Anderton Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Anderton Primary School Babylon Lane, Adlington, Lancashire PR6 9NW

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 November 2024

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Outcome

Anderton Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak about their school with great pride. They particularly value the warm welcome that all pupils receive at the school. Pupils develop confidence and resilience because of the high-quality opportunities that the school provides. For example, their teachers make effective use of the school allotment and other outdoor areas to enhance pupils’ learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn to be polite and respectful. They move around the school courteously. Staff provide effective support for pupils to regulate their emotions and behaviour. This helps pupils to focus on their learning and enjoy school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils relish opportunities to work alongside others. Many are enthusiastic members of the school parliament or curriculum ambassadors. Older pupils carry out leadership roles diligently, such as being a ‘buddy’ to children in the Reception Year. Other pupils enhance social times by acting as ‘happiness heroes’ or being a ‘PAL’ (playground leader).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn to appreciate people’s differences. They learn how to listen to and consider differing points of view. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) benefit from the care and support that staff provide.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ academic and personal development. It provides effective support so that most pupils experience success across the curriculum. 26 and 27 November 2024

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

The school has continued to develop and embed its curriculum since the last inspection. This is now well established in all subjects. The school and the governing body work closely together. They strive to ensure that all pupils are benefiting from the highest quality of education possible. The school takes timely action to identify and address any emerging issues. This includes when the curriculum is not having the intended impact on pupils.

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

In recent years, the school has introduced new curriculums in English, including phonics, and mathematics. Governors check that staff are not overwhelmed by these, and other changes introduced. Despite the fact that they are recent, the impact of refinements made to the curriculum can clearly be seen in current pupils’ achievement.

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

Teachers have a secure understanding of what key knowledge pupils need to learn as they progress from the Reception Year to Year 6. They make sure that pupils have fully understood their previous learning before introducing new information. Teachers provide additional support for pupils to address any gaps or misconceptions that might emerge. As a result, most pupils achieve well.

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

The school prioritises reading within the curriculum. Pupils benefit from the rich diet of contemporary and classic literature that their teachers introduce them to. Pupils enjoy reading. They appreciate how it helps them to learn and expand their knowledge and understanding of language and the wider world. Pupils also develop regular habits of reading for pleasure.

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

Children in the Reception Year quickly begin to learn how to use phonics to read words. They apply this new learning with enthusiasm when working out what words say in texts that they encounter. Pupils are effectively supported by skilled staff to develop secure reading knowledge. Pupils regularly practise and embed this through reading books that contain the sounds that they know. The school makes sure that additional support continues for all pupils who need it until they can read fluently and accurately.

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

The school ensures that pupils are well supported to develop strong and positive attitudes to their learning. Staff make effective use of agreed strategies in class and around the school. The school encourages and celebrates high levels of conduct and attendance. It swiftly identifies and addresses any emerging patterns of absence or times when pupils have not adhered to the school’s high expectations for behaviour. Rates of attendance and standards of behaviour are high as a result of the action that the school has taken to improve these in recent years.

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

The school generally identifies and meets the additional needs of most pupils, including those with SEND, well. However, at times, the process of identifying some pupils’ SEND takes too long. Guidance to teachers on how to meet the needs of these pupils is not always provided clearly enough. As a result, some of these pupils do not achieve as well as they could. 26 and 27 November 2024

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Pupils benefit from the school’s focus on their wider development. The school makes sure that all pupils take part in a wide range of physical, creative and cultural activities. This helps pupils to discover new talents and interests that they can pursue in their leisure time. Pupils enjoy recording their personal achievements in their annual activity ‘passports’. They revel in being outdoors and taking part in physical pursuits. Pupils have a secure understanding of how activities such as these contribute to their health and well- being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, the school does not identify pupils’ SEND as quickly or as accurately as it could. This delays the support that is provided to these pupils. Some pupils with SEND do not succeed as well as they could across the curriculum as a result. The school should ensure that teachers are clear about the strategies that will best support pupils with SEND to help them to achieve as well as possible.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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. 26 and 27 November 2024

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in September 2019.

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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). 26 and 27 November 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 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher is currently providing some support to another school in the local authority in addition to her leadership role at this school. While this temporary arrangement is in place, other leaders in the school are carrying out additional leadership roles.  There has been a new chair of governors appointed since the previous inspection.  The school provides before- and after-school clubs for pupils.  The school does not currently make use of alternative provision for pupils.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school. 26 and 27 November 2024

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 The inspector spoke with the headteacher and other leaders in the school.  The inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. She also listened to some pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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.  The inspector visited the school’s breakfast club.  The inspector spoke with parents and carers as they dropped off their children at school. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s Parent View and parents’ free-

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text responses.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.  The inspector spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school.

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Inspection team

Claire Cropper, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 26 and 27 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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