Nether Kellet Community Primary School

Inspection of Nether Kellet Community Primary School Bridge Road, Nether Kellet, Carnforth, Lancashire LA6 1HH

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since November 2014. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 25 and 26 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are immensely proud to attend this calm, happy school. They behave impeccably during lessons and at social times. Pupils consistently demonstrate the skills and attributes of the school’s ‘planet inspiration’ characters. These include perseverance, cooperation and independence. Pupils of all ages relish the opportunity to play together at social times. They show genuine care and respect for each other. Older pupils are exemplary role models to the younger children and are highly committed to their roles as buddies.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school extensively broadens pupils’ experiences. Pupils visit theatres, galleries, museums and more. They visit contrasting geographical places such as the Isle of Arran and cities, including London. Pupils develop their talents through accessing a vast array of extra-curricular activities. These include musical instrument lessons, yoga, choir, art, gardening and sports. Pupils also design and lead their own comic club at lunchtimes. The proportion of pupils who attend these activities is exceptionally high.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils. It seeks to inspire pupils and help them to achieve well, both academically and in their personal development. The school provides pupils with a broad and engaging curriculum. Published results for reading, writing and mathematics are all above the national average.

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

Children get off to a flying start in the early years. They access a high-quality curriculum that is delivered expertly by staff. Children in the early years make significant and rapid gains in their development. From Year 1, the school’s curriculum is ambitious and identifies the key knowledge pupils should learn. Staff deliver curriculum content well. They design activities that support pupils’ learning. Pupils typically achieve well across a broad range of subjects. However, in some subjects, the curriculums do not effectively enable pupils to understand how new knowledge links to previous and future learning. Consequently, some pupils struggle to make connections in their learning and find it difficult to remember knowledge in the longer term.

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

In some subjects, the school’s checks on learning effectively identify how well pupils have learned key knowledge over time. However, in some subjects, these checks focus on recent learning and do not enable staff to determine how securely pupils remember knowledge in the longer term. This makes it difficult for the school to ensure pupils develop a depth of knowledge over time.

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

Staff have the skills and expertise to ensure that they can swiftly identify, and effectively meet, the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school acts on the advice of specialists to provide effective support to pupils with SEND.

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

The school fosters a love of reading among pupils. Pupils read daily and are exposed to a diverse range of authors and genres. Children in the early years quickly learn to match 25 and 26 February 2025

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sounds to letters and apply this when reading words and sentences. The school provides additional help for pupils who struggle to keep up with the phonics programme. This is effective in enabling these pupils to progress through the curriculum well. Pupils become confident, fluent readers.

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The school prioritises attendance and punctuality. It provides support to families and takes effective action to address barriers to attendance. Pupils’ rates of attendance are high, and persistent absence is low. This has been maintained over time. Pupils, including children in the early years, behave exceptionally well. They engage deeply in their learning and do not disrupt the learning of others. The school’s work to instil in pupils a deep appreciation of their rights and responsibilities and an understanding of how their behaviour impacts others is praiseworthy.

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The school’s support for pupils’ broader development is exemplary. Its focus on developing pupils’ global awareness starts from the early years and is incorporated seamlessly into all aspects of school life. Pupils planted flowers to create a ‘bee corridor’ and grow produce in the school grounds, which they cook and eat. Pupils develop interpersonal and leadership skills through positions of responsibility that actively contribute to the development of the school. They gather others’ views to share with councillors when they meet to discuss local concerns. Pupils are inspired by meeting a range of professionals, including film-makers, authors and Paralympians. The school expands pupils’ understanding of diversity through meeting religious leaders, visiting different places of worship and creating links with pupils in other schools. Pupils are highly inclusive and are exceptionally well prepared for life beyond school.

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Governors provide effective challenge and support to the school. Staff appreciate the consideration the school gives to their well-being when decisions are made that could impact their workload.

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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, the school does not effectively enable pupils to understand how new curriculum knowledge links to previous and future learning. This means that some pupils’ knowledge does not develop securely, and they struggle to remember the curriculum in the long term. The school should ensure that, across all subjects, pupils are enabled to make links between new learning and what they already know so that they build a secure body of knowledge over time.  In some subjects, the school’s assessment systems do not enable staff to check that pupils have remembered key knowledge over time. This makes it difficult for the school to identify insecurities in pupils’ learning and to evaluate the impact of the curriculum 25 and 26 February 2025

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in the longer term. The school should ensure that its assessment systems are effective in checking that pupils are developing a depth of knowledge over time across all subjects.

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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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Christine Stephenson

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 18 and 19 November 2014, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently make use of alternative provision for pupils.  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.  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. 25 and 26 February 2025

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 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: 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. 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 extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors observed pupils at social times and when moving around the school.

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 Inspectors spoke to parents and carers and considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors spoke to pupils and to staff to gather their views.  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

Chris Metcalfe Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 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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