Crowmoor Primary School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils follow a broad curriculum but they do not achieve well. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), leave school without the reading skills they need to be ready for secondary education. Leaders have identified areas of weakness but these are yet to be addressed, so pupils are continuing to underachieve.

Pupils are well cared for at Crowmoor Primary School. Teachers and leaders work closely with families. Pupils are polite to visitors and staff.

They smile and greet their teachers when arriving to school in the morning. Staff deal with unkind behaviour. However, teachers do not always address some disruptive behaviour quic...kly during lessons.

This disturbs the learning of pupils. Too many pupils do not attend school regularly enough and, therefore, miss valuable learning time.

Pupils are given responsibilities which they enjoy.

Some are part of the 'eco team' and look after plants in the garden. Pupils are also UNICEF ambassadors and understand their rights as children. They help adults to tidy away the dinner hall at lunchtime.

Pupils are safe at school and can name adults that will help them. Leaders plan a range of experiences outside of school for pupils. For example, pupils attend residential visits and book festivals.

They also walk around their local town to learn about its history.

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

Senior leaders are new to their roles. They have identified what needs to be improved, but their actions have failed to address the issues.

As a result, pupils are underachieving academically.

Pupils who are not able to read are falling behind their peers in their learning, including children in the early years. Staff identify pupils who are at the early stages of reading and need additional support.

However, these pupils do not then receive the extra help they need to improve this. Some staff do not have the right skills to teach phonics well. As a result, many pupils leave school unable to read at the expected level.

This means that they are not ready for secondary education. Pupils can choose from a wide range of books and authors. Staff read stories to pupils with enthusiasm.

The curriculum is broad. All pupils, including those with SEND, access the full curriculum. Leaders have recently introduced a new approach to the curriculum in all subjects.

The curriculum identifies the key knowledge and vocabulary that pupils should learn in each subject. Leaders have also taken into account the context of the local area when developing the curriculum. This helps pupils to learn about and appreciate the area they live in.

This new curriculum is beginning to help pupils remember their learning. For example, they understand that their local area is named 'Monkmoor' because monks owned the land. Pupils also know the significance of historical local people such as Englantyne Jebb.

However, subject leaders have not evaluated how well pupils have learned the curriculum. Leaders are too slow to identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge, which makes it difficult for pupils to build on their knowledge successfully over time.

Most teachers deliver the content of the new curriculum as intended and teach pupils the expected subject-specific vocabulary.

However, teachers' subject knowledge is variable because some have not had the support they need to develop a secure understanding of the curriculum. For example, in mathematics teachers do not always present information clearly. This means that pupils struggle to solve mathematical problems accurately and fluently.

Pupils with SEND receive helpful support in class, such as additional practical resources.

Leaders ensure pupils understand and appreciate diversity. They provide pupils with opportunities to experience communities beyond the one they live in.

Pupils know that everyone is different. They show care and respect to people from different religions and cultures, and those with disabilities. Pupils support the local community, for example through contributing to food banks.

Boys and girls talk about respecting each other. Mental health nurses support families and children effectively.

Leaders and governors do not sufficiently take into consideration the well-being and workload of staff.

Staff morale is low as a result. Governors accept information provided by leaders without robust challenge. They do not have an accurate view of the quality of pupils' education across the school.

Many parents, but not all, are happy with the support their children receive from teachers.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders record and take effective action around any safeguarding concerns.

They work closely with outside agencies. Support is put in place quickly for pupils at risk of harm. Staff know the risks associated with the local area and know how to identify these.

Leaders effectively analyse patterns and trends in their safeguarding records. They use this information to update and train staff regularly. Pupils feel safe.

They can name adults in school who they can raise concerns to.

Leaders check the suitability of new staff before they are employed. Leaders manage this well.

Staff know how to raise concerns about teachers and leaders.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Too many pupils do not learn to read well enough to prepare them for secondary education. Those who have been identified as needing additional support do not always receive it.

These pupils are falling behind in their learning. Leaders should ensure that teachers receive additional support and training to enable them to teach reading effectively so that pupils become fluent and confident readers by the end of key stage 2. ? There have been recent changes in the senior leadership.

This has led to instability and weaknesses in developing and improving the school. Leaders should take urgent action to address the key weaknesses in the school. ? Governors do not challenge information that leaders provide them with.

As a result, they do not have an accurate view of the school's weaknesses, including pupils' achievement or the impact of competing priorities on staff workload. Governors should ensure they have a clear understanding of the school's effectiveness, and challenge and support leaders to make the necessary improvements. ? Subject leaders have not evaluated how well the curriculum has been implemented and how well pupils are achieving.

This means pupils' gaps in learning are not identified and addressed. Leaders should ensure that subject leaders are provided with support and training to enable them to fully evaluate the impact of the curriculum on pupils' learning. ? Some teachers do not have a sufficiently detailed understanding of the subject-specific knowledge in the curriculum.

This means that they do not always present information clearly enough. Leaders should provide teachers with support and training to enable them to have a secure understanding of the curriculum, so they can deliver it well. ? Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough.

These pupils miss too much valuable learning time as a result. Leaders should continue working closely with families to improve pupils' attendance. ? Leaders and those responsible for governance may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection.

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