Cowick Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Overview

The report describes a school where “adults have high expectations” that are largely realised, resulting in pupils who are “happy and feel safe.” Leaders have developed a curriculum that “inspires pupils to learn,” with particular success in early reading and the early years provision.

Strengths

• Pupils behave well, are “kind and honest,” and use established approaches to resolve disagreements independently.
• Phonics teaching is “embedded across key stage 1,” with pupils learning to read quickly and struggling readers supported to “catch up quickly.”
• The early years curriculum is “well organised and logically sequenced,” with children remembering and using specific vocabulary in their play.
• Pupils access a “range of opportunities and experiences,” including residential visits that develop teamwork and adventurous activities.
• A “carefully considered” personal, social, health and education curriculum supports pupils’ well-being and understanding of different faiths.

Areas to improve

• In some lessons, teachers do not choose activities that enable pupils to “build on prior knowledge,” meaning pupils do not always remember key knowledge long-term.
• Leaders lack a system to check what pupils know in foundation subjects, preventing accurate identification of “gaps in pupils’ knowledge or misconceptions.”

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” with all adults trained to identify risks and a new system in place to record concerns.