Cradley CofE Primary School

Cradley CofE Primary School

Address: Church Road, Cradley, Halesowen, West Midlands, B63 2UL Unique reference number (URN): 103846

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders demonstrate a commitment to developing the whole child. This reflects the school’s ethos and values. Leaders have established an effective personal development offer that is deeply embedded across the curriculum and wider life of the school. Pupils have regular sessions of outdoor learning. Through these, pupils learn to develop resilience, cooperation and how to manage risk responsibly. It also helps pupils develop teamwork and independence.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils show secure, detailed knowledge across the personal development programme. They know how to keep themselves safe in a wide range of contexts. This includes online, road safety and water safety. Pupils speak confidently about fundamental British values, different faiths and cultures. Pupils believe that everyone should be treated equally and with respect. This reflects leaders’ deliberate work to promote equality, diversity and inclusion. The relationships, sex and health education is age-appropriate and suitable to the needs of pupils. They develop a secure understanding of healthy relationships.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders provide a range of wider curriculum activities to support pupils’ personal development. These include working with the local community, church and police. This broadens pupils' understanding of their place in the wider world. Pupils take part in a ‘Shine’ day to share their talents with their peers. Careers work and visitors further raise pupils’ aspirations. Pupils know that if they work hard, this will help them to achieve their aspirations. They are ambitious for their futures.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The school’s pastoral offer is a strength. Pupils know how to access this when they need it. Staff are well trained to support them. Pupil mental health champions support the pastoral offer. Pupils access a wide range of clubs, including sewing, drama and sports. These opportunities are accessible to all. As a result, all pupils develop skills outside of the academic curriculum. Pupils are reflective, kind and polite. They are very well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Achievement Expected standard

Overall, leaders prepare pupils well for their next stage of education. Typically, pupils’ outcomes in statutory tests are above national comparators. This includes pupils who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Achievement Expected standard

Across the school, pupils recall prior learning confidently. They can apply learning across a range of contexts. This demonstrates secure development of knowledge and skills over time. They use appropriate subject-specific language and vocabulary. Pupils who need extra help to catch up receive it quickly. This helps them to make progress from their individual starting points. However, while pupils gain the knowledge and skills they need, the quality of work in their books is variable. Some pupils do not present their work to a high standard, and this is not always addressed by staff. Leaders have accurately identified this and are beginning to address this area. However, this work has not had time to impact the quality of work that pupils produce.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils typically arrive at school on time. Overall, all pupils attend well and rates of attendance are in line with national averages. Persistent absence is low. Leaders work well with families to support pupils whose attendance is not as strong as it should be, including those who face barriers to regular attendance. For example, leaders use a range of practical strategies, including early-morning contact and nurture provision before entering class. These strategies work well to support pupils who need it. Leaders track attendance, identifying some patterns and trends.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have established a positive culture in which pupils behave well, feel safe and show secure learning behaviours. Staff establish routines from the start. Expectations are clear and modelled by staff. This means pupils know how they should behave and the consequences of poor choices. In lessons, behaviour is calm and purposeful, with pupils actively engaged in learning. Staff make adaptations for those who need them. For example, pupils who find busy environments overwhelming, benefit from a low stimulus lunchtime club. Pupils trust adults to help them resolve friendship issues. Leaders have developed appropriate systems for recording behaviour incidents. However, sometimes leaders do not use information about pupils' behaviour and attendance precisely enough to evaluate the impact of the strategies they use.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have developed an ambitious, broad and well-sequenced curriculum that enables pupils to build knowledge and skills progressively over time. Leaders have outlined clear end points for pupils to reach in each subject.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

A recent focus on mathematics has improved pupils’ ability to solve problems. Clear lesson structures support all pupils to access learning confidently. These are typically used well across classes. Reading is taught effectively alongside promoting a love of reading. Leaders have prioritised the important foundational skills in writing, reading and mathematics. This has helped pupils to become more confident and fluent in these areas. Pupils' letter formation and handwriting is a current focus for leaders. These improvements are at an early stage of development and need more time to embed.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders ensure that staff have the appropriate knowledge and skills they need to deliver the curriculum. As a result, teachers present new learning clearly. They use a range of teaching strategies well. These include recapping and retrieving prior learning, building vocabulary, scaffolding and modelling. Staff also use careful questioning to check pupils’ understanding. Generally, staff adapt their teaching well to meet pupils’ needs.

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Early years Expected standard

Children make a positive start in the early years. Staff know children very well. Warm, nurturing relationships create an environment, where children feel safe, valued and confident to explore and take risks. For example, children build ramps to propel cars down to see which ramp makes the car travel the fastest. As a result, children show positive attitudes to learning and enthusiasm for developing new knowledge and skills.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders have ensured that the early years curriculum is clearly sequenced and broken down into small steps. As a result, children make good progress and are typically ready for Year 1. There is a clear focus on language acquisition throughout the provision. Staff model ambitious vocabulary in their interactions. However, at times, opportunities to extend learning through teachers' targeted questioning, purposeful challenge or rich dialogue are missed. This limits children’s ability to think critically, reason and develop deeper understanding.

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Early years Expected standard

Children develop their early reading skills well. Daily phonics teaching and story times support children’s knowledge of words and sounds. Staff use assessment well to identify gaps in children’s learning. They provide extra support to ensure children catch up quickly, for example, through additional daily phonics interventions. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have an accurate and detailed understanding of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), those who are disadvantaged and those who face potential additional barriers to their learning. They ensure that staff share this understanding through a well-planned programme of professional learning. There are clear systems in place to support staff in identifying pupils’ needs quickly and accurately. Information from parents, carers, and other external professionals supports this process well.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders ensure that there is a clear and accessible structure to all lessons. This enables pupils with SEND to access the curriculum alongside their peers. Leaders put personalised support plans in place for those who need them. They clearly set out the adaptations and interventions needed to help pupils progress in their learning. However, leaders' checks on the effectiveness of these approaches are not used as well as they could to enhance pupils' provision. Consequently, the approaches used are not always adjusted as needed to meet pupils’ changing needs.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders use additional funding effectively to support disadvantaged pupils. As a result, pupils access the full curriculum and wider opportunities well. Leaders provide effective pastoral support. This improves confidence and raises aspirations.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and governors share a clear understanding of the school’s context, strengths and areas for improvement. They have focused on the right priorities. They work proactively with external professionals. This includes working with local schools through a reading partnership to help more children develop a love of reading. However, in some instances, leaders do not use their findings from checks on the school's work well enough to bring about further improvement.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have ensured that staff have a range of professional learning opportunities. These are closely matched to the needs of the school. This means staff have the knowledge and skills they need to support pupils effectively. Leaders are mindful of staff wellbeing and workload. They have implemented strategies to support their staff. Most staff appreciate and value this. Staff are proud to work at the school.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents and carers typically speak positively about the school. They praise the family feel of the school and approachable leaders and staff. Governors are effective in their role and know the school well. They carry out their statutory duties, including checking safeguarding is effective.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are role models within their school. They work hard to ensure that all pupils have opportunities that enrich the curriculum. Leaders always act in the best interests of their pupils and are knowledgeable about every member of the school. They ensure that all staff live out the school's vision of ‘every child, every chance, every day’.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are proud to belong to this inclusive and welcoming school, where staff value them for their individual strengths. Everyone in the school lives the school vision of ‘every child, every chance, every day.’ Pupils arrive each morning to warm greetings from staff, who know them well. Established routines help pupils to feel safe and settle quickly into their learning.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils appreciate the way staff help them to learn. They enjoy their learning and most talk confidently about the subjects they study. Any pupils who find learning more difficult receive appropriate and effective support. This helps them to learn alongside their friends and make progress. Children in the early years make a secure start to their education.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are proud to belong to the school. They take on leadership roles enthusiastically. These include play leaders and reading buddies. There are a wide range of enrichment opportunities available to pupils. These include trips linked to their learning, for example searching for fossils, and attending clubs. Pupils also have opportunities to represent their school in the community. These include visits to the care home and participating in national singing performances.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils trust adults to help them if they are worried. They learn how to stay safe online and while in the community. Pupils are confident that adults will listen to them and help them if they have concerns. Relationships with staff are warm and trusting. As a result, most pupils attend school regularly and know why coming to school is important. Pupils typically behave well in school. Bullying is rare and pupils know that staff will deal with it if it happens. At playtimes and lunchtimes, children play happily together and mixed-age friendships are

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Team inspectors:

Amarjit Cheema, Ofsted Inspector Steph Withington, Ofsted Inspector common. By the time pupils leave Year 6, they are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Next steps

Leaders should establish a more rigorous and systematic approach to monitoring the impact of their work, particularly in relation to attendance and inclusion, ensuring that analysis is used to effect change and bring about improvement. Leaders should improve early years practice by maximising the use of staff interactions to develop children’s language, communication and thinking as they learn and play. Leaders should ensure all staff set high expectations for the quality of work in pupils’ books across all subject areas.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Rebecca Burt.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

During the inspection, inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other school leaders and pupils. They also met with representatives from the governing body, local authority and diocese.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

This school is registered as having a Church of England religious character. It is in the Diocese of Worcester. Its last section 48 inspection was in September 2025.

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About this inspection

The school currently uses one registered alternative provision.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 7 July 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years. National average: 26.3%

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 73% 74% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2022/23 (final) 57% 60% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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average

2024/25 (final) 67% 59% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2022/23 (final) 86% 59% Above ‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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