Ewanrigg Junior School

Inspection of Ewanrigg Junior School Ennerdale Road, Maryport, Cumbria CA15 8HN

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 4 and 5 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school knows its pupils well and has a strong understanding of the community it serves. Pupils value the relationships that they have with staff and appreciate the support that they provide. Pupils live up to the school’s expectations of their behaviour. They behave well in lessons and interact happily together at social times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy participating in the wider experiences that the school offers. The school’s breakfast club provides pupils with a calm and positive start to the day. Pupils proudly undertake roles and responsibilities, such as being ‘mini police’ and ‘eco-committee members’. They attend a wealth of clubs, including board games, choir, cookery and sports. Pupils go on many trips, including to Liverpool and London. These experiences support the school’s vision for pupils to ‘be all you can be’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school aspires for pupils to achieve well. However, this ambition is not yet realised. Pupils have gaps in their knowledge across a range of subjects. The school is taking positive steps to address this by strengthening the curriculum, but these are in the early stages of being implemented.

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

The school understands the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. It meets these needs across all aspects of its work. Staff provide effective individualised support to pupils. This ensures that any barriers to learning are removed.

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

The school’s curriculum is suitable and ambitious. It identifies what pupils should learn in a logical order. However, there are some weaknesses in the implementation of the curriculum. For example, in some subjects, the activities that pupils complete do not focus sharply enough on the knowledge that the school intends them to learn. This hinders pupils from building on their learning securely. Furthermore, the school’s checks on pupils’ learning are still being developed. These checks are not as effective as they could be in identifying gaps in pupils’ learning. This makes it difficult for the school to ensure that these gaps are swiftly addressed.

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

In recent years, the school has raised the profile of reading. It has invested in a diverse range of books and ensured that pupils read widely and often. The school has introduced a new phonics programme. This is supporting pupils to gain confidence and fluency in reading, particularly where they have gaps in their early reading knowledge. These improvements to reading, while not reflected in published outcomes in 2024, are evident in pupils’ current progress through the reading programme.

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

Published results in 2024 were significantly lower than average in mathematics. The school has since strengthened its curriculum in mathematics to ensure that pupils’ learning builds securely across all classes. While these changes are new, they are having a positive impact on improving pupils’ mathematical knowledge. Published results in 2024 were also lower than average in writing. The school has recently made changes to improve the design and delivery of the writing curriculum. However, these changes are in 4 and 5 February 2025

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their infancy. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to write, including in subjects other than English. This prevents pupils from gaining the knowledge and skills they need to achieve well in writing.

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The school has high expectations of pupils’ attendance. It has taken effective action to improve attendance. As a result, pupils now attend well. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They enjoy their lessons and listen carefully to staff. Staff help pupils to understand how to manage their emotions. This supports them to build their resilience.

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The school provides strong pastoral support for pupils. Pupils develop a secure understanding of how to look after their own physical and mental health. They have many opportunities to keep active at school. For example, pupils thoroughly enjoy riding their bikes and scooters at lunchtime on ‘wheelie Wednesdays’. The school inspires pupils to consider their aspirations for the future. They find out about careers through speaking to a range of professionals. Pupils are respectful of others and are clear that discrimination is not tolerated at this school.

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Many of the governors are new to their roles. They are beginning to develop their skills and knowledge. Governors are supportive of the school. However, they do not hold the school to account effectively for the quality of education it provides. This contributes to published outcomes having remained lower than average over time. Staff feel that their workload and well-being are supported.

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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 ensure that activity choices support pupils to learn the essential knowledge identified in its curriculum effectively. Consequently, pupils do not build their knowledge securely and struggle to remember the curriculum in the longer term. The school should ensure that activities enable pupils to deepen their understanding so that they develop a secure body of knowledge over time.  The school’s checks on learning do not consistently and accurately identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This hinders the school from being able to address these gaps swiftly so that pupils’ learning can build securely. The school should refine its approaches to assessment so that gaps in pupils’ knowledge can be rapidly closed across all subjects.  The school has not finalised its curriculum thinking in writing. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to write and, consequently, are not achieving as well as they

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

should in writing. The school should develop the writing curriculum to ensure that pupils gain the skills and knowledge they need to become confident, successful writers. 4 and 5 February 2025

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 Governors do not provide sufficient challenge to the school. As a result, governors are not able to hold the school to account effectively for its work to improve. Governors should ensure that they develop their knowledge and skills to enable them to hold leaders to account 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). 4 and 5 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 2 and 3 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher was appointed in April 2024.  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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 4 and 5 February 2025

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 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 a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: 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. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  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

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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 familiar adult.  Inspectors observed pupils at lunchtime, playtime and when moving around the school.  Inspectors spoke to parents and carers and considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors spoke to pupils and staff to gather their views and considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and 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

Garry White Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 February 2025

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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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