Captain Shaw's CofE School

Captain Shaw's CofE School Main Street, Bootle, Millom, Cumbria , LA19 5TG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Captain Shaw’s is a good school and is improving strongly following a decline in achievement since the previous inspection.  Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding and this plays a significant part in their successful learning. Pupils feel extremely safe.  The achievement of all pupils is at least good and the progress that some pupils make is outstanding.  The effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage is good and this gives the children a good start to their life in school.  Teaching is never less than good and sometimes it is outstanding. Teachers get on very well with the pupils and the atmosphere in lessons is very conducive to learning.  Learning support for pupils who have additional needs is very effective and enables those pupils to make good progress.  The headteacher and other leaders have brought about many improvements, including the progress pupils make and the quality of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

teaching. This has been helped greatly by the school’s partnership with Thwaites School.  The staff work very closely together and flexible teaching arrangements cater well for classes of mixed age and ability.  All the pupils are known extremely well and the curriculum is tailored very well to their interests and needs.  There is an increasingly wide range of additional activities, such as trip and visitors. This develops pupils’ personal skills and prepares them well for the future.  Governors are highly involved with the school and support it very well.  Pupils love their school and say that there is nothing they would want to change about it.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In a few lessons teachers do not give pupils work that stretches them enough, especially the most able. On these occasions progress is not as good as it could be.  Pupils are not always given clear ways of being able to tell how well they are learning or encouraged enough to respond to comments on how to improve their work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed 10 lessons, taught by two teachers, and looked at the work of all the children and pupils in every subject.  The inspector looked at a range of documents, including those relating to safeguarding and child protection, development planning, the monitoring of the quality of teaching and, also, information about teachers’ professional development.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, with the two teachers and with the school’s learning support assistant. A discussion was held with two subject leaders from the partner school who oversee literacy and numeracy in the school.  The inspector met with three governors, including the Chair of the Governing Body, and also with the Chair of the Governing Body of the partner school.  The inspector spoke to all the children and pupils in the school in lessons, breaks and lunchtimes. She also spoke formally to two groups of pupils at lunchtime on both days of the

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Information about this inspection

inspection.  The inspector listened to three pupils in Key Stage 1 read at lunchtime on the second day of the inspection.  The five responses to the staff questionnaire and the 11 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) were analysed. In addition, the inspector spoke to several parents during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Alison Thomson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Captain Shaw’s CofE School is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. There are two classes, one combining the Early Years Foundation Stage with Key Stage 1 and the other incorporating all the pupils in Key Stage 2.  All pupils are White British and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is lower than average. (This is funding available for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children in local authority care and those whose parents are in the armed forces.) The pupil premium group in the school is the group known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of pupils who are supported at school action is above average. The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  No pupils are educated off site .  The school has gained many awards, including Activemark, and has Healthy School status.  Since the previous inspection there has been a significant turnover in staffing.  The current headteacher took up the post of executive headteacher in January 2013. She is also the headteacher of a nearby school, Thwaites Primary School, and divides her time between the two schools. The two schools work closely in partnership with each other.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase pupils’ progress further and raise attainment to even higher levels by: - consistently giving pupils work that stretches them, particularly the most able - ensuring teachers regularly give pupils clear ways to enable them to understand how well they are learning - providing opportunities and encouragement for pupils to respond to teachers’ comments about how they can improve their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start in Reception with skills that vary but that are generally below those expected for their age. They make good progress throughout the school and leave at the end of Year 6 with attainment that is broadly average in all areas, including English and mathematics.  Previous gaps in knowledge, particularly in mathematics, are being closed rapidly. All pupils currently in school make at least good progress in mathematics and in English. Some pupils are making outstanding progress this year and are attaining standards above those found nationally.  Pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs and pupils who are in receipt of pupil premium funding make good progress in line with their peers. This reflects the school’s commitment to equality of opportunity. There are no discernible differences in the progress those pupils make compared to their peers, in either English or mathematics. This is because

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The achievement of pupils is good

funding is used well to provide one-to-one and small-group support, so that any relative underachievement is addressed well.  Pupils’ achievement is best when they are given work that makes them think and when they are given time to discuss their work. This was illustrated particularly well in a mathematics lesson on using and reading scales. All Year 3 to Year 6 pupils made outstanding progress as they discussed with each other how well they were learning against clear, challenging criteria for success.  Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because there is a close focus on numeracy and literacy. This means that children are quickly able to count and know the sounds that letters make. During the inspection Reception children were seen making good progress as they worked out how many additional flags were needed to complete their sandcastles.  Progress in reading is good. This was evident from the reading journals of the pupils in Key

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The achievement of pupils is good

Stage 1. The inspector listened to Key Stage 1 pupils read in class and also at lunchtime on the second day of the inspection. It was impressive how much the pupils enjoyed their reading and were able to talk maturely about books they had read.  Pupils have good literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology skills. These aspects are incorporated well into other lessons, such as the use of the visualiser to display work to the rest of the class. Pupils are confident in explaining their work to others. This reflects their good communication skills.  Pupils’ achievement is improving because of good leadership and management, continuously improving teaching and the rigorous checks that are made of pupils’ progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good and sometimes it is outstanding. No teaching was seen during the inspection that was less than good.  Teachers are very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and skilled at providing work that is suitable for their mixed-age and mixed-ability classes.  Some teaching is innovative and results in pupils making outstanding progress. For example, the use of music helped Year 3, 4 and 5 pupils to grasp the difficult concept of rhythm in WH Auden’s moving poem about death, Stop the clock. This lesson also promoted the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development as they reflected on what emotions the Egyptians might have felt following the death of their Pharaoh.  Occasionally, teachers do not set work that stretches all pupils sufficiently, especially the most able, or give pupils clear ways of being able to tell if they are learning well. When this happens the progress pupils make slows.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Learning support staff help pupils who have specific needs to understand their work well. They carefully question them. They do not do things for them but encourage them to try by themselves. This was seen to particularly good effect during a session to help Key Stage 1 pupils improve their writing.  Marking in books is good and there are many helpful comments to help pupils improve their work. However, teachers do not always encourage pupils to respond to these comments.  The responses to Parent View and talking to parents revealed that parents agree that their children are taught well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils behave exceptionally well and enjoy school enormously. They are very respectful towards each other and to adults. This was evident throughout the inspection, both in lessons and around the school.  The staff questionnaires show that staff agree strongly that behaviour is good. This is also the view of parents, expressed through Parent View and to the inspector directly. Pupils themselves rate behaviour as ‘nine out of 10' and say it has been like that for some time.  Pupils understand well the different forms that bullying can take and say that when, occasionally, people fall out it is sorted out very quickly. When asked what they liked about their school, one pupil said, 'We're just like a big, happy family.'  Pupils' outstanding behaviour has a highly positive impact on their learning. Pupils work extremely well together and rise to challenges when given the opportunity to do so. This was

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

seen on many occasions, including Year 2 pupils using dictionaries to find the meaning of difficult words and then composing sentences to show they understood their meanings.  There are many opportunities for pupils to take on responsibilities both formally and informally. Everyone seems to have a job and thoroughly enjoys doing it. The school council takes its role of promoting the views of others very seriously and is very proud of the playground equipment it had a hand in choosing.  Pupils say that they feel extremely safe at school and that the adults in school look after them very well. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including when using computers.  Attendance is consistently above average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governing body has managed changes in staffing, including those of senior leaders, very efficiently, and has galvanised the support of the village to keep the school open despite its low numbers.  Although only in post since January, the executive headteacher has successfully accelerated improvements in all areas, including pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching. She and other leaders and governors work as a very effective team. The senior teacher takes over well the responsibility of running the school on the days when the headteacher is not there. The staff questionnaires showed that there is a real sense of all members of staff working cohesively.  Underachievement since the previous inspection has been addressed well through rigorous checking of the progress that pupils make. Any pupil in danger of falling behind is helped to catch up quickly.  The quality of teaching has improved through lesson observations and training, helped by the

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The leadership and management are good

involvement of the subject leaders from the partnership school.  Equality of opportunity is outstanding, with all groups of pupils making equally good progress. Each pupil is known individually and nurtured extremely well. Gaps between the performance of different groups of pupils are minimal.  The school liaises extremely well with all parents. Several spoke to the inspector and were very keen to say how pleased they were with all aspects of the school. One parent commented that her children come home now ‘positively fizzing with enthusiasm’.  The curriculum meets the needs and interests of the pupils increasingly well. Pupils love the musical opportunities they have, the chance to help cook their own lunches on Fridays and the regular occasions of joint lessons with the Thwaites’ pupils.  There is a wide range of clubs, trips and visitors that enable the pupils to gain in confidence and to augment their learning. Pupils excitedly told the inspector about taking scientific

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The leadership and management are good

measurements on a recent climb up a mountain and also of preparing for the impending link with a school in Nepal. These opportunities also enhance the pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The school’s safeguarding meets statutory requirements.  The local authority has provided some effective support, for example with governor training.  The governance of the school:  Governors work very closely with the school and there is no doubt that they have helped the school to improve. Governors are frequent visitors and have a good knowledge of the quality of teaching. They are well trained and understand the data relating to students’ progress. Governors are fully involved with the allocation of the school's budget, including the funding for students eligible for the pupil premium and teachers' pay linked to their performance. They hold the school to account increasingly well and say they are determined the school should be

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 112290 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 411705

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school All-through School category Voluntary Controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 15 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Abby Hardwick Headteacher Jane Patton Date of previous school inspection 12 November 2009 Telephone number 01229 718279 Fax number 01229 718386 Email address admin@capt-shaws.cumbria.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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