Lea Community Primary School

Inspection of Lea Community Primary School Greavestown Lane, Lea, Preston, Lancashire PR2 1PD

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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 11 and 12 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend Lea Community Primary School. They enjoy being part of a warm and caring environment. Pupils benefit from positive relationships with their peers and staff alike. They know that staff will respond sensitively to any worries that they may have. This makes pupils feel happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils strive to live up to the school’s high expectations of their behaviour. They look forward to sharing ‘secretly famous’ nominations in assemblies. Pupils are thrilled to be awarded the prestigious ‘V.I.P’ and ‘leading learner’ awards. They take pride in caring for the ‘value bear’ when they demonstrate any of the school values such as honesty.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious about what pupils can and should achieve. Pupils respond with positivity to the work that their teachers prepare for them. In the main, they achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the range of activities that increase their confidence and their understanding of the wider world. They look forward to residential trips, sporting competitions and performing in a range of musical events. Pupils also value clubs such as cooking, art, and dance. Through taking on responsible roles, such as being prefects and members of the school and eco councils, pupils learn how to play an active role in improving their school and their community.

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

In recent years, the school has made considerable improvements to the curriculum. From the early years to Year 6, there is a suitably ambitious curriculum in place for pupils. The school prioritises the most important knowledge that pupils should learn. Pupils achieve increasingly well across a range of subjects.

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

The school’s work to overcome obstacles to pupils’ learning is successful. This starts in the early years, where children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs identified quickly. There is a sharp focus on developing pupils’ ability to communicate well. Staff maximise opportunities to expand children’s vocabulary. This is successfully built on as pupils move through the school.

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

Reading has a high priority across the school. Engaging reading spaces capture pupils’ imaginations and foster their love of reading. The school has successfully introduced a new phonics programme which helps pupils to learn the links between letters and sounds. Suitable training has been provided for all staff. Pupils who find reading difficult are supported well. The books that pupils read match the sounds that they learn. This helps pupils to practise what they have learned and become increasingly fluent readers.

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

In 2024, the attainment of pupils in the multiplication tables check was significantly below the national average. The school has identified the reasons for this outcome. It has taken effective steps to address weaknesses in the mathematics curriculum. As a result, current pupils learn the curriculum well. 11 and 12 March 2025

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Staff appreciate that their well-being and workload is considered by the school. They value the opportunities that they have for professional development. Staff successfully use their expertise to identify and address pupils’ misconceptions. They use this information to shape future teaching. When needed, an individualised approach is used to support pupils with SEND to secure the knowledge that they need to access the full curriculum. Well- matched learning plans support pupils with SEND to progress well through the curriculum.

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In lessons, staff select appropriate activities to help pupils to learn new curriculum content. This is evident in what pupils know and remember. However, at times, the work provided does not allow for sufficient opportunities to develop a secure understanding of the most important knowledge and skills that pupils need for future learning. This means that some pupils are not as prepared for new learning as they could be. In addition, where the school has made recent improvements to some subject curriculums, pupils have had fewer opportunities to revisit and strengthen their learning.

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In the early years, children learn to listen carefully and follow instructions. Pupils are polite and caring towards each other. Most pupils behave well around school. Pupils who sometimes struggle to regulate their own behaviour benefit from sensitive support from staff. They are helped to manage their emotions. The school has strengthened its approach to improving pupils’ attendance. It works in close partnership with parents and carers to reduce absence levels. As a result, more pupils now attend school regularly and benefit from the school’s ambitious curriculum.

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Pupils are taught to be respectful of diversity. They understand the importance of treating everyone equally. They are also well supported to understand how to look after their physical and mental health.

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Governors understand their role and ensure that they have the knowledge they need to both challenge and support the school effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, the school does not ensure that the work given to pupils enables them to develop secure knowledge to prepare them for new learning. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure that pupils are provided with activities that deepen their knowledge and better prepares them for future learning.  In some subjects, pupils’ knowledge and skills are not as secure as they should be. This is because some improvements to these subject curriculums are more recent. As a result, pupils have had less opportunity to secure some aspects of their learning. The 11 and 12 March 2025

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school should ensure that these curriculums are embedded and support pupils to develop a strong body of knowledge so that they remember and know more over time.

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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). 11 and 12 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 March 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The governing body is responsible for the school’s breakfast club provision.  The school does not make use of 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. 11 and 12 March 2025

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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 conducted deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics, physical education, music, and science. For each deep dive, they had discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke with subject leaders and with pupils about their learning in some other subjects.  The lead inspector observed pupils from key stages 1 and 2 read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors met with the deputy headteacher and other school leaders. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body and spoke with a representative of the local authority.

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 Inspectors talked with staff and leaders about their workload and well-being.  Inspectors met with leaders responsible for attendance, behaviour, early years, the provision for pupils with SEND and pupils’ personal development.  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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their experiences of school. They looked at a range of documents related to pupils’ welfare and education. They also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around the school.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.  Inspectors met with parents at the start of the school day. They also took account of

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the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Jewitt, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Stevens Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 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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