Ewanrigg Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school knows its pupils well and has a strong understanding of the community it serves. Pupils value the relationships that they have with staff and appreciate the support that they provide. Pupils live up to the school's expectations of their behaviour.

They behave well in lessons and interact happily together at social times.

Pupils enjoy participating in the wider experiences that the school offers. The school's breakfast club provides pupils with a calm and positive start to the day.

Pupils proudly undertake roles and responsibilities, such as being 'mini police' and 'eco-committee members'. They attend a wealth of clubs, including board games, choir,... cookery and sports. Pupils go on many trips, including to Liverpool and London.

These experiences support the school's vision for pupils to 'be all you can be'.

The school aspires for pupils to achieve well. However, this ambition is not yet realised.

Pupils have gaps in their knowledge across a range of subjects. The school is taking positive steps to address this by strengthening the curriculum, but these are in the early stages of being implemented.

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

The school understands the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

It meets these needs across all aspects of its work. Staff provide effective individualised support to pupils. This ensures that any barriers to learning are removed.

The school's curriculum is suitable and ambitious. It identifies what pupils should learn in a logical order. However, there are some weaknesses in the implementation of the curriculum.

For example, in some subjects, the activities that pupils complete do not focus sharply enough on the knowledge that the school intends them to learn. This hinders pupils from building on their learning securely. Furthermore, the school's checks on pupils' learning are still being developed.

These checks are not as effective as they could be in identifying gaps in pupils' learning. This makes it difficult for the school to ensure that these gaps are swiftly addressed.

In recent years, the school has raised the profile of reading.

It has invested in a diverse range of books and ensured that pupils read widely and often. The school has introduced a new phonics programme. This is supporting pupils to gain confidence and fluency in reading, particularly where they have gaps in their early reading knowledge.

These improvements to reading, while not reflected in published outcomes in 2024, are evident in pupils' current progress through the reading programme.

Published results in 2024 were significantly lower than average in mathematics. The school has since strengthened its curriculum in mathematics to ensure that pupils' learning builds securely across all classes.

While these changes are new, they are having a positive impact on improving pupils' mathematical knowledge. Published results in 2024 were also lower than average in writing. The school has recently made changes to improve the design and delivery of the writing curriculum.

However, these changes are in their infancy. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to write, including in subjects other than English. This prevents pupils from gaining the knowledge and skills they need to achieve well in writing.

The school has high expectations of pupils' attendance. It has taken effective action to improve attendance. As a result, pupils now attend well.

Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They enjoy their lessons and listen carefully to staff. Staff help pupils to understand how to manage their emotions.

This supports them to build their resilience.

The school provides strong pastoral support for pupils. Pupils develop a secure understanding of how to look after their own physical and mental health.

They have many opportunities to keep active at school. For example, pupils thoroughly enjoy riding their bikes and scooters at lunchtime on 'wheelie Wednesdays'. The school inspires pupils to consider their aspirations for the future.

They find out about careers through speaking to a range of professionals. Pupils are respectful of others and are clear that discrimination is not tolerated at this school.

Many of the governors are new to their roles.

They are beginning to develop their skills and knowledge. Governors are supportive of the school. However, they do not hold the school to account effectively for the quality of education it provides.

This contributes to published outcomes having remained lower than average over time. Staff feel that their workload and well-being are supported.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school does not ensure that activity choices support pupils to learn the essential knowledge identified in its curriculum effectively. Consequently, pupils do not build their knowledge securely and struggle to remember the curriculum in the longer term. The school should ensure that activities enable pupils to deepen their understanding so that they develop a secure body of knowledge over time.

• The school's checks on learning do not consistently and accurately identify gaps in pupils' knowledge. This hinders the school from being able to address these gaps swiftly so that pupils' learning can build securely. The school should refine its approaches to assessment so that gaps in pupils' knowledge can be rapidly closed across all subjects.

• The school has not finalised its curriculum thinking in writing. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to write and, consequently, are not achieving as well as they should in writing. The school should develop the writing curriculum to ensure that pupils gain the skills and knowledge they need to become confident, successful writers.

Governors do not provide sufficient challenge to the school. As a result, governors are not able to hold the school to account effectively for its work to improve. Governors should ensure that they develop their knowledge and skills to enable them to hold leaders to account effectively.

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