School Inspection

OFFICIAL INSPECTION REPORT CLICK HERE

We are delighted to share that our latest OFSTED inspection, published in January 2025, confirmed that Crossdale Primary continues to provide an excellent education for our pupils. The report highlights our high expectations, strong teaching, and outstanding pastoral care, reinforcing the dedication and hard work of our staff, pupils, and wider school community.

Here’s what Inspectors had to say:

✅ A Happy, Caring School – Pupils love coming to Crossdale! They described lessons as fun and engaging, and inspectors praised the warm, inclusive environment where children feel safe, valued, and respected. Older pupils take pride in supporting younger children, reinforcing our strong sense of community.

✅ Excellent Behaviour & Attitudes – Inspectors recognised that behaviour is a real strength at Crossdale. Pupils are focused, engaged, and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning every day. Our approach to behaviour management is consistent, fair, and highly effective, ensuring children feel supported while upholding high standards.

✅ Outstanding Personal Development – Inspectors highly praised Crossdale’s approach to personal development, recognising how we prepare pupils not just academically but socially and emotionally for life beyond school. From a wide range of clubs and enrichment activities to leadership opportunities like school councillors and well-being officers, our pupils develop confidence, responsibility, and resilience.

✅ Pupil Pride, Responsibility & Enrichment – Leadership roles, such as school councillors and well-being officers, empower our children to contribute positively to school life. The extensive range of clubs, trips, and experiences – from historical re-enactments to musical performances – helps pupils develop confidence, talents, and a love for learning beyond the classroom.

✅ Dedicated, Skilled Teachers & Excellent Training – Inspectors praised our expert teaching team, highlighting their strong subject knowledge and ability to deliver lessons clearly and effectively. Ongoing training and development ensure our staff are highly skilled and equipped with the best teaching strategies to support every child.

✅ A Strong Reading Culture – Inspectors recognised our highly effective phonics programme and the way staff consistently foster a love for reading. From early readers to older pupils mastering fluency and expression, reading is at the heart of learning at Crossdale.

✅ Excellence in Mathematics – Recent enhancements to the maths curriculum have strengthened pupils’ fluency and arithmetic skills, enabling them to apply their knowledge confidently to problem-solving.

✅ A Well-Planned, Ambitious Curriculum – Crossdale’s curriculum is structured for success, ensuring that pupils build knowledge step by step. Inspectors highlighted how recent refinements in subjects like history and science are already helping children make deeper connections between key ideas.

✅ A Flying Start in Early Years – Our youngest learners thrive in a joyful, engaging environment. The Early Years curriculum is meticulously planned, with a strong focus on early language, mathematics, and creative play, preparing children brilliantly for the future.

✅ Exceptional Support for SEND Pupils – Inspectors praised our highly effective SEND provision, recognising how quickly needs are identified and supported, ensuring that all pupils flourish and achieve well.

✅ Strong, Ambitious Leadership Driving Improvement – Inspectors recognised the clear vision and ambition of our leadership team, governors, and Equals Trust. Our leaders are committed to continually refining the curriculum and ensuring every child gets the best possible education. Strong relationships between staff, governors, and the trust mean that Crossdale is always moving forward.

Next Steps

Inspectors were overwhelmingly positive about Crossdale’s progress. The only area for improvement identified was a minor refinement in how learning is checked in some non-core subjects, ensuring all pupils receive the right level of challenge and feedback. We are already addressing this as part of our ongoing school improvement plan.

In Conclusion

We are incredibly proud of this report and the recognition of our wonderful pupils, dedicated staff, and supportive families. Thank you for being part of our Crossdale community – this success belongs to all of us!

You can find a copy of the full report below. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

#TeamCrossdale ❤️