The Crescent Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might be outstanding if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

The headteacher of this school is Adam Clewes. This school is part of The Crescent Academy trust. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Lorraine Hurst.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are provided with the best possible start to their education at The Crescent Academy. This stems from the high levels of ambition the school has for a...ll pupils. The school's vision to 'enrich through experiences, to educate and enjoy learning' is realised.

Pupils excel in the rich range of academic, personal and social learning opportunities that the school provides for them. The comment of one parent reflects the thoughts of many, 'This school is nothing short of amazing. The things they do and teach the children are incredible.'



Pupils meet the high expectations of behaviour that the school has. This begins from the moment children join the Nursery. Pupils live by the school rules of 'always tell the truth, respect everybody and give everything your all'.

Pupils are happy and enjoy coming to school. They appreciate the many opportunities that the school provides for them. Pupils make good use of the school's gym, cinema and other facilities.

In addition, leaders plan a wide range of activities that are deliberately designed to prepare pupils well for life in their local community and beyond. One pupil commented, 'The school helps us to achieve our goals and have a good life.'

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

The school has a highly ambitious curriculum that enables all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to be extremely successful.

From the moment that children join in the early years, they benefit from an aspirational and carefully considered curriculum. The curriculum is based on providing valuable experiences. For example, in Nursery, pupils learn about and explore the local area.

This then builds well into key stage 1, where pupils visit the area around Stoke. In key stage 2, pupils visit cities such as York, Chester and London to understand the history of these cities. Additionally, older pupils also have the opportunity to visit Paris.

All of these experiences help to broaden pupils' knowledge. For example, pupils could recall how an educational visit on a steam train had deepened their understanding of life for evacuees in the Second World War.

Pupils' knowledge builds effectively as they move through the school.

By the time pupils reach the end of Year 6, they have developed a deep and rich body of knowledge across the curriculum. Teachers have good subject knowledge. They quickly spot pupils who are stuck and provide additional support when needed.

Furthermore, they deliver the curriculum well, including for pupils with SEND. This is supported by effective systems to identify the needs of pupils with SEND.

The school is proficient in making sure that pupils develop into confident and fluent readers.

This begins in the early years. Staff deliver the phonics programme with confidence and precision. Highly effective support is quickly put in place for any pupils who need it.

This helps them to keep up with their classmates. Young pupils make an excellent start to reading. They get lots of opportunities to practise the sounds they have learned, including through carefully chosen books.

Pupils develop into keen readers. They enjoy choosing books from the school's reading trees and choosing books with their parents from the reading boat in the playground.

The school provides a range of opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests.

There are a vast range of different clubs on offer. Many of these have been requested by the pupils themselves. These include a Star Wars club and a culture club.

The school has carefully planned events throughout the year which builds pupils' social, moral, spiritual and cultural awareness over time. The range of personal development opportunities experienced by pupils prepares them exceptionally well for life in modern Britain.

There is a strong team culture and ethos shared across the school.

Staff are extremely supportive of the school and all its work. They feel well supported by leaders in their well-being and workload.

Trustees are kept incredibly well informed regarding the school and its work.

They share the school's high ambition for the pupils and the community the school serves.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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 in March 2014.

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