Layton Primary School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Layton Primary School Meyler Avenue, Layton, Blackpool, Lancashire FY3 7DX

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of outstanding as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, are happy and achieve well at this friendly school. The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. It focuses on ensuring that pupils develop the skills and knowledge that they need to become, for example, geographers, mathematicians and musicians of the future. However, pupils do not develop a deep enough understanding in a small number of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience a wide range of exciting opportunities that help them to develop into considerate and caring citizens. The active pupil leadership team is committed to improving the school community. For example, eco-ambassadors promote the benefits of walking to school and well-being ambassadors support pupils’ positive mental health.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in school. They listen carefully in lessons. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), form warm relationships with staff. Staff, alongside Teddy the therapy dog, provide proactive support to any pupils who may need extra help to learn or behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of clubs, trips and activities that help them to learn the curriculum. For instance, during the inspection, pupils dressed as Greek gods. Pupils develop friendships and other skills when they take part in clubs such as gardening, chess and young carers’ club.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has designed a broad and balanced curriculum. The curriculum is ambitious and meets pupils’ needs well. The school has ensured that the curriculum identifies the knowledge that pupils will learn and when this will be taught. However, in some subject curriculums, the knowledge that the school intends pupils to learn is not outlined in 11 and 12 July 2024

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sufficient detail. This hinders teachers from ensuring that pupils learn all that they should in these subjects.

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Overall, teachers deliver the curriculum well. The school provides staff with supportive coaching and training. This support helps staff to improve their delivery of the curriculum, when required. For example, staff work together in their year group teams to design learning activities for pupils. Staff reported that this helps them to manage their workload.

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Staff check pupils’ understanding during lessons effectively. They intervene quickly when they identify that pupils have misconceptions or gaps in their knowledge. This also helps staff to identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND swiftly and accurately.

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The school has ensured that reading is a high priority. Pupils begin the phonics programme in the Reception Year. The phonics programme is delivered well. Most pupils become successful readers. Pupils who find reading more difficult continue to receive effective support to become confident, fluent readers for as long as required.

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In 2023, the progress and attainment of pupils in Year 6 was significantly above the national average. These published outcomes demonstrate pupils’ secure understanding in reading, writing and mathematics. However, some pupils’ understanding of key knowledge in a minority of subjects is not as developed as it should be.

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The school’s work to support pupils with SEND is praiseworthy. Younger pupils who need extra help to access the classroom environment confidently receive well-designed support. For example, staff provide a sharp focus on improving these pupils’ communication and language skills. The school ensures that pupils with SEND who need further help receive the support that they need to learn well. Nevertheless, some of the school’s documents do not highlight pupils’ needs, and the support that they receive, clearly enough. This hinders the school’s ability to evaluate the impact that it has on some pupils’ progress.

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The school is calm and orderly. Pupils respond quickly to staff’s requests and understand the well-established school routines. This contributes to the positive learning environment. The school monitors pupils’ rates of attendance carefully. Most pupils attend school regularly and on time. However, a few pupils, including some who are disadvantaged, do not attend school as often as they should. Nonetheless, the school’s tenacious approach helps to ensure that these pupils’ rates of attendance improve over time.

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Pupils learn how to stay safe online and in the community. They engage with the local community, such as when collecting food for a local food bank. A range of visitors to school, and trips out of school, help pupils to learn about life in modern Britain. For example, some pupils recently visited Parliament and others met a Paralympian.

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The school’s work to engage with parents and carers is typically effective. For example, parents appreciate opportunities to learn about the school’s approach to reading and mathematics. Most parents are highly satisfied with the support that their children receive. However, some parents of pupils with SEND reported that they were not fully informed about the support that their child receives. 11 and 12 July 2024

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Governors know the school well. They offer support and challenge to the school in equal measure. They have a secure understanding of their duties and fulfil these well.

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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 identified the key knowledge that pupils will learn sufficiently well. As a result, some pupils do not learn as deeply as they could. The school should ensure that, in these subjects, teachers are clear about the key knowledge that pupils should learn and when this content should be taught.  The school has not ensured that the documents about the additional needs of some pupils with SEND, including the support that they are receiving, are sufficiently detailed. This limits the school’s ability to fully meet these pupils’ needs and evaluate its impact on these pupils’ learning. Furthermore, this hinders some parents’ ability to understand the support that their child receives. The school should ensure that teachers and parents of pupils with SEND receive appropriately detailed information about these pupils’ additional needs and the support that they receive.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in October 2017.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 11 and 12 July 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). 11 and 12 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 October 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Most staff are new to the school since the previous inspection.  The school operates a before- and after-school club.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection that 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.  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.  Inspectors conducted deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders and teachers, visited 11 and 12 July 2024

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some lessons, considered pupils’ work and talked with groups of pupils about their learning. An inspector observed some pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The lead inspector also met with subject leaders, reviewed some pupils’ work and spoke to some pupils about their learning in some other subjects.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority and the school improvement partners.  Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, senior leaders and other leaders throughout the inspection.  Inspectors considered a range of documents, including the school improvement plan, the records of governing body meetings and reports from the external evaluation of the school. Inspectors scrutinised records regarding pupils’ SEND, their attendance and behaviour.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and in lessons. They spoke

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with pupils to discuss their views of the school, their learning, and their behaviour and safety.  Inspectors reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff. Inspectors talked to staff about their workload and well-being.  Inspectors considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text comments. Inspectors spoke to parents at the start of the school day.  There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Adam Sproston, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephanie Swift Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 July 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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