All Saints' CofE School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve leadership and management by:
  • enhancing the skills of subject leaders in monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision within their subjects, especially in history and geography.
• Improve teaching, learning and assessment by:
  • ensuring that work is well matched to pupils’ needs and abilities and provides suitable challenge, especially for the most able pupils
  • ensuring that pupils have opportunities to reason mathematically and problem-solve more consistently across the school.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher, ably supported by the deputy headteacher, has taken decisive action to improve the quality of teaching and learning. An example of this is in writing, where current pupils are making improved rates of progress.
• Leaders and governors have an accurate view of what the school does well and what it needs to do to be even more successful. Procedures to monitor and evaluate the quality of the school’s performance through checking the quality of teaching are incisive and detailed.
• Leadership is strongest in English and physical education (PE). Subject leaders across the school are enthusiastic and ambitious. However, in some subjects, for example history and geography, leaders are not as rigorous as they could be in monitoring and evaluating the quality of provision.
• The school’s curriculum is rich and balanced, and is reviewed regularly to ensure that it meets pupils’ needs and interests. The curriculum is designed to make sure that it provides many varied opportunities for pupils to benefit from visitors to school and to make visits out of school locally and further afield, including the Lake District and Scotland. Pupils have also enjoyed visits from production companies and inspirational people such as wheelchair basketball players. The school also has a ‘Community Rock Choir’ with staff, parents and community members.
• The PE and sport funding for schools has been used exceptionally well. The pupils benefit from a wide range of high-quality lessons and engage regularly in competitive sports as well as participating in a range of after-school clubs such as orienteering, kayaking, dance, climbing and gardening. Effective links are made with local sports clubs, and pupils’ sporting involvement and achievement are celebrated on the website.
• Leaders use pupil premium spending effectively and provide a targeted support plan for every individual which is regularly reviewed and monitored. Interventions put in place for these pupils are evaluated regularly to assess impact on pupils’ learning. They are then amended or changed as a result. The positive impact of this support is seen through the improving progress made by disadvantaged pupils across the school, particularly in key stage 2.
• All the pupils in the resource base have SEN and/or disabilities and education, health and care plans. Teachers and teaching assistants challenge pupils to achieve to the best of their ability. Staff have a comprehensive understanding of pupils’ specific educational needs and plan activities that pupils find interesting. This supports pupils’ engagement and good progress in a wide range of subjects.
• Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils show an ability to understand and appreciate the viewpoints of others. One pupil told an inspector that ‘Difference is strength, not a barrier’. Vulnerable pupils receive exceptional care and attention from staff, who help pupils and their families to overcome barriers to pupils’ learning.

Governance of the school

• The governing body is effective. Governors make it their business to know about the work of the school and have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They have ensured, along with the headteacher, that the school’s priority of ‘educating the whole child’ is intrinsically embedded in the work of the school.
• Governors challenge school leaders appropriately and are increasingly involved in monitoring activities alongside senior leaders, such as analysing work in pupils’ books and making short visits to classes.
• Governors make sure that the pupil premium and the PE and sports grant are spent effectively. They are also thorough in carrying out their safeguarding responsibilities.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All staff have a good knowledge and understanding of safeguarding matters. They have ensured that all safeguarding policies and procedures are compliant and fit for purpose. It is clear that staff are well informed and ready to act upon all matters relating to the safety and welfare of pupils.
• All staff are familiar with the latest government guidelines on how to keep children safe. In addition, staff are trained well to recognise all forms of abuse and spot pupils in need of help or support. Staff take prompt action on safeguarding matters and work with a range of professionals.
• The school’s central record of checks on the suitability of staff to work with children is up to date and contains all the necessary information. This ensures that risks to pupils, especially the most vulnerable, are minimised. Leaders are successful in creating a school culture in which safeguarding is of paramount importance.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers are trained well and have a good understanding of their own strengths and areas for development. They are open to learning from colleagues in school and further afield. 

• Relationships between adults and pupils are good. Encouragement from adults in class leads to pupils enjoying their learning and most making good progress.
• Teachers’ and other adults’ good questioning contributes to deepening pupils’ understanding in learning. For instance, pupils learn the importance of using different methods and practices when estimating in maths and when discussing the past in history.
• Teachers use assessment to plan lessons that are interesting and meet the needs of the vast majority of pupils. However, on occasion, teachers set insufficiently challenging tasks. As a result, some pupils, especially the most able, do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• The teaching of mathematics is consistent across the school, particularly calculation. Teachers identify gaps in learning and systematically build pupils’ number skills. However, pupils are not offered sufficient opportunities to develop their mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills. There is occasionally a lack of challenge for a few pupils, particularly the most able pupils.
• For the last two years teachers have been taking a consistent approach to developing pupils’ writing. This has been successful, as shown by the rising trend of improvement, especially at the end of key stage 2. Teachers focus effectively on pupils’ use of vocabulary. This was evident in an upper key stage 2 class, where pupils’ work showed evidence of much richer word choices in writing across the curriculum.
• After an internal review of the teaching of phonics and resultant changes, there is now effective, rigorous and systematic teaching of phonics daily. The impact of this is that pupils are now acquiring good phonics skills on leaving key stage 1. If not, there are interventions planned to help them catch up quickly.
• There is an enthusiasm in the school about reading due to changes in the way reading is taught. Leaders and teachers have raised the profile of reading and made it fun and exciting. Pupils read regularly and speak about how they have improved over time. 

• Teaching assistants are deployed well and are skilled at giving timely help and support to individuals and groups of pupils. They work well as part of the teaching team and play an important part in pupils’ progress in learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. All Saints’ is a calm and purposeful school where pupils are respectful towards each other and staff. The strong sense of inclusion throughout the school has meant that many of the pupils from the resource provision are successfully integrated into the main part of the school for much of the day.
• Pupils show a distinct awareness of the needs of others. This was evident at breaktime when a young child let a teacher know that a pupil from the resource base ‘needs to be on his own a little bit’ and pointed out that he had left the main play area. They respect others’ views and opinions, which was evident in class discussions.
• There is an enthusiastic pupil school council who represent the views of their peers well. Recently, they successfully contributed to changes to the school’s sports facility. Pupils are able to speak confidently about British values such as tolerance and respect and what this means to them as citizens.
• Pupils who completed Ofsted’s questionnaire felt that bullying was not a problem at the school. They have a good understanding of racism and homophobic bullying.
• Pupils feel safe and are taught to stay safe through assemblies and activities. They say that there is ‘always an adult to take care of you’. Pupils know how to stay safe online.
• Pupils like to demonstrate that they are responsible and reliable. The school council spoke with pride about their ability to share ideas and how they feel listened to, for example having an impact on the design of the playground.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils’ behaviour, when moving around the school and during breaks and lunchtimes, is good. Pupils play sensibly and safely.
• Pupils are keen to behave appropriately and very aware of the school rules. Pupils speaking to inspectors said that there is occasional inappropriate behaviour, but it is quickly dealt with by adults.
• Pupils are generally well behaved in class and have a positive attitude to learning. Very occasionally, a small number of pupils can be fidgety or distracted because learning is not challenging them sufficiently.
• Pupils’ attendance has improved since the last inspection. Leaders have worked hard to reduce the high persistent absence. They are having a great deal of success with a number of families, which has resulted in their reducing persistent absence by half.
• Staff in the resource base are highly skilled at working with pupils who sometimes find it difficult to manage their own behaviour. As a result, the resource base is calm and purposeful, and these pupils benefit from the full range of enrichment activities available to the whole school. For example, they enormously enjoyed a visit from a puppet show performing to the whole school at the time of the inspection.
• Almost all parents who spoke to inspectors, completed Parent View or sent in text messages were of the view that behaviour is good and bullying rare. Inspection evidence, including a discussion with pupils, confirmed this view. Parents would recommend the school to others, one saying: ‘I feel confident that my child feels safe and secure’ and ‘Any issues are acknowledged and dealt with fairly.’ This is typical of how parents feel the school manages ‘the whole child’.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• The school is highly committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for every pupil. Leaders keep a careful check on the progress of every individual and go to great lengths to help pupils make good progress.
• There is a high proportion of pupils who have SEN in every year group and this means that published information in relation to pupils’ progress does not accurately reflect the achievement of pupils in the school.
• There was a significant rise in attainment in 2018, especially at the end of Year 6. A higher proportion than nationally reached expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Considering pupil’s starting points, this is a positive outcome. At key stage 1, standards in both writing and mathematics are now broadly in line with national expectations and in reading slightly less so.
• Inspection evidence, including the school’s own assessment system and pupils’ workbooks, indicates that most pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are making good progress in English and mathematics at the expected standard. However, pupils are not achieving as well at greater depth and higher standards. Some of the most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are not achieving all that they are capable of.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points. This is because teachers and teaching assistants offer pupils effective support and ensure that pupils succeed in their learning.
• In the past, a below-average proportion of pupils reached the expected standard in the national phonics screening check. However, after a review and a change of systems, teaching has started to impact favourably on outcomes.

Early years provision Good

• All aspects of the leadership and management of the early years provision are good and some aspects are particularly effective. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment, work with parents and children’s behaviour are real strengths in both Nursery and Reception.
• Children join the Nursery class with skills and abilities below those typical for their age. Children’s communication and language skills are especially weak. However, good teaching, care and support enable them to settle into All Saints’ quickly and make securely good progress.
• Outcomes for pupils at the end of Reception have improved. In 2018 a below-average proportion attained a good level of development. However, almost all children made good progress from their starting points and were well prepared for learning in Year 1.
• Teachers, teaching assistants and other adults have an in-depth understanding of how young children learn. They form strong bonds with children and have high expectations for them. This ensures that children are eager and curious to learn.
• The environment is well organised and offers the children opportunities to share, take turns or work independently as they choose. Resources are attractive and easily accessible to children, which encourages them to explore and participate.
• Good-quality questioning and dialogue help to probe children’s understanding and develop their speaking skills. This was illustrated well in the session on weighing a giant pumpkin observed by an inspector, where staff were skilfully developing language, vocabulary and children’s confidence in speaking.
• Children eligible for additional financial support make good progress. This includes disadvantaged children and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. Leaders recognise that for these children, reading and writing are a constant focus for development throughout early years.
• Staff look after children well, making sure that all welfare requirements are met. Safeguarding is effective. The same well-established procedures for care that are in operation in key stages 1 and 2 are carried through to early years.
• Parents appreciate the school’s open-door policy. They are welcomed into the setting in the morning and can chat to staff and settle their child. All parents who spoke with inspectors were highly positive about all aspects of early years provision. Typically, they say their child is happy to come to school and keen to learn. Parents are satisfied that their children are safe and looked after well.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 112272 Cumbria 10037785 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary controlled 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 202 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Eric Nicholson Nicola Smallwood 01900 823431 www.allsaintscockermouth.org.uk head@allsaints.cumbria.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 5–6 March 2014

Information about this school

• All Saints’ Primary and Nursery School is a smaller than the average-sized school catering for pupils and children aged three to 11. Sixteen places are available in the school’s specialist resource provision, which caters for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. At the time of the inspection, the resource base was at full capacity. 


• Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is well above average. The proportion of pupils who have education, health and care plans is well above average.
• Most children attend the Nursery class and many access the 30 hour provision.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed 16 part-lessons. Four of these were carried out jointly with the headteacher.
• Inspectors analysed pupils’ work in their books during visits to classrooms. Inspectors carried out a further scrutiny of pupils’ workbooks and looked at some books jointly with the deputy headteacher.
• An inspector listened to children read from Years 2 and 6.
• Discussions were held with staff, pupils, governors and a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors looked at a range of documents, including the school’s summary of its view of its own performance, improvement plans, information on pupils’ progress, records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance, documents relating to safeguarding and governing body minutes. 

• Parents’ views were taken into account through the 39 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View). Inspectors held conversations with parents as they brought their children to school in the morning or collected them at the end of the school day. The lead inspector received two letters from parents. 


Inspection team

Moira Atkins, lead inspector Stephen Rigby

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector