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Crofton Anne Dale Junior School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.
What is it like to attend this school?
Pupils are at the heart of every decision made at this caring, compassionate and ambitious school.
Everyone in the school upholds the clear expectations to be ready, respectful and safe. Pupils proudly rise to meet these high aspirations. Staff provide exceptional pastoral care for pupils who need extra help with their emotions.
Mental health and well-being are central to the school's ethos. Pupils thrive, with mindfulness and therapeutic interventions to help them through any tricky times. As a result, behaviour... is positive, from the classroom to the playground.
Achievements have increased each year following the pandemic. By the end of Year 6, pupils are strongly prepared for secondary school as a result of high-quality education and impressive personal development. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) progress through the curriculum and achieve well.
Strong provision for disadvantaged pupils ensures equal opportunities for all to succeed.
A wide extra-curricular offer ensures something for everyone. Drama, music, choir and sporting opportunities celebrate and nurture pupils' interests and talents.
Educational trips and residential activity breaks offer valuable enrichment. The school provides excellent support for families, exemplified by 'Breakfast In The Mess' to help children into school and 'Troopers' to support service families, particularly during deployment.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
Leaders have secured a range of improvements at this thriving school.
They are passionate about ensuring the best for all, especially pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged. The school has developed subject leadership particularly well to strengthen teaching and learning. Teachers show strong subject knowledge.
They present information clearly for pupils, who respond excitedly to 'hooks' at the start of units of work. Parents and carers are thrilled to attend regular celebrations of their children's efforts in school.
Reading is prioritised highly.
Staff are well trained to help any pupils who struggle. Catch-up activities give pupils the valuable practice they need. Pupils learn to become fluent and confident readers, enjoying a range of fiction and non-fiction books.
The school's approach to reading also helps pupils to produce high-quality writing. As they progress through the school, pupils learn to draft, edit and publish impressive texts across a range of genres. This success is also seen in mathematics.
The school has revised its approach to ensure that pupils master essential mathematical concepts more securely. Pupils now apply their skills adeptly to solve advanced problems and investigations.
Staff and leaders meet regularly to review pupils' progress.
Everyone works together to find the best help for pupils with SEND. Adaptations encourage pupils to develop independence and resilience. For example, pupils particularly appreciate using portable printers to transform their verbal ideas into typed responses.
Teachers check what pupils know to identify gaps and address misconceptions. While pupils achieve well, only a small proportion attain exceptional success by the end of key stage 2. Sharper feedback for pupils would help them to move on to more advanced learning opportunities earlier.
Pupils focus well in lessons, ensuring there are no disruptions to learning. Playtimes are joyful and safe. Relationships are warm and supportive across the school.
The school's extensive pastoral care makes a significant difference to families. Attendance is better at this school compared to national averages. The school shows tenacity and dedication to helping families overcome barriers to attending school successfully.
Personal development is highly effective. Pupils learn to make a tangible difference to the school through a range of 'ambassador' roles. These responsibilities help pupils to become active citizens who promote equality.
Pupils learn to understand democracy and to challenge stereotypes. The school's expertise in promoting positive mental health is exemplary. Many parents say that 'the school goes above and beyond' to ensure that their children are 'supported emotionally as well as academically'.
Leadership is excellent. Leaders make careful considerations of workload, maintaining positive staff morale and well-being. Governors provide strong support.
They know the school intricately and use their compassion and expertise to challenge leaders, who embrace opportunities to reflect and improve. As a result, this successful junior school continues to go from strength to strength.
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
What does the school need to do to improve?
(Information for the school and appropriate authority)
• In some subjects, the feedback given to pupils does not sharply address how they can improve their work. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as highly as they could across the whole curriculum. The school should ensure that teachers and staff provide precise feedback to pupils that helps them to make improvements to their work and achieve highly across every subject.
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.
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.
This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in March 2015.
