Crawford's Church of England Primary School

Overview

Pupils at Crawford’s are described as “very happy” with positive relationships with adults and a strong sense of inclusion. The school provides a “good-quality curriculum” where staff effectively support early reading and adapt lessons for pupils with special educational needs. While the overall effectiveness is rated as Good, the report highlights specific inconsistencies in teaching methods and curriculum planning that require attention.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate enthusiasm for learning, particularly in reading, where staff are “skilled at teaching early reading” and ensure books are well matched to pupils’ phonics knowledge.
• The school offers an “exceptionally wide variety of resources” for play and exploration, fostering confidence, collaboration, and risk awareness among pupils.
• Behaviour is excellent, with bullying and unkind behaviour being “rare” and staff resolving issues quickly when they arise.
• Leaders have successfully improved the reading and mathematics curriculum, ensuring all pupils can access planned learning through targeted additional support.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff well trained to identify risks and maintain detailed records.

Areas to improve

• Curriculum planning for a few subjects and outdoor learning lacks sufficient detail, hindering pupils’ progress as leaders have not clearly identified key knowledge and skills to build upon year by year.
• There are inconsistencies in how writing and handwriting are taught across the school, with some pupils developing poor pencil grip and letter formation that teachers do not pick up.
• A minority of pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise and use their writing knowledge in subjects other than English.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting that staff are well trained, record-keeping is detailed, and pupils are taught how to stay safe both online and physically.