Croft Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school's work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection.

The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school rules of 'be kind, be safe, be brilliant' are at the centre of this caring school's commitment to pupils. Pupils enjoy coming to school and want to learn.

Pupils are happy and polite and demonstrate excellent manners. During lessons, pupils learn free from distractions. On the playground, they enjoy the activities available to keep them active.

The school has high expectations for pupils. How...ever, this ambition is not being fully realised. Currently, some pupils do not achieve as well as they are could.

This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This means that some pupils are not ready for the next steps in their education.

The 'Croft pledge' is one of the many initiatives in place to enrich pupils' wider personal development.

This includes the chance to go on residential trips, play musical instruments, visit the theatre and enjoy exploring outdoor learning in the school's forest area. Pupils also benefit from the chance to take on leadership roles such as digital leaders, school councillors and librarians.

The school rightly maintains a sharp focus on attendance.

All staff promote the importance of being in school regularly. This is all leading to an improvement in pupils attending school.

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

Leaders and members of the governing body recognise that pupils' outcomes are not high enough.

Some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and skills. This means that they do not know more and remember more over their time at the school. Pupils also find it hard to remember their learning and how this can help them across the curriculum.

The school is taking positive action to address this. It has recently set about redesigning its curriculum and assessment processes. Leaders are also training staff to ensure that the curriculum is implemented in the way that the school intends.

However, it is too soon to see the full impact of this work.

Improved checks on pupils' learning mean that gaps in pupils' knowledge are now being identified more effectively. This is helping staff to understand pupils' starting points.

However, teaching does not consistently or routinely address pupils' misconceptions to inform lesson content. This means that, sometimes, pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. It also means some pupils do not get the chance to deepen their knowledge further.

The school's processes enable it to identify pupils' additional needs. This information is used to shape pupils' most important next learning steps. Targeted support addresses some key aspects of pupils' needs effectively.

However, teaching is not consistently adapted well enough to meet pupils' needs. This means that some pupils with SEND do not get the help or guidance they need to complete their work successfully or achieve their long-term goals.

Some pupils who join the school are still at the early stages of learning to read and are not yet fluent readers.

The school's new phonics programme is supporting these pupils well. Skilful staff are helping pupils to catch up with their peers. Daily stories, a new reading scheme and the use of high-quality texts are increasing pupils' love of reading.

Classrooms are calm and pupils play well together during breaktimes. The inclusion team provides effective support for those pupils that need it. Pupils are familiar with their school values, which help to prepare them as confident, happy citizens.

They learn how to stay safe online and the importance of staying healthy. Pupils appreciate extra activities such as sport, drama, orienteering, darts and enterprise club.

The governing body has an accurate evaluation of the school.

It supports and challenges leaders in good measure to help improve the school. Leaders make decisions in the best interests of pupils and have brought in many changes. Staff and leaders are working closely together to strengthen all aspects of the school, particularly the quality of education.

They know that this is pivotal to improving pupils' outcomes. Staff appreciate how leaders support their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has not ensured that teaching is adapted well enough to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. As a result, some pupils are not supported well enough to enable them to experience success and achieve their long-term goals. The school needs to ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills they need so that the curriculum and teaching for pupils with SEND is fully effective.

• The school has not ensured that checks on how well pupils are learning are sufficiently precise. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and struggle to connect and apply new knowledge to what they have previously learned. The school needs to ensure that there is a consistent and effective approach to checking what pupils have learned so any gaps in their learning can be addressed.

• The school has not ensured that teaching takes account of pupils' previous learning. As a result, sometimes pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. The school should ensure that all staff understand the curriculum sequence and provide pupils with learning that successfully builds on what they know and can do.

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.