Arnside National CofE School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their small, friendly school.

They know that their school holds a special place at the heart of their village community. Children in the early years enjoy exploring the exciting resources that adults provide indoors and outdoors. Older pupils relish spending time with their friends in the school's beautiful grounds.

Strong relationships with staff help pupils to feel happy and secure at school.

Pupils try their best to live up to the school's high expectations for their achievement. They apply themselves well to their learning.

For example, in the early years, children learn to listen carefully so that they know what to do. Older ...pupils complete their work with diligence. Pupils of all ages, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), typically achieve well.

The school is a calm and orderly place. Pupils' positive behaviour reflects the school's values, which are known as 'star qualities'. For example, pupils endeavour to treat each other with kindness and patience.

Pupils behave well in and around school.

Pupils benefit from a varied programme of activities beyond the academic curriculum. For instance, pupils work with local coastguards to develop an understanding of water safety.

They learn about world faiths when they visit a mosque or a synagogue and the role of Parliament when they visit London. These experiences help to prepare them for life in British society.

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

Since the last inspection, the school has wasted no time in improving its curriculum.

This swift and decisive action has been effective. Pupils benefit from an exciting, ambitious curriculum that spans a broad range of subjects. This curriculum contains the important knowledge that the school wants pupils to learn from the early years to Year 6.

All pupils, including pupils with SEND, access this strong curriculum. This enables them to build a secure body of knowledge over time so that they achieve well.

In each subject, pupils learn knowledge in small, carefully ordered steps.

This helps pupils to build new learning on firm foundations. In most subjects, the curriculum contains opportunities for pupils to connect new and earlier learning. This enables pupils to begin to understand the bigger concepts that underpin their growing knowledge.

However, in a small number of subjects, these opportunities are less clearly defined. This makes it more difficult for staff to ensure that pupils make such important connections in their learning.

The school provides training for staff to enable them to deliver the curriculum effectively.

Staff check regularly to ensure that pupils have understood new learning. Any misconceptions are swiftly addressed. The school is adept at using information from assessment activities to identify whether pupils have any missing knowledge.

This helps staff to adjust their teaching if necessary.

Reading has been placed at the heart of the curriculum. Children in the early years are introduced to a wide range of stories, songs and rhymes.

This prepares them well for the phonics curriculum at the start of the Reception Year. Children rapidly build up knowledge of letters and sounds. This continues into Year 1.

Staff use their expertise to match reading books to the sounds that pupils have learned. This helps pupils to read with confidence and success.

Since the last inspection, the school has improved and expanded the range of books available for pupils to read.

In each subject, carefully selected texts support pupils' learning and the expansion of their vocabulary. Pupils across the school develop a real love of reading.

The school ensures that pupils with SEND are identified quickly.

Staff make appropriate adaptations to their delivery of the curriculum to ensure that pupils with SEND are able to learn the curriculum successfully. The school communicates closely with parents, carers and with other professionals to secure extra support for these pupils when this is needed.

The school successfully promotes pupils' regular attendance at school.

Pupils arrive at school punctually and they work conscientiously in class. They rarely disturb each other by chatting. This helps everyone to get on with their learning.

Pupils broaden their cultural knowledge through visits to galleries, theatres and museums. They relish the opportunities that the school provides to develop interests and talents, such as musical theatre and jujitsu. Through the curriculum, pupils learn important lessons about internet safety.

They also learn about diversity and difference among people in their community and in the wider world. By the time they leave Year 6, pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

Trustees have worked closely with leaders to address the weaknesses identified at the last inspection.

Their successful actions have ensured that pupils are provided with a high-quality education. Leaders and trustees have due regard for any impact on staff's workload and well-being in the decisions that leaders make about the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, the curriculum does not identify clearly enough the opportunities for pupils to make connections between their current learning and their earlier learning. This sometimes hinders pupils from developing a deeper understanding of broader concepts in these subjects. The school should ensure that teachers are equipped to help pupils understand key ideas so that they can apply their knowledge in an increasing range of situations.