North Cockerington Church of England Primary School

Inspection of North Cockerington Church of England Primary School School Lane, North Cockerington, Louth, Lincolnshire LN11 7EP

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 3 and 4 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is at the heart of its community. Pupils enjoy attending the school. Parents and carers value the friendly and supportive environment that the school provides.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a clear intent to provide a high-quality education for all pupils. Children in the early years get off to a very positive start. However, the school does not help pupils well enough to realise the ambitious goals of the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour around the school is calm, and positive relationships are established between older and younger pupils. However, staff do not consistently demonstrate high expectations for pupils’ attitudes to their learning. This means that, at times, pupils are not as engaged with their learning as well as they should be. Pupils feel safe in school and say that there are staff who they could talk to if they have any worries or concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests. Older pupils run a nature club that is enjoyed by their younger peers. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when online. However, pupils have limited understanding of the rights of people with different characteristics.

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

The school has a clear intent for the curriculum. Some pupils can share their understanding of important knowledge. However, the curriculum is not implemented consistently well and pupils struggle to recall what they have been taught. The school does not routinely check what pupils know and remember. Teaching is not adapted well enough so that pupils in mixed-age classes build in their existing knowledge. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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

Children are encouraged to learn to read as soon as they start at the school. They benefit from a phonics programme that enables them to learn and blend sounds. This helps them to read as quickly as possible. Children delight in sharing stories and books that they enjoy. Staff identify pupils who need additional support with their reading. Children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 benefit from accessing reading books matched to their reading ability and the opportunity to take books home. However, older pupils are not encouraged to take books home. The school’s strategies to foster a love of reading have not been as effective with these pupils. Some pupils in key stage 2 expressed their dislike for reading.

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

The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) swiftly. Additional adults support these pupils well. However, some staff do not adapt learning well enough for pupils with SEND. This prevents some pupils from being able to complete work and learn alongside their peers.

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

Most pupils are polite and courteous. Older pupils interact positively with younger pupils during social times. However, staff do not routinely display high expectations of pupils’ learning behaviour. This means that, at times, pupils become easily distracted and are not 3 and 4 June 2025

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necessarily quickly redirected to their learning. Low-level disruption by some pupils is not corrected. This means that other pupils find it difficult to concentrate and therefore do not consistently have opportunities to deepen their knowledge and understanding in the classroom.

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Children in the early years develop positive attitudes to their learning. They listen carefully and follow the routines that are in place. Children benefit from an individualised curriculum that enables staff to quickly identify their needs and to address any gaps in knowledge. They enjoy a language-rich environment and the opportunity to work together to solve problems and make connections across their learning.

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Pupils benefit from attending extra-curricular clubs and activities. These include nature club and sports clubs. The school celebrates pupils’ achievements outside of school in assemblies. The school has recently changed the way in which it delivers personal, social, health and economic education. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when online. However, currently, the school’s personal development provision does not prepare pupils well enough for life in modern Britain. Pupils have little knowledge of important British values such as democracy and the rule of law and are unable to express an understanding of protected characteristics.

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Governors know their statutory duties and understand the school’s priorities. Staff enjoy working at the school. However, some staff feel that their well-being is not considered as well as it could be. In some aspects of the school’s provision there is a lack of strategic oversight, and priorities are not identified well enough. When this is the case, the school cannot bring about the necessary improvements. Parents are very supportive of the school. They are proud to be part of the school community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is a lack of strategic oversight in some aspects of the school’s work. This means that new initiatives for improvement are not implemented consistently well, and the school does not gather the information it needs to evaluate the impact of those initiatives. As a result, the school does not identify and address areas of less effective practice, including in relation to the teaching of the curriculum. The school should sharpen its oversight of the quality of its provision so that it can act quickly to secure improvement.  Staff do not routinely check pupils’ understanding or address any gaps in learning. This means that pupils can become confused. The school should ensure that pupils’ understanding is checked carefully so that they receive the necessary support to learn the curriculum well. 3 and 4 June 2025

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 The school has not helped pupils to foster a love of reading. This means that some pupils are reluctant to read and therefore do not have as many opportunities as they could to practise their reading skills. The school should ensure that strategies to develop pupils’ love of reading are effective.  Expectations of pupils’ learning behaviour are not consistent. As a result, some pupils lose focus during learning activities and do not complete important work. Staff must promote consistently high expectations to ensure positive learning behaviours for all.  The school has not ensured that pupils develop their understanding of British values and protected characteristics. This means that pupils are not as prepared for life in modern Britain as they should be. The school should ensure that the curriculum provides pupils with meaningful opportunities to learn about these key concepts and ensure that pupils can discuss them at an age-appropriate level.

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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). 3 and 4 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.north-cockerington.lincs.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of a federation with one other school. They share the same executive headteacher and deputy headteacher.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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. 3 and 4 June 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, deputy headteacher, other school staff and members of the governing body, including the chair. The lead inspector also had telephone calls with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. 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, listened to pupils read and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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.  Throughout the inspection, the inspectors met with groups of staff and considered the opinions expressed through the staff survey.  The inspectors considered the views of parents expressed through Ofsted Parent View and met parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Roxanne Fearns-Davies, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Becky Lyon Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 June 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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