs a before- and after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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, two assistant headteachers, other members of the senior leadership team, members of the school’s inclusion team and the school business manager. 25 and 26 March 2025

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 The inspector met with the members of the local governing body. She also spoke to the local authority school improvement lead.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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 examined a range of school documentation.  The inspector took account of responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text responses. She also considered responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys. The inspector spoke to a range of staff and pupils to gather their views of the school.

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Inspection team

Donna O’Toole, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 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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