All Saints' CofE School

All Saints' CofE School Slatefell Drive, Cockermouth, Cumbria CA13 9BH

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Monitoring inspection report: 17 and 18 March 2026

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At the most recent graded inspection, the following areas were identified as needing to improve:

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 The governing body has not held the school to account for the decline in the quality of education that pupils receive. As a result, children in the early years and pupils across the rest of the school, including disadvantaged pupils and most pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not achieve well. The governing body must ensure that it gains an accurate insight into the school's effectiveness so that it can provide the necessary support and challenge to aid its improvement.  The school has been too slow to secure much-needed improvements to pupils' academic success. It has not ensured that pupils in Years 1 to 6 benefit from an ambitious, well-designed and coherent curriculum. This means that pupils are not well prepared for each year or stage of their education. The school must, as a matter of urgency, design and implement a curriculum that enables all pupils to achieve well.

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 The early years curriculum does not prepare children sufficiently well for Year 1. The school does not help these children to build the foundations that they need for the rest of their schooling. The school must ensure that it designs and implements a suitably coherent and ambitious curriculum in early years so that these children make a strong start to their education.  The early reading programme does not enable pupils to gain the reading knowledge that they need for future success. Pupils with gaps in their reading knowledge are not helped to catch up. This hampers their success across the curriculum. The school should ensure that staff have the expertise to deliver the phonics programme so that pupils become confident and fluent readers.  The activities that staff design to teach the curriculum do not help pupils to develop sufficient depth of knowledge about the subjects that they study. This prevents pupils,

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including pupils with SEND who are taught in the mainstream classes, from achieving well. The school must equip staff to deliver the curriculum successfully so that pupils can build on what they know and deepen their learning over time.  Staff do not routinely rectify gaps and misconceptions in pupils' knowledge. They lack clarity about what important knowledge pupils should know or how to make checks on what pupils remember. This means that pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. Pupils are not prepared sufficiently well for each year or stage of their education. The school must help staff to address pupils' errors and misunderstandings promptly so that pupils build their knowledge securely. Monitoring Inspection report: All Saints' CofE School, 17 and 18 March 2026 2

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Leaders and governors are taking effective action to improve the school but

continued work is needed to remove the special measures designation.

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The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

considered again during any further monitoring inspection we carry out.

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The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

During the monitoring inspection, the inspector focused on the following evaluation areas:  Leadership and governance  Inclusion  Curriculum and teaching  Achievement  Early years

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Leadership and governance

Leaders have taken decisive action to tackle the considerable shortcomings identified at the previous inspection. They have been put in place building blocks to bring about positive changes that are sustainable over time. Leaders have the trust and confidence of staff who are keen to play their part in the school's recovery. Staff workload and wellbeing have remained a priority, alongside the focus on improvement.

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Leadership and governance

Some aspects of school's improvement are further along than others. Leadership capacity is improving. Through training and support, the governing body has increased its strategic oversight and now provide appropriate challenge. Leaders have used external support wisely to target the areas that needed most improvement. Productive partnerships with the local authority and the diocese have focused on reviewing and improving the curriculum offer and the consistency of teaching across the school. Staff have been provided with relevant professional learning to increase their knowledge and skills in identifying and meeting the needs of learners in mainstream classes. Much of this work is at an early stage, however.

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Leadership and governance

Instability in staffing has slowed the pace of improvement. This has affected the quality of support for children who have barriers to their learning in mainstream classes in the early years. Changes to some curriculums are beginning to bear fruit but this is at an early stage. In addition, while subject leaders are beginning to develop their skills in driving further improvement, this is still in its infancy for many subjects. Leaders have a clarity of focus about what needs to be addressed next and how this should be done.

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Safeguarding

At the previous graded inspection, safeguarding was evaluated as being effective.

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Inclusion

Work to improve the provision for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and pupils who face barriers to their learning or wellbeing is at an early stage. Leaders take appropriate action to identify and assess pupils' needs. Effective partnership work with external Monitoring Inspection report: All Saints' CofE School, 17 and 18 March 2026 3 agencies and appropriately trained staff ensures that pupils receive bespoke support for their social and emotional needs. In the specially resourced provision, pupils' individual learning needs are known and met. However, as was the case at the time of the last graded inspection, this is inconsistent in the provision for pupils in mainstream classes. The impact of training to ensure that staff adapt and meet the needs of pupils with SEND is variable.

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Inclusion

Leaders have developed an appropriate strategy for the use of pupil premium funding. This has been sharpened to focus on removing barriers to disadvantaged pupils' learning and wellbeing. However, weaknesses in the support provided for these pupils in their learning continues to be inconsistent. This prevents pupils from achieving all that they should.

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Achievement

Published data shows that pupils' attainment and progress have been considerably below national averages in most areas over the last three years. Too many pupils, leave the school ill-prepared for the next phase in their education. In addition, some gaps in attainment for disadvantaged pupils have widened.

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Achievement

Pupils are increasingly receiving a more consistent experience in their lessons. This is evident in some pupils' understanding of their current and recent learning. Nonetheless, pupils continue to have significant gaps in their knowledge, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics. These gaps are not identified or closed swiftly enough. Pupils do not have the knowledge and skills they need across the curriculum to be ready for the next stage of education.

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Curriculum and teaching

The teaching of early reading has been prioritised. Staff have received training in the teaching of phonics and the use of assessment to inform catch up support for pupils who struggle to read. This has increased staff's confidence in delivering phonics. However, at times, the support provided to pupils who struggle to read is not well matched to their needs. This prevents some pupils from developing the fluency that they need to become confident readers.

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Curriculum and teaching

Leaders have made changes to the curriculums for reading and writing. They have prioritised ensuring that there is a clarity in what to teach and how to teach these new curriculums, including for the mixed-age class. The teaching of mathematics has also been reviewed to support pupils to secure number skills and increase accuracy in their working. Heightened expectations in the teaching of these subjects mean that pupils' learning is increasingly focused on building their knowledge securely. However, many pupils have significant gaps in this key learning. Too often, pupils' learning is moved on before they have the basics in place, particularly in writing. Leaders recognise that there is further work to do to support staff to adjust their teaching to meet pupils' needs and to address gaps in pupils' learning more swiftly.

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Curriculum and teaching

Beyond English and mathematics, work has begun to review and improve the curriculums on offer. Pupils are beginning to benefit from this. For example, they are able to recall their most recent learning in history and geography. Due to weaknesses in previous curriculums Monitoring Inspection report: All Saints' CofE School, 17 and 18 March 2026 4 however, pupils do not have secure foundations on which to build this new learning. This is a work in progress and leaders acknowledge that this remains an area of focus. Different subjects are at different stages of development.

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Early years

Significant changes in staffing, leadership and the structure of this provision have hampered the speed of improvement in this area. From September 2025, leaders have prioritised establishing routines and structures to support the learning of the new mixed- age class for children in the Nursery and Reception Years, combined with Year 1 pupils. For example, changes to the teaching of early reading have included a focus on preparing children in the Nursery Year for future phonics learning through rhymes, songs and the teaching of listening skills. Structures in the delivery of the reviewed curriculum for the early years and Year 1, are beginning to provide clearer progression for children in their learning and experiences. Much of this work is in its infancy, however. While some early improvements are evident, there remains much to do to address the shortcomings in the educational offer for the youngest children in the school.

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Early years

Leaders recognise that there is work to do to further refine curriculum thinking, to ensure that children apply and deepen their learning. Leaders know that developing children's communication and language skills is a priority. However, there is variability in the quality of interactions in the early years. Staff do not consistently promote language and learning when they work with children.

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Additional next steps

Leaders and governors should continue to work to address the priorities for improvement identified in the last graded inspection report.

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About this inspection

The inspector carried out this monitoring inspection under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005, and it was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require special measures following the graded inspection that took place in January 2025.

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About this inspection

The school's previous inspection was carried out under the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) at that time. The renewed EIF took effect from 10 November 2025. The areas for improvement identified at the school's graded inspection have been cross- referenced to the relevant evaluation areas in the inspection toolkit for consideration on this monitoring inspection.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this monitoring inspection was not to determine grades for any of the evaluation areas set out in the school inspection toolkit. The purpose was to identify and report on the school's progress in addressing priorities for improvement since the school's previous inspection. Monitoring Inspection report: All Saints' CofE School, 17 and 18 March 2026 5 Since the school's graded inspection in January 2025, an acting headteacher and several new members of staff took up their posts in September 2025. Additionally, there have been some changes to the membership of the governing board.

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About this inspection

The school does not currently provide an education for 2-year-old children.

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About this inspection

The school is due to convert to join a multi-academy trust in this academic year.

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About this inspection

During this inspection, discussions were held with the acting headteacher and other leaders, including the special educational needs coordinator and the early years lead, teaching and support staff, the chair of governors and other members of the governing board and with representatives of the local authority and the diocese, to discuss the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection.

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Lead inspector

Rebecca Jewitt His Majesty's Inspector Monitoring Inspection report: All Saints' CofE School, 17 and 18 March 2026 6

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About this school

Type of specialist provision The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with autism. Currently, 15 pupils, from the Reception Year to Year 6, attend this provision. Monitoring Inspection report: All Saints' CofE School, 17 and 18 March 2026 7 regulates and inspects to 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 looked-after-children, safeguarding and child protection.

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About this school

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About this school

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About this school

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About this school

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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