Warwick Bridge Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Warwick Bridge Primary School Warwick Bridge, Carlisle, Cumbria CA4 8RE

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Outcome

Warwick Bridge Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school. They say that they get on well together. Pupils love their playtimes. They appreciate the wide range of after-school sports and clubs such as football, running and gymnastics. Pupils understand the need to stay physically and mentally healthy. Recently, the boys’ football team has achieved city-wide success.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school. They are aware of the dangers associated with the internet and social media. Pupils benefit from safer-cycling sessions. They know how to stay safe while away from school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that bullying does not happen. There has been name-calling in the past but teachers dealt with this swiftly and effectively. This was confirmed in leaders’ behaviour records. Pupils said that adults always make time to listen to their concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons. They move around the school sensibly. Pupils support one another. Pupils take on extra roles such as buddies, prefects and school councillors. They engage with local, national and international charities. This work helps pupils to know how they can contribute to society. Pupils aspire to live out the school values in their work and attitudes. They take great pride in their work. Staff have high expectations of pupils. Pupils achieve well.

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

Leaders have designed an exciting curriculum. It develops pupils’ skills and knowledge in a broad range of subjects. The curriculum meets the needs of all pupils. Disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive high levels of effective support. Pupils who leave Year 6 achieve as well as other pupils nationally.

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

Governors know the school well. They challenge school leaders. They are developing methods to challenge leaders about pupils’ progress across the curriculum. 20 November 2019

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Pupils appreciate that they each have rights and responsibilities. They understand how people are different. They know that they should treat everyone with dignity and respect. The curriculum enables pupils to explore and learn about different cultures. Pupils learn about different religions. They are developing their knowledge of the diversity of religions in Great Britain.

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Leaders promote reading well for all pupils. Teachers choose texts that match the interests of the pupils. Pupils enjoy the regular home reading challenges. Teachers and teaching assistants have expert subject knowledge. They teach phonics systematically. Pupils who fall behind receive support to help them catch up. They have books that match the sounds they have been practising in class. Pupils take home games and activities to practise with their parents and carers. Pupils do not have regular access to a wide range of texts from different genres to develop their reading for pleasure.

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The mathematics curriculum is planned effectively. Pupils achieve well because new learning builds on prior learning. Teachers recap concepts to help pupils remember more over time. The mathematics leader attends a wide range of professional development activities. This training is then shared with staff so all are up to date and skilled in teaching the subject. Pupils have many opportunities to practise their mathematics. They apply what they know to different situations. Pupils enjoy their mathematics.

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Leaders have considered the planning of the history curriculum. This is challenging due to the changing nature of the class cohorts. Leaders make careful checks on pupils’ work and teachers’ planning. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They make lessons interesting. Older pupils have enjoyed learning about the Titanic disaster. This work built well on previous learning about transport. Pupils are knowledgeable about their current topic. Pupils fail to recall prior learning in history because they have not remembered what they have previously been taught.

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Leaders have considered staff workload and well-being. They have reduced the frequency of assessments and reports to parents. Staff are happy to come to work. Staff are positive in their views of school leaders. They feel valued, supported and encouraged to do their jobs well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive regular training in safeguarding. They understand their roles in keeping pupils safe. Leaders have made careful checks on all the adults who work in school. Leaders keep detailed records of their work to safeguard pupils. Leaders have positive relationships with pupils and their families. They know them well and support them when necessary. Leaders seek advice from a wide range of external agencies to ensure that pupils and families receive appropriate and timely support. 20 November 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is a sharp focus in the school on developing reading and comprehension skills. Leaders should provide pupils with the opportunities to access a wider range of texts to develop their broader experiences of reading for pleasure.  Teachers rarely provide pupils with opportunities to revisit previous history learning. Pupils struggle to remember important information that they have been taught. Leaders should explore ways to help pupils know more and remember more over time.

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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. 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 the school to be good on 14–15 April 2015.

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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.

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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. 20 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10087671 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.warwickbridge.cumbria.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14–15 April 2015

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Information about this school

 There have been no significant changes to this school since the previous inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 During this inspection, we met with the headteacher and senior leaders.  We met with teachers, subject leaders and support staff. We spoke with them about their workload and their well-being.  We met with four members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body.  We held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  We spoke to pupils about behaviour and expectations. We observed their behaviour around school.  We scrutinised records in relation to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance. We spoke to staff about their knowledge of how to keep pupils safe.  We considered the 45 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire and the 27 free-text responses. We considered the 10 responses to the pupil survey and the 16 responses to the staff survey. 20 November 2019

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 As part of the inspection, we scrutinised the school’s approach to the teaching of reading and phonics. We considered how the mathematics and history curriculums were planned, sequenced and delivered. We visited lessons in each key stage. We spoke to pupils and teachers from the lessons we visited. We spoke to pupils about their work. With subject leaders, we looked at examples of pupils’ work in these subjects.

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Inspection team

John Donald, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kathy Hall Ofsted Inspector 20 November 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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