Fulwood, St Peter's Church of England Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of Fulwood, St Peter’s Church of England Primary School and Nursery Meadowfield, Fulwood, Preston, Lancashire PR2 9RE

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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 12 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. Nursery 25 and 26 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well and in some subjects they excel. They meet the school’s high expectations for what they can achieve. They develop a rich vocabulary. For example, with the help of teachers, they learn the meaning of many important words such as ‘prairie, relinquish’ and ‘optimistic’. Pupils’ attainment in national tests and assessments of their reading, writing and mathematics in Year 2 and Year 6 is high.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, make lots of friends at the school. They are happy and enjoy their learning. They relish their opportunities for learning through nature, supported by staff, in the school’s grounds. They learn, for instance, the names of birds that come to feed in the trees and bushes, such as goldfinch.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils act with much self-control, including when they move about the school. They are polite. They behave very responsibly when meeting with visitors, such as inspectors. They are proud of their school and the part that they play in helping it to become an even better place. For instance, as members of the eco-council they help to collect litter at the school and turn room lights down low when practical.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the extra-curricular clubs that the school provides. For example, they take part in board games, choir and cooking. They know that roles in the school’s sports teams are for everyone. Many pupils aspire to develop new skills, play their role in a team and compete with others.

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better?

Children in the Nursery and Reception classes become confident, keen learners. They benefit from staff’s expert understanding of how young children develop and learn. Staff use information from other professionals, parents and carers to build the early years curriculum on what children already know and can do. They promptly identify and support any children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children gain a secure foundation of knowledge, on which their learning builds successfully in key stages 1 and 2.

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better?

Pupils, including those with SEND, gain much new knowledge. For instance, they become skilful, confident readers, writers and mathematicians. This is because, in the main, the school’s curriculum is carefully thought out and staff implement it well. Staff select activities for teaching that are matched to the school’s curriculum. They use assessment strategies carefully to pinpoint gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Pupils’ attainment in Year 6, in reading, writing and mathematics, which are tested and assessed nationally, is high. Pupils are prepared to continue their education successfully at secondary school.

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better?

In a few subjects, the school’s work to focus its curriculum on essential knowledge is less well developed. This makes it harder for staff to be clear on which key Nursery 25 and 26 June 2024

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information to teach and assess. Pupils enjoy their studies but sometimes remember the activities more than the important information that they need to know.

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The school has successfully made reading a high priority. It has strengthened its work, including staff’s use of a new phonics programme. Staff benefit from training and advice about phonics, for instance, from outside experts. Pupils become confident, fluent readers. Staff give weaker readers, including those with SEND, the precise support that they need to read fluently and maintain their confidence.

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Beginning in the Nursery, children develop a wide knowledge of different stories and rhymes. The school ensures that staff develop their own knowledge of children’s literature. This means that staff can explain texts to pupils, including the meaning of key new words. The school has reviewed its provision of reading books and wider literature successfully. It deepens pupils’ knowledge of language and literature. Pupils at the school love reading the school’s many fiction and non-fiction books. Older pupils speak confidently about a wide range of authors and their works, including the types of words that authors use to make their writing interesting.

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Typically, pupils are well behaved. This means that low-level disruption to lessons is rare. Mostly, staff can focus their attention on teaching. The school takes seriously any pupil’s absence and works with parents to address issues. Pupils’ levels of attendance at the school are high. They arrive at lessons punctually.

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The school provides pupils with many beneficial opportunities to support their personal development. For example, staff introduce pupils in upper key stage 2 to the richness of language, performance and music in opera. The school also uses well-considered educational visits to deepen pupils’ knowledge. For instance, pupils in lower key stage 2 recently visited a local wetland centre for wildfowl. This helped them to understand the importance of protecting birds and the natural landscape.

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Staff enjoy their work and feel that the school supports them, including with their workload. Members of the governing body support and challenge the work of the school effectively. Governors keep their eye on the school’s long-term priorities.

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The school does not communicate its work to parents effectively. This results in some parents having concerns about aspects of the school’s work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the school has not thought carefully enough about the essential subject content that pupils should learn and staff should assess. Some of the curriculum is unclear. Consequently, staff miss out some essential learning, Nursery 25 and 26 June 2024

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resulting in gaps in pupils’ knowledge. The school should make certain that all its curriculum is equally well thought out and implemented so that pupils know and remember important information.  The school does not communicate well enough with parents. This results in some parents becoming concerned about aspects of the school’s work. The school should engage with parents as effectively as it can so that parents have all the information that they need to support their children’s education.

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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). Nursery 25 and 26 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 16 and 17 October 2012 under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision for pupils.  Since the previous inspection, the school has expanded its provision to include a Nursery class.  The current headteacher works part time. The deputy headteacher is acting headteacher for some of the week.  Most staff at the school are new since the previous inspection.  This Church of England school is in the Diocese of Blackburn. The most recent section 48 inspection of its religious character took place in February 2018. The next section 48 inspection is due by the end of the 2025/6 academic year.

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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. Nursery 25 and 26 June 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection 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.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: art and design, early reading and mathematics. For each deep dive, they discussed the curriculum with the school, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with staff and talked with some pupils. The inspectors also looked at samples of pupils’ work and observed pupils from Years 1 to 3 read with a familiar adult.  The inspectors considered some other subjects by talking with the school, meeting with pupils and reviewing pupils’ work.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents provided by the school, including those available on its website.  The inspectors met with the school to discuss early years, behaviour and attendance, provision for pupils’ personal development and its arrangements to

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identify and support pupils with SEND.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  The inspectors held meetings with representatives of the diocese and local authority and the school adviser. They also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspectors spoke with pupils, including those with SEND, to gather their views of behaviour, safety and learning. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.  The inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They spoke with some parents as they brought their children to school. They also considered correspondence sent to Ofsted by parents.

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 The inspectors spoke with staff about their work and considered their responses to Ofsted’s survey.

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Inspection team

Tim Vaughan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lisa Whittaker Ofsted Inspector Nursery 25 and 26 June 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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