Captain Shaw's CofE School

Inspection of Captain Shaw’s CofE School Main Street, Bootle, Millom, Cumbria LA19 5TG

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 10–11 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Captain Shaw’s is a happy place for all to learn. Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel settled and comfortable from the moment they arrive. Parents and carers told us that they can get on with their day because their children are looked after well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils usually work hard in class and pay attention. They know that their teachers will help them if they do not understand anything. Pupils do not achieve as well as possible. Expectations of what pupils can learn and remember are not always high enough. This means that, sometimes, the work that teachers plan for pupils is too easy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils play their part in keeping the school at the heart of the community. For example, they display their artwork so that everyone in the village can enjoy it. They prepare and cook lunch for local residents on Fridays. Pupils enjoy their trips further afield, such as visits to Edinburgh or London.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is good. Pupils know what bullying is but do not see this as a problem in their school. Pupils see the school as a safe place and parents agree. They know that help is at hand if they need it.

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better?

Pupils do not receive a good quality of education at this school. Pupils do not learn as well as they should in some subjects, such as geography and history. Leaders have not thought enough about what knowledge pupils will learn or the order in which pupils will learn things. Leaders have not planned the curriculum to allow pupils to build on earlier learning. This means that teachers do not always plan learning that builds on what pupils know.

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better?

This is a small school and staff know the pupils well. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are adequately supported and included in all lessons. No one is left out. There are good systems in place for getting professional advice if it is needed.

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better?

Pupils do not achieve well in mathematics. Staff lack the knowledge about the subject which they need to support pupils’ learning. Leaders are tackling this through training staff on how to plan better for pupils’ learning. However, it is too soon for this to have made a difference to pupils’ achievement in mathematics.

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better?

By contrast, pupils achieve well in reading. Leaders have made this a priority. Phonics lessons begin as soon as children start school. Teachers provide extra help to any children who fall behind, so they catch up quickly. Older pupils enjoy reading. They told us about the sorts of books they like and about how reading helps them with their spellings.

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better?

Teachers do not always check how well pupils are learning in some subjects. This 10–11 September 2019

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means that they cannot make sure that the curriculum is helping pupils to learn more. It also makes it difficult for teachers to know if pupils have remembered what they have learned.

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Pupils behave well because they know what their teachers expect. They usually try hard to listen carefully so that their classmates are not disturbed. Older pupils set a good example for younger ones.

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The curriculum extends beyond subjects studied in lesson time. Pupils enjoy activities such as sports and gardening. Older pupils look after the younger children. For example, when they go for their daily run on the field, older pupils help the younger ones to cross the road safely. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures. They learn to appreciate differences in people.

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Leaders and governors do a good job of keeping parents informed about what is happening in school. Leaders encourage parents to be involved in their children’s learning. For example, they encourage parents to listen to their children reading at home. Pupils know this extra practice is important and helps them to improve.

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Children in the early years settle in very quickly because adults help them to feel safe, secure and welcome They are kind to each other, share and take turns when learning. Children move about safely, both indoors and outdoors. They enjoy the stories that adults read to them. Children achieve well in phonics. Leaders have not planned the curriculum well enough in all areas of learning. Leaders have not thought about the order in which children learn things, for example in mathematics, or in their understanding of the world. They have not considered how this prepares children for learning in key stage 1.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The headteacher and staff know the children and their families well. They know what can affect pupils’ safety and well-being, locally and further afield. Staff receive training to help them to spot any concerns. This helps them to identify those who might need help. Leaders work closely with partners, such as the school nurse service, to get help quickly.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not thought carefully enough about the content of some subjects. This is especially the case in subjects other than reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders have not defined clearly enough the order in which pupils acquire new skills and knowledge. The planning of the curriculum in some subjects does not provide teachers with enough detail to understand how the lessons they plan contribute to pupils’ long-term learning. The curriculum in the 10–11 September 2019

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early years is not sequenced so that it supports pupils’ learning as they move through school. Leaders need to provide teachers and staff with clear guidance about what should be taught in each year group, in each subject and in what order. They need to ensure that teachers have a clear understanding of how the knowledge and skills that pupils acquire in one year supports future learning. Leaders also need to ensure that the curriculum in the early years is set out clearly so that it supports subsequent learning in key stages 1 and 2 across subjects.  Information from assessment is not used well enough to check that all pupils are retaining and building upon what they have learned, especially in subjects other than reading, writing and mathematics. Consequently, leaders are unable to assure themselves that their intentions for the curriculum are having a positive impact on pupils’ learning. Leaders need to ensure that they develop ways of

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using information from assessment more effectively so that they have a better understanding of the impact of the curriculum.  Pupils achieve less well than they should in mathematics. This is because teachers lack the strong subject knowledge they need to ensure that there are no gaps in pupils’ learning. Although leaders are now taking steps to address this, this work is at too early a stage to have had an impact. Leaders need to ensure that they improve more quickly the subject knowledge in mathematics of all staff so that pupils across the school achieve well.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 10–11 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10087835 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14–15 March 2017

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher was appointed in September 2017.  The school has two classes: one for Reception and key stage 1, and the other for key stage 2. The school also has a Nursery class which is managed by the governing body.  The school caters for pupils with a range of special educational needs and/or disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders, dyslexia, and speech and language difficulties.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the headteacher, the senior teacher, members of the governing body and with a representative from the local authority.  We spoke with some parents at the beginning of the school day.  We considered the 28 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. We also considered the seven responses to the staff survey. 10–11 September 2019

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 We visited lessons in every year group.  We looked in detail at mathematics, science, geography and reading. For each of these subjects, we visited lessons, held discussions with leaders, teachers and pupils. We scrutinised pupils’ work.  We carried out a range of activities to inspect the effectiveness of safeguarding. These included scrutinies of documentation, including the school’s checks on the suitability of staff to work with children and records of staff training, and discussions with pupils, staff, leaders and governors.

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Inspection team

Mavis Smith, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Edmondson Ofsted Inspector 10–11 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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