Cockerham Parochial CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Cockerham Parochial CofE Primary School Main Street, Cockerham, Lancaster, Lancashire LA2 0EF

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Outcome

Cockerham Parochial CofE Primary School continues to be a good school. However, inspectors have some concerns that standards may be declining, as set out below.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Cockerham Parochial is a happy and caring school. Staff provide a warm welcome for pupils and parents at the start of the day. Pupils know that the staff care about them and want them to do well. Parents appreciate this nurturing environment. They say that it helps their children to thrive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Most pupils behave well and try hard. Teachers provide good support to the small number of pupils who find it hard to concentrate. Pupils like the reward system. They enjoy collecting pebbles to earn team points which they swap for rewards.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their learning. Most pupils attain well in national tests. However, leaders know that some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders are ambitious for their pupils to study an exciting and varied curriculum. However, leaders have been too slow in reviewing the school’s curriculum to ensure that pupils enjoy their full entitlement to the national curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils care for each other. The pupils we spoke to told us that bullying rarely happens. Pupils know that there are many different forms of bullying. Pupils we spoke to told us that if bullying happens they tell the teacher and teachers make it stop. Most parents we met told us that if they share a concern with the school it is sorted out quickly.

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

Leaders have recently reviewed the curriculum. They are now confident that all national curriculum objectives are covered. Leaders are in the early stages of developing curriculum plans for subjects other than mathematics that set out what knowledge and skills pupils should learn and when they should learn it. Governors have not kept an oversight on how the curriculum is developing. 8 January 2020

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In mathematics, leaders have recently introduced a plan that sets out what to teach and when to teach it. In the past, learning has not been ordered in a logical way. This means that pupils have gaps in their learning. For example, some pupils in upper key stage 2 have gaps in their understanding of place value. This hinders their ability to work with larger numbers and solve problems. The new teachers in key stage 2 have good subject knowledge. They are using this effectively to help pupils catch up quickly.

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In geography leaders are in the process of developing a clear plan that shows what to teach and when to teach it. Teachers are developing interesting links between geography and other subjects. For example, when pupils learned about volcanoes, the teacher made links to pupils’ previous learning in science and history. This helps pupils to make connections between topics and deepen their knowledge and understanding across a range of subjects.

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Reading is a priority in this school. Pupils get off to a good start with their reading. Teachers are skilled at teaching phonics. Pupils practise their phonics every day. In lessons they learn the letter sounds and how to write them. Teachers have a detailed plan which sets out the order of sounds to be taught. They check regularly on pupils’ progress. If pupils fall behind they receive additional support to enable them to catch up quickly. Some pupils struggle to read independently. This is because their reading books are not well matched to the letters and sounds they are familiar with. Leaders intend to improve the quality and quantity of reading books for younger pupils. By the end of Year 1, most pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check.

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Children settle into the Reception class quickly and are eager to learn. Children achieve well in mathematics. For example, children count, order and write their numbers confidently. They learn to add numbers correctly. Children make good use of learning resources to develop their understanding of larger numbers.

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Pupils with SEND receive personalised support in literacy and numeracy lessons. Sometimes their learning in other subjects, such as geography, is interrupted because they are taken out of class for additional help with reading and writing. This means that pupils with SEND miss out on their learning in these subjects.

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Pupils’ personal development is promoted well. Pupils take part in a wide range of sporting clubs. They know that exercise keeps them fit and healthy. Older pupils take on many responsibilities. They run the library and help younger pupils choose a library book. They complete a hygiene certificate so that they can help serve food at lunchtime.

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Staff are proud to work at Cockerham Parochial. They know that the headteacher is mindful of their well-being and workload. Staff appreciate the recent opportunities they have had to develop their subject leadership roles. They are putting this to good use in developing their curriculum plans.

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The information that governors present to parents on the school website is incomplete. Some information is out of date. Leaders are aware of this and intend to update the school website. 8 January 2020

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There are appropriate procedures in place to keep pupils safe. Leaders ensure that rigorous checks are made on all adults who work in school. Records of these checks are complete. Staff receive safeguarding training annually as well as regular updates throughout the year. They understand their role in keeping pupils safe. Staff know who to tell if they have any concerns about pupils. Concerns are recorded and carefully monitored. Leaders take timely action where appropriate.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that there are opportunities in the curriculum for pupils to learn about risks to their safety and well-being. For example, in their computing lessons they learn how to keep safe when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have made a start to improving the curriculum. They have ensured that the national curriculum objectives in each subject are taught. However, leaders have only recently started to consider the order in which the content of each subject should be taught. Leaders must ensure that curriculum plans for each subject set out clearly what is to be taught and when it is to be taught. This will ensure that pupils systematically know more and remember more in all subjects. Governors should ensure that they understand the intended curriculum and have oversight of the implementation and impact of these curriculum plans.  In subjects like geography pupils with SEND are removed from lessons for additional help with their English and mathematics. This means that pupils develop gaps in their knowledge and understanding, which makes it difficult for them to progress and catch up. Leaders should monitor these interventions carefully to ensure that pupils with

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

SEND have the same access as all other pupils to each national curriculum subject.  Some of the lowest ability pupils in key stage 1 struggle to read independently because the reading books are poorly matched to their phonic knowledge. There are currently too few books to ensure that this match is made carefully. Leaders should ensure that there is a wider range of reading books that connect closely to the phonic knowledge that pupils are taught when they are learning to read.  The information that is presented to parents on the school website is incomplete and, in some cases, out of date. Governors should ensure that the website is up to date and that statutory information, like the pupil premium report and equalities policy, is updated as required. 8 January 2020

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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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 28 September 2011.

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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 are the school and you are 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. 8 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10122111 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website http://www.cockerham.lancsngfl.ac.uk

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Information about this school

 A new chair of the governing body was elected in November 2019.  The school is a Church of England voluntary aided school. It is part of the Diocese of Blackburn. It was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in October 2015.  Two new teachers were appointed in September 2019.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the headteacher.  We met with six representatives of the governing body.  We met with a representative from the local authority.  We considered reading, mathematics and geography as part of the inspection.  We interviewed curriculum leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons and talked to teachers about their work.  We observed pupils reading, looked at pupils’ work in books and talked to them about their learning. 8 January 2020

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 We spoke to several parents at the start of the school day. The views of 26 parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, were considered.  We talked to groups of children to seek their views about what it is like to attend the school. No pupils responded to Ofsted’s online survey.

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Inspection team

Garry White, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tina Cleugh Ofsted Inspector 8 January 2020

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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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