Lostock Primary School

Inspection of Lostock Primary School Glengarth Drive, Lostock, Bolton, Lancashire BL6 4PS

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 14 and 15 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school are kind, successful and happy. They shine in the many different roles and responsibilities that the school encourages them to hold. Pupils thrive in the knowledge that they are valued members of the ‘Lostock family’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that the school expects the very best of their conduct and for their academic achievement. Pupils readily rise to meet these high expectations. From the early years to Year 6, most pupils achieve extremely well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are incredibly proud of their school. They said that they relish attending each day. Pupils have a thirst for learning new information and broadening their knowledge. They demonstrate exemplary behaviour to each other and towards adults. Pupils show genuine interest in the opinions of others. They have high levels of respect and tolerance towards people from different backgrounds to themselves.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides an exceptional programme to develop pupils’ learning beyond the academic curriculum. Pupils benefit from taking part in character development sessions and outdoor learning experiences. The school ensures that pupils make highly effective use of its purpose-built science, technology, engineering and mathematics facility, which helps to prepare pupils for future learning.

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better?

The school ensures that pupils learn from the carefully crafted curriculum. It has purposely ordered the small steps of knowledge that pupils will learn from the beginning of the Reception Year to the end of Year 6. The school has placed a deliberate focus on developing pupils’ knowledge of vocabulary. Over time, most pupils, including those with SEND, build a rich and secure body of knowledge.

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better?

Pupils benefit from the school’s precise and consistent approach to delivering the curriculum. Staff choose appropriate activities that help pupils to learn well. Staff routinely revisit pupils’ prior learning within lessons and during specifically tailored days to revisit learning from previous years. This enables pupils to embed important information into their long-term memory. They draw on this for their future learning. Staff check that pupils are learning the intended curriculum well. They quickly address any misunderstandings that pupils develop. This ensures that pupils build a deep and rich body of subject knowledge across a range of subjects.

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better?

The school cultivates pupils’ love of reading. Pupils read from a wide range of high- quality texts written by different authors. Pupils hold articulate, thoughtful conversations about their favourite texts.

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better?

From the outset, skilled staff help children in the Reception Year to make a swift start in learning to read. They make sure that pupils who are not keeping up with the intended pace of the phonics programme receive timely support. The school 14 and 15 May 2024

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ensures that pupils read from books that contain the sounds that they already know. This helps pupils to learn to read with confidence and to develop into fluent and accurate readers.

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The school has effective strategies in place to identify and support pupils with SEND. It sees each pupil as an individual and places high priority on providing the correct support to help pupils with SEND to achieve well. This includes by liaising with external professionals and providing pupils with a range of therapeutic services.

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Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. There is a culture of mutual respect across the school. During lessons, pupils concentrate on their learning and work cooperatively together. The school makes sure that pupils attend regularly so that they fully benefit from the superb learning opportunities. Where families need assistance, the school offers a range of support. Staff analyse attendance information thoroughly to fully understand how to continue to improve specific aspects of the school’s approach.

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The school’s programme for personal development is exceptional. It helps pupils to prepare well for life in modern Britain. For example, pupils visit institutes of higher learning and learn about financial management. The school provides pupils with a wealth of opportunities to develop their love of the arts and sports. It places high emphasis on pupils’ learning beyond the classroom. For example, the school’s outdoor learning programme is designed to build on pupils’ curriculum learning as well as enhancing broader skill sets, such as independence. Pupils have many opportunities to shine through the abundance of responsibilities that they can hold.

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Staff are unanimously proud to be part of the school community. Governors are highly knowledgeable and effective in their roles. They understand how to challenge and support the school to achieve the best outcomes for pupils. The school understands the impact that changes can have on staff’s workload and well-being. As such, it has actively developed a range of well-being strategies to minimise the impact that any changes may have.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 14 and 15 May 2024

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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). 14 and 15 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 7 and 8 March 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any 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 education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other leaders and staff.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited 14 and 15 May 2024

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a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors considered the curriculum in some other subjects. They spoke with pupils and reviewed samples of pupils’ work in these subjects.  The lead inspector observed some pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult.  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.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes. They also spoke with pupils about their experiences of school.  Inspectors looked at a range of policies and documentation relating to pupils’ welfare and education.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-

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text comments. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and for pupils.

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Inspection team

Sheena Clark, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Ian Young Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 May 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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