North Walney Primary & Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Boys and girls manage their own feelings and behaviour well. They have good relationships with one another and with staff.

They respect differences between people. They care about their local environment on Walney Island and the wider world. Due to the determined work of leaders and staff, teaching is good.

Parents, carers and pupils said that the quality of teaching has improved greatly since the previous inspection. Inspection evidence confirms this. Pupils want to be at school; they are keen to study.

Leaders and governors have made certain that the curriculum is much more stimulating than in the past. Nevertheless, some aspec...ts of the geography curriculum are not planned to build fully on what pupils have learned previously. Pupils understand how democracy works at school.

They feel valued and listened to. Even so, their knowledge of democracy at a local or national level is limited. Given the strong improvements in teaching, learning, behaviour and the ethos among staff and pupils, it is little wonder that parents and pupils said that leaders have transformed the work of the school.

Leaders and staff make sure that pupils feel safe at the school. Current pupils make good progress, for instance in reading, writing, mathematics, science and history. While the quality of pupils' writing is improving markedly, the legacy of weak teaching in the past continues to affect some pupils' enthusiasm for writing.

Leaders and governors have a precise, accurate understanding of the work of the school. They support staff well in improving their teaching. Staff morale is high.

Subject leaders are realistic and effective in their work to improve different subjects at the school. Leaders have set in place clear actions to further improve pupils' attainment. Children in the early years make good progress.

They are confident learners and develop many essential skills, for instance in mathematics and in their communication and language. Teaching is good. Nevertheless, some activities that children choose for themselves are less challenging than when adults lead tasks.

Staff assess the needs and abilities of all children in the early years skilfully and make good links with parents and with other professionals. However, the information that staff record in the two-year-old progress checks does not contain enough detail.

Information about this school

The school is located on Walney Island, which sits just off the south-west Cumbrian coast.

It is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage and live on the island. The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is above average.

The proportion of pupils with SEND is above average. The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is average. Some children start at the school from two years of age, others join at later points throughout the school.

The two-year-olds have a separate classroom. Nursery and Reception children are taught as one class. The school operates a breakfast and after-school club called Natterjacks.

Since September 2016, an executive headteacher has led the school, being on site up to three days each week. He also leads Trumacar Primary School in Heysham, Lancashire and works locally in the Queen Katherine multi-academy trust. The executive headship role at North Walney concludes at the end of summer 2019 when the assistant headteacher at the school will become the headteacher.