Grayrigg CofE School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Grayrigg CofE School Grayrigg, Kendal, Cumbria LA8 9BU

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Outcome

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, arrive at school each morning happy and eager to learn. Pupils and their families receive a warm welcome from staff, who know them well. The school is at the very heart of its community. Pupils are cared for very well. They feel safe at school. They know that there are trusted adults to talk to if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values of ‘belonging’ and ‘justice’ permeate the school. Pupils benefit from a range of opportunities that help them to know and understand these values, such as visiting a mosque and working with ‘grandfriends’. Pupils benefit from the school’s determination for them to be well prepared for life beyond school and their immediate rural location. They take particular pride in their leadership roles, such as ‘ethos leaders’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), should learn. Many pupils achieve well across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years learn in a calm and purposeful environment. Pupils in other year groups behave well in classrooms and around the school.

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

The school has designed the curriculum carefully. It sets out rich learning across subjects and takes account of the local context. The important knowledge and skills that pupils should learn are organised in a logical order, so that teachers know what to deliver and when this should happen.

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

Pupils can talk about what they have learned in the recent past. However, in some subjects, pupils do not have enough opportunities to revisit important knowledge that was 25 February 2025

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taught in the past. This means that pupils’ ability to recall knowledge over the long-term is variable. As a result, pupils’ achievement across some parts of the curriculum is weaker than in others.

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The use of assessment strategies to check what pupils know and remember over time is more established in some subject areas than in others. In some subjects, where staff have strong subject knowledge, they swiftly identify and address gaps in pupils’ learning. However, in other subjects, teachers sometimes do not spot and correct errors in pupils’ writing. As a result, some pupils persist with incorrect spellings and struggle to write accurately and fluently across the curriculum.

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Parents and carers value the close-knit school community and the support that the school gives to their families. This is particularly true for families of pupils with SEND. The school ensures that the additional needs of pupils with SEND are identified quickly. Staff use information to adapt the delivery of the curriculum and provide appropriate support. This helps pupils with SEND to progress well through the curriculum.

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Reading is a high priority. In the early years, staff share stories and nursery rhymes with children to develop their language and communication skills. Teachers deliver the phonics programme well. Pupils who struggle to keep up with the expectations of the phonics programme are provided with support to address the gaps in their knowledge. Many pupils quickly become confident, fluent readers. Older pupils enjoy reading. They read a wide range of literature and enjoy class texts that are chosen to support various curriculum themes.

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Most pupils attend school regularly. When this has not been the case for some pupils, the school has been quick to tackle absence levels. As a result, the attendance of these pupils has improved over time.

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The school provides well for pupils’ personal development. It uses its woodland area to take curriculum learning outdoors and to enrich pupils’ education. Pupils understand how to look after their physical and mental well-being. They learn how to keep themselves safe and develop healthy relationships with others. Pupils develop an understanding of fundamental British values.

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In the early years, children settle quickly into routines and expectations. These high expectations for behaviour continue as pupils move through the school. In lessons, pupils try their best and have positive attitudes to learning.

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Governors understand their responsibilities. They are effective in their roles. They provide the school with appropriate challenge and support. Staff are positive about working at the school. They appreciate being part of a team where everybody is supportive of each other.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 25 February 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to revisit the important knowledge that they have learned previously. As a result, some pupils find it difficult to remember what they have been taught in the past. The school should ensure that staff design activities that enable pupils to revisit and connect important knowledge so that they achieve equally well across the curriculum.  The school has not ensured that errors in pupils’ writing are consistently identified and addressed. As a result, some pupils continue to make the same mistakes over time. The school should ensure that systems are in place to spot and remedy the mistakes that pupils make when writing, so that pupils are supported to develop greater accuracy and expertise in their writing across the curriculum.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in February 2020.

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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. 25 February 2025

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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). 25 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 February 2020, under Section 5 of the Education Act 2002.

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Information about this school

 The number of pupils on roll has increased significantly since the time of the last inspection, when there were 58 pupils on roll.  The school has governor-run nursery provision for up to nine children, set up under section 27 of the Education Act 2002.  The school offers breakfast and after-school provision.  This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Carlisle. It was previously inspected under section 48 of the Education Act for schools of a religious character in November 2023. Its next section 48 inspection will take place in the 2028/29 academic year.  The school makes use of one registered alternative provision for a small number of pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point in time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 25 February 2025

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 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, other leaders, members of the governing body and a range of staff at the school. The lead inspector spoke with representatives from the local authority and the diocese.  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 extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke with most pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors observed pupils at breaktime and when moving around the school.

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 Inspectors spoke to parents and considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils to gather their views. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including those related to the governance of the school.

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Inspection team

Mark Hazzard, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Alison Dickinson Ofsted Inspector 25 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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