Lindale CofE Primary School

Inspection of Lindale CofE Primary School School Hill, Lindale, Grange Over Sands, Cumbria LA11 6LE

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 February 2024

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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 Good Previous inspection grade Good 20 and 21 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are cherished at this small and friendly school. The school’s motto, ‘let your light shine’, is brought to life daily. Pupils are supported to achieve their personal best. Differences between people are valued and nurtured. Pupils are happy. They are well cared for and feel accepted.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils are positive about school and their learning. Typically, they achieve well. Year 6 pupils are well prepared for their secondary education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well during lessons and at playtimes. They understand school rules and they know that these rules help them to stay safe. Pupils thrive in their various roles and responsibilities. These include acting as pupil parliament members, library monitors and eco-warriors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of enrichment experiences. For example, they discover new interests and talents through clubs, such as ukulele, rugby and judo. Outdoor areas are thoughtfully designed to offer pupils the chance to sit quietly and read, as well as to explore nature and learn how to take care of the environment.

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better?

The school fosters a love of reading. Pupils benefit from reading a wide range of interesting books. A successful programme to teach pupils to read begins in the early years. In the Nursery class, children enjoy joining in with songs and rhymes. This prepares them well for learning phonics as soon as they enter the Reception class. Staff receive effective training that enables them to deliver the phonics programme well. Pupils who find reading more difficult receive timely support from skilled staff. This helps them to keep up with their peers.

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better?

In the main, the school has devised a carefully considered curriculum that identifies how pupils’ knowledge should develop over time, from the early years to the end of key stage 2. In most subjects, the curriculum makes clear the prior learning that pupils should have secured, as well as the next steps that pupils are working towards. This helps staff to design coherent learning that builds successfully on what pupils already know. Most pupils progress well through the curriculum and are ready for the next stage of their education.

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better?

In a few subjects, and areas of learning in the early years, the school is still refining the precise knowledge that pupils should learn. This means that on occasions, staff find it difficult to design learning that helps pupils to gain important knowledge. This leads to some gaps in pupils’ learning that stop them from building on what they already know. 20 and 21 February 2024

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Teachers typically use suitable strategies to check how well pupils are learning. However, sometimes, staff do not identify and address some gaps in pupils’ knowledge as quickly as they could. Added to this, in some subjects, the school is in the process of developing its approaches to assessment. This means that teachers do not have all the information that they need to check how well pupils have secured earlier learning. Occasionally, this hinders the learning of some pupils, including those with SEND.

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Staff quickly forge warm relationships with children when they join the Nursery and Reception classes. Staff use a range of appropriate checks to establish any barriers to learning that pupils may have. The additional needs of pupils with SEND are accurately identified. In the main, these pupils benefit from the support that they receive.

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Most pupils are respectful to each other and towards staff. They listen attentively during lessons and confidently answer questions. Younger pupils are supported to learn well-established routines. This helps them to learn and to play cooperatively alongside each other. However, a minority of staff are not confident in supporting pupils who need help to regulate their own behaviour. This means that on occasion, some pupils’ unwanted behaviour disrupts lessons. This prevents some pupils from learning all that they should.

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The school supports pupils’ personal development well. It takes every opportunity to ensure that pupils respect diversity. Pupils understand that everyone is different and that there are many different types of families in society. Pupils relish the opportunity to be a ‘Very Important Person’ for the day, where the school community celebrates what is special and individual about them. Pupils benefit from taking part in a wide range of educational trips and visits. For example, they spoke excitedly about learning about wildlife in a local woodland area, exploring a castle and visits to the seaside. These opportunities help to deepen pupils’ learning and to broaden their experiences.

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Governors understand and fulfil their statutory duties well. They provide effective support and challenge to the school with a focus on the quality of education that pupils receive. Staff appreciate the steps that the school takes to support their well- being and workload. When making decisions, governors are considerate of the impact on staff’s workload. Most staff feel valued and supported in 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 a small number of subjects, and areas of learning in the early years, the school has not given sufficient thought to the essential knowledge that pupils should 20 and 21 February 2024

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learn and the order that this should be taught. This prevents some pupils from achieving as well as they should in these subjects. The school should refine its curriculum thinking so that staff know exactly what pupils should learn and when this should be taught in these remaining subjects.  Approaches to assessment are underdeveloped in a few subjects. At times, this hinders how well staff check that pupils have retained earlier learning. The school should determine how best to check that pupils have secure foundations on which to build new learning.  The school does not ensure that some staff provide effective support for the pupils who struggle to regulate their own behaviour. This means that on occasions, low-level disruption interrupts learning during lessons. The school should ensure that staff support pupils to regulate their own behaviour so that they, and other pupils, can learn all that they should.

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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). 20 and 21 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17 October 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 At the time of this inspection, the substantive headteacher was not present. The school was being led by an interim headteacher who has been in post since October 2023.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  The school operates an after-school club.  This Church of England school is in the Diocese of Carlisle. The most recent section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in June 2023. The school’s next section 48 inspection is due to take place before the end of 2028.

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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. 20 and 21 February 2024

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 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 interim headteacher and other school leaders. The lead inspector also spoke with representatives of the local authority and the diocese.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also observed some pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single

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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 first.  Inspectors spoke with pupils in meetings and around school at lunchtimes and breaktimes.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement and documents relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. Inspectors also spoke with some parents during the inspection.  Inspectors reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Victoria Burnside, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rachael Alarcon Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 February 2024

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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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