Jericho Primary School

Inspection of Jericho Primary School Windsor Court, Whitehaven, Cumbria CA28 6UX

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 15 and 16 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personal development is exceptional at this friendly and welcoming school. They demonstrate high levels of respect for each other and for the people in their local community. Pupils at Jericho Primary School understand and embrace the school’s values. Pupils apply the principles of ‘nurture, respect, achievement, creativity and adventure’ in all that they do. For example, pupils in this school are kind and caring. They have a deep understanding about the differences between people’s families, cultures and religions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils live up to these expectations. They apply themselves to their learning in lessons. Pupils benefit from a well-designed curriculum. They are keen to find out more about the wide range of ambitious topics that they learn. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well at this school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils relish the impressive range of opportunities that the school offers to develop their talents and interests. For example, pupils embrace drama performances, sports and singing in the choir. Alongside these activities, there is a wide range of trips to develop pupils’ independence. Children in the early years also enjoy trips to use local transport and learn about habitats when visiting the beach.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many chances to take on responsibilities, such as being a buddy for younger pupils or being a team captain. They eagerly seize opportunities to contribute to their school and community, for example, by helping to select playground equipment.

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better?

The school has been through a period of significant change, including moving into a new school building. Despite this, leaders have remained focused on identifying and improving the quality of education for pupils. The focus on ensuring that staff deliver an effective curriculum has been at the forefront of the school’s work. As a result of this work, pupils have continued to learn well.

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better?

The school has designed an ambitious and bespoke curriculum to meet the needs of its pupils. In most subjects, the curriculum content carefully builds from the early years through to Year 6. Overall, teachers know precisely what they want pupils to learn. In the main, teachers carefully design learning activities to deliver new knowledge. In a minority of subjects, however, leaders are in the process of refining the subject content to ensure that pupils gain a deeper understanding of key topics and concepts.

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better?

Staff have a strong subject knowledge across the breadth of subjects that they deliver. Subject leaders give clear guidance and training to staff to enable them to deliver the curriculum consistently well. The school successfully uses assessment 15 and 16 November 2023

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strategies to identify any gaps in pupils’ knowledge. The curriculum is then appropriately adapted to consolidate pupils’ learning.

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The school accurately identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Staff are well trained in a wide range of areas, such as autism. Staff make sure that pupils with SEND access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. Teachers skilfully adapt the delivery of the curriculum to meet pupils’ additional needs.

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The school has prioritised reading, including a love of reading for all pupils. Leaders have ensured that all staff are fully trained in the chosen phonics scheme. Staff deliver phonics with consistency and preciseness. Regular assessment of pupils’ knowledge and skills in reading ensures that support is provided in a timely manner for each individual pupil. Pupils quickly learn to read confidently and fluently. Phonics teaching starts in the Reception Year. In the Nursery Year, adults use songs and games to build children’s knowledge of vocabulary, communication and language.

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Governors and leaders routinely work with parents to identify and overcome any barriers to pupils’ attendance. The wrap-around support for families ensures that pupils attend school often.

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Pupils behave well in school, both in lessons and at social times. They enjoy working together to create games and activities to play at lunchtimes. Children in the early years quickly learn to take turns and to share with each other. The school encourages children to engage in shared play that is related to the stories that they have read together.

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The programme for pupils’ personal development is striking. Enrichment experiences are carefully designed to build pupils’ understanding of current affairs, as well as fundamental British values. The school has embedded important aspects of pupils’ wider learning and development, such as social skills, resilience and self-awareness, throughout all aspects of the school day. By engaging with local care homes, pupils learn empathy and understand their community better.

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Governors meet their statutory duties. They have a clear understanding of the needs of pupils and the priorities that are required to improve the quality of education further. They provide appropriate support and challenge to leaders. For example, to ensure consistent behaviour, governors have set up effective monitoring procedures.

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Leaders and governors are aware of the impact of recent changes on staff’s workload and well-being. Leaders have discussed new policies and made changes to systems and processes that are based on staff’s feedback.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 15 and 16 November 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a very small number of subjects, the school is refining the content of the curriculum. On occasion, this hinders the depth to which some pupils acquire new knowledge. The school should ensure that it has embedded the key knowledge that it wants pupils to learn in these remaining 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’ 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). 15 and 16 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The chair of governors has been appointed to his role since the previous inspection.  The school has moved into a new building since the last inspection.  There have been considerable staffing changes since the last inspection. Approximately half the staff are new to the school.  The school does not use any alternative providers.  The school includes a governor-run nursery for three- and four-year-olds. This was included in the inspection of the school.  The school runs before- and after-school childcare, including for nursery pupils. 15 and 16 November 2023

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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 educational provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and staff. The inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors met with governors, including the chair of governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics, history and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons and spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.

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Information about this inspection

 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; 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 firsts.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in a range of situations, including in corridors, at breaktimes, at lunchtimes and in lessons. Inspectors also spoke to pupils about behaviour and bullying.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s self- evaluation document, leaders’ improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their programme of wider personal development.  Inspectors considered the responses from parents to Ofsted Parent View. These included the comments submitted via the free-text facility. Inspectors also spoke

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Information about this inspection

to parents.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. Inspectors also spoke with staff about the support for their workload and well-being.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. 15 and 16 November 2023

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Inspection team

Elaine Mawson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Edmondson Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 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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