Selside Endowed CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Selside Endowed CofE Primary School Selside, Kendal, Cumbria LA8 9LB

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Outcome

Selside Endowed CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, are proud of their small, rural school. They delight in the wealth of activities that are afforded by the school’s location, including beck- dipping and gardening. Pupils appreciate their visits further afield too, such as their recent trip to a nearby city.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ learning. Across the school, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well, particularly in English and mathematics. The school works effectively with parents and carers to ensure that they have the information they need to support their children’s learning successfully.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live up to the school’s high expectations for their behaviour. They get on well together. Older pupils have earned their play-leader award. These pupils make sure that everyone can join in with activities at playtimes. Any occasional fallings-out between pupils are quickly resolved.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are encouraged to develop their interests and talents. For example, they enjoy the rag-rugging and cookery clubs. Pupils learn about fundamental British values. For instance, some pupils have participated in the regional pupil parliament, while other pupils have visited the Houses of Parliament. All pupils are members of the school council.

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

The school is ambitious for all pupils. Since the previous inspection, the school has successfully embedded the English and mathematics curriculums. The school has now prioritised the further development of wider subject curriculums. In most subjects, the school has finalised its curriculum thinking. In these subjects, the school has thought carefully about what it wants pupils to learn and remember. However, in a few subjects, the school has not clearly defined the sequence of learning from early years to Year 6. 20 March 2024

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Occasionally, this hinders pupils from deepening their subject-specific knowledge over time.

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The school has ensured that staff have access to a wealth of subject-specific training, particularly in English and mathematics. This has developed staff’s confidence and competence in delivering these curriculums to the mixed-age classes.

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The school prioritises reading from early years to the end of key stage 2. Children in the Reception Year get off to a flying start in learning to read. Staff deliver the school’s phonics programme well. They quickly identify any pupils who are falling behind with their phonics. Staff put effective support in place to help these pupils to catch up quickly with their peers. Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know. The school ensures that older pupils continue to develop their accuracy, fluency and understanding through reading high-quality texts.

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Pupils across the school love reading. They enjoy poetry, adventure stories, non-fiction books and classic novels. They delight in listening to adults reading aloud to them, as well as curling up with a book by themselves.

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The school identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND quickly. It works well with parents and specialist professionals to ensure that these pupils get the help and support that they need. Teachers adapt their lesson activities well so that these pupils can access the curriculum alongside their peers.

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The school is calm and orderly. Learning is rarely interrupted. Pupils are keen to behave well and to earn recognition from staff for their efforts. Children in the early years work and play well together. They listen carefully to their teachers, take turns fairly and share equipment considerately.

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The school promotes pupils’ spiritual and moral development well. Pupils are encouraged to be imaginative and creative in their learning. They appreciate the school’s beautiful surroundings and they are fascinated by the countryside. Pupils understand right from wrong. They learn to keep themselves safe both online and when they are out and about. For example, pupils recognise the risks posed by dirt bikes on local tracks and lanes.

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Some aspects of the provision for pupils’ wider development are less developed. The school has not ensured that pupils learn about different faiths and cultures in enough depth. As a result, some pupils are not sufficiently well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The governing body, staff, pupils and parents worked together to develop an ambitious vision for the school. The governing body provides a suitable balance of challenge and support to the school to ensure that this vision is realised. Governors have an accurate view of the school and the quality of education that pupils receive.

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Staff are proud to work at this school. The school is mindful of staff’s workload and well- being. For example, it has taken steps to reduce the demands on staff that do not directly impact on teaching. Staff benefit from access to a wealth of training opportunities to enable them to deliver the curriculum successfully. 20 March 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the school has not finalised its curriculum thinking. In these subjects, the school has not planned and sequenced the curriculum carefully enough. This hinders how well pupils can connect new knowledge and concepts with what they have been taught previously. The school should further refine the curriculum in these subjects so that pupils develop the deep body of subject knowledge that they need to be ready for their next steps.  Some aspects of the school’s provision for pupils’ cultural and social development do not prepare them sufficiently well for life in modern Britain. Pupils’ knowledge of cultural diversity and different faiths is limited. The school should ensure that pupils deepen their social and cultural understanding and appreciation.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2019.

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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. 20 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). 20 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 February 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher and a new chair of governors have been appointed since the previous inspection.  The governing body operates a breakfast and an after-club club.  The school has a governor-run nursery provision under section 27 of the Education Act 2002 (community powers). This is for children who are three and four years old. This arrangement does not affect the age range of the school. This provision was considered as part of the school inspection.  The school does not use alternative provision.  This is a Church of England primary school in the Diocese of Carlisle. The previous section 48 inspection took place in March 2017. The next section 48 inspection is due to take place by the end of the next academic year.

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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 March 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors conducted deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. They met with subject leaders and teachers. They visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work and talked with groups of pupils about their learning. The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspectors also discussed other subject curriculums with leaders.  The lead inspector spoke with a group of governors, including the chair.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority and a representative of the diocese.  The inspectors met with the leader who is responsible for attendance, behaviour, pupils’ personal development and the provision for pupils with SEND.

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 The inspectors spoke with pupils about their wider experiences of school.  The inspectors looked at a range of policies and documents related to pupils’ welfare and education. They observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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 first.  The inspectors also talked to staff about their workload and well-being.  The inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.  The inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses.

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Inspection team

Pippa Jackson Maitland, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lindy Griffiths Ofsted Inspector 20 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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