Coates Lane Primary School

Inspection of Coates Lane Primary School Kirkstall Drive, Coates Lane Primary School, Barnoldswick, Lancashire BB18 6EZ

p.1

Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

p.1

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 21 and 22 January 2025

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Coates Lane is a happy school where everyone is welcomed. Pupils, and children in early years, thrive in this friendly, caring school. Older pupils learn to be role models for younger pupils. They form warm relationships with staff. Pupils live up to the school’s expectations for them to be ‘ready, respectful and safe’.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning. They typically listen attentively and answer questions confidently in lessons. Most pupils achieve well and are ready for each stage of their education. Although the school has high expectations of pupils’ achievement, these were not fully reflected in the published outcomes at the end of Year 6 in 2024.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests. The school offers after-school clubs, including sports clubs, as well as inspiring visits to museums and concerts and adventurous residential trips.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and show positive attitudes to their learning. Those pupils who need help with managing their emotions receive effective support from staff who understand them well.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish in their various roles and responsibilities. They enjoy being involved in community events and they plan acts of kindness to older local residents. This helps them to develop empathy and become caring citizens.

p.2

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum that provides pupils with the knowledge and skills that they need to succeed in the future. The school has thought carefully about what pupils should learn and the order in which content will be taught. Similarly, the curriculum in early years equips children with the knowledge that they need and prepares them for Year 1.

p.2

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

Staff benefit from extensive professional development. This helps them to deliver the subject curriculums effectively. As a result, pupils are achieving increasingly well.

p.2

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

In most subjects, pupils build their knowledge well over time. However, the curriculum does not set out carefully enough the skills and knowledge that pupils need to learn in order to become proficient writers, for example grammar, punctuation and handwriting. This makes it more difficult for teachers to ensure that pupils acquire the knowledge that they need to write fluently and accurately.

p.2

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

Typically, staff use their strong subject knowledge to make checks on what pupils know and remember. They use this information to address misunderstandings that pupils have about their learning. However, on occasion staff do not address pupils’ misconceptions quickly enough. When this happens, pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. This makes it difficult for them to make connections with prior learning when they learn new content. 21 and 22 January 2025

p.2

3

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 phonics programme. This helps pupils to build 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. They develop a love for reading. Older pupils speak with enthusiasm about authors, and books they particularly enjoy.

p.3

3

Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. The school identifies pupils’ needs quickly and puts appropriate support in place. Staff ensure that pupils with SEND work towards the same curriculum goals as their peers. A range of adaptations are in place to help pupils with SEND to achieve well. These pupils are fully included in all aspects of school life.

p.3

3

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.

p.3

3

Pupils behave sensibly during lessons. They listen to adults and to their classmates. Pupils work well together and have positive attitudes to their learning. Pupils who struggle with their behaviour receive effective support from staff.

p.3

3

The school’s offer for pupils’ personal development is well designed. Pupils acquire a range of strategies to support their mental health. As a result, pupils have an astute understanding of their own feelings and those of others. Pupils know the importance of exercise and a healthy diet. They know what qualities contribute towards a healthy relationship. The school’s work to ensure that pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain is a strength.

p.3

3

The governing body understands the context of the school and it challenges the school’s leaders appropriately where necessary. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They set suitable priorities and take appropriate actions to improve further. The school considers the well-being and workload of staff when making changes to the curriculum.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum does not set out clearly enough the knowledge and skills that pupils should learn for writing, including grammar, punctuation and handwriting. This hinders teachers from ensuring that pupils learn to write with accuracy and fluency. The school 21 and 22 January 2025

p.3

4

should ensure that the curriculum identifies these skills clearly and progressively so that pupils build accuracy and fluency in their writing.  In a small number of subjects, pupils have gaps in their knowledge. This makes it difficult for them to make connections with prior learning when they learn new content. The school should ensure that teachers are suitably equipped to check what pupils know with confidence and accuracy, ensuring that gaps in pupils’ learning are identified and tackled quickly.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 21 and 22 January 2025

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

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

p.5

Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

p.5

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 provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

p.5

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 inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 21 and 22 January 2025

p.5

6

 During the inspection, the inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The inspectors met with leaders with responsibility for pupils with SEND, safeguarding, behaviour, attendance, the early years and pupils’ wider development.  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 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 the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around

p.6

6

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 a representative of 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.

p.6

Inspection team

Cleo Cunningham, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Joe Dryland Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 January 2025

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7