Blackpool St John's Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Blackpool St John’s Church of England Primary School Church Street, Blackpool, Lancashire FY1 3NX

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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 29 and 30 April 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this caring school. They know that staff will support them if they have any worries. Many new pupils arrive at the school at different times during the year. They are made to feel welcome and settle in quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ social and academic achievement. Pupils typically achieve well, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The pastoral support for pupils is a strength of the school. This helps pupils to feel safe and to be ready for their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They typically engage well during lessons, which are calm and purposeful. Pupils understand why the school’s ‘golden rule’, treating others the way that you want to be treated, is important to follow in school and beyond the school’s gates.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with rich experiences that they might not otherwise have. For example, extensive trips enrich pupils’ learning. These include visits to zoos, museums and places of worship. Pupils have opportunities to develop their talents and interests, such as by playing musical instruments and by performing at festivals. They partake in clubs after school, for example in sports, cooking, dance and art.

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

The school has designed a curriculum that is broad, balanced and commensurate with the national curriculum. It has identified the knowledge for pupils to learn, which is ordered logically, so that pupils build on what they already know. This curriculum thinking begins in the early years, where children get off to a flying start to their education.

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

Staff benefit from a comprehensive package of training and coaching that helps them to develop their subject knowledge. In the main, teachers provide pupils with learning activities and clear explanations that help them to build their knowledge. However, from time to time, staff do not deliver all subject curriculums consistently well. This variability hinders how well some pupils learn.

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

Overall, during lessons, staff check that pupils understand new information and concepts as these are introduced. Nonetheless, in some subjects, the strategies that teachers use to check pupils’ knowledge are still being determined. As a result, pupils’ knowledge is not as secure as it could be, as some gaps in their learning have not been addressed.

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

The school identifies pupils’ additional needs quickly. It works closely with external agencies, parents and carers to support pupils with SEND to learn well alongside their peers. Pupils with SEND are included in the full life of the school.

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

Pupils’ enjoyment of reading is fostered by the school. For example, pupils visit the local library and enjoy daily story time. Class libraries are stocked with texts that have been carefully chosen to reflect the diversity in the community. Pupils enjoy reading from a variety of different texts and authors. 29 and 30 April 2025

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Staff have had training to help them to deliver the phonics programme typically well. This begins from the start of the Reception Year. Pupils practise their reading with books that contain the sounds that they already know. Those who struggle with reading, including pupils who speak English as an additional language, receive targeted support from staff. This helps them to develop their reading fluency in readiness for key stage 2.

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Pupils are mostly well mannered and polite. In the early years, children learn quickly how to share and take turns. Staff foster children’s self-care skills and independence well, to enable them to learn successfully through their play. Pupils typically attend school regularly. The school works with external professionals to support pupils and their families to improve levels of attendance. This work is ongoing, particularly for pupils who are disadvantaged.

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The school provides pupils with a well-thought-out programme to enrich their personal development. Pupils learn about safety outside of school, including how to be safe online and when near open water. Older pupils learn about responsibility in their roles as school councillors, prefects, worship wardens and eco-councillors. To support the community, pupils raise money for local charities and donate to a local foodbank.

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The governing body fulfils its statutory duties well, with a focus on supporting and challenging the school to encourage continual improvement. Staff are positive about working at the school. They appreciate the open and supportive culture that exists. Staff are given the time that they need to undertake their roles well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, there is variability in how effectively staff implement some subject curriculums. This hinders how well some pupils learn. The school should ensure that staff are fully equipped to deliver subject curriculums consistently well.  In some subjects, the strategies for teachers to check on pupils’ learning are in development. Because of this, the gaps that some pupils have in their knowledge are not routinely picked up. The school should refine its approach to assessment so that staff better identify and address gaps in the important information that pupils should know and remember.

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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 29 and 30 April 2025

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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). 29 and 30 April 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 March 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This Church of England school is in the Diocese of Blackburn. The school’s last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, was in October 2024. The next section 48 inspection is due to take place by October 2029.  Since the previous inspection, a new chair of governors has been appointed.  The school does not make use of alternative provision for pupils.  The school provides a breakfast club on Thursdays and Fridays, and it also runs an after-school club for pupils.

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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). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 29 and 30 April 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 the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. In each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders and visited a sample of lessons. They spoke with teachers and with some pupils about their learning. Inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work. They also considered the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector observed some pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult. He discussed reading with a group of older pupils.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other school leaders. The lead inspector met

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with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors. He also spoke with representatives of the local authority and of the diocese.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around school, including at playtime and during lunchtime. They spoke with several groups of pupils about their experiences at school.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation documents, improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and documents about pupils’ behaviour and levels of attendance.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and their well-being. They considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  There were too few responses to Ofsted Parent View for inspectors to consider. However, they did take account of any free-text comments. Inspectors looked at the school’s own parent questionnaires and an inspector with some parents at the start of

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the school day.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record and took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils. They considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

David Lobodzinski, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rebecca Gough Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 April 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 looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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