Thurnham Glasson Christ Church, Church of England Primary School

England Primary School

Address: School Lane, Glasson Dock, Lancaster, Lancashire, LA2 0AR Unique reference number (URN): 119543

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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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This school requires special measures

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to provide an acceptable standard of education, and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils' attendance is typically above the national average for all pupils. Pupils enjoy coming to school. Leaders' strategies to support and improve pupils' attendance are effective. They work in close partnership with parents and carers to promote the importance of attendance. This has resulted in a decline in the number of days missed by pupils. Leaders use their analysis of attendance to ensure that they can spot any emerging needs. When spotted, leaders make sure these pupils get the support they need to attend well.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have created a culture where incidents of discriminatory behaviour are unheard of. Pupils' behaviour and conduct are rooted firmly in the school's values. Staff consistently use the school's behaviour rules well. Pupils know and dutifully follow the school routines. They are motivated to meet the expectations that leaders and staff have of them. In lessons, pupils concentrate well on their learning. Pupils understand the importance of treating others with kindness and respect. This is lived out in classrooms. This fosters a palpable sense of community spirit. Across the school, there is a calm, productive working atmosphere.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

Pupils do not develop a secure knowledge of the personal, social and health education curriculum. Despite this curriculum being comprehensive and more well-designed than in other subjects, pupils' understanding is patchy. Pupils remember some topics very well. For example, they have a deep understanding of water safety. In other topics, such as healthy relationships or some fundamental British values, pupils only have a superficial understanding. This means that they are not as well prepared for life beyond school as they could be.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

Pupils' enjoyment of learning is enriched through the wider curriculum offer. Leaders ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to benefit from this wider offer. Pupils participate in trips that enhance curriculum learning. For example, they develop an understanding of how to develop their resilience at the scout camp they attend. Carefully planned trips enhance pupils' learning, such as the trip to the Isle of Man, where pupils have the opportunity to put their learning into practice. Pupils make a positive contribution towards supporting those

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Urgent improvement

less fortunate than themselves. For example, they raise funds for a range of local and national charities.

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Urgent improvement

Pupils benefit from a highly effective pastoral offer. Due to the small number of pupils, staff can offer bespoke, personalised support that is carefully tailored to each individual. This helps pupils, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, to have a powerful sense of belonging to the school.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Pupils do not progress through the curriculum well enough. This particularly affects pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, who struggle to access their learning. They often fall further behind as a result. Pupils are underprepared for their next steps in education. Gaps in pupils' crucial knowledge are not identified quickly. These gaps in knowledge are not remedied swiftly or effectively. In subjects beyond English and mathematics, pupils do not make secure gains in knowledge and skills. For example, they remember isolated vocabulary from different topics but they cannot recall the meaning of these words. Often, this means that they cannot explain their ideas with sufficient clarity.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Although some pupils achieve in line with national expectations in reading, writing or mathematics, pupils are still underachieving. This is because pupils do not achieve the high standards of which they are capable.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Leaders lack any meaningful oversight of curriculum delivery. They have not tackled deficiencies in the curriculum and teaching effectively. This hinders pupils' progress through the curriculum. Leaders have developed a weak, poorly designed curriculum. Any improvements to the curriculum and its delivery have not been sustained. In one subject, with extensive external support, the school has ensured a more coherent approach to the curriculum and teaching. However, in other subjects, this coherence is lacking. Pupils are ill prepared for future learning as they have many gaps in their knowledge.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Staff do not have the subject-specific knowledge or expertise to implement the curriculum effectively. For example, when a new mathematics curriculum was introduced, leaders did not support this with effective professional development. Without clear guidance, staff implement the curriculum with differing success. As a result, pupils' experiences in their lessons are uneven. Teachers do not know how to shape learning effectively for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities or disadvantaged pupils. This means that, overall, pupils do not learn well.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Staff do not carry out precise checks on pupils’ learning. Pupils’ misconceptions, errors and overall gaps in crucial knowledge regularly go unidentified and unaddressed. Pupils typically repeat their errors and struggle to build securely on what they have been taught previously. The extra support that pupils are given to catch up, including in reading, is largely ineffective. This means that they do not become fluent and confident readers as quickly as they should.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

Although leaders are committed to having an inclusive culture, their systems and processes to identify pupils' additional needs are highly ineffective, or non-existent. Where leaders have identified additional needs, these are not underpinned by accurate or timely assessments. Consequently, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils do not have the support or adaptations that they need to access the curriculum. This negatively impacts how well they learn.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

Due to the lack of clarity around pupils' needs, the short-term targets that teachers set do not match those needs. The school's approach to meeting pupils' needs is not followed with enough consistency or rigour to ensure that pupils make the progress that they should. Leaders do not evaluate the interventions provided effectively.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

Leaders do not ensure that pupils' barriers to their learning are successfully reduced. Staff do not have the expertise needed to reduce pupils' barriers to learning. This means that pupils struggle to learn successfully. Leaders have not ensured effective use of the pupil premium funding. They have not ensured that they have identified the challenges that disadvantaged pupils face. As a result, barriers to learning are not overcome. Disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as they should.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Pupils’ education has routinely suffered from ineffective and turbulent leadership and governance. Wider issues with overall staff recruitment and retention mean leaders’ actions have frequently been disrupted or have been too slow to bring about meaningful change. Although interim leaders often take appropriate action to identify weaknesses in the standard of education provided, their strategies to address these deficiencies are not maintained over time. Consequently, many weaknesses persist and have a detrimental impact on pupils' education.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Governors lack full awareness and accurate understanding of the overwhelming issues facing the school. They do not challenge or hold the school's leadership to account effectively for pupils' performance. This has been made more difficult because of the instability in the school's leadership.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Governors and leaders do not make sure that staff have access to vital high-quality professional development. Consequently, staff's ability to deliver the curriculum effectively is impaired. Changes to the curriculum have not been managed well. Leaders are unsure about what support staff need. In addition, turbulence in leadership has resulted in a high workload for staff. Staff have to respond to changes without the professional knowledge they need to do so. This impacts negatively on their wellbeing. That said, staff feel that some changes that have been introduced are making a positive difference.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Governors and leaders are committed to offering pupils the best opportunities they can. They take decisions that they believe are in the best interests of pupils. However, despite their efforts, overall, these changes are not having the desired impact.

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

Pupils do not receive an acceptable standard of education. Despite their thirst for learning, the curriculum does not meet pupils' needs. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities do not have the support they need to make suitable progress. Teachers' expectations for pupils are too low. Leaders have not addressed previous weaknesses, including in the curriculum. Improvements to the school's provision have been too slow. In addition, pupils' knowledge of some areas of the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum is not as secure as it needs to be. Leaders and those responsible for governance rely too much on external support. Furthermore, improvements have not been sustained. As a result, pupils underachieve. They are not prepared well for the next stage in their education.

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

Pupils enjoy coming to this small, welcoming school. Staff know pupils very well. Positive relationships between the close-knit school community are evident. Pupils are very welcoming. They treat each other and visitors with respect. Staff are kind and supportive of pupils. This helps pupils to feel safe. There are many occasions when pupils work alongside each other to support the school and village community. For example, they grow vegetables in their allotment, which they will eat over lunch. Pupils relish their leadership opportunities. For example, they enjoy being an eco-council member and looking for ways to ensure that they can support the local and wider world to be as eco-friendly as possible.

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

Typically, pupils behave well in lessons. Staff teach clear routines and manage pupils' behaviour consistently. This creates a supportive environment for learning. Pupils cooperate well with each other. At playtime, they share equipment with each other and ensure that everyone has someone to play with. Pupils know who they would turn to if they had any concerns. This includes if they had any concerns about bullying.

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Next steps

Governors must gain a comprehensive, precise oversight of the school's strengths and areas for development to ensure that they can hold leaders to account for the swift improvement required to pupils' education. Leaders must ensure that they tackle the weaknesses in the school effectively so that their actions lead to sustained improvement. Leaders and governors must ensure that the curriculum offered is planned and delivered effectively. They must raise teachers' expectations for pupils' achievement and ensure that staff have the knowledge and expertise needed to teach the curriculum well. Leaders and governors must ensure that there is a sharp focus on closing gaps in pupils' foundational knowledge, so that pupils have the basic skills that they need to succeed in their future education. Leaders must ensure that they develop coherent systems to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and barriers to learning for

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Next steps

disadvantaged pupils quickly and accurately. They must ensure that this leads to more effective support in the classroom through carefully selected adaptations for pupils. Leaders and governors must ensure that they improve achievement of all pupils, especially those with SEND, so that they have the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that they need to be ready for the next stage of their education. Leaders should ensure that the personal development curriculum better develops pupils' understanding of healthy relationships and fundamental British values.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Peter Milston.

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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 (OI) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the executive headteacher, who was in place due to the absence of the substantive headteacher. They also spoke with staff, parents, carers and pupils. The lead inspector also met with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body. He also spoke with representatives from the local authority and the Diocese of Blackburn.

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About this inspection

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvements in the school.

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About this inspection

The school may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection. The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be considered again during any monitoring inspection we carry out.

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About this inspection

The school is registered as having a Church of England religious character. The last section 48 inspection took place in October 2024.

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About this inspection

The school does not make any use of alternative provision.

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About this inspection

The substantive headteacher was absent during the inspection. The school has had 3 different interim headteachers supporting the school during any absence of the substantive headteacher. There have been several changes to staff since the last inspection.

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About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, there were 12 pupils on roll.

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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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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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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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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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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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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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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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national average

2024/25 (2 term) 11.1% 13.3% Close to average

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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

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