Ingleton CofE Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Ingleton CofE Primary School Manor Road, Ingleton, Darlington, County Durham DL2 3JE

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Outcome

Ingleton CofE Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The executive headteacher of this school is Karen Whitaker. This school is part of Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Paul Rickeard, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Taylor. The executive headteacher is responsible for this school and one other school in the trust. 8 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are welcoming, friendly and polite. They strive to embody the school’s values, which include kindness and honesty. Staff create a strong culture of inclusivity. Religious education lessons and collective worship contribute to pupils’ understanding of tolerance and respect for others. Pupils are very accepting of difference.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils achieve well. They work hard to live up to the school’s high expectations for achievement and behaviour. They show enthusiasm in lessons and take pride in their work. Children in the early years learn in a calm, settled environment. They benefit from clear routines and expectations and make a positive start to their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school serves a small, rural community. Leaders are determined for pupils to be prepared well for life beyond school and their immediate locality. They provide opportunities for pupils to visit cities, such as Durham and Newcastle. A carefully planned curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE) ensures that pupils learn how to lead safe and healthy lifestyles. The school uses visitors, such as the police and fire service, to reinforce important safety messages and to teach pupils about risks they may face beyond the school gates.

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

The school provides pupils with a broad and ambitious curriculum. The curriculums in many subjects are carefully designed to take account of the mixed-age classes. Leaders consider the context of the school when writing curriculum plans. For example, the English curriculum includes books that represent the diverse nature of modern Britain and pupils study a broad range of artists in their art and design lessons.

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

In some subjects, teachers are not clear about the exact knowledge that pupils need to know and remember. Where this is the case, lessons are overly complex and teachers expect pupils to complete tasks that are too difficult for them. This results in a few pupils losing focus and struggling to manage their behaviour. It also makes it difficult to check whether pupils’ knowledge is building over time.

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

Pupils’ books show that they take pride in their work, particularly in English and mathematics. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well to access learning alongside their peers. In most subjects, teachers check what pupils know and provide opportunities for them to recap and consolidate their learning. However, the school does not have a consistent approach to correcting basic errors in pupils’ written work. Some older pupils have gaps in their knowledge of grammar and spelling. They omit basic punctuation from their writing and do not apply taught spelling rules. This inhibits their ability to write fluently and competently.

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

The school’s phonics programme is securely embedded. Consequently, pupils quickly become competent, fluent readers. Children start to learn phonics in Reception. Before this, they develop their phonological awareness through, for example, tuning into the sounds that different musical instruments make. Staff teach phonics effectively. They are 8 October 2024

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alert to those pupils who are not keeping up with the programme. These pupils get the support that they need to catch up. The school has introduced a new reading scheme for older pupils. This has helped to improve their attitudes towards reading. Children in the early years are already developing a love of reading. They join in enthusiastically during story time sessions.

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Pupils fully understand the school’s expectations for behaviour. Incidents of poor behaviour are unusual, but pupils know that if they make the wrong choice, staff will support them to put this right. Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive. Pupils enjoy coming to school. This is reflected in their high attendance.

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The school provides regular opportunities for pupils to discuss and debate current affairs. This helps pupils to develop confidence to express their opinions, even when they differ from those of other people. It also contributes to their preparedness for life beyond the school. Pupils’ resilience and teamwork skills are developed by educational visits, such as the residential visit to an outdoor education centre.

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Staff are proud to work at this school. They acknowledge that their workload is sometimes high due to the size of the school, but appreciate leaders’ efforts to reduce this. Local academy councillors are passionate and dedicated. They demonstrate secure understanding of their roles and responsibilities and fulfil these well. The trust is committed to supporting small, rural schools. It has put strong systems in place to ensure that those responsible for governance get the information they need about the school. This enables them to hold it to account effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not have a consistent approach to correcting basic errors in pupils’ spelling and use of punctuation. Consequently, pupils lack the automaticity that they need to be accurate, fluent writers. The school should ensure that pupils develop a secure understanding of age-appropriate expectations for grammar and spelling so that they become competent writers across the curriculum.  In some subjects, teachers are not clear about the precise knowledge that pupils need to know and remember. Where this is the case, lessons are overly complex and teachers expect pupils to complete tasks that are too difficult for them. The school should ensure that curriculum plans clearly set out the most important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember so that their learning builds over time. 8 October 2024

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 predecessor school, Ingleton CofE Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in October 2011.

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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). 8 October 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, the leadership structure in the school has changed. The executive headteacher now oversees this school as well as another school in the trust. This change took effect in September 2024. The trust has appointed a senior teacher to support leadership capacity.  The school joined the Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Learning Trust in April 2020.  The school does not use any alternative provision for pupils.  The school is a Church of England primary school within the Diocese of Durham. The most recent inspection of the school’s religious character took place in February 2017.  The school offers childcare at the beginning and end of the school day. This is run by school staff and managed by the academy council.  Ingleton CofE Primary school converted to become an academy school in April 2020. When its predecessor school, of the same name, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was

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Information about this school

judged to be good for overall effectiveness. 8 October 2024

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 held meetings with the executive headteacher. In addition, they met with the CEO of the trust, the chair of the trust board, a representative of the diocese and members of the local academy council.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors considered how the school prepares pupils for life in modern Britain, which included reviewing the curriculum for PSHE.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

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 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents and carers, Parent View, were reviewed. This included any free-text responses. The responses to the staff and pupil questionnaires were also considered.

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Inspection team

Philippa Kermotschuk, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Alison Cottrell Ofsted Inspector 8 October 2024

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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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