Schools & FE · Report card

East Ward Community Primary School

Inspected 20 Jan 2026 · URN 144572

Original PDF ↗

Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Jackie Stillings (lead), Gillian Crompton, Nicola Howard, Sarah Price

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Strong standard
Early years verified
Strong standard
Inclusion verified
Strong standard
Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Strong standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
20 Jan 2026
Inspectors verified
Gillian Crompton, Jackie Stillings, Nicola Howard, Sarah Price
Postcode verified
BL9 7QZ
Name on report verified
East Ward Community Primary School
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
144572

Page 1 of 16

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

Join free to get a short, plain-English summary of any report.

Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourExpected
Curriculum and teachingStrong
Early yearsStrong
InclusionStrong
Leadership and governanceExpected
Personal development and wellbeingStrong

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+86Very positivemore positive than 81% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisestrongpositiveextremelyconfidentthriveambitiouswell preparedrespectful

Criticismconcernsdisruptiongapsabsencepersistent absencebelow

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1555w+88
Leadership250w+75
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve23w+43

Strengths

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Concerns

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

No strong criticism found.

Next steps

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Leaders should continue to implement and evaluate their attendance strategy to secure consistently high attendance for pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. p.6

What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Leadership & governance35
“Leaders are determined that all pupils can be ‘happy, challenged, successful and proud’.” p.3
Curriculum10
“The curriculum is extremely well designed.” p.2
Parents & families10
“Their strong relationships with parents and carers help leaders to have honest and supportive conversations.” p.4
Attendance9
“Leaders’ actions have had a positive impact on improving some pupils’ attendance, including those with significant barriers.” p.4
Teaching & assessment8
“Staff across early years engage children in high-quality interactions that support their learning strongly.” p.2
Reading & phonics7
“Staff share books often and nurture children’s love of reading.” p.2
Behaviour6
“Staff apply behaviour policies consistently.” p.4
Progress & outcomes6
“Outcomes in national assessments highlight how, by the end of key stage 2, most pupils are well prepared for their next stage of education.” p.6

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 16
Words of findings: 1,875; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 49, typical 43
Average sentence: 13 words
Next steps: 1; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 4%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 52%Leadership 8%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 1%About the inspection 37%

Full report text

East Ward Community Primary School

Address: Willow Street, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 7QZ Unique reference number (URN): 144572

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders are well informed. They ensure staff and pupils have a strong voice in curriculum improvement. Leaders’ current focus on improving how well teachers check understanding and shape teaching is well grounded.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum that is tailored to the school’s context. For example, in design and technology, pupils learn to prepare affordable and healthy meals. Staff share recipes so families can recreate these meals at home.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

The curriculum is carefully ordered so pupils build knowledge securely over time. Leaders make sure teachers have strong subject knowledge. This is clear in the direct explanations and routine opportunities to revisit prior learning that teachers provide.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Teachers know their pupils well. They are successful in reducing barriers to learning that pupils may face. This allows pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to progress well through the curriculum.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders ensure that building blocks for future learning in English and mathematics are taught systematically and well. They are determined that every pupil learns to read. Any pupil who needs help to keep up with the pace of the phonics programme is given targeted support. Pupils have plentiful opportunities to become confident communicators. Classrooms are awash with purposeful talk.

p.2

Early years Strong standard

Staff across early years engage children in high-quality interactions that support their learning strongly. Classrooms are filled with meaningful talk. Staff introduce and reinforce vocabulary through stories, songs, rhymes, routines and play. For example, staff model words such as empty, half full and full while children explore with diggers and pasta. In role- play and construction areas, staff introduce topic-related language and encourage children to explain their thinking. These back and forth conversations help children grow confident in speaking and listening.

p.2

Early years Strong standard

The curriculum is extremely well designed. It focuses clearly on what children need to learn and the order they need to learn it in. Staff make sure new learning builds securely on what children already know and can do.

p.2

Early years Strong standard

Leaders prioritise reading from the start. Reception-age children learn phonics quickly and use this knowledge to begin to read and write. Staff share books often and nurture children’s love of reading.

p.2

Early years Strong standard

Children in the nursery settle happily and feel secure. Reception-age children are confident and increasingly independent. They are ready for the move to Year 1. Throughout early years, warm relationships help children thrive. Leaders also build strong and lasting partnerships with parents and carers that support children’s learning and wellbeing well.

p.2

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders are determined that all pupils can be ‘happy, challenged, successful and proud’. The support that is offered to pupils spreads beyond the school gates to their parents and carers. The Little Oaks Nursery brings the community together and ensures easier access to the services that pupils and their families need.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

Serving pupils’ best interests is at the centre of the school’s work. Pupils benefit from very effective provision that promotes their emotional wellbeing. Established routines, such as mindful breakfasts, help pupils feel calm, secure and ready to learn.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

Barriers to learning are identified carefully and skilfully removed. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language are supported remarkably well. Staff use their skilled expertise to make suitable changes to lessons to enable these pupils to learn successfully. This includes pupils who need the more specialised approach to learning provided in the Honey Pot, the school’s specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. Leaders regularly check that support is appropriate and responsive to pupils’ needs.

p.3

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders use pupil premium funding to support pupils effectively. This includes making sure that pupils can access all that the school has to offer, including extra-curricular opportunities.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders place pupils’ best interests at the centre of everything they do. The school’s pastoral support is a real strength. Staff know pupils extremely well. Pupils receive caring and carefully tailored support. For example, pupils who attend the mindful breakfast sessions begin their day in a calm, positive way.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders have created a wide ranging personal development programme. They have chosen curriculum materials carefully to make sure they are suitable for different ages. Pupils learn how to stay safe, including how to manage risks online. They gain a strong understanding of what it means to be healthy in both mind and body. Pupils relish learning in the outdoors and growing and selling their own produce.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils learn what important British values look like in their day-to-day lives. They treat each other with high levels of respect. Pupils enjoy learning about different beliefs, values and viewpoints within the school’s diverse community. They become confident speakers. They listen attentively and build on each other’s ideas thoughtfully.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils enjoy taking active roles within the school and local community, for example through litter picking and recycling projects. These experiences help pupils to build confidence and a keen sense of responsibility. Pupils spoke positively about the many clubs on offer to them. These allow them to explore interests in areas such as computing, football and mindfulness.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders want pupils to aim high for their futures. They provide opportunities for pupils to learn about the world of work to help build aspirations. Pupils also take part in a wide range of cultural activities including music lessons, performing arts and themed days that celebrate different cultures and faiths. Visits and visitors help deepen their understanding of their local

p.3

Expected standard

area and the wider world. Leaders remove any barriers, including financial ones, to ensure all pupils can access these opportunities.

p.4

Achievement Expected standard

Most pupils are well prepared for the next stage of education. They read and use number accurately and fluently. Leaders’ focus on improving pupils’ writing is bearing fruit. Pupils now write with increasing legibility and a sense of purpose. In the main, pupils recall their prior learning well, including in the wider curriculum.

p.4

Achievement Expected standard

By the end of key stage 2, pupils’ attainment in national assessments is broadly in line with those of other pupils. Over time, disadvantaged pupils have performed significantly above their national peers in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the most recent published data shows that these pupils attained closer to national averages.

p.4

Achievement Expected standard

Leaders check closely how well pupils are achieving. They ensure that well-tailored support is in place for pupils who need it. This means that pupils with gaps in their knowledge, particularly in phonics and multiplication, are helped to keep up with their peers where needed.

p.4

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have put clear systems in place to improve attendance. They are diligent in following up absence. Leaders interrogate data closely to ensure that they can spot dips in attendance quickly. Their strong relationships with parents and carers help leaders to have honest and supportive conversations.

p.4

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders’ actions have had a positive impact on improving some pupils’ attendance, including those with significant barriers. Pupils' persistent absence, although remaining below national averages, is improving year on year. While leaders understand the causes of absence and tailor support well, their actions have not secured rapid improvement over time.

p.4

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

The school is an orderly and respectful environment. Pupils feel safe. They know that bullying of any kind is not tolerated and that any concerns are dealt with promptly and effectively.

p.4

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Staff apply behaviour policies consistently. They address very occasional low-level disruption quickly. Pupils know that they are expected to be ready, respectful and safe. They rise to these expectations and behave well in lessons and at social times. Pupils show positive attitudes to learning and to each other. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities have their needs met expertly. Staff know pupils extremely well. They provide strong care and support to any pupils who find managing their emotions difficult.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders at all levels are staunchly committed to the pupils, their families and the wider community. They provide principled and courageous leadership. Leaders understand the school’s strengths and priorities well. They use a suitable range of information, including gathering the views of pupils, parents, carers and staff, to check what is going well. When improvement is needed, leaders think carefully about the actions most likely to secure better outcomes, such as strengthening pupils’ writing and oracy. Leaders review progress regularly and adapt their plans in response. This ensures that improvement work stays focused and broadly effective.

p.5

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Trustees and local governors carry out their roles and responsibilities with diligence. They manage resources carefully and provide well-balanced support and challenge to school leaders. Trustees consider workload implications carefully when approving new initiatives. This is important during the trust’s current period of interim leadership.

p.5

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders maintain positive and constructive relationships with parents, for example through adult learning opportunities. They make decisions that place pupils’ needs at the centre. This is especially clear for disadvantaged pupils, those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known to social care. Funding and provision for these pupils are prioritised. Leaders check regularly that support is improving pupils’ attendance, wellbeing and academic progress.

p.5

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff benefit from a well-structured professional development programme that includes coaching and opportunities to strengthen subject knowledge. This includes carefully designed induction for teachers at the early stage of their career. Staff morale is high. They report that they are valued and well supported.

p.5