Threlkeld CofE Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 1 October 2024

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 the school should improve

• 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.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)