St Luke's Church of England Primary School

Inspection of St Luke’s Church of England Primary School Queen’s Park Road, Heywood, Lancashire OL10 4XB

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 11 and 12 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The supportive and welcoming atmosphere within this school is evident from arriving at St Luke’s. Pupils arrive each morning with great enthusiasm. They are very proud to attend this school. The school has created a culture that includes everyone.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve exceptionally well across the curriculum. This is because the school works extremely well to eliminate pupils’ barriers to learning. Children in the early years achieve exceptionally well and thrive socially from the well-thought-out curriculum. They are very well prepared for Year 1.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel very safe in school. Their behaviour is excellent. They enjoy spending time with one another and they play happily together at breaktimes. Pupils look out for the well- being of their peers and support each other if they are upset.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides an exemplary range of experiences and opportunities for pupils. They carefully consider which activities best support and enrich pupils’ personal development. For example, the work on future skills and careers prepares the pupils exceptionally well for their lives beyond primary school. Pupils are well prepared for their future.

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

The school is very effective in identifying the needs of pupils with SEND. It ensures that children in the early years, and pupils throughout the rest of the school, receive the support that they need to succeed. Teachers make suitable adaptations in lessons. As a result, pupils with SEND learn confidently alongside their peers.

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

The school has crafted a highly effective and ambitious curriculum. Teachers’ subject knowledge is consistently excellent across the broad curriculum. All staff are very well supported to gain the knowledge and expertise that they need to deliver the curriculum very well. Staff coach and support each other to reflect on and refine the way that they teach to become even better. They feel very well supported by the school to manage their workload and this enables them to focus their time on pupils’ learning. Pupils achieve exceptionally well across all areas of the school’s curriculum.

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

Staff in the early years are expertly trained to ensure their interactions with children are of a high standard, consistently modelling ambitious vocabulary. This supports children in using similar vocabulary to describe their learning. Children are prepared exceptionally well for the key stage 1 curriculum.

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

Early reading is given a high priority. Stories, songs and nursery rhymes engage children’s enthusiasm for reading in the early years. The phonics programme starts as soon as children begin in the Reception class. This ensures that children acquire the phonics knowledge they need to begin to read. As pupils move into key stage 1, they become more fluent readers. Any pupils who need additional support are identified very quickly and helped to catch up as swiftly as possible. Older pupils become passionate about 11 and 12 March 2025

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reading. This is because of the opportunities that they have to engage in different activities that promote their desire to read for pleasure.

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Pupils understand the expectations that staff have for their behaviour. The school environment is calm and orderly. The consistent high standard of work throughout the school reflects pupils’ highly positive attitudes to their learning. Children in the early years consistently demonstrate concentration, resilience and problem-solving skills. They follow well-embedded routines and interact with each other very positively, turn taking and sharing in the provision. Attendance is high. The school has acted diligently in instances when the attendance rates for individual pupils are low. The school supports families to make improvements, when this is needed.

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Pupils receive an exceptional range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests. These include well-attended clubs, such as sports, choir and mindfulness. The ‘Pupil Offer Promise’ sets out termly experiences for each pupil. This includes visitors to school, outdoor learning, arts and cultural experiences and trips within the local area and beyond. Pupils are confident in how to keep themselves safe online and in the community. They know how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy.

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Governors are extremely committed to their roles. They work closely with the school to provide highly effective support and challenge. They go to great lengths to assure themselves of the impact of pupils’ education. Parents and carers are very positive about the school and appreciate the support that their children receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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, 11 and 12 March 2025

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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

Chair of governing body Reverend Kirsty Screeton

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Manchester. A section 48 inspection to evaluate the religious distinctiveness and effectiveness of the school took place in January 2024. The next section 48 inspection is due in the 2029/30 academic year.  The school currently makes use of one alternative provision for pupils.  The governing body is responsible for the school’s wraparound care.

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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.  This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and art and design. For each deep dive, the lead inspector 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.  Inspectors considered the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other leaders and members of staff. The lead inspector spoke with members of the governing body.  The lead inspector spoke with representatives of the local authority and the diocese.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around school. They also observed pupils while they played outside.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also met with parents before school. There were no responses to the pupil and staff online surveys.

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Inspection team

Clare Baron, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Midgley 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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