Ellenborough and Ewanrigg Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Ellenborough and Ewanrigg Infant School Victory Crescent, Maryport, Cumbria CA15 7NE

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Outcome

Ellenborough and Ewanrigg Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

From as young as the age of two, children settle quickly into this small school. Parents told us that the care and the passion that staff have for the children is amazing. Pupils told us that they feel safe and that they enjoy coming to school. Staff care about them. Pupils make friends across different year groups. During break and at lunchtime, pupils are well supervised. They say that behaviour is good and that bullying is rare. Pupils know they can go to an adult if they have any concerns. Any issues are quickly sorted out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of all pupils. Teachers and teaching assistants support disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils work hard in lessons. Children quickly learn to take turns in the early years.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff organise opportunities for pupils to learn beyond school. For example, pupils regularly visit the nearby church. They sing for the elderly at local care homes. Teachers also organise many trips. For example, older pupils were keen to tell us how much they enjoyed last year’s visit to Blackpool. Pupils like the opportunities to play a range of different sports .

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have introduced a new curriculum. They place a strong focus on English and mathematics. This ensures that pupils leave the school with secure knowledge and skills in these subjects. However, there are some subjects that are still not fully developed, for example geography.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders told us that reading is a ‘top priority’ at this school. From when they start school, children develop a love of stories and rhymes. Teachers read to pupils every day in story time. We saw how teachers’ skilled storytelling captures pupils’ imaginations. Staff are experts in teaching phonics (letters and the sounds they represent). Pupils achieve above the national average at the end of the Year 1 phonics screening check. Pupils also learn how to read well. Parents agree and told us how much their children have come on ‘in 25 September 2019

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Leaders have provided staff training in a new approach to teaching mathematics. Teachers in key stage 1 are confident in how they plan activities. They build on pupils’ knowledge in an orderly way. Teachers check on pupils’ understanding and adapt their teaching in lessons. Pupils in Year 2 told us that they are building on what they learned in Year 1. This is evident in pupils’ books. By the time they leave school, most pupils reach the expected standard in mathematics.

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Changes to the teaching of geography are more recent. Teachers now plan geography as an individual subject rather than combining it with other subjects. Teachers build on pupils’ previous knowledge, for example when learning about life in Maryport. We saw how pupils are beginning to know more and remember more in geography. We discussed with leaders that teachers need to embed the recent changes to improve pupils’ achievement further. Pupils need to do as well in other subjects as they do in reading and mathematics.

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In early years, the links that staff have built between school and home shine through. Parents are so appreciative of the care that children receive when they join this school. Children settle well. Staff place a strong emphasis on communication and language skills. Learning about numbers and shapes is also a priority. Staff create stimulating spaces for pupils to explore, play and learn. Children enjoy the opportunities to move from the classroom areas to that outdoors. Most pupils reach a good level of development by time they leave Reception class.

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Pupils’ attendance remains broadly in line with the national average. They know about the benefits of keeping fit and healthy. Pupils understand the need to eat sensibly as part of developing a healthy lifestyle. Staff ensure that pupils brush their teeth after lunch.

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Pupils know that everyone is different. We saw displays showing how pupils celebrated Holi, the Hindu festival, last year. This helps them to learn about the different faiths practised across Britain.

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Leaders have had to make some cutbacks with staffing. This has been an unsettling time for some staff. That said, staff told us that senior leaders are mindful of their workload. Leaders have introduced new systems for assessing pupils’ work. This has reduced the amount of marking. Staff have also attended mental health training to support themselves and their pupils.

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Governors provide support and challenge. Their knowledge of pupils’ progress in other subjects is not as strong as it is in English and mathematics.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

We saw first-hand the checks that staff make on visitors to the school. Leaders keep records to show that adults in school are suitable to work with children. Records relating 25 September 2019

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to safeguarding are thoroughly recorded. We saw evidence of the way leaders work with the local authority and other agencies to ensure that pupils are kept safe.

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Staff have appropriate training in how to spot signs of neglect or abuse. Pupils told us that they learn how to keep safe. For example, they were firm in saying that it is not safe to make friends online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not yet sufficiently coherent and sequenced in some subjects, such as geography. However, senior leaders have acted to address this. They should ensure that the recent changes to the way subjects are taught are firmly embedded. Subject leaders need to attend the planned subject-specialism training events. They need to continue developing the confidence and skills of class teachers in all subjects. Leaders need to ensure that all subjects are taught to the same high standard as English and mathematics. This will ensure that pupils learn as well in all subjects as they do in reading and mathematics.  Governors have a thorough understanding of the progress that pupils make in English and mathematics, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. However, governors are not as confident about how well pupils achieve across the wider curriculum. Governors need this knowledge to hold leaders to account for the quality of

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good/outstanding. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged Ellenborough and Ewanrigg Infant School to be good on 2 October 2014.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 25 September 2019

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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. 25 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10045986 Type of school Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher/Acting Headteacher Wendy Kendall/Mark Hazzard

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1–2 October 2014

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Information about this school

 The school has provision for two-year-olds.  In the early years, children attend Reception class full time and Nursery part time.  The school has breakfast and after-school provision.

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Information about this inspection

 We observed teaching and learning in all year groups.  We examined a range of documents, including: information about pupils’ attendance, improvement plans, self-evaluation information, curriculum planning and staff training records.  We checked the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures and the school’s single central record. Inspectors met with leaders, staff, pupils and governors to check how effective safeguarding is in school.  We spoke with parents at the start of the school day.  An inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  An inspector met with several governors. 25 September 2019

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 We talked with pupils informally at playtimes, visited the dining hall at lunchtime and observed pupils’ movement around the school. Formal meetings also took place with groups of pupils.  We held meetings with the headteacher, acting headteacher, middle leaders, subject leaders, the leader of the provision for pupils with SEND and with teachers and teaching assistants.  Subjects considered as part of this inspection were reading, mathematics and geography. We undertook a detailed scrutiny of pupils’ work in these subjects and talked with pupils about their learning.

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Inspection team

Naomi Taylor, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Garry White Her Majesty’s Inspector 25 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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