Milburn School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Milburn School Milburn, Penrith, Cumbria CA10 1TN

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school’s work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils arrive at school each morning happy and with a smile. They are met with a warm welcome by staff who know and understand them well. The school is a happy and nurturing place in which to learn. Pupils feel safe and valued. They are proud of their school and the part that it plays in the local community. Pupils know that adults care for them and will help if there is a problem.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide and varied range of opportunities that enhance their personal development. They enjoy taking part in outdoor and adventurous activities, for example making use of the school’s forest area. These experiences help pupils to become resilient and independent young people.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants the best for pupils. It has high ambitions for pupils’ achievement. However, in some subjects, the school has not ensured that pupils build secure and deep knowledge consistently well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers speak highly of the school’s approach to supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND receive helpful, tailored support to access the full curriculum offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well behaved during lessons and social times. The warm relationships between pupils and staff help to build pupils’ confidence. Pupils value their time at this school. They appreciate their small classes and the help that they receive from their teachers. 11 February 2025

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum that reflects its unique context. For example, in geography, pupils develop a strong sense of place by learning about their local area. In most subjects, the school has carefully identified the essential knowledge that pupils should learn. However, in some subjects, the school has not ensured that this knowledge is carefully sequenced. This makes it more difficult for pupils to build on the important information that they have learned in previous years.

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

Teachers have strong subject knowledge, and the school has prioritised training to improve curriculum delivery. Typically, teachers make appropriate checks on what pupils know and remember. Nevertheless, in some subjects, the curriculum is not delivered consistently well. For example, in these subjects, some of the activities that teachers select do not enable pupils to build their knowledge as well as they could.

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

The school has prioritised the teaching of early reading. It has made sure that staff who deliver the phonics curriculum are well trained. In the early years, children start to learn sounds and the corresponding letters. When pupils struggle with reading, the school makes sure that they receive the help that they need to develop into confident and fluent readers.

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

Staff quickly identify any additional needs that pupils may have. Pupils with SEND receive appropriate support. Staff make necessary adaptations to their teaching to enable pupils with SEND to learn successfully. Where pupils have complex needs, the school works closely with families and external professionals to make sure that their needs are met.

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

Throughout this small school, there is a calm, orderly and positive atmosphere. Pupils are polite, friendly and confident when talking to visitors. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. If any pupils lack resilience towards new learning, staff are quick to provide effective support that helps these pupils to develop independence.

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

The school prioritises attendance and pupils enjoy coming to school. Staff build strong relationships with parents to identify and overcome any barriers that stop pupils attending. This helps to promote a positive culture of attendance across the school community.

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

The school’s offer for pupils’ wider development is high quality. Staff carefully consider the opportunities that they provide to enhance pupils’ learning. For example, pupils experience city visits to London and Manchester, which helps them to develop a broader understanding of the world. They relish the extra-curricular opportunities provided, such as learning to sail. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online and how to stay physically and mentally healthy. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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

Staff are proud to work at the school. They value the care that they receive from leaders. Staff particularly appreciate the training and support that they access with colleagues at their link schools. This helps their well-being and workload. 11 February 2025

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Governors understand their role and their statutory duties. They understand the school community well. Governors find out about what is happening in the school and use this information to hold it to account for the quality of education that the school provides.

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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 has not ensured that the curriculum is carefully sequenced. This hinders pupils from making effective connections between new and prior knowledge. The school should ensure that the curriculum in these subjects is sequenced well, so that pupils can build successfully on what they know already.  In some subjects, the activities that teachers select do not reinforce the key knowledge that pupils should learn effectively. As a result, some pupils are not secure in their knowledge before moving on to new learning. The school should ensure that the activities given to pupils in these subjects enable them to secure and retain the knowledge identified in 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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2015. 11 February 2025

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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). 11 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Katherine Ibbotson

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a before- and after-school club for pupils.  The school does not currently make use of any alternative provision for pupils.  Some of the pupils are flexi-schooled. These pupils attend the school part time and for the remainder of the time are electively home educated.

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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 met with the executive headteacher, the head of school and other school leaders. 11 February 2025

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 An inspector met with governors, including the chair of governors. They also spoke on the telephone with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke with most pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke with some pupils about wider school life.  An inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and breaktimes. They also spoke with pupils about their experiences of school. Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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 reviewed a range of documents, including records of governing body

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meetings, the school’s evaluation of its strengths and areas for improvement and documents relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online survey.  An inspector met with parents at the start of the school day. Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Mark Hazzard, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Amanda Whittingham Ofsted Inspector 11 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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