St Michael's-On-Wyre Church of England Primary School & Nursery

Inspection of St Michael’s-On-Wyre Church of England Primary School & Nursery Hall Lane, St Michael’s-on-Wyre, Preston, Lancashire PR3 0UA

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 14 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 8 and 9 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are cherished at this welcoming school. They form strong and trusting bonds with staff and each other. Children in the early years, including two-year-olds, settle into school life well. Pupils enjoy learning and socialising with their friends. They feel happy and accepted.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils enjoy learning and try their best. They typically achieve well and are ready for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and at playtimes. They are respectful to one another. Pupils enjoy the rewards and the shiny ‘gems’ that they receive for behaving well and working hard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of trips and clubs beyond the academic curriculum. For example, pupils spoke excitedly about rock climbing, paddle boarding and ghyll scrambling, as well as residential trips and travelling on a ferry. These experiences enable pupils to develop exciting new interests and find undiscovered talents.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils excel in their various roles and responsibilities. These include house captains, librarians and school councillors. Older pupils are proud to be special ‘buddies’ to children in the early years. Pupils are proud to care for their local and wider community. They learn that they can make a positive difference by raising money for charities.

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better?

The school has carefully considered the needs and interests of all pupils in its curriculum design. It has developed an ambitious and well-thought-out curriculum in most subjects across key stages 1 and 2. In these subjects, the school has considered carefully what it wants pupils to know and the order in which subject content will be taught. This is similar in the early years. Children in the provision for two-year-olds gain a secure foundation on which to build as they progress through the curriculum. Across the rest of the early years, the curriculum in many areas of learning identifies the key knowledge that children should learn in readiness for key stage 1.

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better?

In a small number of subjects, including some areas of learning in the early years, the school is still refining its work to ensure that teachers are clear about what they want pupils to learn. This means that sometimes teachers find it difficult to design learning that helps pupils to gain important knowledge. On occasion, this leads to gaps in pupils’ learning that stop pupils from building on what they know.

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better?

Teachers typically deliver the curriculum well. Most teachers use assessment strategies effectively to identify misconceptions in pupils’ learning. However, at 8 and 9 November 2023

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times, some teachers are not adept at picking up where pupils have not understood what has been taught. When this happens, pupils’ learning is less secure.

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The school accurately identifies pupils with SEND. However, for a small number of pupils with SEND, access to the curriculum is not adapted consistently well. This means that, on occasion, these pupils do not learn as well as they should.

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The school prioritises reading. It invests in high-quality and engaging books that pupils love to read. Pupils enjoy adults reading carefully chosen books to them at story times. Staff receive appropriate training so that they deliver the early reading programme effectively. As a result, children in the provision for two-year-olds develop their early language well, while pupils in key stage 1 gain a secure knowledge of phonics.

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Pupils are positive about their school and their learning. Most pupils are enthusiastic and attentive in lessons. Low-level disruption is rare. Pupils know that the school rules are there to help them to learn and keep them safe. Most pupils attend school regularly.

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The school is committed to providing a wide range of opportunities to extend pupils’ learning and experiences beyond their immediate environment. There are many opportunities for pupils to learn how to stay safe and protect their well-being. Pupils learn about the differences between people, for example different families. They also find out about different religions and regularly visit their local parish church. Pupils try hard to make a positive contribution to the school and the community. They understand that it is important to treat everyone with respect.

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Governors have a rich insight into the school. They are well informed about the quality of education that the school provides for all pupils. They carry out their statutory duties effectively.

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The school takes staff workload and well-being into consideration when making decisions about policies and procedures. Staff told inspectors that the school goes above and beyond to support their well-being. They feel valued and supported.

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The school communicates well with parents and carers. For example, it invites parents to watch phonics lessons in school to guide them on how best to support their children’s reading at home.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 8 and 9 November 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, including in the early years, the school has not given sufficient thought to the essential knowledge that pupils must learn and in what order this should be taught. Some pupils do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects. The school should finalise its curriculum thinking so that teachers know exactly what pupils must learn and when this should be taught.  Sometimes, a few teachers do not use assessment strategies as effectively as they could to identify pupils’ misconceptions. This holds some pupils back from learning all that they should. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment strategies effectively to help pupils get the most out of their learning across the whole curriculum.  For a small number of pupils with SEND, access to the curriculum is not adapted consistently well. This means that these pupils struggle to learn as well as they should. The school should ensure that suitable adaptations are in place so that

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils with SEND are able to access learning.

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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’ 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). 8 and 9 November 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.stmichaelsonwyreprimary.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 31 March 2009, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 This is a Church of England school within the Diocese of Blackburn. The most recent section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in April 2019. The next section 48 inspection is due from September 2024.  Since the previous inspection, the headteacher and several other teaching staff have been newly appointed to the school.  A new chair of governors has also been appointed since the previous inspection.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  There is provision for two-year-olds.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 8 and 9 November 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority and the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also observed some pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single

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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.  Inspectors spoke with pupils in meetings and around the school at lunchtimes and breaktimes.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at breaktimes.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement and documents relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses. Inspectors also spoke with some parents during the inspection.  Inspectors reviewed the online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Victoria Burnside, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Hazzard Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 November 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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