Shevington Vale Primary School

Shevington Vale Primary School

Address: Runshaw Avenue, Appley Bridge, Wigan, Lancashire, WN6 9JP Unique reference number (URN): 106429

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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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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils attend regularly. They do not want to miss out on important learning. Leaders make sure that attendance is a whole school responsibility. Staff provide the support that families need to improve pupils’ attendance. This is effective because staff know pupils’ needs and vulnerabilities well. Leaders share useful information with parents and carers about the importance of regular attendance. Consequently, pupils develop positive habits that set them up well for the rest of their education.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils behave well. They know how the school rules helps to create a calm and orderly environment. Pupils conduct themselves well. Older pupils act as positive role models for younger pupils. They take this responsibility seriously and feel proud of the supportive culture that it promotes. Warm relationships exist across the school. From the early years, this helps children to care about each other. Pupils recognise the impact of their actions on others. They think carefully about their words and actions. This makes social times enjoyable for everyone because pupils do not worry about bullying. Pupils who need it receive additional help to manage their emotions. Over time this helps these pupils to learn alongside their peers.

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Early years Expected standard

Children get off to a good start in the early years. Staff skilfully recognise and meet children’s needs. For example, two-year-olds receive the age-appropriate care and nurture that they need to develop into confident learners. The early years curriculum sets out what pupils will learn and when. Staff respond to children’s interests to engage them in learning. Consequently, children are curious and inquisitive learners who are well prepared for the curriculum in Year 1.

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Early years Expected standard

Children learn a range of songs and rhymes off by heart. This helps them to learn new vocabulary as well as giving older children ideas for their independent writing. Children in the Reception Year write with increasing accuracy, using their phonics knowledge to support them to spell words.

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Early years Expected standard

Staff identify any special educational needs and/or disabilities that children have at the earliest opportunity. They work closely with a range of professionals to secure the support that children need to learn well. Staff promote children’s communication and language development, as well as their independence, effectively. They know when to support children and when to let them ‘have a go’ for themselves. This develops children’s confidence and resilience and prepares them well for the next steps of their education.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff know pupils’ needs well. They take the time to find out what will help to reduce any barriers to learning or wellbeing that pupils have. Staff make sure that disadvantaged pupils benefit fully from the provision on offer. They plan the pupil premium spend with pupils’ academic and emotional needs in mind. Staff care deeply about pupils’ wellbeing. They work closely with parents and carers and external agencies to find out what will make the most difference to pupils’ experience at the school.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff benefit from training that helps them to identify pupils’ needs. This starts in the early years where staff quickly recognise areas that children struggle with. Staff promote effective relationships between school and home. This strengthens partnership working and how parents know how to support pupils’ learning outside of school.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders make regular checks on the progress that vulnerable pupils make. They review the support that pupils receive to make sure that it has the most impact on their development and progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders make appropriate use of alternative provision for a small number of pupils. This includes consideration for how pupils are kept safe as well as how they will reintegrate back into the school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. Leaders have put a well-thought- out curriculum in place for pupils’ personal, social, health and economic education. This gives pupils the important knowledge that they need to keep safe and make sense of the world around them. Leaders make changes to the curriculum in this area to reflect world and local events. This makes sure that pupils’ learning prepares them well for life outside of school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders prioritise how pupils learn to keep safe. This includes keeping safe online, as well as in the community. Pupils are equipped with a range of tools and strategies to protect themselves in different situations. For example, pupils know not to share personal information online and how to report something that concerns them. The trusting relationships that exist across the school mean that pupils have confidence in staff to support them with any issues that arise. Pupils learn that all healthy relationships are based on trust.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils with a range of needs and vulnerabilities receive the help that they need to access the wider opportunities on offer. Leaders make sure that they use the information available to them to support families to reduce any barriers to pupils' wellbeing. This means that pupils benefit from the school’s wider offer, including where any potential financial barriers may exist.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils have a secure understanding of the range of ways that people can be different. Alongside this understanding, they develop the attitudes that they need to understand and appreciate difference. Pupils know that everyone is unique. They wholeheartedly believe that being different would not be a barrier to being accepted at Shevington Vale Primary School.

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Achievement Needs attention

By the end of Year 6, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics is in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils who achieve greater depth at the end of key stage 2 in mathematics is below the national average. Leaders have made this a priority for improvement this year.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils across the school generally demonstrate appropriate knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics. However, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could in other curriculum subjects. For too many pupils, the quality of work that they produce is not of a high enough standard. This is particularly the case for pupils’ handwriting. Although pupils are largely proud of the work they produce, some pupils find it hard to remember enough of their learning. When this happens, it makes it hard for them to make enough progress over time.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders do not have an accurate view of teaching across the school. Some pupils do not learn as well as they could because teaching is variable in quality. Where pupils do learn well, they receive feedback from staff that helps them to improve. Where this does not happen effectively, the work that pupils produce contains the same errors that are repeated over time. This slows the progress that pupils make. Too often the activities that pupils complete do not help them to build new knowledge well enough. That said, significant time has been spent designing a curriculum that sets out what pupils will learn and when. Leaders have thought carefully about the order that pupils will learn important knowledge and skills. In addition, there are regular opportunities built in for pupils to revisit previous learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff benefit from training that builds their subject knowledge. They generally explain learning clearly and break content down into small steps. Where this happens, it helps to deepen pupils’ understanding.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have recently started to prioritise pupils’ handwriting. This is having the most impact on younger pupils. Too many older pupils have writing that is not of high quality.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders and those with responsibility for governance do not have a wholly accurate view of some parts of the school’s effectiveness. They have prioritised developments to the curriculum which are starting to have a positive impact on pupils’ learning in most subjects. That said, some of the improvements to the delivery of the curriculum are too recent to see the impact. Some aspects of the checks that leaders make do not give them the most useful or precise information to aid further improvements.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Governors know some parts of the school better than others. For example, they make regular well-informed checks on how the culture of safeguarding protects pupils from harm. However, their oversight of achievement and curriculum and teaching is not as clear. Although they hold leaders to account, the amount of detail they have about some aspects means that these checks are not as effective as they could be.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Staff appreciate the care and consideration that leaders give to their workload and wellbeing. They value the time that they receive to understand and embed new ideas. Staff reflect leaders’ ambition to value pupils as individuals. They care deeply about pupils’ wellbeing and engage well with parents and carers. Staff share in leaders’ vision to equip pupils with the tools that they need to live in modern Britain.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Staff benefit from a range of opportunities to develop their professional expertise. This helps them to embrace and understand leaders’ recent changes to the curriculum design. Staff want the best for pupils. However, where there are inconsistencies in the curriculum delivery, some pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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

Pupils feel like they belong at Shevington Vale Primary School. They are proud to attend each day. Pupils enter the building eager to see their friends and to get started with their learning. They enjoy attending school because they know that staff care deeply about their wellbeing. Pupils have positive views of their school. They know how the school helps them to develop independence, think positively and to care for others. That said, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Where expectations are too low, pupils do not make good enough progress from their starting points. Some pupils are not as well prepared for their next steps as they could be.

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

Pupils value the warm relationships that exist throughout the school. Staff take the time to get to know pupils well as individuals. They give them the support that they need to feel happy and safe. Pupils feel able to speak to staff about any worries they have. They have faith in staff to act quickly if bullying took place. However, pupils consider, and school records confirm, that bullying is rare.

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

Pupils who need it receive additional help to participate in all aspects of school life. Staff work closely with parents and carers to find out what will help pupils to feel positive about school and settle down quickly to their learning. Over time, pupils develop the positive attitudes to learning that they need to face challenges with confidence. They develop positive learning habits. Staff take the time to identify and respond to any special educational needs and/or disabilities that pupils may have. Pupils benefit from close working relationships between school and home. This helps parents to understand how to support learning at home and act as partners in their children’s education.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to develop the implementation of the curriculum to build pupils’ knowledge securely over time.

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Team inspectors:

Amy Fidler Fidler, Ofsted Inspector Darren McCann, Ofsted 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. Leaders should ensure that pupils are supported to achieve well across the curriculum and make suitable progress from their starting points. Leaders should increase the precision of their monitoring to enable them to review the most useful information to aid further improvements.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors is Carly Dempsey.

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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 (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMI.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the executive headteacher, head of school, assistant headteacher and other staff during the inspection. They also met with some parents and carers and pupils.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school currently uses 1 unregistered alternative provision.

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About this inspection

The school runs on-site provision for pupils in the before- and after-school club.

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About this inspection

There is provision for 2-year-olds in the nursery.

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About this inspection

The school is part of The Federation of Shevington Community Primary Schools. The executive headteacher and the governing board operate across both schools in the federation.

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About this inspection

Executive Headteacher : Karen Tomlinson This data is from 28 April 2026

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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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average

2024/25 (final) 70% 62% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 57% 61% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 55% 60% Close to average

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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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average

2024/25 (final) 77% 75% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 76% 73% Close to average

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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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average

2024/25 (final) 73% 72% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 65% 72% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 76% 71% Close to average

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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

2024/25 (final) 80% 74% Close to average

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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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average

2023/24 (final) 43% 46% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 50% 44% Close to average

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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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national average

2023/24 (final) 71% 62% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (final) 67% 60% Close to average

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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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average

2022/23 (final) 50% 58% Close to average

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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

2022/23 (final) 50% 59% Close to average

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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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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. 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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