Crosby Ravensworth CofE School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to be part of this warm and caring school. They feel welcome as soon as they join. Pupils value the close bonds that they form with their classmates and with staff in the school's small community.

Staff nurture pupils' well-being and sense of belonging.

The school has high expectations for pupils' achievement. Pupils achieve well across a range of subjects.

Children in the early years enjoy completing weekly learning challenges.

Pupils behave well. They are polite and respectful.

For instance, pupils told inspectors that it is important to 'treat others how you want to be treated'. They have a strong appreciation of the scho...ol's values of 'community, courage and compassion'. Pupils understand why these ideals are important to follow in school and beyond.

The school affords pupils with exciting experiences which enrich their social development and their learning of the curriculum. Visitors to the school, such as police officers and rap artists, broaden pupils' horizons. Pupils enjoy plentiful opportunities with peers from other schools, including rock climbing, swimming, skating and ghyll scrambling.

They visit cities and places of interest, for example the nearby church and quarry.

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

The school has adopted a broad and balanced curriculum. It has made sure that specific knowledge is well ordered towards ambitious end goals.

Careful thought has gone into ensuring that the curriculum meets the learning needs of pupils in small, mixed-age classes. Children in the early years make a positive start to their education.

Staff have secure subject knowledge and typically implement the curriculum well.

They explain learning clearly and provide pupils with suitable learning activities. Staff check that pupils learn the intended curriculum, although some of the strategies that they use are not fully embedded. This means that some pupils have misunderstandings and some gaps in knowledge that have gone unchecked.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. They are well supported to learn alongside their peers. Staff identify pupils' additional needs quickly and work well with parents, carers and external professionals.

They ensure that pupils with SEND are fully included in everything that the school offers.

A love of reading is fostered. This begins at the start of the early years, where children enjoy a variety of well-chosen texts.

Pupils read often, including to younger classmates in their roles as 'buddies'. They visited a local library and spoke fondly of a library bus that visits the school. A 'reading tombola' encourages pupils to read at home with their parents.

In the early years, staff support children's communication and language skills successfully. Children learn phonics as soon as they start in the Reception Year. Older pupils practise their reading using books that are matched to their current phonics knowledge.

Staff provide targeted support for pupils who need it. Most staff have accessed training to deliver the phonics programme well. However, the school has not focused as sharply as it could on developing staff's knowledge in supporting pupils' accuracy in their reading and writing.

As a result, some of the mistakes that pupils make in their reading and in their written work are sometimes overlooked.

The school has a calm and orderly learning environment. This helps pupils to engage well with their learning during lessons.

At social times, pupils chat happily and play together. They learn well-established routines and understand staff's expectations of them. The school has been highly successful in its approach to secure pupils' consistent levels of attendance.

Pupils know the importance of attending school regularly. They develop aspirations for their future careers, for example in biology, medicine and mechanics. The school provides well for pupils' personal development.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including when near water and while using the internet. They develop their talents and interests through a range of sports and music activities. Pupils learn that they can contribute positively to the wider community.

For example, they have planted trees, attended community lunches and sung carols at local events. Pupils' artwork is celebrated and appraised through regular showcases at the village hall.

The governing body supports and challenges the school effectively, with a focus on continual improvement.

Staff are well supported and looked after. They are consulted before any proposed changes, and they know that their well-being is a priority. Governors, staff and parents alike share in the school's vision to provide pupils with a high-quality and well-rounded education.

They are proud to be part of the school, which they described as 'like a family'. Parents were effusive in their praise for staff.

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 is refining some of the ways that it checks pupils' learning. As a result, some pupils' gaps and misconceptions in subject-specific knowledge have not been identified. The school should build on its strategies to help pupils to know and remember more.

• The school's approach to supporting pupils' accuracy and fluency in their reading and writing is not as focused as it could be. Over time, this means that pupils make some errors in their reading and in their written communication that are not consistently picked up or remedied. The school should ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills to better support pupils in their reading and writing development.