St Luke's CofE Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Luke’s CofE Primary School Fagley Lane, Eccleshill, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD2 3NS

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school’s work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Luke’s CofE Primary School is a warm and welcoming school. Pupils are happy. They enjoy positive relationships with staff and receive high-quality pastoral care and support. The school knows the pupils and their families well. It teaches pupils that they are unique and valued as individuals. Pupils are proud of the fact that everyone at their school is treated equally.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know they need to be ‘ready, respectful and safe’. They follow these school rules closely. At playtime, they socialise well together by playing games and making dens. In lessons, pupils follow routines. Teachers use language that is encouraging, supportive and helpful. They recognise pupils’ achievements and efforts by rewarding them with house points. This builds their confidence. Regular celebration assemblies help to build a strong sense of community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

While there are high expectations for pupils’ achievement, these have not been realised in recent years. This is reflected in the results pupils achieve in assessments sat at the end of key stage 2. Over time, pupils have not been as prepared as they need to be for the next stage of their learning. Leaders have begun to improve the areas of the curriculum that need it. The impact of this work is in its early stages.

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

Pupils follow a curriculum that is carefully thought through. Concepts, knowledge and vocabulary are clearly set out in each subject. In reading and writing, the school has made improvements recently. There are signs that this work is beginning to have a positive impact on pupils. 13 and 14 May 2025

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Teachers use their secure subject knowledge and resources to explain concepts clearly. For example, in mathematics, teachers use number lines to help pupils understand fractions. In Reception, the learning environment is child-focused and engaging. There are lots of well-planned play activities, both indoors and outdoors, that give children the chance to practise and embed what they have learned.

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There are some inconsistencies in how teachers check pupils have learned, understood and remembered the curriculum. Sometimes, pupils have misconceptions or gaps in their knowledge. For example, some pupils have gaps in their vocabulary knowledge or misunderstand some of the vocabulary they are taught. This limits the accuracy of pupils’ reading and comprehension. The gaps pupils have in their knowledge and understanding are not always addressed.

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Younger pupils learn to read well. The school introduces phonics to children from the start of Reception. Staff are well trained to teach the school’s chosen phonics programme competently. Pupils who need to catch up receive timely support.

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The school promotes reading for pleasure in a range of ways. Authors visit the school. Pupils access the ‘book nook’ at playtime and there is daily story time. Younger pupils are enthusiastic about reading. However, some older pupils’ attitudes are more mixed.

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The school identifies the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately. In some cases, the curriculum is carefully adapted to support pupils to learn effectively, alongside their peers. However, this support is variable. As a result, some pupils with SEND, at times, do not learn or achieve as well as they could.

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Leaders track attendance closely and work effectively to support families to address concerns, if pupils are absent too often. As a result, rates of attendance are high. Pupils are friendly and well mannered. Most pupils pay attention in lessons and work hard. Some pupils’ resilience and skills that help them to learn independently are not as developed as they could be. Sometimes, this results in pupils being off-task and this limits their progress through the curriculum.

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Pupils play an active part in the school community. They are proud of being ‘happiness heroes’ and being on the school council. This promotes pupils’ sense of responsibility and belonging. Pupils are supported with their mental health effectively. They have regular lessons that help them to understand their emotions. The school teaches them techniques such as ‘happy breathing’. Pupils find these strategies useful to use in stressful situations.

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Wider opportunities, such as outdoor learning, teach pupils problem-solving, communication and risk assessment skills. Through the school’s personal, social and health education programme, pupils develop an assured understanding of how to stay safe online and an age-appropriate awareness of healthy relationships.

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Governors have made changes to the way they work so leaders are held to increased levels of accountability for the standards in the school. While there has been a decline in 13 and 14 May 2025

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academic outcomes over time, leaders have begun to address the areas that need improving. Staff value the support they get with their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some of the school’s strategies to support pupils with SEND vary in their effectiveness. Occasionally, some pupils with SEND do not access aspects of the curriculum or achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure there is greater consistency and high ambition in the support and adaptations for pupils with SEND, so that they can achieve consistently well.  Sometimes, teachers do not check pupils’ understanding effectively. This leads to gaps in pupils’ knowledge, unidentified misconceptions and missed opportunities to secure and deepen pupils’ understanding. As a result, some pupils do not secure or deepen their learning as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers check pupils’ understanding carefully so that gaps in learning are identified and addressed, and that pupils’ knowledge is deepened.  Some pupils’ resilience and skills to learn independently are not as developed as they

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

could be. This is limiting some pupils’ academic and social development. The school should further develop ways to build pupils’ resilience and skills to learn independently, ensuring this positively impacts on pupils’ academic and social development.

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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. 13 and 14 May 2025

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2020.

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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). 13 and 14 May 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Leeds. The school last received a section 48 inspection in November 2023. The next section 48 inspection is likely to take place by November 2028.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school runs its own 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 his evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. He also met with the chair of governors and members of the governing body, and representatives from the local authority and the diocese. 13 and 14 May 2025

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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’ interest first.  Throughout the inspection, the inspector met with groups of staff. He also considered the opinions expressed through Ofsted’s online staff survey.  The inspector took account of responses to the online parent and carer survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Dan McKeating, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 May 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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