Kelbrook Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Kelbrook Primary School School Street, Kelbrook, Barnoldswick, Lancashire BB18 6UD

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Outcome

Kelbrook Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this happy and welcoming school. They enjoy their lessons and love spending time with their friends. Pupils who are new to the school are warmly welcomed. They make new friends quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school lies at the heart of the community. Pupils take part in important village events. The eco club help keep the school grounds and the local area free from litter. In lessons and around school, pupils try their best. They take on a variety of roles to help with the running of the school. For example, older pupils care for other pupils during lunchtimes. Pupil librarians help to organise the school library.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and cared for by the kind and friendly staff. They know that their teachers will listen to any concerns or worries that they have. When needed, pupils benefit from help for their mental health and well-being. They know that leaders would be swift to address any incidents of bullying should they happen.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils leave the school well prepared for their next steps.

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

Leaders have put in place an interesting curriculum. In most subjects, leaders have ensured that the curriculum sets out the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn. In these subjects, staff have thought carefully about how pupils should build their learning in logical steps, starting in the early years. For example, in computing, leaders have considered which keyboard skills children need to develop in the Reception Year to be successful in learning computing in Year 1. Teachers make regular checks on how well pupils are learning. Where needed, staff provide a range of extra support to help pupils keep up with the curriculum. Pupils achieve well. 28 September 2022

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In a small number of subjects, leaders have not set out what important knowledge pupils need or how they should build their learning from year to year. Pupils’ learning is less secure in these subjects.

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Staff encourage pupils to value reading. As one pupil said, ‘Reading helps us to learn new things.’ Pupils enjoy the books and stories that their teachers read with them each day. Children in the Reception Year listen attentively to the range of stories and rhymes that their teacher shares with them. Older pupils spoke with enthusiasm about their favourite authors.

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Children begin learning phonics soon after they start school. Leaders have provided staff with appropriate training to develop their expertise in teaching phonics. The books that pupils read are matched to their reading ability. This helps pupils to practise and develop their reading successfully. Staff make regular checks to ensure that pupils are keeping up with the phonics curriculum. Where needed, pupils benefit from very regular support to help them with their reading. Pupils develop as confident and fluent readers.

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Leaders work closely with parents, carers and other professionals to identify any pupils with SEND. Through this partnership work, leaders gain important information about how to support these pupils. Staff ensure that pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils concentrate well in their lessons. They listen respectfully to their teachers and to each other. In the Reception Year, children settle quickly into school routines. They move around the classroom calmly. Older pupils help their friends to behave well. For example, pupil bully busters make sure that everyone gets on in the school playground.

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Leaders provide a variety of activities to enrich the curriculum. Pupils enjoy a range of clubs, including choir and sports. The active school council learn important leadership skills. They help leaders with decision-making. The vicar from the village church is a regular visitor to school. He leads pupils in reflection. Pupils learn that all are equal. They find out about different families and different religions. Through such opportunities, leaders help pupils to develop as kind, caring and thoughtful citizens.

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Governors and leaders check on staff well-being. Some governors are new to their roles. They are strengthening their expertise in evaluating the improvements that leaders have made to the curriculum.

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Staff appreciate the support that they receive from leaders. They said that leaders are considerate of their workload when making decisions.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide staff with regular safeguarding training, which reflects the latest government guidance. This helps staff to be alert to possible signs of abuse and neglect. 28 September 2022

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Leaders work with a range of other professionals, when needed, to ensure that pupils are safe.

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe when working online. Visitors to school teach pupils about fire safety and how to cycle safely. Pupils understand that they should speak to an adult in school if the actions of others make them feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, teachers are not clear enough about the knowledge that pupils should learn and how this knowledge should build, starting from the Reception Year. Leaders should ensure that, in these subjects, teachers understand fully what important knowledge that pupils should secure before moving on with new learning. This will allow pupils to build their knowledge logically and deepen their understanding of subjects over time.  Some new governors are new to their roles. They have not developed the expertise to provide deep challenge and support to leaders around curriculum improvements. These governors should ensure that they benefit from effective training to strengthen their checks on the impact of the curriculum on how well pupils achieve.

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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 an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 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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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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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. 28 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10240826 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 12 July 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of alternative providers.

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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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss curriculums, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors visited some lessons. Inspectors observed pupils reading to a familiar adult. Inspectors also reviewed curriculums and met with pupils in some other subjects.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about school life, including behaviour.  Inspectors held meetings with a range of staff, including with the headteacher. They met with governors.  Inspectors met with a representative of the local authority.

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 Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. An inspector spoke with parents at the start of the school day. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff or the pupil survey.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation about safeguarding. They spoke with staff to understand how they keep pupils safe. They reviewed the school’s record of checks undertaken on newly appointed staff.  Inspectors spoke with a range of staff to discuss leaders’ support for them.

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Inspection team

Elizabeth Stevens, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Kelly Eyres Ofsted Inspector 28 September 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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