Cranford Park Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Cranford Park Primary Cranford Park Drive, Yateley, Hampshire GU46 6LB

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 1 and 2 July 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are rightly effusive about the positive changes at Cranford Park. As one captured simply, but perfectly, it is ‘a lovely small school with a big heart’. Every opportunity that pupils experience is rooted in what the school wants them to be when they leave Year 6, as well-rounded ‘Cranford Park graduates’. From Reception upwards, they learn the importance of ‘letting your light shine’ and making a positive contribution to the world.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are nurtured to be compassionate, courageous and creative young citizens. They are explicitly taught important attributes such as thinking for themselves, patience, forgiveness and self-control. Pupils’ positive approach to learning and their kindness towards, and awareness of, others’ needs are impressive. They have a mature understanding of what it means to be respectful, fair and open-minded and their responsibility to ‘step in’ and stand up for others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The carefully designed curriculum builds pupils’ bank of facts and skills across the full range of subjects they must study. Hugely popular weekly ‘University of Cranford Park’ sessions take pupils beyond the ordinary. Pupils’ curiosity is sparked by the diverse topics on offer, from astronomy to learning Welsh. They are inspired to be ambitious for their futures.

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

The school has gone from strength to strength since the last inspection. It has successfully pursued its bold ambitions for pupils’ all-round development as well as tackling the essential improvements that were needed. Staff appreciate being part of the solution and the support they get to hone their practice. Pupils’ views help to shape changes. Armed with a good understanding of the school’s day-to-day work and the challenges it faces, governors are ‘endlessly curious’ on pupils’ behalf.

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

The transformation in pupils’ behaviour is remarkable. Expectations have been reset, are firmly embedded from the start in early years and understood by all. Being ‘ready, respectful and safe’ and the school’s values set the tone and permeate daily life. Classrooms are consistently calm and conducive to learning. Pupils are taught how to disagree with others in a positive way and how to resolve things if they fall out.

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

The school’s work to nurture pupils’ character is something special. Residential experiences start in Year 2, building pupils’ confidence and independence. Pupils have a wealth of opportunities to develop their talents and strengths. The school goes over and above to ensure that ‘no child ever needs to miss out’. Pupils learn about issues facing the changing world that they live in. They become ‘courageous advocates’ for causes they care about.

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

Most pupils get off to a good start on the journey to become a ‘brilliant bookworm’. Phonics teaching starts promptly in Reception. Good use is made of well-trained staff and careful checks on pupils’ learning to teach them in groups matched to the stage they are 1 and 2 July 2025

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at. Extra support is put in swiftly for those who need it. The embedding of a systematic approach to teaching reading skills beyond the early stages and ensuring that pupils experience a wide range of texts are bearing fruit. More pupils are confident and fluent readers than in the past. The picture is similar for their mathematics and writing skills.

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The unwavering focus over the last couple of years on improving the wider curriculum and teaching has paid off. Staff are well supported to know what to teach when in each subject, building on the foundations laid in early years. Mostly, teaching is clear and focused on what pupils should be learning. Teachers keep a check on pupils’ understanding, revisiting points with the class or individuals as needed. The school is at the point of reviewing and refining the curriculum. Pupils’ recall of key learning from previous years is not as strong as it could be. Work has started to pinpoint exactly what the ‘sticky knowledge’ is that pupils must remember and to develop activities to highlight, frequently revisit and check that learning.

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As learning has improved for the majority of pupils, the gap between disadvantaged pupils and their classmates has become more apparent. Strong systems are in place to identify pupils who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Training and guidance are equipping staff with a greater understanding of, and strategies to meet, their needs. There is a good understanding of the typical barriers that pupils eligible for pupil premium funding might face. The school works tirelessly with families to minimise absence. Work has started to consider more forensically what the specific barriers to learning are for individuals and what more needs to be done to help them.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Work to review what is essential learning in the foundation subjects and how pupils are taught to remember it is fairly recent. Pupils do not readily recall some important learning from previous years. The school should keep a watchful eye on the teaching and retrieval of key knowledge and skills to be assured that its plans are having the desired impact as pupils move up through the school.  Until recently, distinguishing between pupils who face barriers to learning and those who have fallen behind as a result of weaker provision in the past has not been straightforward. What is clear now is that disadvantaged pupils are typically not achieving as well as their peers. The school should ensure that appropriate adjustments are made and then monitored to ensure these pupils learn and achieve well. 1 and 2 July 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). 1 and 2 July 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 7 and 8 March 2023, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a Church of England school that is part of the Diocese of Winchester. The religious character of Cranford Park is inspected separately. The last section 48 inspection took place in November 2024. The next one is due within eight years of that date.  The current headteacher joined Cranford Park just before it was last inspected. The chair of governors is new to the role, and several other governors are new to the school since the last inspection, as are some class teachers.  The proportions of pupils with SEND or who are eligible for pupil premium funding are above average.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The breakfast and after-school clubs are run by the school so were included as part of this inspection. The on-site pre-school provision is managed separately so was not. 1 and 2 July 2025

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and other school leaders, members of the governing body, including the chair, and representatives of the local authority and diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, talked to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult. The team also considered the curriculum in some other subjects through scrutiny of documents, discussions with leaders and sampling

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Information about this inspection

pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspection team: 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.  Staff and parents’ views were gathered using Ofsted’s surveys. There were no responses to the pupil survey, but the inspectors met with pupils as well as staff during the inspection. They also talked to pupils around school and outside at breaktimes, and with staff as they went about their work.

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Inspection team

Alison Bradley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Clare Vallence Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 July 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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