Singleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Inspection of Singleton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Church Road, Singleton, Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire FY6 8LN

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Inspection dates: 29 February and 1 March 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding 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 seven 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. 29 February and 1 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and flourish at this school. They discover and develop new talents, such as performing high-quality musical productions for their parents and carers. Pupils are keen to help others. For example, they take part in a range of fundraising activities, including supporting a school that they are linked with in Tanzania.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils embrace and celebrate diversity. They readily accept challenges to broaden their horizons and to make new friends. Children quickly settle in the early years. They are exceptionally well supported by older pupils, especially at breaktimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They demonstrate polite and mature attitudes towards each other and adults. Pupils are proud of their many leadership roles. These roles enhance the calm and purposeful atmosphere evident at the school. For example, the junior leadership team make sensible and astute suggestions that help to improve the school further.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ achievement. It ensures that pupils receive any additional support that they need to access the curriculum. This is especially true for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils’ passion for learning is palpable. They achieve well in most subjects, including in reading.

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better?

Pupils benefit from a high-quality education in most subjects. The published data shows that pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 was exceptionally high in 2023. Pupils typically achieve well across other subjects. However, in a small number of subjects, pupils’ achievement is more variable. This is because teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to use and apply their learning in the work that they produce. In these subjects, the standard of pupils’ work is not as strong as it is in others.

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better?

The curriculum is ambitious and captures pupils’ interests. Recent developments to the curriculum have ensured that teachers have greater clarity about the key learning that they need to focus on with their class. This helps pupils to build on what they have learned in previous years. They develop secure knowledge in most aspects of the curriculum.

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better?

Teachers deliver the curriculum skilfully, observing agreed strategies. For example, they quickly identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge or when pupils have misunderstood important information. Teachers provide timely, additional support to make sure that these issues are addressed so that pupils keep up with their peers.

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better?

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Children are introduced to the school’s phonics programme as soon as they begin in the Reception Year. They quickly gain a secure knowledge of phonics. This helps them to read familiar and unfamiliar words. 29 February and 1 March 2024

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Pupils regularly practise the sounds that they know with well-matched books. By the end of key stage 1, most pupils can read with fluency and accuracy.

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Pupils explore a wide range of well-chosen contemporary and classic literature as they progress through the school. They relish the times that are allocated to reading during the school day. Pupils make effective use of their reading knowledge to enhance their learning across the curriculum. They are keen to try out book recommendations from their teachers, classmates or favourite authors.

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Pupils’ additional needs, including those pupils with SEND, are identified swiftly. The school makes sure that these needs are met effectively. Pupils with SEND achieve well as a result.

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Pupils’ exceptional behaviour and attitudes to school enhances their learning. Lessons and breaktimes proceed without disruption. Pupils are happy to respond to the school’s high expectations for their behaviour and attendance. They understand that attending regularly and cooperating with others helps them to get the most from all that the school has to offer.

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The school provides a remarkable number of opportunities for pupils’ wider development. It ensures that all pupils, but especially those who are disadvantaged, benefit from this wide array of activities. Pupils grow in self-confidence and resilience. They were keen to tell inspectors about the many innovative ways that they learn to make a positive contribution to their school and wider community. Older pupils feel well prepared for moving on to their chosen secondary school. Their secure respect for people who may be different to them also stands pupils in good stead for living in a modern and diverse Britain.

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Members of the governing body provide effective challenge and support for the school. Governors and other leaders focus on ensuring that all pupils achieve as well as they can. Governors ensure that staff workload is not compromised when improvements are planned at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, pupils do not have enough opportunity to use and apply what they already know in the work that they produce. This prevents some pupils from deepening their knowledge over time. The school should ensure that teachers support pupils to build on what they have learned previously across different aspects of the curriculum. 29 February and 1 March 2024

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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). 29 February and 1 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 December 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Diocese of Blackburn. It was last inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in October 2019. The school is awaiting confirmation from the diocese about its next section 48 inspection.  A new chair of governors has been appointed since the previous inspection.  The school does not make use of alternative provision for pupils.

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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 educational provision.  This was the second routine inspection that the school received since the COVID- 19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 29 February and 1 March 2024

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 An inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority. She also spoke with a representative of the diocese.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: 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.  An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. They spoke with the leaders of these areas of the curriculum. They also visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work, held discussions with teachers and talked with pupils.  Inspectors also spoke with pupils about their learning in other subjects.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They observed pupils’ behaviour as they moved around the school. An inspector also

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scrutinised leaders’ records of pupils’ behaviour.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses. They also considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff. There were no responses to the online survey for pupils.

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Inspection team

Claire Cropper, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

John Hanley Ofsted Inspector 29 February and 1 March 2024

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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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