The Richard Crosse CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are eager to come to this happy and welcoming school.

They arrive with smiles on their faces and are keen to start the day. Throughout the school, there is a strong focus on nurturing the whole child. All staff promote the school's inclusive and Christian values of love, friendship and respect.

These are carefully woven through all aspects of school life.

There is a strong sense of community, where everyone looks after and cares for each other. Pupils recognise this and know that staff will help them with any problems or worries that they may have.

Parents are very positive about the school, for example describing it as somewhere 'where staff ...go out of their way to include all children and help them flourish'.

Pupils' behaviour is a strength. They listen with keen interest during lessons and support each other very well with their learning.

Staff have very high expectations of all pupils and expect them to work hard and achieve their best. Pupils live up to these expectations and achieve very well across the school.

Pupils are proud of their school.

They talk enthusiastically about the variety of clubs on offer including martial arts, netball and choir.

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

The school's curriculum, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), is ambitious, broad and balanced. It has been well thought through, with the most important knowledge and skills identified from the early years onwards.

There are also many opportunities across the curriculum to enrich pupils' day-to-day experiences. As a result of this, pupils find their learning exciting. Staff are knowledgeable and generally present information clearly.

However, occasionally, the ambitious curriculum is not delivered in the way that leaders intend. Where this happens, pupils do not learn as well as they might.

Staff use a range of different ways to check how well pupils are learning.

Where this is strongest, staff check pupils' understanding during lessons and address anything pupils have misunderstood. Staff then use this information to adapt teaching and to identify the next steps for pupils. However, not all staff are as skilled in this as others.

Some staff do not use assessment information well enough. This means that work is not always as well matched to pupils' needs as it could be.

Pupils love to read.

There is a structured approach to reading across the school. Younger children enjoy listening to familiar stories and joining in with rhymes as soon as they start in Nursery. Staff across the school are well trained to teach phonics.

They provide expert support for any pupils at risk of falling behind. Pupils at the early stages of learning to read practise with books that match well to the sounds they know. This is helping them to become more fluent, accurate readers.

Older pupils enjoy reading for pleasure and talk knowledgeably about their favourite authors.

Pupils with SEND have their needs identified accurately. Individual education plans show clearly what each pupil needs to do to help them access the curriculum alongside their peers.

This helps pupils with SEND make good progress from their starting points. Staff receive regular training and are confident in supporting the needs of individual pupils. As a result, pupils with SEND are fully included in the life of the school and achieve well.

Pupils are excellent ambassadors for their school. They behave extremely well and live up to the school's high expectations. There is a strong family feel to the school with pupils genuinely caring for and about each other.

There is an exceptional personal development offer. Pupils learn to be highly tolerant and respectful of difference. They have a thorough understanding of diversity and they readily learn about different cultures and faiths.

The school encourages pupils to be responsible and respectful citizens who care about others. For instance, pupils work closely with the local community and care for their environment. Pupils are keen to have extra responsibilities and take their roles seriously.

They can apply for roles such as librarian, eco-councillor, worship councillor, or member of the school council. They have many opportunities to develop their talents and interests in sport, music and art, for example at clubs, inter-school competitions and in musical performances. The school has created many ways to enhance the curriculum through a wide range of trips, visitors and experiences.

All of these are carefully planned to ensure that they are purposeful and enrich the learning.

Governors and trustees are highly committed to the school. They use their detailed knowledge of the school to support and challenge leaders.

Staff workload and well-being are carefully considered. Staff feel extremely well supported.

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, what leaders intend pupils to be taught is not consistently delivered by staff. As a result, some teaching does not have the impact it could, and pupils do not always know more and remember more over time. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum in every subject is delivered as intended, so that pupils can build on their knowledge over time.

• Occasionally, staff do not use assessment well enough to move pupils' learning on. This means that some pupils have limited chances to apply what they know in different contexts. Leaders need to ensure that staff use assessment information well to design learning experiences that enable pupils to apply what they know.

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