Accrington Huncoat Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Accrington Huncoat Primary School Lynwood Road, Huncoat, Accrington, Lancashire BB5 6LR

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 December 2024

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Outcome

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

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Rachel Dickinson. This school is part of LET Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Steve Campbell, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jennifer Woodward.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Huncoat Primary School. The school’s vision that everyone should have a ‘can-do attitude’ is a sentiment shared by all. Staff feel valued, pupils feel safe, and trustees and governors offer strong support. A set of ambitious values underpins the school’s work. These values include respect, cooperation and determination.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All staff have high expectations of pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils rise to these high expectations and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite, kind and considerate to each other. They are well supported by staff, who help them if they have any worries or problems. From early years to Year 6, pupils are taught to cooperate with and support one another. Pupils respond well to the school’s high aspirations for their conduct. Staff provide effective support for pupils who need help with managing their emotions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a wide range of activities that make a strong contribution to the development of their talents and interests. For example, they learn to play musical instruments and visit inspiring events such as theatre productions. Pupils at Huncoat have a voice. This is realised through the pupil parliament, which makes a strong contribution to initiatives throughout the school. 17 and 18 December 2024

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

Trustees, governors and the school have created a culture where everyone is valued and included. They use the information that they have about the school to assure themselves about the quality of education that pupils receive. The decisions leaders make are in the best interests of pupils. Leaders are also considerate of the workload and well-being of staff. Trustees carry out their statutory duties effectively.

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

The school has designed a broad and ambitious curriculum which sets out what pupils should learn from early years through to Year 6. It has thought carefully about how knowledge builds over time. The curriculum ensures that pupils have many opportunities to build on what they already know and to revisit what they have learned.

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

Staff use their strong subject knowledge to design activities that help pupils to progress well through the curriculum. Children in early years benefit from the positive interactions they have with staff. This supports their early social and emotional development well.

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

Staff make regular checks on what pupils know and remember. They promptly address any misconceptions pupils may have. As a result, pupils build their knowledge of different subjects securely over time. However, on occasion, staff do not address pupils’ misunderstandings quickly enough. When this happens, pupils move on to new learning before they are ready.

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

Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning make a strong contribution to the typically calm and purposeful learning environment. Children in early years learn to share and take turns. They benefit from being well looked after by caring and nurturing staff, who ensure that they are well prepared for the demands of Year 1.

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

Pupils enjoy coming to school, and most pupils attend regularly. The school works successfully to improve the attendance of pupils who do not attend school as regularly as they should.

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

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Children in early years enjoy learning about patterns of sounds in words through stories, songs and rhymes. Pupils who are at the early stages of reading receive effective support from staff, who expertly deliver the school’s chosen phonics programme. This helps them to quickly build up secure phonics knowledge and to become confident and fluent readers. Pupils benefit from access to a wide range of books that spark their interests and enrich their learning. This helps them to develop a love for reading. Older pupils speak knowledgeably and with enthusiasm about authors and books they particularly enjoy.

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

The school is highly ambitious for pupils with SEND. It identifies their additional needs quickly and accurately and ensures that they receive bespoke support. This enables teachers to help pupils with SEND to successfully participate in the same learning and wider opportunities as their peers. They achieve well from their starting points. 17 and 18 December 2024

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Pupils understand the importance of staying healthy and have a thorough knowledge of how to keep themselves safe, including online. Pupils have a secure understanding of fundamental British values. The school ensures that pupils value different faiths and cultures. This helps pupils to recognise, celebrate and accept the differences that exist between people. The school’s personal development provision supports pupils to grow into responsible, well-developed citizens ready for life in modern Britain.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, in a small number of subjects, teachers do not identify and correct pupils’ misconceptions quickly enough. When this happens, pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. The school should ensure that all staff address pupils’ misconceptions effectively to help them to achieve well.

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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.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Accrington Huncoat Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in July 2017. 17 and 18 December 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). 17 and 18 December 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 This school is part of LET Education Trust.  Accrington Huncoat Primary School converted to become an academy school in March 2022. When its predecessor school, Accrington Huncoat Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 17 and 18 December 2024

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 The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders.  The inspector held a meeting with members of the trust board, including the chair of trustees. She also spoke to the CEO of the trust, members of the governing body, the school improvement partner and the local authority school adviser.  The inspector met with leaders to discuss SEND, reading, pupils’ behaviour and attitudes and the provision for pupils’ personal development.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. She took account of the responses from staff to Ofsted’s online survey and gathered the views of staff and pupils throughout the inspection.  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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  The inspector spoke to staff about their workload and well-being.

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Inspection team

Cleo Cunningham, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 December 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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