National Society Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools Report

Burton Morewood Church of England Primary Academy
Main Street, Burton-in-Kendal, Carnforth, Lancashire LA6 1ND
Previous SIAMS grade: Good
Current inspection grade: Outstanding
Diocese: Carlisle
Local authority: N/A
Dates of inspection: 12 February 2015
Date of last inspection: 27 January 2010
School’s unique reference number: 137537
Headteacher: Sue Woodburn
Inspector’s name and number: Anne B. Woodcock 445
School context
The school serves the village of Burton on the borders of South Cumbria and Lancashire. A significant number of pupils travel from surrounding villages. The vast majority of the 172 pupils are of White British heritage and come from mixed socio-economic backgrounds. The number of pupils supported by the Pupil Premium grant is low. The school gained Academy status in October 2011. The school benefits from a new extension which has substantially improved teaching and learning facilities.
The distinctiveness and effectiveness of Burton Morewood Church of England Primary Academy as a Church of England school are outstanding.
·  The leadership of the headteacher and senior leaders is highly effective. Their inspiration and determination drives all aspects of school improvement.
·  Pupils’ outstanding behaviour and attitudes to life and learning are clearly linked to their understanding of core Christian values.
·  Relationships across the school community are extremely strong and nurturing. They make a very significant contribution to pupils’ personal, spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
·  Highly effective links with the local church have a strong impact on the school’s Christian character and on pupils’ spiritual development.
Areas to improve
·  Provide regular opportunities for pupils to plan and lead acts of collective worship to develop their understanding of the nature and purpose of worship.
·  Develop an overview planning format for collective worship to ensure that accurate recording and evaluation monitors the impact and leads to ongoing improvement.
The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is outstanding at meeting the needs of all learners
The school’s calm, welcoming and fully inclusive atmosphere is immediately felt by visitors. Extremely positive relationships, clearly based on the mutual understanding of Christian values, support and inspire all members of the school family. Children are fully engaged in their learning because the quality of teaching is extremely high. The strong focus on the provision of exciting and meaningful learning experiences ensures that children are active and reflective learners. Pupils work very well together and their behaviour, which is firmly based on their understanding of Christian trust and respect, is outstanding. They say, ‘It is like one big family, we understand each other and no-one is left out.’ Christian love and hope for the personal development and well-being of both children and adults is reflected by all aspects of school achievement. Standards of attainment are high, with a significant number of children achieving results well-above national expectations. All pupils make good, often rapid progress. Those with additional needs are supported very well, enabling all children to make a positive contribution to the life of the school. Pupils’ personal development is outstanding because the school’s Christian vision emphasises that all children are valued and nurtured. Pupils are given many opportunities to exercise responsibilities and express their ideas. The wide range of extra-curricular activities on offer provides inspiration and challenge. Religious education (RE) makes a significant contribution to children’s spiritual, social, moral and cultural development. They are excited and challenged by their RE lessons. Through the study of Christianity and major world faiths such as Judaism, Hinduism and Islam they come to understand and respect diversity. One Year 4 child explained, ‘Everyone should have rights. You don’t judge people by the colour of the skin or the clothes they wear.’ The established links with organisations in India and Kenya help children to understand wider global issues. They show concern for issues such as injustice and war saying that it is ‘not what God’s wants for the world.’
The impact of collective worship on the school community is good
Collective worship is a valued and integral feature of the daily life of the school. Children are positive and enthusiastic because they are actively engaged, acting out Bible stories, reading and responding to questions. One Year 5 pupil explained, ‘It makes you stop and think about how we treat others. We learn new things about God and Jesus’. Worship is led by staff, pupils or visitors. Children have a good knowledge of Bible stories because worship themes are closely linked to Bible teaching. Pupils’ talk confidently about the life of Jesus. ‘We talk a lot about love, trust and respect,’ explained one older pupil, ‘because Jesus used parables to teach people how to live.’ The church provides extremely strong support. The vicar and members of the church plan and deliver worship each week. Their strong focus on Bible themes such as God’s children and John’s gospel ably supports pupils’ understanding of the Christian belief in God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Time is given for prayer and reflection. Children write and use their own prayers and are familiar with traditional prayers such as the Lord’s Prayer. Older pupils plan and lead in-class worship. However, class worship books show that the themes are often based on personal interests rather than Christian values or Bible teaching. Children also take responsibility for planning class-led ‘presentation worship’ and special festival services held in school and church. These are much valued and well-attended by parents. However, the focus for these events is on celebration and presentation rather than collective worship. Pupils therefore have limited opportunities to plan and deliver acts of collective worship. Class evaluation books reflect the impact collective worship has on pupils’ attitudes and understanding. ‘I learned that God keeps his promises, so we should try to keep ours,’ wrote one child. However, this does not consistently lead to ongoing improvement because the monitoring is not clearly linked to the planned themes throughout the school year.
The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church school is outstanding
All members of the school community share the agreed Christian vision for the school. Senior leaders inspire and direct all that is achieved with purpose and determination. Staff are exceptionally well-supported and morale is extremely high. Governors support and challenge the work of the school effectively through analysis of data and robust monitoring. They are consistently engaged in the self-evaluation process, ensuring that parents and members of the church are included. Governors monitor and evaluate RE and collective worship through regular visits, discussions and lesson observations. Issues from the previous inspection have been addressed and the impact of the changes has been monitored and recorded. Governors ensure that church school issues are prioritised within school improvement planning. The leadership of RE and collective worship is secure. Strategic planning and the development of staff are outstanding. Through partnerships with the University of Cumbria and the South Lakes Rural Partnership, the school is directly involved in the training of future teachers and in supporting other schools. Exceptionally strong links with the local church and village community support and enhance the school’s Christian character. Church members are frequent visitors, leading the weekly RE Quest Club and supporting the planning and delivery of collective worship. The vicar supports the leadership and teaching of RE. Church and school work together on joint fund-raising and other projects, such as providing a holiday club during the Easter break. The pupil voice is strong. Children relish their responsibilities, explaining that they make decisions about which charities to support and find ways to improve their environment. Parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school saying, ‘Our children know that they are loved and secure here.’ They say that parents are well-informed and fully engaged in their children’s learning. Parents know that the school’s consistent use of Christian values has a positive impact on their children. One parent explained, ‘My girls talk about the values so we have incorporated them into our home rules.’

SIAMS report February 2015 Burton Morewood Church of England Primary Academy Burton-in-Kendal, Carnforth, Cumbria LA6 1NE

NS 09 2013 SIAMS Inspection School Report