Staveley CofE School

Inspection of Staveley CofE School Brow Lane, Staveley, Kendal, Cumbria LA8 9PH

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 November 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 19 and 20 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are immensely proud to be part of this small, inclusive school. They appreciate the positive relationships that they have with staff. These relationships help pupils to feel safe and secure. Pupils follow the school’s values and are respectful to staff and to each other. The school is a calm place where pupils are happy, behave well and cherish the enduring friendships that they make.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils’ achievement. This extends beyond the curriculum and into all aspects of their development. Pupils pursue their interests and talents through a range of extra-curricular activities. This includes learning to play musical instruments and taking part in knitting, gymnastics and gardening clubs. Pupils play a range of sports, such as cricket, hockey and wheelchair basketball. They enjoy learning in the school’s woodland area during ‘muddy Mondays’ and ‘welly Wednesdays’. Pupils achieve well in their learning and in their wider development.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has developed strong links with the local community. Pupils take part in litter picking and enjoy socialising with the older generations from the village. The school also broadens pupils’ experiences beyond their local context. Pupils visit museums, cities and farms. They participate in annual residential trips from Year 3 to Year 6.

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

The school knows pupils well. It works closely with parents and carers to ensure that staff understand pupils’ needs from the moment that they start attending the school. This includes pupils who join the school at different points of their education and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff provide bespoke support to pupils with SEND to ensure that their additional needs are identified and met consistently and effectively.

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

The curriculum is broad, rich and engaging. The school brings the curriculum to life through purposeful experiences linked to pupils’ learning. Staff’s subject knowledge is strong and they present new information to pupils clearly. In most subjects, the school has identified what pupils should learn and how this should build over time. However, in a small number of subjects, the curriculum is still being refined. In these subjects, the school has not identified the essential knowledge that pupils should learn with enough precision. This means that some pupils develop gaps in their understanding and their knowledge does not build securely.

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

The school uses a range of methods to check pupils’ learning. For example, staff ask questions and design activities or resources that require pupils to demonstrate their understanding. In most subjects, the school’s checks on learning are rigorous and provide staff with detailed information about pupils’ knowledge and their next steps. However, in a small number of subjects, these checks on learning are not precise enough. This hinders how well staff identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. 19 and 20 November 2024

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Reading is prioritised in all areas. Children in the early years delight in choosing books from the cosy reading area. Older pupils speak of their joy in discovering new authors that have been recommended by other pupils. Staff are determined that all pupils will become fluent readers. They take effective action to help pupils who find reading difficult. Staff provide pupils with tailored support that enables them to quickly gain confidence in reading. Pupils’ strong achievement in reading is reflected in published results.

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The school places a strong emphasis on supporting pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn about environmental issues and are proactive in their work to make a difference to their locality. For example, pupils attended a public meeting recently and raised their concerns about river pollution. Pupils understand the benefits of being physically active. They take part in walks, swimming and a range of sports. Pupils speak with maturity as they describe the correlation between physical and mental health. The school supports pupils to become responsible, respectful and active citizens. Pupils celebrate diversity and are clear that everyone should be treated equally.

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The school promotes positive attitudes to learning. Pupils work hard in lessons and show pride in their achievements. In the early years, staff inspire awe and wonder in children. For example, as children explore ice outside, staff ask questions about how the sun will help it to melt. Pupils’ rates of attendance are high. The school takes effective action to improve attendance where pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should.

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Those responsible for governance are fully aware of the school’s priorities. They provide appropriate support and challenge to ensure that the school moves from strength to strength. The school ensures that staff’s workload and well-being is considered. Staff feel supported in their roles and are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the school has not set out precisely the important knowledge that pupils should learn, and the order in which this should be taught. Consequently, pupils do not develop their knowledge securely and some pupils have gaps in their understanding in these subjects. The school should ensure that the key knowledge that pupils should learn and remember is identified clearly in all subjects and that pupils learn well in all subjects.  In a small number of subjects, the school’s assessment systems do not provide staff with sufficient information to be able to effectively identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This makes it difficult for staff to check and help pupils learn the intended curriculum securely. The school should ensure that assessment systems enable staff to 19 and 20 November 2024

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evaluate the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ learning and address any gaps effectively.

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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). 19 and 20 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 17 April 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a voluntary controlled Church of England primary school and is part of the Diocese of Carlisle. Its last inspection under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 was in November 2019. The school’s next section 48 inspection will be within eight school years.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school operates before- and after-school clubs.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 19 and 20 November 2024

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 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 met with the headteacher, other leaders, governors and staff at the school. The lead inspector spoke with representatives from the local authority and from the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central

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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 lead inspector listened to some pupils read to a known adult.  Inspectors observed pupils at breaktime, lunchtime and when moving around the school.  Inspectors spoke to parents and considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors spoke to pupils and to staff to gather their views. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including those related to the governance of the school.

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Inspection team

Liz Dayton, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Debbie Withey Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 November 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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