Downholland-Haskayne Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Downholland-Haskayne Voluntary Aided Church of England Primary School Black-A-Moor Lane, Haskayne, Ormskirk, Lancashire L39 7HX

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 8 and 9 July 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Set amidst farmland, mossland and trees, this small school provides pupils with a safe, happy place to learn in. Pupils find it easy to make friends. They get to know other pupils in the early years and key stages 1 and 2 well. Pupils treat others with thought and consideration. Often, pupils are physically active in the school’s classrooms, spacious playground, garden or field. The school makes successful use of its quiet location in its teaching of the curriculum. Pupils are often treated to the sounds of local cows, sheep or horses during their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school takes care to learn about the needs of each pupil. Pupils feel that they belong at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of its pupils. Pupils are beginning to benefit from the recent improvements that the school has made to its curriculum design and teaching. However, some of the school’s curriculum is not well thought out. In addition, governance and some of the school’s leadership of aspects of its work are not as effective as they should be. These weaknesses hamper pupils’ quality of education and their achievement.

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

Over recent years, the school has experienced a prolonged period of change in its management and staffing and a reduction in the number of pupils on roll. Some weaknesses have developed in the quality of the school’s work. The school has not prepared some children in the early years and pupils in key stages 1 and 2 well for the next stage of their education.

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

In the past year, particularly since January 2025, the school has made much-needed refinements to its thinking and practices. For example, the school ensures that the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified, understood and supported. Individual plans to support these pupils are followed carefully and used well with other professionals, parents and carers. In some subjects, the school has established successful curriculum design and delivery. In these subjects, staff check and act on what pupils know and remember. However, in other subjects, the essential knowledge that staff will teach is much less clear. This hinders teachers from ensuring that pupils learn and understand all that they should.

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

The school ensures that children and pupils develop their knowledge of phonics well. Staff teach pupils to use phonics accurately to read. The school ensures that reading books match the letter sounds that pupils know. Staff provide weaker readers with skilful support to help them to read fluently and accurately. Staff enthuse children in early years and key stages 1 and 2 about stories, such as about ladybirds and robbers, or a cat aboard a fishing boat. Pupils develop important reading skills. They learn that books can be full of information, help one’s imagination and bring lots of joy.

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

The school does all it can to check on pupils’ attendance. It acts on any absences, including of any pupils who are flexi-schooled. Most pupils attend school regularly. 8 and 9 July 2025

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The school has a strong sense of direction. It now makes many of its decisions in the right way and at the right time. Nevertheless, the leadership of some aspects of its work is less well developed. This affects how well pupils learn some of the curriculum. In addition, while governors have taken steps to improve their own work, they have a patchy grasp of the school’s curriculum strengths and priorities. As a result, the governing body does not hold the school to account for its work effectively.

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In contrast to the shortcomings in the quality of education, the school has maintained a sharp focus on pupils’ behaviour and personal development. For example, it helps pupils to understand its expectations of their behaviour. The school has broadened its personal development offer so that pupils are even better placed to be respectful, responsible British citizens.

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The school provides staff with helpful support and training, such as on safeguarding. It considers carefully the well-being of staff in decisions that it makes. The school communicates very well with parents about pupils’ learning at school and home. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the significant improvements that they have seen in the school’s work this year.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, some of the school’s curriculum does not clearly identify the essential knowledge that staff should teach. Some pupils do not develop secure curriculum knowledge. This means that they are not as well prepared for their next stage of education as the school intends. The school should ensure that all curriculums are equally well thought out so that pupils know and remember all that they should.  The governing body does not have enough understanding of some of the school’s curriculum strengths and priorities. This affects how well it challenges and supports the quality of education at the school. Governors should ensure that they are well informed on the school’s work, so they can more effectively fulfil their statutory responsibilities and support the school on its continued journey of improvement.  The leadership of some aspects of the school’s work is less well developed than in others. This affects how well staff are supported to improve their teaching and it holds

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

back some aspects of pupils’ learning. The school should ensure that it develops its knowledge and expertise so that each aspect of its work is led well. 8 and 9 July 2025

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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). 8 and 9 July 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 March 2024, 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 Liverpool. Its most recent section 48 inspection took place in March 2022.  The headteacher was new to the school in January 2025.  The school does not use any alternative provision for its pupils.  The school’s age range includes two-year-olds, although none were on roll at the school at the time of the inspection.  A few pupils at the school are flexi-schooled, where they are electively home educated on some days and attend school on other days, as agreed with the school.

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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 8 and 9 July 2025

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors completed deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors made visits to lessons. The lead inspector listened to some pupils read to staff.  To consider the school’s work in some other subjects, inspectors spoke with leaders, met with a sample of pupils and reviewed examples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with the school about behaviour and attendance, early years, SEND, provision for pupils’ personal development and the school’s management of flexi-

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schooling places.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey to consider.  Inspectors spoke with some parents and considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. An inspector spoke with some parents as they arrived at the school with their children.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their work at the school and reviewed the responses from staff to Ofsted’s survey.  The lead inspector held a meeting with some members of the governing body.  The lead inspector met with two representatives of the local authority.  An inspector spoke with a representative of the diocese.  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.

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Inspection team

Tim Vaughan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Frith Murphy His Majesty’s Inspector 8 and 9 July 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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