Livesey Saint Francis' Church of England School

Inspection of Livesey Saint Francis’ Church of England School Cherry Tree Lane, Cherry Tree, Blackburn, Lancashire BB2 5NX

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 3 and 4 July 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live out leaders’ vision through their everyday actions. For example, they strive to love people and to love learning. They do this by engaging well in lessons and by caring for one another. Pupils are happy at this school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy carrying out the many leadership roles on offer. They are proud to be voted to these roles by their peers. Pupils play an important part in the life of the school by helping to make important decisions with leaders. Pupils also develop a keen sense of the values of law, respect and democracy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know and follow the school rules well. They meet the high expectations that leaders set for their behaviour. Pupils’ conduct helps to create a calm and orderly learning environment. Leaders deal with any incidents of bullying quickly. This helps pupils to feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils. Pupils have high aspirations for themselves. They make meaningful connections in their learning. Pupils achieve well and build secure knowledge over time. They are well prepared for the next stages of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love their playtimes. They enjoy the new outdoor play programme which encourages pupils of all ages to play together. Pupils enjoy time in the vegetable patch, mud kitchen and large sand pit. This helps to develop wider skills of cooperation, team building and risk management. Overall, leaders’ approach to pupils’ wider personal development is first class.

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better?

Leaders have designed a curriculum that reflects the context of the school community and the learning needs of pupils. The well-ordered curriculum begins in the early years where leaders have thought about the essential foundations that children need for future learning. Across key stages 1 and 2, pupils continue to experience a carefully designed curriculum that is delivered in a logical order.

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better?

In most subjects, teachers skilfully check what pupils know and remember. They make sure that pupils revisit and recap previous learning. Pupils, including those with SEND, successfully develop their knowledge over time in most subjects.

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better?

Typically, staff have secure subject knowledge. However, in a small number of subjects, some staff do not have the expertise that they need to deliver some subject curriculums as well as they should. This means that, in these subjects, staff sometimes do not support pupils to make secure enough connections between new 3 and 4 July 2023

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topics and concepts. Occasionally, some pupils do not build their knowledge as well as they could in these curriculum areas.

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Leaders have prioritised reading. Children learn about letters and the sounds that they represent as soon as they start school. Teachers receive regular training so that they have the expertise that they need to deliver the phonics programme consistently well. Pupils take home books that match the sounds that they know. This enables them to practise their reading knowledge. Staff check that pupils are on track with learning to read. If pupils fall behind the expectations in the phonics programme, they receive effective support to help them to catch up quickly.

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Older pupils read and listen to increasingly complex stories and poems that cover a wide variety of appropriate topics and subject matter. Pupils display a keen love of reading. Pupils told inspectors that books open up the world to them.

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Leaders ensure that pupils’ additional needs are identified accurately and quickly. Staff receive appropriate training and they successfully adapt the delivery of the curriculum so that pupils with SEND can learn alongside their peers. When needed, pupils with SEND receive well-tailored, additional support. This means that they do not miss out on learning important ideas in a subject. This helps pupils with SEND to achieve well.

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Children in the early years quickly settle into the routines of learning. They are happy, confident and play harmoniously with their friends. Pupils in key stages 1 and 2 focus within lesson time. Learning is rarely disrupted.

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Leaders have ensured that pupils’ personal development is exceptional. Pupils learn a great deal about diversity. They talked passionately and with maturity about different families, faiths and cultures. Pupils view people’s differences as a very positive aspect of British society. They celebrate individuality at every opportunity. Pupils continually think of others. They take the initiative to raise money for local and global charities and they know that this is part of being a good citizen. Pupils are fully prepared to make a positive contribution to their community and the wider world.

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Governors and senior leaders know the school well. They have made huge leaps in addressing the areas for improvement from the previous inspection. They work well together to bring about change. Governors understand their duties and have the necessary skills to challenge and support leaders. Most staff appreciate the efforts that leaders and governors make to support their well-being and to manage their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise pupils’ safety and welfare. They provide regular training to ensure that staff are alert to any signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. Staff are vigilant. 3 and 4 July 2023

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They report concerns promptly and leaders respond diligently. Leaders work well with external agencies to support vulnerable pupils and their families. Leaders are not afraid to challenge other agencies if they think more should be done to keep a pupil safe.

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in different situations. For example, they know they should not share personal details and information online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, some staff do not have secure enough subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum consistently well. This hinders how well some pupils learn because it prevents them from making secure connections between different topics and concepts. Leaders should ensure that staff have the subject knowledge that they need to deliver the curriculum consistently well.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 3 and 4 July 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 and 22 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Diocese of Blackburn. Its last section 48 inspection took place in December 2022.  Leaders use one registered alternative provider for pupils.  There is a breakfast club on offer each day.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 3 and 4 July 2023

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 Inspectors listened to some pupils read.  Inspectors spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects. They spoke to pupils and looked at samples of their work in these subjects.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders. The lead inspector spoke to representatives of the local authority and diocese. She met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  To evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the school’s policies, procedures and records and met with the leaders responsible for safeguarding. Inspectors also spoke with staff, governors and pupils about the school’s approach to keeping pupils safe.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school. An inspector visited the breakfast club.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses. Inspectors also spoke with parents and carers at the school.

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 Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online pupil and staff questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Sue Dymond, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Linda Griffiths Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 July 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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