Staining Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Staining Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Staining Road, Staining, Blackpool, Lancashire FY3 0BW

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Outcome

Staining Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to attend this vibrant and friendly school. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and nurturing. All pupils, including children in the early years, enjoy their lessons and look forward to all the learning opportunities on offer to them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of what all pupils can achieve. Pupils rise to the school’s expectations of them. They achieve highly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They uphold the school’s values and conduct themselves positively during lessons and around the school. Pupils play nicely together in the school’s extensive grounds. They are proud of their newly renovated garden area. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere in classrooms, which helps pupils to focus on their learning. Pupils enjoy being able to share their successes with each other in regular celebration events.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a wide range of clubs and trips so that pupils can develop their interests and talents. These include gardening, card-making and sports clubs. Year 6 pupils are looking forward to their residential trip, where they are keen to go on a zip wire. Pupils learn to improve their leadership skills through being members of the ethos group and by being buddies to younger children.

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

The school is ambitious for all pupils. It has designed the curriculum to be broad and varied. The knowledge that children should learn, and when this should happen, is clearly defined from the early years to Year 6. The school has ensured that the curriculum builds on what pupils already know and can do. This enables pupils to develop an understanding of more complex ideas. 3 and 4 October 2023

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In most lessons, teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge. They generally deliver the curriculum well. However, the school has not monitored the implementation of the curriculum as effectively as it should. In a few subjects, some of the activities that teachers select are not well chosen to help pupils to learn new content. This means that some pupils do not learn all that they could.

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Children start to learn phonics from the beginning of the Reception Year. Staff implement the phonics programme well and with fidelity. They provide pupils with books that match their current phonics knowledge. This means that most pupils learn to read quickly and fluently in readiness for key stage 2. Staff swiftly identify pupils who need extra support in learning to read so that they can catch up. The library contains a wide range of books. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about their favourite stories and authors.

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Pupils concentrate and work hard in lessons, which proceed without disruption. Pupils are curious and attentive learners. Their positive attitudes to learning are fostered from the beginning of school in the early years. Staff provide children with a focused learning environment. This helps children to engage in well-thought-out activities that reinforce their learning.

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The school identifies pupils’ individual needs quickly and accurately. Staff provide pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) with extra help and support so that they can follow the same curriculum as their classmates. This helps pupils with SEND to achieve well.

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The school support pupils’ personal development well. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures. As a result, they have a secure understanding of acceptance and tolerance. They can understand and respect different viewpoints from their own. Pupils proudly told the inspector that they take part in charity fundraising events. They understand the importance of helping people who need it. Over time, pupils develop into kind and considerate citizens.

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The school successfully engages with parents and carers. For example, it shares a wide range of information to help parents to support their children’s education at home.

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The governing body is highly committed to the school. It has an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas to develop further. Governors provide appropriate support and challenge to ensure that the school continues to improve the quality of education that pupils receive.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. The school takes their workload and well-being into account. Staff welcome the guidance that the school provides in making positive changes to the curriculum.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 3 and 4 October 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school does not check in enough detail how well the curriculum is being implemented. Some teachers do not select the most appropriate activities to help pupils to acquire new information. This means that some pupils are not making the progress in these subjects that they might. The school should check that the curriculum is being delivered as intended so that pupils know and remember more across all subjects.

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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.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 3 and 4 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school provides a breakfast and after-school club, which is managed by the governing body.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  This Church of England primary school is in the Diocese of Blackburn. The last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in October 2019. The next section 48 inspection is expected to be completed in 2024.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher, other leaders and with members of staff. She also met with some governors, including the chair of governors. 3 and 4 October 2023

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 The inspector spoke to groups of pupils about their experiences of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. She also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of evidence, including the school’s self-evaluation document, improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, she discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at

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samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in other subject areas.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Sharples, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 3 and 4 October 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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