Ennerdale and Kinniside CofE Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mr David Moore Headteacher Ennerdale and Kinniside CofE Primary School Ennerdale Bridge Cleator Cumbria CA23 3AR

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Short inspection of Ennerdale and Kinniside CofE Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 28 March 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in September 2012.

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Short inspection of Ennerdale and Kinniside CofE Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You have established a happy, harmonious and supportive school ethos which is underpinned by high academic expectations. You are keen to spark the intellectual curiosity of your pupils and are passionate that they should all commit to lifelong learning. You have established a healthy, caring and respectful community in which every pupil receives the support and attention needed to flourish. Your staff share your unswerving commitment to ensuring that every child is challenged to achieve to the best of their ability. You have created a happy school where pupils enjoy learning and greatly value their education. Members of staff are proud to work at the school and feel that you are continuing to drive improvements. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the work of the school. They appreciate your efforts to make learning fun and are delighted that their children are happy

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Short inspection of Ennerdale and Kinniside CofE Primary School

You became headteacher in September 2014. Since that time you have reformed and modernised the school in many ways. You have raised the expectations of all stakeholders and transformed the way that pupils are taught throughout the school. You have empowered staff to take responsibility for developing different areas of the school’s work and they have capably risen to the challenge. You have made staff accountable for the progress made by pupils and you have ensured that the monitoring of teaching focuses sharply on the impact that teaching has on the rates of progress being made by different groups of pupils. In conjunction with the governors, you have managed the school’s budget with flexibility and acumen. You have a perceptive and accurate view of the school’s strengths, weaknesses and overall effectiveness. Despite this, your plans to develop the school do not directly address all of the areas that you have identified as requiring attention. Although you

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Short inspection of Ennerdale and Kinniside CofE Primary School

are taking appropriate action to improve these areas, this is not reflected in the school’s plans. Plans do not contain measurable targets. As a result, leaders and governors are unable to evaluate the extent to which different actions are improving the school. Furthermore, your plans do not reflect the ambition that you clearly have for the school, its pupils and the local community.

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Short inspection of Ennerdale and Kinniside CofE Primary School

You have successfully built upon the strengths that were identified at the last inspection. You have ensured that pupils continue to make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics while further enhancing the range of enrichment opportunities that benefit pupils. Your recent success in the national Lego league final epitomises the gusto with which your pupils approach challenges and engage in extra-curricular opportunities. Your response to the areas identified as requiring further improvement at the last inspection has been considered, robust and effective. You have personally coordinated improvements in the teaching of mathematics throughout the school. You have ensured that pupils are systematically challenged in mathematics and that problem-solving and the practical application of mathematics are embedded throughout the curriculum. The pupils are enthusiastic mathematicians. One pupils was keen to tell the inspector that he liked

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Short inspection of Ennerdale and Kinniside CofE Primary School

mathematics, ‘because it challenges you and brings out the best in you’. As a result of your work, pupils’ attainment in mathematics is as high as it is in other subjects. Moreover, the most able pupils are making faster progress in mathematics than they are in reading and writing.

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Short inspection of Ennerdale and Kinniside CofE Primary School

You have worked closely with the governing body to improve their effectiveness. Many members of the governing body, including the chair of governors, are relatively new in post. Governors have a sound understanding of the school’s strengths and the fundamental challenges around securing the long-term viability of the school. They approach their duties with a palpable commitment to the pupils and local community. The local authority has supported the development of the governing body capably. Governors have employed a number of strategies to ensure that they clearly understand the effectiveness of teaching. They rigorously hold leaders to account for pupils’ progress. As a result, the governing body is rapidly improving and is able to oversee your leadership to greater effect.

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Short inspection of Ennerdale and Kinniside CofE Primary School

Your work to safeguard pupils is effective. You ensure that all appropriate checks are carried out on prospective employees, governors and volunteers. Your safeguarding policy is thorough and regularly updated in light of new legislation. You have built capacity among the safeguarding team to ensure that a highly trained member of staff is always available to deal with issues. All staff receive regular training that equips them with a sound understanding of potential safeguarding matters. Your staff know the pupils exceptionally well and they are alert to any subtle changes in their mood or presentation. Members of staff know how to communicate concerns and safeguarding records are detailed and fit for purpose. You liaise with external agencies effectively and have demonstrated tenacity to champion the needs of pupils who have left your school. Pupils are supported well to develop an age-appropriate awareness of risk. Your recent work

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Short inspection of Ennerdale and Kinniside CofE Primary School

on e-safety has been particularly innovative and culminated in pupils participating in a mock trial about cyber bullying at a local magistrates’ court.

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Inspection findings

 You have ensured that pupils throughout the school make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. They have performed well in national tests over time. You presented information that indicates that pupils are making faster progress this year. This is because improvements to teaching, particularly in mathematics and spelling, punctuation and grammar, have become embedded.  Your team have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. They provide pupils with work that is well matched to their abilities. Teachers and other adults manage the demands presented by mixed-age classes capably. Pupils have exceptionally positive attitudes to learning. They persevere when they find things difficult and are eager to support their classmates.  You do not yet track pupils’ progress in subjects other than English and mathematics. You rightly recognise this is an area that requires development and you are keen to adopt systems that will enable you to do this.

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Inspection findings

 Disadvantaged pupils benefit from your astute spending of the pupil premium. As a result, disadvantaged pupils are making rapid progress.  You have ensured that the most able pupils are systematically challenged throughout the school. As a result, the most able are making faster progress and a higher proportion of pupils are working at levels that are beyond those typically expected for their age. The most able pupils are making the fastest progress in mathematics. You are keen for recent improvements in teaching for the most able to be consolidated in reading and writing so that the most able maintain their quicker progress in these areas.  Your team have ensured that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils have a secure knowledge of their local environment and engage in regular activities in the local area. They benefit from a range of trips and visits that develop their awareness of life in different environments. Pupils in key stage 2 go

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Inspection findings

on residential visits to Liverpool and York and pupils in key stage 1 visit Carlisle and Whitehaven.  Pupils benefit from a rich and varied programme to enhance their spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding. They visit a local Buddhist temple and great priority is attached to the teaching of different world faiths as part of religious education. Pupils have met teachers and students from Tanzania, which helped to challenge their misconceptions of what life is like in Africa. As a result, pupils have a good understanding of different faiths and cultures.  Your work to promote British values harmonises with the school’s Christian ethos and values. The school council provides pupils with a vivid and meaningful example of democracy in action. Pupils agree class rules with their teacher and appreciate their rights and responsibilities. They value the harmonious and respectful school culture and several pupils identified this feature as the best

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Inspection findings

thing about the school.  Pupils are encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles. They enthusiastically engage in a variety of sports and the school is very successful in a range of local competitions. Your pupils benefit from an extensive range of extra-curricular opportunities from judo to archery and hockey to baking.  You have improved attendance markedly over the last two years. You have been unequivocal in your expectation that all pupils should attend school regularly. Most importantly, pupils enjoy coming to school. They feel challenged and derive a sense of achievement from the progress they make. As a result, they are keen to attend school regularly and reluctant to take time off. Very few pupils are now persistently absent and rates of attendance have improved significantly again this year.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 improvements to the teaching of the most able pupils become embedded, particularly in reading and writing  systems are introduced for tracking pupils’ progress in subjects other than English and mathematics  plans to develop the school are ambitious and contain measurable targets that will enable leaders to evaluate the effectiveness of different actions.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Carlisle, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Cumbria. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

 The inspector undertook ‘learning walks’ with you to observe teaching and learning throughout the school.  Meetings took place with you, members of staff, representatives from the local authority and diocese, members of the governing body and groups of pupils.  Informal discussions were held with pupils to gather their views on behaviour and learning.  The inspector worked with the headteacher to scrutinise the work in pupils’ books.  The inspector examined a range of supporting documentation including the school’s self-evaluation and development plan.  The inspector took into account seven responses to the staff questionnaire and eight responses to the pupil questionnaire. He also considered 16 comments made by parents through Ofsted’s free text service and 19 responses to parent view, Ofsted’s parental survey.  The inspector looked closely at the school’s website.

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