Oughterside Primary School

Inspection of Oughterside Primary School Aspatria, Wigton, Cumbria CA7 2PY

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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 17 and 18 April 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this school. They appreciate the positive relationships that they have with each other and with staff. They know that adults in school will help and support them, should they have any worries. Pupils enjoy spending time with younger children. They look after them and make sure that everyone is included at playtimes. Pupils behave well. They are considerate and polite, showing high levels of respect for each other and for staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. It is committed to ensuring that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. Most do. Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning and try their best during lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is at the heart of the village. Pupils take part in several local events and regularly engage with members of the community. For example, pupils helped to design the village park and represented the school in the opening of it. They also look after the local area. For instance, pupils have helped to litter pick and have planted wildflowers close to the school. They understand the importance of raising money for local charities. These varied experiences help pupils to develop their confidence and to contribute positively to society.

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better?

The school has designed a broad and ambitious curriculum from the beginning of the early years to the end of Year 6. It has thoroughly considered the essential knowledge that pupils should learn and the order in which they should learn it. The additional needs of pupils with SEND are identified early. Staff are highly skilled at supporting these pupils and adapt their curriculum delivery effectively to meet pupils’ individual needs. Pupils with SEND successfully apply what they know and can do.

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better?

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. Overall, they present information clearly and choose suitable activities and resources that help pupils to learn the curriculum well. In most subjects, teachers regularly check what pupils know and can remember. They use this information to shape future lessons. However, in some subjects, other than English and mathematics, staff do not follow a consistent approach when checking the knowledge that pupils have retained from previous learning. At times, teachers move pupils on to new learning before they are ready. This means that some pupils’ knowledge in these subjects is not as secure as it should be.

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better?

The school has prioritised reading. It has carefully chosen a wide and diverse range of books for pupils to read. Staff bring stories to life and spark pupils’ interest in reading for pleasure. The school celebrates local authors and invites parents and carers into school for ‘read and relax’ sessions. The school has adopted a successful phonics programme. Pupils learn the sounds and letters that they need to read new 17 and 18 April 2024

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and unfamiliar words accurately. Staff support pupils who fall behind in the phonics programme to learn all that they should. This helps pupils to become confident and fluent readers.

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Children in the early years follow well-established routines. This helps them to settle in quickly. Pupils know what is expected of them. They behave well. Pupils concentrate during lessons and listen carefully to teachers. On occasion, when a minority of pupils become overwhelmed, staff provide effective support to help them to manage their emotions. This helps pupils to feel safe and secure. The school has a strong focus on supporting positive attendance. Staff understand the barriers that prevent some pupils from attending regularly. They take effective action to secure improvements if pupils have low prior attendance.

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The school offers a wide range of opportunities that extend beyond the academic curriculum. For example, pupils attend film, mindfulness and cooking clubs. They enjoy participating in competitive events, such as dance festivals and dodgeball, rugby and football tournaments. Pupils value the variety of trips that they go on, such as to museums, farm parks, theatres and other cities. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils have a secure understanding of fundamental British values and talk sensibly and maturely about how people can be different. They treat other people equally and with respect.

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Governors have a strong understanding of their roles and responsibilities. They carry these out effectively. The school has a sharp focus on continuous improvement, to ensure that pupils receive a high-quality education. Governors hold the school to account for this and provide effective support and challenge. The school has prioritised staff’s workload. It has successfully managed improvements to the curriculum without having a negative impact on staff’s workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school is still developing its assessment strategies to check what pupils know and can remember from previous learning. In these subjects, pupils’ learning is not as secure as it should be. The school should ensure that staff check pupils’ prior knowledge well to ensure that they have securely grasped curriculum content before moving on to new learning. 17 and 18 April 2024

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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). 17 and 18 April 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  The school has provision for two-year-old children. However, at the time of this inspection, there were no two-year-old children on roll.

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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 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 other leaders of the school. They also spoke with a range of staff. 17 and 18 April 2024

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 The lead inspector spoke with six governors, including the chair of the governing body. She also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.  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 first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktimes, during lessons and around school. They also spoke with pupils about their experiences at school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. They met with subject leaders and teachers and visited a sample of lessons.

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Inspectors spoke with pupils about their learning in these subjects. They looked at examples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also considered the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector observed some pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult.

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Inspection team

Sally Timmons, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sharon Cliff Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 April 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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