Creswell CofE Controlled Infant and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Creswell CofE Controlled Infant and Nursery has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy, safe and valued at this school. They benefit from warm relationships with staff.

They know that staff are there to help them and have their best interests at heart. One pupil, typical of many, said, 'The teachers here make sure we are okay. If we get muddled up, they are always there to help us.'



The school is ambitious for all pupils. Pupils achieve well across the curriculum. The school has a high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (...SEND).

Staff know the needs of these pupils well and provide them with high levels of care and support.

Staff treat pupils with courtesy and respect, demonstrating good manners. Pupils try to copy their example.

Pupils behave well most of the time.

The school prioritises high attendance. It ensures that parents and carers understand the importance of pupils being in school every day.

Pupils know the school's 'shine' values of love, kindness, respect, courage, curiosity and thankfulness. They understand these values. For instance, they know that courage is about being brave and trying new things.

Pupils enjoy being recognised in assembly for showing the school's values.

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

Pupils benefit from a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum. There is a clear progression of knowledge and skills from Nursery through to Year 2.

Staff revisit key curriculum content often, keeping it fresh in pupils' minds. In mathematics, for example, this approach ensures that pupils can recall important number facts accurately and quickly. Staff show pupils how to be successful.

In physical education, for instance, staff model techniques precisely so that pupils can manoeuvre their balance bikes or refine their dance movements.

Many pupils join the school with low speaking and listening skills. Consequently, there is a sharp focus on communication and language from the moment children start in the Nursery.

Early years staff interact skilfully with children while they are playing to develop their vocabularies. Children enjoy using new words, especially long, technical ones. While learning about eggs as part of their Easter topic, for example, children shared their understanding of the term 'oviparous' proudly.

Pupils have positive attitudes to reading. They love listening to their teachers read during story time. Staff teach phonics well.

The school has close oversight of pupils' progress in reading. Any pupil who falls behind in phonics is given support to catch up. However, the school's approach to teaching writing is not always well matched to pupils' needs.

Sometimes, pupils are asked to compose complex texts before they are secure in their spelling, handwriting and sentence-construction skills.

The school swiftly identifies any additional needs that pupils may have. Staff make effective adaptations to learning activities so that pupils with SEND can access learning and achieve well.

Pupils with education, health and care plans benefit from high-quality support, for example, to help with their speech and language development or to meet their social, emotional and mental health needs.

The school has transformed its approach to behaviour management. This has led to a dramatic fall in serious incidents of misbehaviour and the use of suspension.

However, sometimes, staff do not have high enough expectations of pupils' behaviour during lessons. At times, they do not address pupils' poor engagement well enough. As a result, some pupils do not listen and focus on learning as well as they could.

New systems and high expectations have brought about a significant reduction in pupils' absence and persistent absence. Staff understand their role in monitoring and promoting high attendance. The school tracks absence closely.

It intervenes swiftly when pupils have too much time off.

During personal, social and health education lessons, pupils learn how to look after themselves. Pupils are knowledgeable about world faiths.

They have inclusive attitudes towards difference. One pupil summed this up perfectly when they said, 'Everyone is unique. Everyone is welcome here.'

The curriculum is enhanced by a range of trips and visitors. Pupils enjoy the clubs on offer, particularly sewing club. Pupils like having a say in school life.

School councillors spoke proudly about how they help leaders to make the school even better.

There have been several staffing changes recently, including the appointment of a new headteacher and other senior leaders. These leaders have a clear understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development.

Governors check closely on all aspects of the school's work to ensure that pupils are safe and achieve well. Staff feel well supported to carry out their roles and manage their workloads.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Occasionally, staff provide pupils with writing tasks that are too difficult for them, instead of activities that will enable pupils to secure their knowledge and skills in transcription. As a result, some pupils do not master the basics of spelling, handwriting and sentence formation as quickly as they could. The school should ensure that writing tasks are well matched to pupils' next steps in learning.

• At times, staff do not apply the new behaviour policy as the school expects. Consequently, some pupils do not engage with learning as well as they could. The school should ensure that the new behaviour policy is applied consistently, helping all pupils to acquire positive attitudes to learning and high levels of engagement.

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2020.

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