Schools & FE · Report card

Petteril Bank School

Inspected 10 Mar 2026 · published 11 May 2026 · URN 149410

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

David Spruce (lead), Craig Dewar-Willox, Kathryn Pym

What we read, and from where

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Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
Early years verified
Expected standard
Inclusion verified
Expected standard
Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Expected standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
10 Mar 2026
Inspectors verified
Craig Dewar-Willox, David Spruce, Kathryn Pym
Postcode verified
CA1 3BX
Name on report verified
Petteril Bank School
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
149410

Page 1 of 16

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourStrong
Curriculum and teachingExpected
Early yearsExpected
InclusionExpected
Leadership and governanceExpected
Personal development and wellbeingExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+63Positivemore positive than 33% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisepositiveeffectivelyconsistentlysuccessfullythriveexcellentrespectfuleffective

Criticismgapsconcernspoorweaknessespersistently absentstrugglenot accurately

How the report reads, start to finish

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FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1584w+61
Leadership195w+84
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve77w−7

Strengths

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Concerns

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Leaders have eradicated a culture of poor attendance. p.2

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 16
Words of findings: 1,907; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 44, typical 43
Average sentence: 15 words
Next steps: 4; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 12%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 54%Leadership 7%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 3%About the inspection 35%

Full report text

Petteril Bank School

Address: Burnett Road, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA1 3BX Unique reference number (URN): 149410

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders have eradicated a culture of poor attendance. Pupils’ attendance last year, including those who are disadvantaged, was above the national average. Current attendance data reflects that leaders are maintaining these high standards. Only a few years ago, over a third of pupils were persistently absent. Leaders have reduced this proportion significantly over time. They have achieved this turnaround through rigorous tracking, consistent expectations and processes and personalised support when circumstances might prevent pupils from attending.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders have very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Alongside staff, they take a consistent, caring approach to uphold these unwavering standards. Pupils know exactly what is expected of them and rise to leaders’ expectations. Across all year groups, pupils conduct themselves with high levels of self-discipline throughout the school day. They have developed excellent attitudes to their learning and are fully focused during lesson time. Pupils who sometimes struggle to manage their feelings receive well-considered support. This helps to equip pupils with their own strategies to manage their emotions so that they too can flourish at school.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Pupils are consistently caring and respectful towards one another. This means that any forms of bullying are very rare. Nonetheless, when such issues do arise, leaders are quick to tackle them.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, typically achieve well across many curriculum subjects. Some pupils previously had numerous gaps in their knowledge. This is generally reflected in the school’s key stage 2 published results. Leaders have ensured that these gaps are closing quickly.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Importantly, these published results do not accurately reflect that current pupils are generally being well prepared for their next stages. Most children in the early years reach a good level of development, phonics standards are on the rise and pupils perform well above national averages in the Year 4 multiplication check. Overall, pupils also demonstrate an improving knowledge across wider curriculum subjects. That said, some residual knowledge gaps do remain, which leaders are still working to identify or address.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have taken effective steps to improve the school’s curriculum offer, ensuring that it is well designed and taught effectively. Each subject is underpinned by detailed teacher guidance on the content pupils should learn and how to deliver it. This has helped teachers to develop their subject knowledge. Nonetheless, teachers’ assessment strategies are not fully sharpened. This sometimes means that pupils are not supported to address misconceptions or close their knowledge gaps quickly.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have appropriate insight into the quality of curriculum delivery and take suitable actions to continually improve it. Pupils are learning increasingly well thanks to leaders’ improvements.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Pupils are supported well to acquire crucial skills in English and mathematics. However, previous curriculum weaknesses have left some pupils in need of intensive forms of support to fully secure these skills. Leaders are addressing many gaps successfully. They take appropriate action to prioritise pupils who most urgently need support. However, residual issues in pupils’ writing and spelling skills are proving more stubborn. This prevents pupils from expressing themselves clearly in their written work and hinders their success in some areas.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders and staff have a robust knowledge of pupils’ individual needs, particularly those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This enables them to make suitable adaptations for these pupils to cater for their specific needs. As a result, these pupils access their learning successfully.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Children get off to a positive start in the early years. They progress well through a suitable curriculum that prioritises the development of vocabulary and communication skills. Staff deliver this curriculum well. As a result, many children reach a good level of development by the time that they leave the Reception Year.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Staff are mindful to model language and introduce new words wherever they can. They have warm and positive interactions with children, which supports them in their learning. Staff often engage well with children when they are interacting with various activities around the classroom. However, there are occasions when staff do not maximise opportunities to extend children’s thinking or check their understanding. This sometimes hinders children from addressing some misconceptions or deepening their understanding.

p.3

Early years Expected standard

Leaders have made early reading a priority at the school. They have introduced a new phonics programme that is delivered effectively. Leaders have also made sure that children in nursery classes develop a suitable awareness of sounds in readiness for the school’s phonics programme. They have effective partnerships with parents and carers that help children to read at home. As a result, children generally develop a secure knowledge of phonics in order to read. However, like elsewhere in the school, some children are taking longer to form the basic skills they need to write well.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have made substantial improvements to the systems and processes that identify and assess pupils’ individual needs. This includes disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. This has resulted in many pupils now getting better support to overcome a range of barriers that would otherwise negatively impact on their education.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders take a staged approach to ensure pupils receive appropriate support to suit their level of need. Staff are well informed of this approach and play their part in its success. They use classroom practices that benefit all pupils and make tailored adaptations where needed. Leaders regularly check that these strategies are used consistently and effectively. Where pupils need more specialised support, leaders work closely with families and external professionals to ensure this happens.

p.4

Inclusion Expected standard

Overall, leaders, including those responsible for governance, have appropriate insight into the impact of the pupil premium strategy as well as other forms of support for disadvantaged pupils. The impact of specific aspects of the pupil premium strategy can clearly be seen. For example, leaders’ targeted support for families during times of difficulty has had a major impact on pupils’ attendance. School-based wellbeing support has also made a big difference to pupils' behaviour.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have completely turned around the fortunes of this school and have built positive relationships with parents, carers and the community. Leaders have worked methodically to secure effective improvements across the school. They largely have an accurate insight into the school’s strengths and which aspects of the school still need further work. As a result, the school is a place that operates well and where pupils can thrive.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders, including at trust level, ensure that staff access suitable professional development opportunities to improve their general teaching practices. They also support early career teachers well through appropriate induction support that builds their expertise. Staff are wholly positive about working at this school. They consistently report that leaders care about their wellbeing and act quickly to ensure their workload remains manageable.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Those responsible for governance fulfil their statutory duties effectively. Their oversight has played a significant part in enabling the school’s recent journey of improvement. They set a clear vision and values for the school and make appropriate strategic decisions in the best interests of pupils. They manage resources well and generally ensure that this work benefits disadvantaged pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

p.4

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The way that staff nurture and care for pupils is a standout feature of the school’s work. In particular, pupils who are experiencing difficult situations in their own lives receive extensive packages of support that are highly tailored to their needs. The school’s considerate approach to pupils’ welfare helps pupils to access their learning successfully and engage positively with the school’s personal development offer. This includes pupils who are disadvantaged.

p.4

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have implemented a well-designed personal development programme that begins in the early years. This programme equips pupils with a range of important knowledge, such as how to look after themselves and how to form positive relationships with others. They learn to manage conflicts in a respectful manner, which enables them to cooperate well with their classmates. Pupils learn how to maintain their mental wellbeing and manage their emotions successfully. They also learn how to look after their bodies to stay physically healthy. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when they use the internet.

p.4

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils develop some knowledge of fundamental British values, such as democracy. They also develop respect and tolerance for the different beliefs of others. For instance, they are aware of some differences and similarities between religions. However, like in a few areas of the curriculum, pupils still have some knowledge gaps in these aspects of the school’s personal development programme. This sometimes limits their appreciation of the diverse backgrounds of people in modern Britain.

p.5

Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have introduced a range of new opportunities for pupils to explore wider talents and interests. Leaders ensure that pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, access this improved offer. Where needed, they remove barriers that might prevent pupils’ access to these experiences. As of this year, more pupils fulfil school leadership roles, such as the new eco-councillors. These extra roles help pupils to develop their confidence and sense of responsibility.

p.5