A primary school has been told which areas need attention following its most recent Ofsted inspection.
Church Walk CofE Primary School in Ulverston was visited by inspectors on 10 March 2026.
While safeguarding standards at the school were met, three areas of the school were meeting the ‘expected standard’ and four areas were deemed ‘needs attention’.
Aspects meeting the expected standard were the early years provision, inclusion, and personal development and well-being.
The report commended the school’s nurturing environment, stating: “Staff have warm, nurturing relationships with children.”
The report also highlighted the school’s active collaboration with the feeder nursery, parents, and carers to ensure that “children’s unique needs are understood from the moment they start school.”
“Children get off to a flying start with developing their early reading skills,” the inspectors said, with children progressing well through the phonics program.
Inspectors also recognised the school’s approach towards inclusion and meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
The report also noted that the school’s personal development programme is “coherent, broad and ambitious”.
However, four areas were found to be in need of attention: achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, and leadership and governance.
Shortcomings were found in students’ development of handwriting and number facts, with Year 4 multiplication checks being below average for the past three years.
The report stated: “Currently, pupils do not develop these skills as securely, or swiftly, as they should.”
Inspectors noted that some pupils struggle to remember the depth of knowledge they need for future learning.
The report also said: “Leaders’ expectations of pupils’ behaviour are not consistently realised in practice.
“Some pupils, in some classes in Years 1 to 6, lose focus in lessons.
“In the main, teachers address this when it occurs, reminding pupils of the expectations.
“However, these occasions distract other pupils and make it hard for them to concentrate on their learning.”
Concerns were also raised about the consistency in how effectively checks on how well pupils are learning are used to identify and address gaps in knowledge.
As a result, the report noted that “this hinders leaders from ensuring that pupils catch up quickly when they struggle in their learning.”
While recognising the school’s ambitious and engaging curriculum, inspectors felt that the school’s governance could improve.
Despite understanding their roles and responsibilities, governors currently lack a rigorous oversight of the curriculum quality and its impact, affecting their ability to effectively challenge and support leaders, the report said.
The report acknowledged the positive relationships among pupils and staff, noting that “pupils enjoy school and attend well.”
Headteacher, Mrs Susan Davies commented: “We are pleased to see that the Ofsted inspection has captured the many strengths at Church Walk and there are lots of positive aspects to the report and comments made.
“They include our personal development opportunities, Early Years and inclusion.
“We want children who come to Church Walk to be happy, enjoy school and feel safe.
“Pupils make good progress from their own starting points and have positive relationships with each other and with the staff.
“We are glad that the report reflects this.
“All of the areas that were highlighted as needing attention, have already been identified in our School Improvement Plan.
“It was too early to show the impact of these when Ofsted inspected the school.
“This was acknowledged in the report.
“We will be pleased to share the positive impact of our actions when Ofsted visit again.”
In the light of the findings, Ofsted set out the next steps for the school.
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