Cumwhinton School

Inspection of Cumwhinton School School Road, Cumwhinton, Carlisle, Cumbria CA4 8DU

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 14 and 15 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Cumwhinton Primary School is a friendly and happy place to learn. The school is ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils achieve well, particularly in the early years. They are prepared well for the next phase of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s motto, ‘Inspired by Cumbria, ready for the world’, threads through all aspects of school life. Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities, including residential visits, clubs and trips to places of interest. They particularly enjoy taking part in challenges such as climbing Blencathra in the Lake District or camping under the stars in the school field. These help to build character as well as being great fun. Parents typically comment that staff are ‘polite, approachable and friendly’ and form good relationships with them and their children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well. They know that the simple rules are there to make sure everyone can learn and be safe in school. Pupils show great respect for everyone in the school community. They actively help other people, for example, through raising funds for a cancer charity and entertaining residents in a local care home.

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better?

The curriculum is ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND. The school has recently revised the curriculum to ensure that pupils gain the knowledge and skills they need in each subject. Teachers know exactly what pupils need to learn and in what order. The curriculum builds from the early years. Here, children’s learning and play is exceptionally well-structured to provide them with a flying start to begin the key stage 1 curriculum. Pupils with SEND are identified at an early stage. They receive good support to learn the same curriculum as other pupils and join in with all the activities in school.

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better?

Lesson activities are mostly well thought out, and teachers have secure knowledge of the subjects that they teach. They make sure that pupils learn the knowledge and vocabulary they need to learn more in the future. Teachers use information from assessments to check how well pupils are learning. In mathematics and English, assessments are accurate and help teachers to know precisely what help pupils may need. This process is not as effective in some of the foundation subjects. While learning is assessed in these subjects, assessment is sometimes not precise enough to help teachers to know what gaps in knowledge pupils may have. This means that future lessons in these subjects may not be as effective as they could be in helping pupils to build secure knowledge over time.

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better?

Reading has a high priority in the curriculum. Most pupils learn to read fluently at the earliest possible stage. Highly skilled staff teach phonics from children’s first days in the Reception class. They carefully check pupils’ learning to make sure no one can slip behind unnoticed. Pupils who find reading difficult receive the right 14 and 15 November 2023

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support to master phonics and begin to develop fluency. The early reading books that teachers choose for pupils are well matched to the sounds that pupils know.

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Pupils enjoy reading for their own pleasure as well as when teachers read to them in class. A group of older pupils talked about how teachers will often finish story time on a ‘cliffhanger’ and how much they look forward to the next day’s chapter. Pupils learn to be competent mathematicians. Skilled teaching means that they develop fluency with numbers and can confidently approach increasingly complex problems as they move through the school.

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Children really thrive in the early years. They listen attentively, follow teachers’ instructions and swiftly become confident and independent learners. Tidy-up routines work like clockwork, including washing up the dishes after snack time. Older pupils build on this. They are curious about the world and keen to learn. Visits to places of worship, including a Hindu temple and the local church, help pupils learn about religious diversity. During the inspection, pupils in Years 5 and 6 worked with members of the Anne Frank Trust to become ambassadors against racism for the local community. These opportunities give pupils the chance to become informed and active citizens.

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Pupils enjoy using the Outdoor Play and Learning (OPAL) area at breaks and lunchtimes. Here, they learn to take risks safely through trying out challenging activities such as balancing and climbing. Some older pupils have had training as OPAL leaders. They take their responsibilities for checking that stations are safe, and supporting other pupils in using them, very seriously.

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The school provides a range of training opportunities for staff. This is having a positive impact on developing leadership and improving teaching. Governors check that leaders’ actions to improve the school are having a positive impact on the quality of pupils’ education. Staff feel valued and proud to be part of the team at Cumwhinton School. The school is considerate of their well-being and workload, for example, through providing subject leaders with time to carry out their roles.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, assessment is not precise enough to help teachers to identify any gaps in knowledge that pupils might have. This means that some pupils are not progressing as well as they could in these subjects. The school should ensure that teachers know how to accurately identify any gaps in pupils’ knowledge in these subjects so they can then address them. 14 and 15 November 2023

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 14 and 15 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 May 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has experienced considerable turbulence in staffing over the last two years. The current headteacher is seconded from another local primary school for the full academic year. This is to secure the stability of the school until the governors appoint a permanent headteacher.  The school does not use 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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the second routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in the evaluation of the school. 14 and 15 November 2023

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 The inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher and a range of staff.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and art. To do this, they met with subject leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and met with teachers and pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed a range of safeguarding documentation, including the single central record. They took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors met with the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator.  The inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.

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 The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free- text comments, and the staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil survey. The inspectors spoke informally to parents at the beginning of the school day and in the stay-and-play session for parents of children in the early years.

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Inspection team

Jan Corlett, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Garry White Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 November 2023

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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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