Bacup Holy Trinity Stacksteads Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Bacup Holy Trinity Stacksteads Church of England Primary School Booth Road, Stacksteads, Bacup, Lancashire OL13 0QW

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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 11 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. School, 2 and 3 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Holy Trinity enjoy school. They are happy to attend each day. Pupils especially appreciate the exciting ways in which teachers capture their curiosity through the topics that they study. This ensures that pupils are enthusiastic about their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils generally respond well to the high expectations that are set for their achievement. In the main, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), remember the key learning that is set out in the school’s curriculum in most subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in school, especially at breaktimes. They are respectful of one another and they maintain strong friendships with each other. Older pupils help to keep an orderly and calm environment in the school through their role as corridor monitors. Other leadership roles, such as being a well-being ambassador, also have a positive effect on pupils’ confidence and self-esteem.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience a number of trips and events that enhance their learning of the curriculum. They also have a range of diverse after-school activities available to them, such as pom-pom making, basketball and history clubs. Pupils are proud to represent the school at a wide variety of sports competitions. Their recent sporting success has helped them to understand the need for fair play as well as developing their teamwork skills.

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better?

The school has set out a clear curriculum in most subjects to ensure that pupils build their understanding incrementally over time. Teachers follow these subject curriculums well. Staff use the key learning that is set out for each subject to check on pupils’ understanding to help to reinforce this knowledge. For example, in the early years, staff use their observations of children’s learning to help to deepen children’s understanding.

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better?

In most subjects, pupils remember their learning and achieve well. However, in a small number of subjects in key stages 1 and 2, the curriculum is not clear about some of the important concepts that the school wants pupils to know. This means that teachers are unsure about some of the key knowledge that needs to be taught to help pupils connect different aspects of their learning together. As a result, some develop gaps in their understanding. This makes it difficult for them to explain some of their learning.

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better?

The school has clear systems in place to identify any pupils with SEND as early as possible. Staff receive suitable training to help them to cater for pupils’ individual needs. As a result, these pupils receive the help that they need to achieve well in most subjects. School, 2 and 3 July 2024

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In reading, the school has ensured that staff follow the phonics programme effectively. Teachers make sure that pupils read books that match their phonics knowledge. In the Nursery Year, staff help to develop children’s spoken language skills and children’s love of books by talking about stories and children’s interests. This helps to prepare them for the sounds that they will learn in the Reception Year. In key stage 1, the majority of pupils become fluent and confident readers. They move steadily through the phonics programme to achieve success as readers and writers. However, the arrangement to help some pupils to catch up with the intended learning is not as successful as it should be. As a result, some pupils, including some pupils with SEND, do not have the phonics knowledge that they need to read as fluently as they should.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and cooperate effectively with each other when learning together. For example, in the early years, children encourage each other to offer their opinions when discussing their work. Across the school, disruption to learning rarely happens, but when it does, the school tackles this quickly and decisively.

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The school has clear systems in place to check on pupils’ attendance. This is treated as a priority. The school works well with parents and carers to help them to understand the importance of pupils attending school regularly. As a result, fewer pupils are persistently absent from school.

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The school provides a range of opportunities for pupils’ personal development. For example, the school’s work on mental health has empowered pupils to deal with difficult situations, such as friendship issues. The recent focus on different faiths has ensured that pupils have a clear knowledge of the similarities and differences of the beliefs of others. Pupils enjoy the link that the school has with another local school, which helps to develop pupils’ social skills as well as their understanding of different religious festivals, such as Eid. Pupils understand the principles of equality and fundamental British Values. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Staff feel well supported by the school. They are given time to carry out their leadership roles and additional tasks. Staff feel that these welcome initiatives have helped to ease their workload.

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Governors have a good understanding of the school overall. However, they do not have enough insight into the impact of the school’s actions to improve the curriculum. This is because the school’s proposed actions to develop the curriculum further lack clarity about what it is hoping to achieve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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 The arrangements to support some pupils to catch up with the intended phonics curriculum are not effective enough. This means that some pupils do not overcome gaps in their phonics knowledge. This hinders their reading fluency. The school should ensure that the support that pupils receive enables them to keep pace with the phonics programme.  In a small number of subjects, the school has not set out the key knowledge that they want pupils to acquire. This means that teachers are not clear on some of the important concepts that pupils need to remember. As a result, pupils do not gain some of the essential knowledge that they need for their future learning. The school should ensure that they are more specific about what they want pupils to know to deepen their understanding.  The school is not clear about what it wants to achieve when it proposes actions to further improve the curriculum. As a result, governors do not have the

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information that they need to question the impact of the school’s actions. The school should set its aims for developing the curriculum more clearly so that governors can measure how well the school achieves its goals.

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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 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). School, 2 and 3 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteachers John Aspin and Debbie Burns

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 and 23 May 2013, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Two co-headteachers lead the school on a part-time basis.  All governors are new to the school since the previous inspection.  The school does not use alternative provision.  Bacup Holy Trinity is a Church of England school. The school’s most recent section 48 inspection of a school with a religious character took place in November 2019. The next inspection is due before July 2026.

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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. School, 2 and 3 July 2024

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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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, design technology and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also discussed the curriculum in other subjects, looked at a sample of work in these subjects and spoke with pupils about their work.  Inspectors heard pupils read individually and as part of classroom activities.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View as well as Ofsted’s online inspection surveys for staff and pupils.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, at breaktimes and around

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the school. They looked at records for behaviour and bullying and spoke with pupils and staff.  Inspectors discussed the provision in place for pupils’ personal development.  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.

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Inspection team

Steve Bentham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Midgley Ofsted Inspector School, 2 and 3 July 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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