Blackshaw Primary School

Inspection of Blackshaw Primary School Bideford Drive, Breightmet, Bolton, Lancashire BL2 6TE

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 October 2024

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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 15 and 16 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud and happy to be part of the welcoming community at this warm and friendly school. They told inspectors that they support everyone in their school. Pupils have mature attitudes towards differences between themselves and others. For example, they explained that ‘everyone is different in their own way, which makes them special.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils share in these expectations, for themselves and for their classmates. Most achieve well. Pupils value acknowledgement for their efforts, including through certificates and recognition during celebration assemblies.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have positive attitudes towards their learning. They know that demonstrating the school’s many values helps them to learn well. For example, pupils explained why it is important to persevere during lessons and how being curious helps them to develop their intellect. In following these shared characteristics, pupils behave well across the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with a variety of rich experiences. For instance, pupils attend clubs in sports, science and gardening. They can also join the choir. Pupils’ learning is enriched through trips, including residentials and visits to museums and zoos. Pupils spoke fondly of opportunities to spend time caring for the school’s resident therapy dog.

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

The school has adopted a broad and balanced curriculum, which is commensurate with the national curriculum. In most subjects, it has identified the important knowledge that pupils should learn and when this should happen. This helps pupils to build their knowledge well across a range of subjects. In some subjects, including some areas of learning in the early years, the school is still refining curriculum content and the order that teachers should introduce it. As a result, teachers do not consistently build new learning sufficiently well on what pupils should already know. This means that some pupils do not have a secure understanding in these subjects.

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

The school has provided staff with a range of training that helps them to develop their subject knowledge and their understanding of how to deliver the curriculum. However, there remains some variability in how effectively staff implement subject curriculums. For example, some staff do not check routinely enough how well pupils are learning. From time to time, this limits some pupils in learning as well as they could.

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

The school identifies pupils with SEND as quickly as possible. Staff work well with external professionals, and with parents and carers, to support these pupils in learning alongside their peers. Pupils with SEND are fully included in school life.

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

Reading is a priority across the school. Staff foster pupils’ love of reading well. For example, the curriculum is centred on carefully chosen texts. Pupils visit the school’s well- stocked library areas regularly, where they enjoy listening to stories. They learn to recite 15 and 16 October 2024

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poetry during dedicated poetry assemblies. Pupils spoke of books and authors that they enjoy. They request new books of their choice by using a ‘reading wishing well’.

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In the early years, staff immerse children in a multitude of stories, rhymes and songs. Children in the Nursery Year relished enacting their current book with staff. Well-trained staff deliver the phonics programme well, from the beginning of the Reception Year. They provide pupils with books that contain the sounds that pupils already know. Staff provide effective support for pupils who find reading difficult.

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Classrooms are calm and purposeful, which helps pupils to focus on their learning. Pupils are respectful and well mannered, particularly during group discussions. They understand why it is important to attend school. Pupils told inspectors that it will help them to fulfil their future aspirations, including becoming a Paralympian and travelling to new places. The school works closely with families to support pupils in attending school regularly.

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The school provides well for pupils’ personal development. Pupils take on leadership roles as library monitors, playtime leaders, prefects and well-being champions. Older pupils develop their enterprise skills, for example, by organising and budgeting for a Halloween disco. They raise money for charities and grow food for those who are less fortunate. The school encourages pupils to give back to the local community. It rewards these endeavours in its prestigious ‘unsung hero’ awards each year.

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The governing body provides the school with effective challenge and support, with a continued focus on the school’s quality of education. Staff are positive about working at the school. They told inspectors that they appreciate the school’s consideration for their workload and well-being. For instance, the school provides a range of support, training and additional time to enable staff to fulfil their roles 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 small number of subjects, the school has not determined precisely enough the knowledge that pupils should learn and the order in which teachers should introduce it. This limits some pupils in developing a secure understanding in these subjects, as teachers do not consistently build on pupils’ prior learning. The school should ensure that teachers are clear about the information that pupils should learn, to help them to build a deep and rich body of subject knowledge.  At times, there is some variability in how well some staff deliver the curriculum, including how persistent they are in checking pupils’ understanding of new concepts and ideas. This hinders some pupils in learning as well as they could. The school 15 and 16 October 2024

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should support staff in implementing the curriculum as intended and checking that pupils know and remember more of the curriculum.

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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). 15 and 16 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 September 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed.  The school does not make use of alternative provision for pupils.  An external provider offers a before- and after-school club for pupils on the school’s site.

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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 and/or sixth form provision). 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. 15 and 16 October 2024

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 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 this into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. In each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders and visited a sample of lessons. They spoke with teachers and with some pupils about their learning. Inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work. They also considered the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector observed some pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult. He discussed reading with a group of older pupils.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around school, including at playtime and lunchtime. They spoke with several groups of pupils about their experiences at school and considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for

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pupils.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation documents, improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and documents pertaining to pupils’ behaviour and levels of attendance.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other school leaders. The lead inspector met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors. He also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors met with some parents at the start of the school day.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record and took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils. They

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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

David Lobodzinski, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

James Marsh Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 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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