Threlkeld CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this calm and nurturing school. They have forged positive, caring relationships with staff and with each other. Pupils, including children in the early years, get along well and support each other.

They feel well cared for and know that everyone is a valued member of this small community. Pupils behave well. They consistently uphold the school's values.

Since the previous inspection, the school has experienced considerable changes in its leadership and staffing. This has had an impact on the school's work to improve. While the school is ambitious for all pupils, these aspirations are not yet realised.

In the early years, and in some... subjects, pupils achieve well. However, the curriculum does not support pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to build their knowledge securely across all subjects. With the support of the trust, the school has made changes to improve how well pupils learn.

However, many of these changes are new and are not fully implemented.

Pupils enjoy attending extra-curricular activities, including choir, games and yoga. They enjoy contributing to the local community, for example through picking up litter, raising money for charity and through their roles in the school council.

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

The school's curriculum is broad and ambitious. The knowledge that pupils should learn each year is clearly identified, starting from the early years. However, the school has not ensured that staff are enabled to deliver the curriculum well.

For example, staff do not ensure that the curriculum consistently builds on the knowledge of all pupils within mixed-aged classes. Furthermore, activity choices are not always effective in supporting pupils to learn and remember what they have been taught. This hinders pupils' learning.

The school makes checks on how well pupils are learning the intended curriculum. In the early years, and in some subjects, these checks are used well to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge and to inform subsequent teaching. However, in several subjects, assessment is not used with enough precision to check whether pupils have learned the intended knowledge securely.

As a result, pupils, including those with SEND, develop gaps in their knowledge.

The school recently identified that the systems for identifying and meeting the additional needs of pupils with SEND were not robust enough. With the support of the trust, the school has been proactive in taking action to address this.

This includes developing staff's knowledge of, and expertise in, how to effectively support pupils within lessons and through targeted intervention. These processes and practices are newly developed. Their implementation is yet to be embedded.

Reading is prioritised from the early years to Year 6. The school ensures that pupils access a broad range of texts. The school's established phonics programme is delivered consistently well.

It helps pupils to quickly gain the knowledge and skills that they need to read. The support that the school provides for pupils who struggle with reading helps them to quickly gain confidence and fluency. Pupils achieve well in reading.

Pupils, including children in the early years, have positive attitudes to learning, and they work hard in lessons. They offer each other praise and encouragement as they proudly share their achievements in their learning. The school ensures that pupils and their families understand the importance of regular school attendance.

It takes effective action to ensure that those pupils who do not attend school as regularly as they should, get the support they need.

The school has a broad personal, social, health and economic education curriculum that reflects the needs of the pupils and the local community. Pupils develop a strong understanding of fundamental British values and know how these relate to the school's values.

Pupils broaden their experiences through taking part in cultural days and trips to places that are of contrast to the school's immediate context. They celebrate diversity and are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Trustees and governors are committed to improving the school.

Throughout the recent period of turbulence in staffing, they have focused on bringing about stability to the school. However, this meant that improvement work started following the last inspection had slowed. The trust and those responsible for governance are aware that there is more to do to ensure that pupils develop their knowledge securely across the curriculum.

They have clear plans to address this through effective challenge and support, while also being considerate of the impact on staff's workload and well-being. These plans have already begun to be put into place.

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 has not ensured that staff have the knowledge and skills to deliver the curriculum consistently as intended. As a result, pupils do not understand and retain knowledge sufficiently well. The school should ensure that the curriculum is implemented consistently so that pupils' learning builds securely.

• The school has not established effective assessment systems to check whether pupils have learned the intended curriculum knowledge. As a result, gaps in pupils' learning are not always identified and their learning is hindered. The school should ensure that assessment strategies support staff to identify and address gaps in pupils' learning so pupils gain the depth of knowledge that they need to be well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Until recently, the systems and processes to identify and support pupils with SEND have not been rigorous enough. This means that the school has not been able to check that pupils' needs are being swiftly identified, or that the support that pupils receive is having the intended impact. The school should embed its new systems for identifying and supporting pupils with SEND so that they are effectively supported and achieve well across the curriculum.