High Lawn Primary School

Inspection of High Lawn Primary School Holden Avenue, Sharples, Bolton, Lancashire BL1 7EX

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 1 and 2 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend High Lawn Primary school. They are keen to learn new things. They are polite and well mannered. Pupils talk eagerly about the things which make High Lawn a special place to be. For example, how much they care for each other and show an understanding of pupils’ different needs. In lessons particularly, pupils behave well. They concentrate on their learning and produce high-quality work. Pupils understand and embody the school’s ten values. Pupils trust staff to look after them and help them if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school considers pupils’ wider development very well. Pupils are keen to join the different committees or to take on leadership roles. For example, they offer to join the eco-committee or apply to become head boy or head girl. Visits and visitors into school enhance the curriculum further for pupils. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and / or disabilities (SEND) take part in many sporting opportunities. This includes pupils who want to improve their ability in different sports or to experience competitive games.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Across many areas of the curriculum, the school has high expectations for pupils. From the early years, pupils study a broad and balanced curriculum. In many areas of the curriculum, pupils achieve well. They are prepared for the next stage of their education.

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

The school has set out an ambitious curriculum for pupils. Learning to read is one of the school’s top priorities. Starting in the two-year-old provision, children begin to learn rhymes, poems and songs. Staff share many books with pupils to develop their vocabulary and understanding of stories. The school introduces the school’s phonics approach at the correct point for pupils. Staff deliver the programme consistently and confidently. They make regular checks to identify any pupils who may need some more help. This effective support helps pupils catch up with their peers. Typically, pupils become confident, fluent readers.

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

The school focuses on wider aspects of reading. Pupils use the well-presented library to select a variety of books covering different genres, poems and plays. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about reading and recommend authors to each other.

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

Typically, the school has set out a clear, well sequenced curriculum. It has identified the knowledge that it wishes pupils to learn. In most subjects, teachers deliver the curriculum confidently. They make regular checks on pupils’ learning. Pupils remember the knowledge they have learned in these subjects. Pupils’ achievement in these subjects is strong.

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

Across the school, there are a few subjects which are still underdeveloped. This includes aspects of the early years curriculum. In these subjects, the school has not made clear enough the knowledge that pupils need to learn. Within different topics, the key knowledge is not sequenced well enough for pupils. Teachers are unsure about what 1 and 2 October 2024

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pupils need to learn and when. As a result, they do not deliver these subjects as well as others. Pupils are not able to remember as much of their prior learning. This does affect how well pupils achieve in these subjects.

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Before children start school, teachers make every effort to get to know them. The school works with parents and carers to gather as much information as they can about each child. This helps children make a confident start in school. Children typically settle into structured routines. Teachers encourage pupils to talk about their learning right from the start. In many instances, teachers’ interactions with pupils develop their understanding of learning and vocabulary. However, on a few occasions, staff miss these opportunities. In part, this is because the early years curriculum in places is not as clear to staff. They are unsure of the important knowledge and vocabulary that they would like children to develop.

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Pupils with SEND are swiftly identified. The school ensures that regular training gives staff the knowledge and skills that they need to meet pupils’ needs effectively. The school liaises with different agencies when required to further support pupils with SEND. Typically, pupils’ additional needs are met well in school.

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Relationships within school between pupils and staff are highly positive. The mutual respect that pupils and staff have, creates a warm, welcoming atmosphere in which pupils learn. Pupils have lots of equipment to play with at social times. They use the equipment well, sharing it with their friends and peers alike.

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Pupils’ wider development ensures that they learn to respect the differences between people. They are very accepting about different religions, faiths and beliefs. Many texts in the library as well as visits to places of worship support pupils’ wider understanding. The school is continually looking for ways to strengthen pupils’ aspirations and skills for their future lives. Pupils had recently taken part in a ‘lifelong learning week’ which has raised their ambition about their potential future career.

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Overall, governors understand what the school does well and where it needs to improve. They use different approaches to hold leaders to account. However, their oversight of some of the wider aspects of the school’s curriculum are not as robust. Their checks on pupils’ learning are not as thorough as they could be. This means that they are unsure of how effective the provision for pupils is in some subjects.

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Staff are very positive about the school’s approach to support their workload and well- being. For example, staff appreciate the consideration the school gives when introducing new policies or ways of working. They say that this is managed effectively so that such changes do not adversely affect their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 1 and 2 October 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, including some aspects of the early years, the school has not broken down what it would like pupils to learn into smaller, logical steps of learning. This sometimes means that, in these subjects, pupils do not learn new content in a consistent manner. This prevents them from making deep connections to prior learning. The school should further review the design of these subject curriculums to ensure that pupils are helped to make clear connections between different topics.  A few of the checks that governors carry out do not give them sufficient oversight in some of the subjects which are part of the school’s curriculum. This means that they are not able to support or challenge the school as well as they could. The school should continue to develop effective methods so that governors have the information needed to hold the school successfully to account across all subjects.  On a few occasions, staff do not use their interactions with children as effectively as

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

they could do. This hinders how well some children develop their knowledge and vocabulary. The school should ensure that staff within the early years receive the necessary training required, to use purposeful dialogue with children to enable them to deepen their understanding across all areas of learning.

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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.

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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). 1 and 2 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 September 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has provision for two-year-olds.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school operates a before and after school club.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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. 1 and 2 October 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English including early reading, mathematics, history and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors discussed the other curriculum subjects, spoke to pupils about their learning and reviewed samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. They met with leaders for attendance and behaviour.  The lead inspectors met with members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body. He also spoke with the school improvement partner on behalf of the local authority.  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

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at lunchtimes and as pupils moved around the school building. They scrutinised leaders’ records of pupils’ behaviour.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at the school. They spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and for pupils.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Stuart Perkins, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephanie Swift Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 October 2024

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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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