Leigh St Peter's CofE Primary School

Inspection of Leigh St Peter’s CofE Primary School Leigh Street, Leigh, Greater Manchester WN7 4TP

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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 Requires improvement 11 and 12 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love attending this happy school. They enjoy being with friends from many different cultures. Everyone cares for each other. Prefects look after younger children at playtimes. Pupil ‘safeguarding soldiers’ help everyone to feel safe. Pupils are encouraged to embody the school’s vision of ‘Let your light shine.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils welcome the high ambitions that the school has for their education. They enjoy interesting lessons and do their best. They achieve well in many areas of the curriculum, including English and mathematics. Children in the early years enjoy a bright and welcoming environment which encourages them to play, explore and learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in all areas of school. They follow clear rules and routines such as ‘calm corridors’. They enjoy active, positive playtimes. They are respectful to each other and to staff. This creates a pleasant environment for everyone to enjoy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have opportunities to take positions of responsibility, for example by leading assemblies. They develop as citizens, through activities such as visiting local care homes or collecting for local charities. They learn how to keep themselves healthy and what makes a healthy relationship. All of this contributes effectively to their wider personal development.

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

The curriculum is broad and balanced. The school has identified what pupils should learn clearly. Teachers are knowledgeable and deliver learning skilfully. This ensures that most pupils achieve well. The school has designed the early years curriculum around the children’s needs and interests. Children benefit from a wide range of experiences across the different areas of learning. This gives them secure foundations for Year 1.

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

The school checks pupils’ current learning effectively in most subjects. It identifies misconceptions and addresses these quickly. Teachers use this information to design the next steps in pupils’ learning. However, in a small number of subjects, the school has not ensured that pupils have secure prior knowledge. Some pupils have gaps in their learning due to the previous curriculum. This means that they do not have a firm foundation on which to build new learning. In these subjects, they sometimes do not achieve as well as they could.

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

There are clear processes for identifying pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) from the earliest age. The school has ensured that staff know how to adapt and scaffold learning for these pupils. This means that they can progress through the curriculum alongside their peers. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

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

The school prioritises the teaching of early reading. It has ensured that staff are experts in teaching pupils about letters and the sounds that they represent. Right from the start of the Nursery Year, children learn to distinguish sounds through nursery rhymes and songs. Staff identify pupils who are struggling with reading in lessons. They put 11 and 12 March 2025

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immediate support in place to help them keep up. By the end of key stage 1, pupils are reading books with increasing fluency and accuracy.

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Pupils appreciate that everyone has the right to learn without disruption. They listen carefully and are focused and engaged in lessons. From the start of the early years, the school supports children to regulate their emotions and to develop as independent learners. Some pupils miss out on their learning because they are not in school often enough. The school works in partnership with the parents and carers of these pupils to support them to improve attendance. This approach means that more pupils are attending school regularly and on time.

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Pupils learn about different religions and cultures through the curriculum. They also enjoy learning from each other about different beliefs and customs. Pupils have a secure understanding of the ways in which people might be different to them. They believe strongly that everyone should be treated equally. Pupils know what fundamental British values are and what they mean. They can link these to the school values. At present, pupils do not benefit from a wide offer of enrichment activities, either in terms of clubs or trips. This means that they are missing out on some aspects of their personal development.

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The school has undergone a significant journey of improvement since the previous inspection. It has been successful in bringing about many positive changes, including improvements to the curriculum and the management of behaviour.

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Staff feel that the school makes every effort to help with workload, for example through giving them time to carry out extra duties. The school is making efforts to forge strong relationships with parents. This is having a positive impact, particularly with parents of younger children.

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Governors have a strong oversight of what is happening in school. They receive the information that they need to provide support and challenge effectively. They help to ensure that every pupil in school has the opportunity to flourish.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, some pupils do not have important prior knowledge due to the shortfalls of the previous curriculums. In these subjects, the gaps in pupils’ knowledge mean that they are not building securely on what they already know. The school should ensure that any gaps are identified and addressed so that pupils are ready for new learning. 11 and 12 March 2025

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 The school currently provides few enrichment opportunities outside of lessons. This limits how well pupils can discover and develop their talents and interests. It also means that the curriculum is not enriched by cultural and creative activities. The school should ensure that pupils have access to a range of experiences that will contribute to their wider personal development.

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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

Website www.leighsaintpeters.wigan.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 7 and 8 March 2023, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school provides a breakfast club.  The school has provision for two-year-old children.  The school currently uses one registered alternative provision.  The school is a voluntary-aided Church of England school within the Diocese of Manchester. The last section 48 inspection took place February 2017. The next inspection will take place in the 2024/25 academic year.  The current headteacher has been in post since September 2023.

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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. 11 and 12 March 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  The inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During this inspection, the inspectors met with the headteacher and a range of other staff. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. They also spoke with a representative of the local authority and the diocese.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography, history and science. For each deep dive, inspectors held 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.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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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 inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and while in lessons.  The inspectors considered the views of parents submitted through Ofsted Parent View, including the free text responses.  The inspectors also spoke to pupils and viewed examples of pupils’ work in a range of other subjects.  The lead inspector observed pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.  The inspectors reviewed key documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, school action plans and monitoring records.

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Inspection team

Liz Davidson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicky Parkinson 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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