Crosby-on-Eden CofE School

Inspection of Crosby-on-Eden CofE School Crosby-on-Eden, Carlisle, Cumbria CA6 4QN

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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 Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Claire Keitch. This school is part of the Crosby-on- Eden Multi-Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The headteacher also acts as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the trust. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Robert Gordon.

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 11 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 25 and 26 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this welcoming and happy school. They said that they feel happy and supported. Pupils know and live out the school’s values fully. Caring staff build strong and positive relationships with children in the early years and pupils across the rest of the school. Pupils feel valued for who they are.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Typically, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well across the curriculum. Pupils are eager to learn. They strive to realise the school’s aspirations for their success. They make the most of the learning opportunities that the school provides for them. Pupils enjoy visits to the local museum, the zoo or to the pantomime.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Classrooms are calm and purposeful. Pupils are polite and well mannered. They trust that staff will help them with any worries or concerns that they may have. Older pupils ensure that those younger than themselves are looked after well during lunchtimes and playtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the range of activities on offer beyond the academic curriculum. For example, they look forward to residential visits where they spend time with their friends. Pupils attend a range of clubs, such as sport, craft and gardening. Many of these are run by members of the school council.

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better?

The ambitious curriculum is well-organised and carefully structured from the beginning of the early years through to the end of key stage 2. The curriculum in the early years is particularly well-thought-through. It inspires children to learn. This helps them to be exceptionally well prepared for key stage 1.

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better?

Pupils develop a thirst for facts, and they are keen to broaden their knowledge. This is especially true in the early years. Children are thrilled to showcase their learning. For example, they confidently shared their vast knowledge of sunflowers through painting, printing, construction and 3D modelling.

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better?

The school has identified the essential knowledge that pupils should gain so that their learning builds securely over time. However, in some subjects, pupils have gaps in their learning due to weaknesses in the previous curriculum. In these subjects, staff have not identified or addressed the gaps in pupils’ knowledge well enough. This means that some pupils do not have a secure foundation on which to build new learning.

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better?

Staff ensure that pupils revisit the important knowledge within each new curriculum unit of work. However, opportunities for pupils to revisit and recap knowledge from their previous learning in other year groups is not as secure. This hinders some pupils from recalling what they have learned over time. 25 and 26 June 2024

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The school prioritises reading. Pupils benefit from a wide range of reading resources which promote access to, and a love of, reading. Children are immersed in high- quality texts from the moment that they join the early years. Staff have benefited from the training that they have received to deliver the phonics programme. They do this consistently well. Children in the Nursery class gain a strong start to reading through the language-rich environment in which they work. In the Reception class, children learn to link sounds and letters to read familiar and unfamiliar words. This continues across key stage 1 so that pupils become confident and fluent readers by the end of Year 2.

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The school ensures that pupils with SEND are identified as soon as they join in the early years. Detailed information about the needs of each pupil with SEND ensures that staff adapt the delivery of the curriculum effectively. This allows pupils with SEND to progress well through the curriculum and achieve well.

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Children in the early years learn the importance of sharing and taking turns. Most pupils respond well to the school’s high expectations of their behaviour. Pupils’ rates of attendance at school are high. The school has been very successful in ensuring that parents, carers and pupils recognise the importance of being in school each day.

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The school provides a rich set of experiences to enhance pupils’ understanding of the wider world. These opportunities help pupils to become confident and responsible citizens. Pupils have a keen understanding of tolerance, equality and democracy. For example, pupils are voted into leadership roles such as school councillors, reading and playground buddies. The school listens to pupils’ views. For instance, pupils choose the charities that they wish to support.

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The school fosters a positive and supportive culture among staff. Staff recognise and appreciate the training opportunities that are provided. The school has taken carefully considered actions to support the workload demands on staff, for example by streamlining the documentation for pupils with SEND.

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Trustees and members of the local governing body have an accurate understanding of the quality of education that pupils receive. They have the necessary skills and commitment to support the school to improve further.

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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, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge due to weaknesses in the previous curriculum. These gaps are not identified or addressed well 25 and 26 June 2024

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enough by staff. This hinders pupils’ progress through these subject curriculums. The school should make sure that staff enable pupils to overcome the gaps in their previous learning so that they have secure foundations on which to build new subject information.  In some subjects, pupils do not have enough opportunity to revisit their learning from previous units of work. This makes it difficult for pupils to remember what they have been taught over time. The school should ensure that staff enable pupils to recap their previous learning so that they know and remember more over time.

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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). 25 and 26 June 2024

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School details

Website www.crosby-on-eden.cumbria.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 June 2013, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This Church of England school is part of the Diocese of Carlisle. Its last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in November 2022. The next section 48 inspection is due by the end of 2027.  The school is a member of the Crosby-on-Eden multi-academy trust.  A new headteacher has been appointed since the previous inspection.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.

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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. 25 and 26 June 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with leaders and with members of staff. The lead inspector held discussions with members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors. She also spoke with representatives of the trust, diocese and the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art and design. 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.  The lead inspector observed pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors discussed the curriculum in some other subjects. They spoke with

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leaders and with some pupils. Inspectors reviewed samples of pupils’ work in these curriculum areas.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around 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.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including records of local governing body meetings, leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement and documents relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school and observed their behaviour at playtime and during lunchtime. They considered the views of pupils shared through Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.

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 Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. They also spoke with some parents during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Sue Dymond, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Philip Barlow Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 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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