The Blessed Sacrament Catholic Primary School, Preston

Preston

Address: Farringdon Lane, Ribbleton, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 6LX Unique reference number (URN): 149414

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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.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

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

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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.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have created a school where staff make time to get to know pupils well. They ensure that pupils’ needs are identified quickly. For disadvantaged pupils, those with a social worker and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), support is put in place to reduce barriers to their wellbeing and learning. Staff create clear plans for support so that pupils with SEND can experience success and learn at the right pace. Leaders review plans with parents and carers, alongside external agencies, to make sure that pupils progress well against their targets.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders ensure that staff have the knowledge and skills they need to provide the best support for pupils. Staff access a range of training and learn from professionals, who come into school to offer expert advice and guidance. They make careful changes to the way they teach to ensure that lessons are fully inclusive, such as providing additional resources for pupils when necessary. Leaders maintain oversight of how additional funding makes a positive difference to disadvantaged pupils. They work closely with virtual school leaders across a number of local authorities to make sure that pupils known to, and previously known to, children’s social care have their needs met.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have carefully designed a personal development programme that is tailored to the school’s context. The curriculum is enhanced by high-quality books that help pupils to add meaning to what they learn. Leaders ensure that the relationships and sex education and health education curriculum is age-appropriate and encourages healthy lifestyles. They make sure that staff have the knowledge they need to teach the programme effectively. Pupils build their knowledge of ways to stay safe and reduce risks associated with online activity. This is supported well by a range of visitors to school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Diversity is celebrated across school. Pupils learn about different beliefs and the importance of valuing and accepting everyone. They talk about equality with maturity. Pupils develop their understanding of right and wrong. They engage in thoughtful reflections about the world around them. Wider opportunities provided alongside the curriculum help pupils to become confident in how they can apply fundamental British values, such as tolerance and respect for others.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders and staff provide thoughtful support for pupils' emotional development and wellbeing. Pupils know that pastoral staff are on hand each morning to talk to if they need help to settle to their learning. They benefit from this nurturing approach that helps them build strategies to regulate their emotions and manage conflict successfully. Pupils talk about ways to support their own mental health confidently.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders offer a range of clubs and enrichment activities that help pupils develop their interests and talents. These include engaging in adventurous activities on residential visits, performing at singing events and attending sports clubs. Leaders track attendance at clubs to ensure that disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities participate fully and benefit greatly. Pupils value the opportunities to develop their

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Needs attention

social skills and resilience, such as attending competitions, fundraising and holding pupil leadership positions. Leaders ensure that pupils leave school with the knowledge and skills they need to keep themselves safe, healthy and culturally aware in life beyond their school.

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Achievement Needs attention

Over time, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6 is below the national average. Recent improvements are beginning to have an impact. For example, the proportion of Year 1 pupils who met the expected standard in their phonics screening check is in line with their peers nationally. This is also true for the Year 4 pupils, who took the multiplication tables check. Pupils generally recall number facts well. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities typically make the progress that they should. This means that pupils are becoming increasingly prepared for their next steps.

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Achievement Needs attention

Current pupils are beginning to make greater gains in their knowledge and skills across the curriculum. However, some pupils have gaps in their learning. This is especially the case in writing. Weaknesses in pupils’ writing skills hinder their ability to write fluently, accurately and legibly.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Pupils’ overall attendance rates are below the national average. More pupils miss large chunks of their education when compared to the national average. However, leaders take appropriate action to bring about improvements in pupils' attendance. They analyse patterns of absence and identify where further support is needed. Leaders work with pupils and their families to remove barriers to regular attendance. As a result, some groups of pupils now attend school more regularly and attendance rates are improving.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Leaders have ensured that staff’s expectations of pupils’ behaviour have risen. Staff typically follow the school's renewed behaviour policy. Mostly, pupils focus well in their lessons. They enjoy being recognised for making the right choices. Pupils’ behaviour means that learning time is calm and productive. The incidents that lead to suspension from school are reducing. Pupils recognise that improvements to their lunchtimes make it easier to seek adult support when needed.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Leaders make sure that staff record incidents of unacceptable behaviour. However, these records lack clarity. They do not enable leaders to identify well enough when there have been incidents of bullying or the use of derogatory language. This sometimes makes it hard for leaders and staff to deal with such incidents swiftly and effectively.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders generally understand what is working well in the curriculum and what needs to be developed further. They are taking appropriate action to make improvements. Many of their changes are relatively new. They have set out a broad and balanced overview for subjects, which aims to build pupils’ knowledge and vocabulary. However, leaders have not identified the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn and build on in some subjects. This makes it difficult for teachers to know what to emphasise when they design learning activities.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Typically, teachers have the subject knowledge that they need to deliver lessons clearly. Staff present learning in different ways to make sure that it is accessible for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Mostly, teachers use careful questioning to understand what pupils have learned. They use this information to design extra sessions for pupils to close gaps in their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have strengthened the teaching of phonics to ensure that pupils learn to read quickly. Leaders have developed a clearer approach to the teaching of mathematics to help pupils recall number facts. However, the school’s writing curriculum is less successful in securing pupils’ handwriting skills and spelling knowledge over time.

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Early years Needs attention

Leaders have designed an ambitious and interesting curriculum. However, they have not ensured that this is taught in a way that means children are consistently well prepared for Year 1. Leaders have recently identified the most important knowledge and skills that children need for later learning. Leaders are beginning to adapt the early years provision to provide frequent opportunities for children to use and apply their knowledge across the curriculum. For example, children practise their fine motor control, which helps them to be ready to write. However, at times, staff do not provide activities that are closely matched to what children need or their starting points. This can prevent children successfully building on what they already know and can do.

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Early years Needs attention

Staff engage well with children to enhance their language and vocabulary. They model talk effectively to continually develop children’s communication skills. Children in the Nursery Year enjoy story time and rhymes. This helps them to develop familiarity with texts and a love of reading. In the Reception class, phonics is taught daily by well-trained staff. This enables most children in the Reception class to use their letter sounds to start to read with confidence.

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Early years Needs attention

Children settle well in the early years. They are happy and develop independence. This is well supported by caring staff and consistent routines. Staff secure effective partnerships with parents and carers to ensure that any barriers to learning are identified. This makes sure that children who face difficulties get the support that they need from the start.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. However, considerable changes in staffing and leadership have hindered leaders from bringing about improvement as quickly as they intended. As result, some pupils do not gain the knowledge and skills that they need to succeed. The recent support of the trust, alongside external support, has enabled leaders to accelerate the pace of change. For example, there are clearer systems to monitor attendance and the early years' environment has improved. However, leaders’ work to improve the curriculum and pupils’ achievement is at an earlier stage of development. Leaders show a commitment to managing staff’s wellbeing and workload. Staff, including early career teachers, benefit from a high-quality professional learning programme. Many value this and understand how developing their expertise is leading to improvements.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Those responsible for governance have the knowledge and skills to support and challenge school leaders effectively. They understand their responsibilities and ensure that statutory duties are met. Leaders, including governors and trust leaders, make decisions in the best interests of pupils and the community they serve. They remain focused on the impact that changes will have on their most vulnerable pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged pupils and those who experience other barriers to their learning. Leaders’ engagement with parents and carers is improving. Many parents who shared their views during the inspection were positive about how leaders and staff involve them in their children’s education.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils, especially those who join at different points in the school year, benefit from a nurturing and welcoming school. Staff know pupils and understand their needs. This ensures that disadvantaged pupils, and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, feel that they belong and are included in all aspects of school life. Pupils know that the pastoral support team and Buddy, the school dog, are always on hand to help them with any worries they may have.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enjoy their lessons and try their best. The school has experienced a lot of changes in recent years, including in staffing and leadership. This has hindered leaders’ success in fully reducing the variability in the quality of the curriculum and how it is taught. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and skills. This means they are not as well prepared for their next stage in education as they should be.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enter school happily each morning and many attend regularly. However, some pupils still miss school too much. This makes it harder for them to thrive and achieve well. Recent changes have led to the school being a calm and orderly place, where pupils generally behave well. They cooperate positively with each other and enjoy their social times of the day. Although, some pupils say that bullying and behaviour incidents continue to happen, they know that they have staff to talk to, who do their best to resolve such issues.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are taught to keep safe, including when using the internet. They are well informed about age-appropriate risks in the wider community and how to protect themselves. Pupils take on extra responsibilities, such as school councillors, that provide opportunities to make an impact in their school and local community. They are proud of their school and their plans to make improvements, including arranging new playground markings. Pupils understand how they can make a positive contribution to society. They plant trees and pick up litter in their local area. Pupils develop their knowledge of citizenship, which helps prepare them for life in modern Britain.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that behaviour records contain clearer information about incidents of bullying and derogatory language so that they can act more swiftly and effectively. Leaders should review the writing curriculum to ensure that pupils are able to form letters correctly and spell accurately, so they build writing fluency as they move through school. In some subjects, leaders should identify the most important knowledge in the curriculum to ensure that teachers are clear about what to teach and pupils learn all that they should. Leaders should ensure the delivery of the early years curriculum is closely aligned with children’s starting points, enabling learning to build progressively from Nursery to Reception and preparing children consistently well for Year 1.

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About this inspection

This school is part of Mater Ecclesiae Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Peter Duffy, overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Roger Mason and local governing body, chaired by Ged McKevitt.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors met with the headteacher and other school leaders. The lead inspector also met with governors, trustees and trust leaders, including the chairs of the trust and local governing board. They also spoke with a representative from the diocese, a representative of the local authority and an external educational representative.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

This school is registered as having a Roman Catholic religious character. The last section 48 inspection took place in June 2025.

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About this inspection

The school currently uses no alternative provision.

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About this inspection

The school also, under the same registration, runs a nursery for 3- and 4-year-old children.

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Team inspectors:

Philip Barlow, Ofsted Inspector Craig Dewar-Willox, Ofsted Inspector Usman Kothia, His Majesty's Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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