Clarendon Primary School

4 and 5 March 2025 Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Clarendon Primary School Recreation Street, Bolton, Lancashire BL3 6SN

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Outcome

Clarendon 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 are rightly proud to attend this embracing, multi-cultural school. They truly embody the Clarendon motto of ‘Together, we shine’. Friendship, happiness and a love of learning permeate the school. From the beginning of the early years, pupils benefit from warm and supportive relationships with staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations for pupils to succeed academically. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), typically achieve well across a broad range of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour throughout the school is exemplary. The school’s values underpin the way that pupils treat each other, with care and kindness. They are keen and inquisitive learners who show creativity and resilience.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel confident to share their beliefs and opinions with others. They know that they are listened to, and their ideas are valued. Pupils take on positions of responsibility with enthusiasm. They understand the positive differences that they can make to the wider community. For example, raising money for a local hospice by organising a movie night in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils show deep empathy and understanding towards people from different backgrounds. They embody the fundamental British values during their ‘wow weeks’, for example in their recent debate about the use of the school grounds. They are remarkably well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Since the school was last inspected, it has strengthened its wider curriculum thinking. It has carefully organised the curriculum from the Nursery Year through to the end of key stage 2. At the same time, the school has carefully considered staff’s workload and well-being, for example by ensuring that staff have sufficient time to carry out additional responsibilities. The current curriculum is ambitious and relevant to pupils, including those with SEND.

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The school has placed reading and developing pupils’ vocabulary at the heart of its curriculum. Throughout the early years, staff immerse children in language and stories. The school provides prompt help for any pupils with gaps in their reading knowledge. This helps most pupils to become fluent and confident readers in readiness for key stage 2.

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However, the school’s published data for 2024 shows that the proportion of pupils who met the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 was below the national average. A high proportion of pupils in this year group joined the school part way through their time in Year 1. As a result, they were not able to benefit fully from the school’s phonics curriculum.

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Staff have secure subject knowledge and deliver the curriculum ably. They use the school’s checking systems effectively to ensure that any gaps in pupils’ knowledge are swiftly addressed. Pupils typically produce high-quality work. However, opportunities for pupils to learn how to set out and produce work independently are limited. Consequently, from time to time, pupils do not apply these skills confidently. Pupils are given regular opportunities to recall and retrieve their learning so that it becomes embedded in their memories. Over time, pupils develop a rich body of knowledge that interconnects between subjects.

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The school is highly ambitious for pupils with SEND. It identifies pupils’ additional needs quickly. These pupils study the full breadth of the curriculum. Skilled staff understand pupils’ individual needs and circumstances. They provide tailored support to help pupils with SEND achieve well, both academically and in wider school life.

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Pupils are avid learners. They are confident and extremely polite and form strong friendships rooted in acceptance and trust. This has a positive impact on how they behave. Throughout the school, pupils’ attendance rates are high. The school is tenacious in maintaining this. The trusting relationships that staff build with families help to identify where support is needed. This lessens any potential dips in attendance.

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Pupils relish the school’s exceptional offer to enhance their personal development. The school provides a wealth of opportunities for them to learn beyond the academic curriculum. Pupils enjoy growing vegetables in their school grounds. Through their life skills programme, they use the produce to learn how to cook. Pupils learn about staying safe online and staying physically and mentally healthy. They proudly recount recent trips, such as those to the beach, a museum and a mill. Their trip to a sculpture park inspired them to create their own sculpture trail around the school. Many pupils 4 and 5 March 2025

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access the wide range of clubs which are specifically targeted to broaden their talents and interests. They are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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The governing body fully understands the school’s context and priorities. It robustly ensures that the school remains sharply focused on ensuring pupils’ strong achievement and removing any obstacles to pupils’ education and wider success.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, some learning tasks limit the quality of pupils’ written responses. This sometimes hinders the quality of pupils’ written work and opportunities for them to practise their presentation skills. The school should ensure that pupils have the opportunity to practise these skills, to improve the quality of their written work.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in March 2016.

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to 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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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). 4 and 5 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently make use of any alternative provision.  The school manages an on-site breakfast club.

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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.  The inspector met with the headteacher, other senior leaders and staff. She also met with members of the governing body, including the chair.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed some pupils reading to a familiar adult. 4 and 5 March 2025

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 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 observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and breaktimes. She also spoke with pupils about their experiences of school.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free text comments. The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and for pupils.

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Inspection team

Ruth Moran, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 4 and 5 March 2025

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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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