Great Orton Primary School

Inspection of Great Orton Primary School Great Orton, Carlisle, Cumbria CA5 6NA

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 January 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 10 and 11 January 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of this small school family. They are polite, friendly and respectful. Pupils look after one another and make sure that everyone is included in school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kind and tolerant. They say that it is wrong to make fun of people who are different. ‘Everyone is special, and it would not be nice if we were all the same’, is a typical comment from pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Lessons are rarely disrupted, because pupils are keen to learn. Leaders deal with bullying and name- calling effectively. This helps pupils to feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils participate in a range of interesting trips and visits. For example, they visit an outdoor learning centre, a museum and a local castle. This supports them in building character and developing a sense of time and place.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that teachers always expect them to do their best in class. They take pride in their work, and it is usually neat and tidy. Leaders make sure that pupils who find learning difficult, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), receive effective support. Pupils achieve well.

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better?

The school has improved significantly since the last inspection. Leaders have introduced a new curriculum. This is organised effectively so that pupils learning in mixed-age or whole-key-stage classes can achieve well. Leaders and teachers are ambitious for all pupils. As a result of a well-designed and well-taught curriculum, pupils are developing an increasingly secure body of subject knowledge in most subjects.

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better?

Teachers have good subject knowledge. They are also skilled in providing support to meet the needs of all learners, particularly those with SEND. Teachers use assessment strategies effectively to check that pupils know and remember more. They continue to develop their skills in teaching through participating in a range of training opportunities.

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better?

Despite the strengths in the curriculum, in a few subjects, the improvements are very new. Pupils in key stage 2 have some gaps in their knowledge in these subjects. For example, in history, some older pupils do not know enough about how events in the past still influence us in the present day.

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better?

Leaders have prioritised reading throughout the school. Staff teach the phonics curriculum consistently well. Skilled staff help pupils to practise reading from books 10 and 11 January 2023

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that match the sounds they are learning in lessons. Most pupils become fluent and accurate readers as they move up the school. Teachers quickly identify, and then support, any pupils who may need extra help to build their phonics knowledge.

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Teachers read to pupils every day, sharing their own enthusiasm for books and authors. However, older pupils do not have enough high-quality books to choose from. This reduces the opportunities they have to experience a broad range of literature as they develop their love of reading.

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Leaders and teachers identify the needs of pupils with SEND accurately and at the earliest possible stage. They enable pupils with SEND to study the same curriculum as their peers. This means that pupils, including those with SEND, succeed, and most are ready for the next stage in their education.

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Pupils are keen to learn and behave well. They rarely disturb the learning of others. Classrooms are calm and well organised. Most pupils attend regularly and on time.

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Leaders have provided opportunities for pupils to develop their skills and knowledge beyond the academic curriculum. Pupils participate in events and competitions such as the ‘Big Sing’, where they joined with pupils from other local schools. After-school clubs include sports, cookery and art and craft activities. Pupils learn about the differences and similarities between faiths and cultures. During the inspection, they prepared questions to ask a Rabbi about Judaism before a ‘virtual visit’. These opportunities help pupils to learn about the wider world and prepare them well for the future.

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Governors know the school well. They provide challenge and support for school leaders. Governors visit the school to talk to pupils about their learning and check that they are safe. Governors and leaders consider staff workload and work-life balance when making decisions.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors ensure that adults know how to keep pupils safe. Staff have regular and up-to-date training, including in child protection. Staff know pupils well and are alert to any signs that pupils may be at risk of harm. Leaders have a clear system for staff to report any concerns that they may have. Leaders follow up these concerns diligently and take appropriate and swift action.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum helps pupils learn about how to manage risk. For example, they learn about how to be safe online. Pupils comment that they know they are safe because staff are always watching out for them. 10 and 11 January 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Older pupils in key stage 2 do not have a wide enough range of books to choose from. This reduces their opportunities to develop their love of reading. Leaders should ensure that pupils have access to a broad range of high-quality texts so that pupils can experience reading books from wide variety of authors and genres.  In a few subjects, the curriculum is very new. This means that pupils’ learning is not as deep in these subjects as in other areas of the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that pupils quickly catch up on any gaps in their learning that may have developed in the past so that pupils thoroughly learn the knowledge they need in these subjects.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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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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. 10 and 11 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256082 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 4 and 5 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 School leaders do not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspectors met with the headteacher, subject leaders and members of the governing body.  The lead inspector met with a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors reviewed a range of safeguarding documentation, including the single central record of checks on staff’s suitability to work with pupils. They met 10 and 11 January 2023

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with the designated safeguarding leader and checked how leaders record and respond to any safeguarding concerns.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They also looked at pupils’ work in some other subjects.  The inspectors observed pupils reading to a familiar adult and spoke to pupils informally at breaktimes.  The inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Jan Corlett, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sophie Murfin Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 January 2023

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