Asby Endowed School

Inspection of a good school: Asby Endowed School Great Asby, Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria CA16 6EX

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Outcome

Asby Endowed School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy coming to this welcoming and inclusive school. Although small in size, the school sits at the heart of its local community. Staff know pupils and their families well. Warm relationships between staff and pupils ensure that pupils feel safe and well cared for.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils of all ages get on well together. They behave well during lessons and at breaktimes. They enjoy learning and give their best. Their sensible behaviour ensures that the school is a calm and orderly place in which to learn.

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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 typically achieve well and are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from many activities which enhance the curriculum, including a broad range of school trips. The school makes very good use of its natural surroundings to provide pupils with a wide range of outdoor and adventurous activities. Pupils enjoy taking part in different sporting and cultural clubs and activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the benefits of being in a small school. For example, they see no need for a school council because in their school everyone is able to have a say. They have a strong sense of fairness, both in school and when talking about the wider world.

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

The school gives reading a high priority. Children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 get off to a good start. The school has put in place an effective and well-ordered phonics programme. Staff teach this with confidence and display strong subject knowledge. The school checks on pupils’ progress through the programme and puts additional help in place to support those who may be struggling with reading. Most pupils become fluent and accurate readers. Older pupils spoke enthusiastically about their 7 June 2024

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favourite books. They said that sometimes their friends or teachers recommended books that they might enjoy. They had particularly enjoyed a local author’s recent visit to school.

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The school has developed a broad and ambitious curriculum for all pupils from the early years to Year 6, including those with SEND. It has identified the essential knowledge that pupils should acquire and the vocabulary that they should learn in each subject area. Staff have undertaken appropriate training to implement the planned curriculum. They adapt learning effectively to cater for the differing needs of pupils in their mixed-age classes. The school has ensured that children in early years are taught an appropriate curriculum and benefit from well-resourced indoor and outdoor spaces.

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Teachers make regular checks to ensure that pupils know and remember more of their learning over time. However, in some subject areas, pupils struggle to build up the intended body of knowledge. This is because the school has not fully developed teaching strategies that help them to retain and recall key knowledge and vocabulary over longer periods.

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Pupils enjoy coming to school. Rates of attendance are good, and it is rare for Asby pupils to regularly miss school. Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes in school are good. These factors help to ensure that learning proceeds purposefully.

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Staff quickly identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Effective communication with parents, carers and other professionals ensures that these pupils receive the help that they need to follow the curriculum and to achieve well.

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The school provides pupils with a broad range of experiences to enhance their understanding of the world around them. Pupils enjoy learning how to keep their minds and their bodies healthy. They learn about healthy and unhealthy relationships. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in different situations. This includes when using the internet and when they are in or near to water.

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The school’s work to enhance pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is of a high quality. Pupils develop a strong sense of community and enjoy being involved in community events and projects. A well-planned series of trips and visitors in school helps to ensure that pupils develop a good understanding of different cultures and beliefs. They understand the concept of democracy and spoke enthusiastically about a recent visit to the Houses of Parliament. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The school considers staff well-being and workload carefully. Staff told inspectors that they feel well supported in managing the demands of working in such a small school. They are happy working at the school and feel proud to work there.

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Governors are actively involved in school life. They know the school’s strengths and priorities for development and are ambitious to see the school grow and thrive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 7 June 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, pupils struggle to recall some previous learning. This makes it hard for them to build up the body of knowledge that the school expects. The school should develop further ways to help them to remember and develop their learning over time.

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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 September 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.

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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). 7 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 31 October 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school operates an after-school club.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for 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. The 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, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator and some subject leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, science and history. For each deep dive, they 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. They also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects and looked at samples of pupils’ work in those subjects. 7 June 2024

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 An inspector observed some pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  The lead inspector held a meeting with a group of governors, including the chair of governors. He also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also took into account responses from staff and pupils to Ofsted’s online surveys.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their experiences in the school and their views on 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

Neil Dixon, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Lindy Griffiths Ofsted Inspector 7 June 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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