Penny Bridge CofE School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

Penny Bridge is an outstanding primary school, which, as one parent described, 'provides a warm and nurturing environment.' Attainment is above average and improving.

Pupils' overall academic achievement is good and their personal development is excellent. The very strong outcomes are due to: exceptional leadership and management; good, and at times outstanding, teaching; a curriculum of excellent quality; first-class promotion of equality of opportunity; pupils' outstanding behaviour and attitudes to learning. All the staff know each individual pupil very well and provide excellent care, guidance and support, so that pupils feel extremely safe in school.

Pupils know how to look after themsel...ves and one another extremely well. They have a good understanding of how to lead a healthy lifestyle and this is reflected in their participation in a range of extra-curricular activities. The school plays a very important part in the life of the village and pupils gain an excellent understanding of their role in the local and wider community.

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Attendance is high and most pupils arrive punctually. The Early Years Foundation Stage is good and, as a result, children get off to a good start to their formal education.

They settle quickly, due to the effective links with parents and carers and with the on-site and other nurseries. While the provision offers the opportunity for indoor and outdoor learning, there are sometimes missed opportunities for children to develop numeracy and literacy skills in order to improve further their learning and progress. Throughout the school, teachers and teaching assistants plan their lessons well to ensure all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress.

That reflects the school's excellent commitment to equality of opportunity. The curriculum includes opportunities for work across age groups through 'critical skills challenges,' which have an extremely positive impact on developing teamwork. Excellent partnerships bring visiting professionals to the school, adding an extra dimension to learning which the school alone cannot provide.

Since the last inspection, the overall effectiveness of the school has improved. That is as a result of the excellent leadership provided by the headteacher and the commitment of all staff and volunteers. The leadership team is rigorous in evaluating accurately how well the school is doing and making any necessary changes to improve further the learning opportunities for pupils.

Thorough tracking and monitoring by all teachers ensure early interventions to address underperformance and this is having an impact on accelerating pupils' progress further. There is a track record of predicting outcomes for learners accurately and making a detailed forecast for the next three years. Supported by an effective governing body, the school has outstanding capacity to sustain improvement.

The school provides excellent value for money.

Information about the school

Penny Bridge is a smaller than average-size primary school serving a wide area. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well-below average.

The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is similar to the national average. All pupils are White British and none speaks English as an additional language. In Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, there are two year groups in each class.

The school is an Eco-school, is accredited with Healthy Schools status, and is also recognised as a Sing-Up School. It is a member of the local Innovation Group and Furness Primary Heads Partnership. Since the last inspection, there have been significant changes to the staffing structure, which include the headteacher being employed for four days per week instead of five.

That enables her to utilise the fifth day to be involved in the management of the privately-run nursery, which is based on the school premises. That facility is also used to provide before- and after-school clubs, as well as holiday activities. That provision did not form part of this inspection, but a report of its quality can be found on the Ofsted website.

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

Also at this postcode