Warwick Bridge Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Warwick Bridge Primary School Warwick Bridge, Carlisle, Cumbria CA4 8RE

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Outcome

Warwick Bridge Primary 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 are happy at this welcoming, inclusive school. Staff support pupils well to ensure that they feel safe. Pupils appreciate the opportunities to explore their feelings in the school’s ‘calm club’. Children in the early years are settled and secure. They have built positive relationships with nurturing staff, who provide them with help and reassurance.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils arrive in the morning enthusiastic for the day ahead. They behave well and work hard in lessons. At playtimes and lunchtimes, pupils confidently access the range of play provisions on offer. These include skipping, football, basketball, tennis and climbing equipment. There is also a quiet area where pupils enjoy reading and engaging in role play.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are ambitious for all pupils. Pupils typically achieve well from their starting points across a broad range of subjects. The school provides pupils with rich experiences beyond the classroom. They develop their talents and interests through learning to play instruments and engaging in an impressive range of clubs. These include gardening, computing, art, gymnastics and many sports. Pupils are proud to represent the school at external events and to be in the school’s choirs, including a Makaton choir.

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

Pupils access a rich curriculum. The curriculum identifies the key knowledge pupils should know, including in mixed-age classes. Since the last inspection, the school has developed its subject curriculums. These curriculums now build progressively and make links between prior, current and future learning. The school considered staff’s workload and well-being when making these changes. Staff have the subject and teaching knowledge they need to deliver the curriculum consistently. Pupils develop a broad body of knowledge. 18 and 19 March 2025

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The school prioritises reading. Pupils enjoy reading a diverse range of books. The school has embedded a new phonics programme since the last inspection. Staff deliver this programme consistently well. This is helping pupils to quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident, fluent readers. The school swiftly identifies if pupils are struggling with reading, including those who join the school at later points. It provides effective, targeted support to help pupils to catch up.

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In most subjects, the school has developed processes to enable staff to check accurately what pupils have learned. Staff use this information to determine if pupils have secured key knowledge or need to revisit some content. However, these checks are not as embedded in some subjects. Here, staff are unable to check pupils’ learning with the same precision. This means some gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not spotted, and some pupils develop misconceptions. Others are not moved on to new learning when they are ready. Here, pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as the school expects.

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The school accurately understands the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It works effectively with external agencies and parents and carers to ensure that these needs are identified quickly and met. The school has developed its provision to support pupils’ sensory needs. Pupils access a range of equipment in lessons, a sensory room and circuit activities. Pupils with SEND achieve well and are fully involved in the wider aspects of school life.

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Pupils are polite and courteous. They enjoy helping others through their role as ‘buddies’ at social times. Staff support pupils to develop their independence. This starts in the early years, where children confidently choose resources and play activities. They independently put on their own protective clothing when playing with water or paint.

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The school has taken effective action to improve pupils’ rates of attendance. It carefully considers the reasons for pupils’ absence and provides support to break down any barriers to attending school. Consequently, pupils’ rates of attendance are high.

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The school broadens pupils’ experiences. For example, pupils play wheelchair basketball, visit cities and take part in outdoor adventure activities. They meet professionals to discuss their jobs and learn about local environmental and safety issues. Pupils develop their awareness of the wider world. They raise money for charities and value the links that they have made with people from Ghana. Pupils proudly take on roles such as school councillors, prefects, ‘digital leaders’ and ‘welly monitors’. The school’s work to promote pupils’ wider development is a strength.

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Governors provide effective challenge and support to the school to ensure that leaders’ actions maintain high standards and continue to secure improvements. Governors make sure the school takes the right actions in the best interests of pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 18 and 19 March 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school’s assessment processes are not as effective as they could be in identifying what pupils know and in informing future teaching. This means some gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not swiftly and consistently addressed to help pupils move on to their next steps. The school should ensure that its assessment processes enable staff to consistently identify how well pupils are learning and use this information effectively.

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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 April 2015.

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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. 18 and 19 March 2025

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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). 18 and 19 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.warwickbridge.cumbria.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 November 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school runs a before- and after-school club.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, other leaders, governors and staff at the school. The inspector also spoke to a representative from the local authority.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to pupils about their learning and wider school life and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central 18 and 19 March 2025

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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 inspector observed pupils at social times and when moving around the school.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents, including those related to the governance of the school.  The inspector spoke to parents and considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. The inspector spoke to pupils and to staff to gather their views. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Liz Dayton, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 18 and 19 March 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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