Cranmere Primary School

Inspection of Cranmere Primary School Arran Way, Esher, Surrey KT10 8BE

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 8 and 9 July 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values, including respect and curiosity, run like a golden thread through every aspect of school life. This begins each morning with the kindness value, as the Year 6 ‘smile spreaders’ welcome younger pupils at the school gates. They help others to start the day positively. A thoughtful focus on mental health and well-being helps pupils learn to be kind to others and to themselves. Staff foster warm, respectful relationships with pupils, ensuring they feel supported and valued. As a result, pupils feel safe and cared for.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak positively about all aspects of school life. They take part in a wide range of enrichment opportunities that help them explore their talents and interests. Clubs are especially popular, including British Sign Language, football and coding. Pupils are proud to represent the school in sporting competitions. They enjoy being part of ‘Team Dragon’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high aspirations for all pupils, with a strong commitment to igniting a love of learning. Pupils are enthusiastic about their lessons and behave well. Pupils who need extra help to manage their emotions receive carefully tailored support. Outcomes at the end of key stage 2 are strong. Pupils achieve well across the curriculum.

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

From Nursery through to Year 6, the school has developed a broad and ambitious curriculum that helps pupils understand the world beyond Esher. The curriculum, overall, makes strong links across subjects. This helps pupils build a connected body of knowledge. The school has identified clear learning goals. These goals outline what pupils should remember and apply over time. This means that teachers know what to focus on in lessons, what to check on and what to revisit.

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

The school prioritises staff training. Recent improvements in the way the school identifies and supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have had a positive impact on learning. Pupils with SEND benefit from well-designed ‘passports to success’. These provide teachers with clear strategies and adaptations to use in their classrooms. This ensures that pupils with SEND learn well alongside their classmates.

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

Retrieval sessions at the start of lessons, in most subjects, support pupils to retain and deepen their understanding well. For example, in history, pupils successfully learn facts about a range of time periods. The curriculum also helps them develop and apply key historical skills in different contexts. As a result, pupils have a secure understanding of chronology and can confidently explore key concepts such as empire and democracy. However, in a couple of other subjects, pupils do not make such secure connections. The school has clear plans in place for improving learning in these subjects, but there is still some work to do.

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

Learning to read is a priority. The phonics programme is well structured. It starts in Nursery, where children learn to listen carefully and tell sounds apart. Teachers’ checks on pupils’ phonics knowledge have improved recently. They use these checks well to ensure that any pupil who needs more help gets the support they need to keep up. Staff choose 8 and 9 July 2025

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books that match the sounds pupils know. This builds their confidence and fluency. The school has a strong reading culture. Pupils enjoy earning raffle tickets for good reading habits at home and in class. The chance to win a new book excites them.

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The school’s highly effective work to enhance mathematics teaching has enabled pupils to develop a deep and secure understanding of key concepts. Pupils enjoy the challenge of problem-solving activities. They apply their skills well in different contexts. Children’s mathematical understanding starts very well in early years. Staff skilfully integrate number work into meaningful play. For instance, in the Nursery class, children can record and count courier deliveries in the veterinary role-play area.

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The school is calm and orderly, with clear routines that pupils know and follow. These routines help pupils feel secure and enable smooth transitions between activities. Staff establish this positive culture from the outset. Children in early years settle quickly and benefit from attentive care and encouragement.

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Governors understand their roles. They have a strong grasp of the school’s priorities and developments, such as pupil attendance. The school works proactively with families. It offers appropriate support to encourage better attendance. Many staff are appreciative of what the school has done to reduce their workload, especially during the launch of the new curriculum. The school took well-considered steps to manage this change effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a couple of foundation subjects, there are variations in how securely pupils learn the intended curriculum. Pupils do not make connections and recall their learning as well as they could. The school should ensure that its curriculum development work means that pupils remember and connect their learning so that they achieve exceptionally well in all subjects.

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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. 8 and 9 July 2025

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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). 8 and 9 July 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been many changes to senior leadership since the last inspection. Both the headteacher and the deputy headteacher joined the school in September 2022. The assistant headteacher took up her post in September 2024.  The school offers nursery provision for children from the age of two years. There are currently no two-year-olds on roll.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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. 8 and 9 July 2025

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 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  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 the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, a representative of the local authority and other school leaders. The lead inspector also met with four members of the governing body, including the vice-chair.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, computing, history and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about

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the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to some pupils read to members of staff.  The inspectors also spoke to pupils and looked at samples of work in other subjects.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documentation, including leaders’ self-evaluation of the school and the school development plan.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys. An inspector spoke with parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour throughout the inspection. They spoke to pupils about their views on behaviour in school. Inspectors considered how the school is supporting pupils’ personal development.

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Inspection team

Lea Hannam, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Duncan Kamya Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 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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