Great Corby School and Nursery

Inspection of a good school: Great Corby School and Nursery Great Corby, Carlisle, Cumbria CA4 8NE

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Outcome

Great Corby School and Nursery continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Kirsty Fox. The school is part of the Great Corby School Trust, which means that other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by James Daplyn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at this vibrant school. They are polite and respectful. Pupils value the highly positive relationships that they have with staff and with each other. They are happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), respond well to the high aspirations that the school has for their achievement and conduct. Children in the early years settle in quickly, as a result of the warm welcome that they receive from staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make a valuable contribution to the life of the school. For example, as school councillors, they have improved the activities that are available for pupils during social times. As mental-health champions, pupils learn the importance of caring for others. They become responsible young people.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with an impressive range of opportunities to build their self- confidence. They develop their talents and interests through many sports, music and arts clubs. Pupils enjoy representing the school at local competitions and when they sing in the local community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy travelling to places of interest and to major cities. These trips help them to broaden their understanding of the subjects that they study. During residential visits, pupils develop their resilience when they take part in outdoor and adventurous activities.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum. It has set out in detail the important information that pupils should learn and when they should learn it. Pupils study a broad 21 March 2024

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range of subjects. Their knowledge builds securely over time. In the early years, children make a strong start to their education. They are well prepared for the demands of key stage 1. Typically, pupils achieve well.

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Staff use their subject knowledge expertly to design activities that help pupils to learn the curriculum well. Children in the early years benefit from highly effective interactions with staff. This helps them to become curious about the world around them.

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In the main, staff make regular checks on what pupils know and remember. However, on occasion, the gaps and misunderstandings that some pupils develop in their learning are not addressed promptly by staff. This means that some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready.

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The school accurately identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Pupils with SEND receive the support that they need to learn the curriculum alongside their peers.

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The school has an accurate understanding of pupils’ reading needs. Children in the Nursery class build their vocabulary through joining in with stories, rhymes and songs. Staff deliver the phonics programme consistently well. This begins from the start of the Reception Year. Pupils with gaps in their phonics knowledge receive the help that they need to catch up quickly. The books that pupils read from match the sounds that they already know. This helps them to become confident and fluent readers. Parents and carers value the information that they receive from the school, which helps them to support their children’s reading at home.

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The books that pupils read make a valuable contribution to their understanding of the world. For example, they learn about the importance of friendships, kindness and the many differences that exist between people.

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Pupils are highly motivated in their learning. They work extremely well together. Pupils attend school regularly. A small number of pupils who had low prior attendance have benefited from the school’s intelligent support. Their levels of attendance continue to improve.

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The school’s personal development programme prepares pupils exceptionally well for life in modern Britain. Pupils have a detailed understanding of fundamental British values. They know how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. Pupils know the signs of a healthy relationship and how their body changes as they grow. They enjoy learning about faiths and cultures that are different from their own.

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Trustees carry out their statutory duties effectively, and they have an accurate view of school’s performance. They provide appropriate support and challenge to the school. They assure themselves about the quality of education that pupils receive. The school prioritises the well-being of staff. Staff appreciate opportunities to work as a team, such as when designing the curriculum. They carry out their roles with enjoyment and success. Staff are proud to work at this school. 21 March 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasions, staff are not quick enough to identify and rectify the gaps and misconceptions in some pupils’ knowledge. This means that these pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. The school should ensure that pupils successfully embed the knowledge that they need, so that they achieve as well as they should.

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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 March 2014.

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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. 21 March 2024

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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). 21 March 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 September 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the single-academy Great Corby School Trust.  The school makes use of one unregistered alternative provider for a small number of pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time inspection judgement about the quality of a school’s education 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 and leaders responsible for SEND provision, behaviour, attendance and pupil welfare. They also met with representatives of the trust, including the chair of the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of 21 March 2024

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lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record, and took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils. They considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They took account of the responses from staff and pupils to Ofsted’s online surveys and gathered their views throughout the inspection.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their experiences of school and their views of behaviour and bullying. They observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.

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Inspection team

Andy Cunningham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Alison Moxham Ofsted Inspector 21 March 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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