St Wilfrid's Cof E Primary School

Inspection of St Wilfrid’s C of E Primary School Pennystone Road, Halton, Lancaster, Lancashire LA2 6QE

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 November 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 12 and 13 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive in this happy school. They form warm relationships with staff. Pupils told inspectors that they get on with each other and that they follow the ‘St. Wilfrid’s Way’, which includes the school’s expectations for pupils to ‘be safe, be kind, aim high’. Children in the early years settle into school life quickly. They learn to work and play cooperatively together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for the achievement of pupils. Pupils enjoy learning and they try their best. They typically listen attentively and answer questions confidently in lessons. Pupils achieve well and are ready for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the wide range of activities that the school provides for them. Clubs include choir, sewing, ballet and chess, as well as various sports clubs. These experiences enable pupils to follow their interests and talents.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish in their various roles and responsibilities. Older pupils enjoy being ‘buddies’ to the youngest pupils and organising games for them at breaktimes. Pupils make a considerable contribution to their local community. They welcome being involved in projects such as hosting a community tea every half term and performing acts of kindness to older local residents.

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

The school has ensured that the curriculum is ambitious, including in the early years. The key knowledge that pupils should learn is carefully organised from the Reception class to Year 6. This means that teachers know what to teach and when to teach it.

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

The school provides training and support that helps staff to deliver the curriculum effectively. Mostly, teachers design appropriate and engaging lesson activities that enable pupils to learn well and to deepen their knowledge over time. However, on occasion, these activities are not carefully enough designed to support pupils’ learning. When this happens, some pupils do not learn the key curriculum knowledge as well as they could.

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

Typically, teachers explain new concepts clearly, and they use a range of strategies to make checks on what pupils know and remember. On occasion, teaching does not address errors and misconceptions that some pupils may have about their learning. When this happens, some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready, and this prevents them from achieving all that they could.

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

The school quickly and effectively identifies pupils’ additional needs, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils benefit from well- tailored teaching so that they can thrive in all aspects of their development. They participate fully in the same curriculum and wider opportunities as their peers.

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

The school prioritises reading. It invests in high-quality and engaging books that pupils enjoy. The school has ensured that pupils develop a love of reading from an early age. 12 and 13 November 2024

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Pupils talk enthusiastically about the books they have read and about their favourite authors. The school has implemented an effective phonics curriculum. Teachers in the early years and in Years 1 and 2 build pupils’ phonics knowledge effectively and prepare pupils well for the next stage of their education. Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know. This helps them to become fluent and confident readers. If pupils fall behind in their learning of phonics, they benefit from extra teaching that helps them to catch up quickly.

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Pupils behave well in class and when moving around the school. They play happily together at breaktimes and at lunchtimes. Pupils, and children in the early years, are attentive during lessons. The school promotes pupils’ social and emotional skills, mental health and well-being through the curriculum. This helps them to understand their feelings and to develop strategies to manage them.

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Pupils attend school regularly and they are punctual. The school provides effective support for the very small number of pupils who need to improve their attendance.

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The school provides a wide range of opportunities to extend pupils’ learning beyond The curriculum. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online and how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. They learn about values such as democracy and respect. These experiences prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain.

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Governors have clear oversight of every aspect of the school’s work. They know its strengths and the areas that it needs to prioritise to improve further. Governors value the school’s staff. They take steps to ensure their well-being is prioritised.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasions, teaching is not built on a firm understanding of what pupils already know. This means that pupils sometimes move on to new learning before they are ready. The school should ensure that pupils’ misconceptions are routinely addressed so that they achieve as well as they should.  In a small number of subjects, activities are not well designed to match the intended learning. When this happens, pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they could. The school should ensure that the activities that staff design are well matched to the intended learning in the school’s curriculum. 12 and 13 November 2024

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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

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This voluntary-aided Church of England school is part of the Diocese of Blackburn. The most recent section 48 inspection took place in January 2019. The next section 48 inspection is expected to take place before the end of 2026.  The school does not use any alternative 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 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. 12 and 13 November 2024

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 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other school leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector observed some pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum and reviewed pupils’ work in some other subjects.  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.  The lead inspector held a meeting with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors. She spoke to representatives of the diocese and the local authority.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They considered responses from staff and pupils to Ofsted’s online surveys.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their experiences of school and their views of behaviour and bullying. They observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.

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Inspection team

Cleo Cunningham, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Rachael Alarcon 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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