Leyland St James Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Leyland St James Church of England Primary School Slater Lane, Leyland, Lancashire PR26 7SH

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Inspection dates: 6 June, and 14 and 15 June 2023

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Outcome

Leyland St James Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, are proud to attend Leyland St James Primary School. They arrive at school eager to learn. Pupils are greeted by staff with a warm smile as they make their way to their classrooms. Staff forge positive relationships with pupils. This helps pupils to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to succeed academically. Pupils live up to leaders’ expectations and most achieve well across a range of subjects. Pupils told inspectors that learning at this school is interesting and fun.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders expect pupils to behave well. Pupils easily rise to these high expectations. They are well mannered and make visitors to the school feel welcome. Leaders ensure that there is a consistent approach to behaviour management across the school. If there is any unkindness or bullying, it is resolved quickly by leaders and staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide a varied range of opportunities to enhance pupils’ wider development. For example, residential trips help to build pupils’ confidence and resilience. Pupils are proud of their efforts to raise money for charitable causes, including supporting pupils in a school in Uganda.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are delighted with the quality of education that their children receive at this school.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The new senior leadership team has very quickly ascertained the key strengths of the school and the refinements necessary to continue to improve the quality of education that pupils receive.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders are committed to ensuring that all pupils benefit from the ambitious curriculum that they have designed, including pupils with SEND. In many subjects, leaders have 6 June, and 14 and 15 June 2023

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carefully identified the most important knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember from the early years to Year 6. Leaders have also thought about the subject- specific vocabulary that they want all pupils to acquire as they move through the school. Subject leaders have strong expertise and monitor their areas of responsibility effectively. Teachers appreciate the training, guidance and support that leaders provide to help them to deliver the curriculum well.

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Teachers ensure that pupils have opportunities to recall their earlier learning. They present new concepts clearly. Teachers routinely check pupils’ understanding and respond to their misconceptions in a timely manner. Classrooms are calm and orderly, and pupils have many opportunities to discuss their thoughts and ideas. Children in the early years settle into routines quickly, learning how to share with their peers. Pupils in key stages 1 and 2 listen attentively in lessons and behave well.

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Leaders understand that being able to communicate and read fluently is the gateway to accessing the wider curriculum and lifelong learning. For example, books are displayed around the school to help foster pupils’ love of reading. As soon as children start in the early years, staff seize every opportunity to develop children’s language skills. There is a real buzz of conversation as children learn and play.

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Staff deliver the school’s phonics programme consistently well. Pupils, including those with SEND, read books that are well matched to the sounds that they know. Staff make effective use of assessment information to identify pupils who are struggling to read. These pupils benefit from the extra support that they receive to help them to catch up quickly.

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Pupils with SEND have their needs identified early. Teachers appropriately adapt the delivery of the curriculum to ensure that most of these pupils learn well alongside their friends in class. Pupils with SEND take an active role in all aspects of school life.

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Pupils are tolerant and respectful of others. They understand that people have different families and beliefs. Pupils recognise the need to take regular exercise and eat nutritious meals to promote their good health. Leaders provide some opportunities for pupils to take on leadership roles, such as acting as school councillors or eco-warriors. However, the range of extra-curricular activities available for pupils is limited, particularly for pupils in key stage 1. Leaders pay due regard to pupils’ mental health.

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Some experienced members of this small governing body do ask pertinent questions in relation to many aspects of the school’s work. However, because of the size of the governing body, the level of challenge is not as high as it could be. Governors recognise this and have appointed some new governors who take up their duties at the start of the new academic year.

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Staff thoroughly enjoy working at the school. They value leaders’ consideration of their workload and well-being 6 June, and 14 and 15 June 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff recognise that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Leaders have ensured that all staff have accessed the training they need to identify pupils that may be at risk of harm. Staff know how to report and record any concerns that they may have.

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Safeguarding

Leaders monitor these concerns and follow them up swiftly. They work closely with outside agencies to ensure vulnerable families get the help and support that they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when they are online. They know the qualities that make a good friend and which behaviours are unacceptable.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils, particularly those in key stage 1, do not have enough opportunities to engage in extra-curricular activities. This prevents some pupils from pursuing their interests and developing their talents. Leaders should extend the range of extra-curricular activities available to all pupils so that they have more opportunities to develop their interests beyond the academic curriculum.  From time to time, governors do not challenge leaders as effectively as they should. This means that leaders are not held fully accountable for all aspects of the school’s work. Leaders should ensure that newly appointed governors quickly receive the training that they need to enable them to contribute fully to the work of the governing body.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2014. 6 June, and 14 and 15 June 2023

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 6 June, and 14 and 15 June 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.leyland-st-james.lancs.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 April 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher and deputy headteacher have been appointed.  Leaders make use of one registered alternative provision.  The last section 48 inspection was carried out in March 2020.

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Information about this inspection

 The initial inspection which started on 6 June 2023 had to be stopped due to unforeseen circumstances. The remainder of the inspection was carried out on 14 and 15 June 2023, adding to the evidence collected at the original inspection.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with governors, the headteacher and staff.  An inspector held a telephone call with representatives of the local authority and the Diocese of Blackburn. 6 June, and 14 and 15 June 2023

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 Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including that relating to safeguarding. They spoke with leaders, staff and pupils about the culture of safeguarding in the school.  Inspectors observed behaviour as pupils moved around the school, in class, in the dinner hall and outdoor play area.  An inspector considered the views expressed by parents in their responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included free-text comments. She also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaires for staff and pupils.  An inspector spoke with parents as they brought their children to school at the start of the school day.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, they discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons and spoke to teachers and some pupils about their learning. An inspector looked at a sample of pupils’ work. Both inspectors listened to pupils read

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with a familiar adult.  An inspector also discussed the curriculum with leaders in other subjects.

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Inspection team

Charlotte Oles, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sheila Iwaskow, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 6 June, and 14 and 15 June 2023

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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