Ambleside CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The combined drive and determination of the school's trust, local governing body and headteacher have led to considerable school improvement, particularly over the past 18 months. When the school opened as an academy, the quality of teaching was poor.

The achievement some pupils made in some classes was weak. Teaching and the achievement of current pupils are now good and pupils are flourishing. However, the legacy of this poor teaching is still having an impact on the published school results, particularly in mathematics and on the outcomes of the most able in mathematics.

Pupils feel very secure in the school. They are happy and almost ...all talk enthusiastically about their experiences. Teachers have a full and deep understanding of the needs of every pupil and so can ensure that pupils are safe, healthy and prosper.

Teachers carefully consider the curriculum that their pupils follow. Teachers adapt topics to incorporate the local environment, history and culture. This helps pupils learn well and enjoy school.

While the mathematics curriculum covers most of the subject well, pupils are given insufficient opportunities to solve problems with mathematics or apply their mathematics understanding in practical situations. All staff have followed the headteacher's example in developing excellent relationships with parents. Parents find all staff very approachable and responsive when they raise concerns.

At the last inspection, provision in the early years setting was stronger than in the rest of the school. Since then excellent leadership has led to rapid improvement. Children love learning and they do so quickly.

Both indoor and outdoor environments are bright, stimulating and full of interesting resources. The leader makes sure that all staff know how to help children progress very well and teaching is excellent. The positive and caring culture ensures that children are happy and safe.

Pupils are very familiar with the school's core values. These provide a framework to promote pupils' spiritual, moral and social development. This aspect is one of the many highlights of this school.

Despite a significant drive to improve attendance, it is not good enough. A large proportion of pupils attend very well. However, there is a small number of pupils who have extended absences.

Information about this school

Ambleside CofE Primary School converted to become an academy school on 1 October 2015. When its predecessor school was last inspected by Ofsted it was judged to be inadequate. The school is part of The Good Shepherd multi-academy trust.

The headteacher took up post after the inspection of the predecessor school and before its conversion to an academy. The school serves Ambleside and surrounding communities. The tourist industry dominates the local economy.

The proportion of pupils in the school who speak English as an additional language is increasing. Due to its religious character, in June of 2015, the school underwent an inspection under section 48 of the relevant education act. The purpose of the inspection was to evaluate the distinctiveness and effectiveness of the school as a church school.

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