Lytham Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Inspection of Lytham Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Park View Road, Lytham St. Annes, Lancashire FY8 4HA

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 November 2024

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 12 and 13 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming school that provides a caring place for pupils to learn. Staff in the early years help children get off to a positive start in their education. From the moment children join the Nursery class, they are supported well to build up their confidence and independence. Pupils across the school value the positive relationships that they have with staff. They trust that staff will help them if they have any worries or concerns. This helps pupils to feel happy at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils to achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Many pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. However, pupils have gaps in their learning across a range of other subjects and do not achieve as well as they should. Despite this, pupils work hard and behave well in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from opportunities to take on responsibilities. These include being house captains or joining one of the pupil groups linked to the religious character of the school. That said, the school’s provision for pupils’ personal development is limited. Pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they should be.

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

The school has carefully considered the important knowledge that pupils should learn across the curriculum. In the early years, the ambitious curriculum is delivered well by staff. They closely check on what children know and remember. Staff provide focused support that addresses any gaps in knowledge that children have. Many children leave the early years ready for the demands of the Year 1 curriculum.

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

In English and mathematics, the curriculum is largely taught well. This has been supported by the training that staff have received. In the main, pupils benefit from learning activities that help them to build on what they already know. Carefully considered support and resources ensure that pupils with SEND access the same learning as their peers. In these subjects, many pupils, including those with SEND, leave Year 6 well prepared for the next stage of education.

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

In a number of foundation subjects, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and they do not learn as well as they should. The reasons for this are varied. In some instances, the curriculum has been recently introduced. Weaknesses in the previous subject curriculums have led to some pupils having gaps in their knowledge. These gaps have not been identified and addressed, which at times hinders pupils from making sense of new learning.

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

In some subjects, the school has not ensured that teachers have the knowledge they need to be able to deliver the curriculum as intended. Some of the learning activities that pupils complete do not enable them to learn and remember the important knowledge that is set out in the curriculum. 12 and 13 November 2024

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Some inconsistencies in the delivery of the curriculum have not been picked up by the school. For example, some aspects of the curriculum have not been taught with the regularity and depth expected. This has limited some pupils in building up a deep body of knowledge.

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The school prioritises the teaching of early reading. Well-trained staff teach the phonics programme as the school intends. Pupils quickly learn the sounds that letters represent. Those pupils who need extra support promptly receive it. Pupils read books that are well matched to the sounds that they know. Many pupils become fluent readers by the end of Year 2. Parents and carers value the workshops and resources that the school provides, which helps them to support their children at home with phonics, reading and spelling.

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Children in the early years learn cooperatively alongside one another and keenly follow class rules and routines. Across the school, pupils behave well and are generally attentive in lessons. This allows pupils to focus on their learning in class. The school’s systems and procedures to promote high attendance are very effective. Any attendance concerns are quickly identified and addressed. Many pupils attend school regularly.

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Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online. They also understand what foods they should eat to maintain a healthy lifestyle and the potential hazards of open water. Nevertheless, pupils do not experience a sufficient range of high-quality personal development opportunities. For example, many pupils have a limited understanding of fundamental British values, different cultures and protected characteristics. Pupils are not as well prepared to grow up in modern Britain as they should be.

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The governing body understands the weaknesses in the quality of education. Governors have worked with the local authority to improve the school’s capacity to begin to improve this. However, turbulence in staffing has limited the impact of this work. Staff are positive about what the school does to support their workload and well-being. This includes measures that keep paperwork to a minimum.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school has not ensured that teachers have the knowledge they need to teach the intended curriculum effectively. Some of the learning activities that pupils complete do not enable them to learn the important knowledge as well as they should. The school should make sure that teachers have the subject knowledge they need to deliver the curriculum effectively, so that pupils achieve well.  In a number of foundation subjects, pupils have gaps in their knowledge as a result of weaknesses in the previous curriculum. Some of these gaps have not been identified or 12 and 13 November 2024

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addressed. Consequently, this hinders the ability of some pupils to make sense of new learning. The school should ensure that teachers are equipped to swiftly identify and remedy these gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This is so that pupils can build and further strengthen their knowledge in these subjects.  The school’s checks on the delivery of the curriculum are not as effective as they should be. As a result, the school does not identify inconsistencies that limit pupils in building up a deep body of knowledge. The school should ensure it carries out effective checks that enable it to identify whether the curriculum is being taught as intended. This is to ensure that pupils achieve well.  The school’s programme for personal development is limited. Pupils do not learn all that they should to be ready for life in modern Britain. The school should ensure that pupils experience a range of high-quality personal development opportunities that

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prepare them well for modern day society.

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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). 12 and 13 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Michelle O’Neill

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a Church of England primary school in the Diocese of Blackburn. The previous section 48 inspection took place in September 2024. The next section 48 inspection is due to take place by the end of 2032.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The governing body operates a breakfast club and after-school provision.

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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. 12 and 13 November 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors completed deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. 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.  The inspectors also looked at the curriculum and pupils’ work in some other subjects. The lead inspector observed some pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other school leaders and members of staff.  The lead inspector spoke with members of the local governing body, including the chair. He also spoke with a representative of the diocese and representatives of the local

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authority.  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 also considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons. They spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school. They also considered the views of pupils shared through Ofsted’s online pupil survey.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online staff survey.  Inspectors spoke with some parents. They considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

David Robinson, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Clare Lightbown Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 November 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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