St Oswald's CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Oswald’s CofE Primary School Howgill Close, Burneside, Kendal, Cumbria LA9 6QR

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Outcome

St Oswald’s CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to St Oswald’s CofE Primary School. They are warmly welcomed into school every day by their teachers. The positive relationships between pupils and staff help pupils to feel happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave in a considerate way towards each other. They trust adults to deal with any concerns that they may have about behaviour and bullying quickly and successfully.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are proud of the school’s values and place a high emphasis on them. They ensure that pupils can thrive in an ‘inclusive, creative and aspirational’ school. Leaders have high expectations for learning and behaviour for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, pupils are committed to their learning and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the wider experiences that leaders and staff organise for them. For example, they appreciate the opportunity to spend time outdoors and take part in activities such as ‘woodland wonder’, ‘nature journaling’ and gardening competitions. Some pupils recently enjoyed a stone age camp and sleepover. Leaders plan residential trips for some of the youngest children in school to join the older pupils. Pupils have experienced canoeing across a lake, caving and walking up a fell. This helps them to develop a sense of place and to become responsible citizens.

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

Leaders have constructed a broad and ambitious curriculum. They have thought carefully about how the curriculum is planned to ensure that it meets the needs of all pupils.

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

Leaders and staff know pupils well, and staff quickly identify any additional needs that pupils may have. This enables all pupils, including those with SEND, to access the same ambitious curriculum. 9 June 2022

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Leaders have identified the essential knowledge that they want children and pupils to learn from Nursery Year to Year 6. Leaders have ordered curriculum content logically so that children and pupils build their knowledge securely over time.

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Teachers have sound subject knowledge. They have the expertise and resources that they need to help pupils know more and be able to do more. Teachers use assessment strategies well to find out what pupils know and to shape future teaching.

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Leaders have prioritised reading. Staff and pupils are very proud of the school’s new library. Leaders have invested in high-quality books and have created a calm and welcoming space. Pupils enjoy the responsibility of being librarians and taking care of this area. Leaders’ actions have secured a love of reading in pupils in all year groups.

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Leaders have implemented a new phonics curriculum. Pupils, including children in the early years, build their phonics knowledge in a logical way over time to become confident readers. Those pupils who need additional help with their reading are supported by staff to catch up. Children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 take books home with them to practise their reading. However, from time to time, these books do not accurately match the sounds that they know. This hinders some pupils from being able to read as fluently and confidently as they could.

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Pupils behave well around school and outside at playtimes. Many children join the early years when they are two years old. They learn to follow established routines from a young age. Some pupils become ‘young leaders’ and help younger children and pupils to play together at breaktimes. In lessons, pupils are committed to their learning. They listen to staff and work without disruption.

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Leaders ensure that pupils, including children in the early years, have many opportunities to learn beyond the academic curriculum. Pupils take part in a number of singing festivals and concerts and enjoy the opportunity to sing with pupils from other schools. Pupils learn how to be active citizens. For example, they designed a logo for mugs, coasters, badges and keyrings and sold their merchandise to raise money for charity. Pupils learn about other faiths and cultures. This helps them to be respectful and empathetic when they talk about difference and equality.

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The school is well led and managed. Governors are ambitious for pupils and provide effective support and challenge to leaders. Leaders have taken steps to prioritise the workload and well-being of staff. Staff feel that they are supported well by leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have provided appropriate safeguarding training for staff. Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities and can identify signs of abuse and neglect. Leaders have established a culture of safeguarding where staff follow up on any concerns raised quickly to ensure that leaders have taken swift action. Staff are confident that leaders will act 9 June 2022

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quickly on any concerns. Leaders work with different agencies to secure help for vulnerable pupils and families when this is required.

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Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, including when they are online. For example, they learn how to be safe on and near roads and they campaigned for a road crossing in their village.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 From time to time, some staff do not ensure that children’s and pupils’ reading books closely match the sounds they are learning. As a result, some pupils do not learn to read with confidence and fluency as quickly as they should. Leaders should ensure that the reading books pupils take home closely match the sounds they are learning in class.

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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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as 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 in June 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 9 June 2022

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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. 9 June 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.st-oswalds.cumbria.sch.uk/ Date of previous inspection 9 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school belongs to the Diocese of Carlisle. The most recent section 48 inspection was in June 2019.  This school has provision for two-year-old children.  Leaders do not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During this inspection, the inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders in school. They also spoke with a range of staff.  The lead inspector met with five governors. She also spoke to a representative of the local authority.  The lead inspector spoke with parents and carers at the beginning of the school day. 9 June 2022

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 Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also considered responses from the staff and pupils to Ofsted surveys.  Inspectors examined a range of safeguarding documentation. They checked how leaders ensure that safer recruitment procedures are in place. Inspectors checked records of staff’s safeguarding training. They also spoke with staff to check how well they understood safeguarding procedures.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at playtimes, in lessons and around school. They also spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and computing. They met with subject leaders and teachers and visited a sample of lessons. Inspectors spoke with pupils and looked at examples of their work. The lead inspector also observed pupils reading to trusted adults.

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Inspection team

Sally Timmons, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

John Donald Her Majesty’s Inspector 9 June 2022

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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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