Schools & FE · Report card

Darwen St Peter's Church of England Primary School

Inspected 6 May 2026 · published 13 Jul 2026 · URN 119458

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Steve Bentham (lead), Steven Rooney, Wendy Tracey

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
Expected standard
Early years verified
Expected 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
6 May 2026
Inspectors verified
Steve Bentham, Steven Rooney, Wendy Tracey
Postcode verified
BB3 2BW
Name on report verified
Darwen St Peter's Church of England Primary
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
119458

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Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourExpected
Curriculum and teachingExpected
Early yearsExpected
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.

+83Very positivemore positive than 72% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisepositivehighly effectiveenjoyexcellenthighly skilledsecurefeel safesuccessfully

Criticismerrorsconcernsdisruptionpersistent absencenot consistently

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

Findings1487w+85
Leadership178w+62
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve50w+13

Strengths

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Concerns

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No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

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

Anatomy of the report

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

Pages: 15
Words of findings: 1,760; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 44, typical 43
Average sentence: 15 words
Next steps: 2; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 3%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 53%Leadership 6%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 2%About the inspection 37%

Full report text

School

Address: Turncroft Road, DARWEN, Lancashire, BB3 2BW Unique reference number (URN): 119458

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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 Strong standard

Leaders are highly skilled at identifying pupils with additional needs. They ensure that staff have the specialist training needed to address pupils’ barriers to learning and/or their wellbeing. The support that staff provide for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is closely matched to their needs so that they access the curriculum successfully. Staff check on pupils’ learning with precision to spot where some pupils may need extra help. This is put in place swiftly to reinforce key learning.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have carefully designed imaginative outdoor learning opportunities that offer a wealth of high-quality experiences to enhance pupils’ self-esteem and confidence. This has been highly effective at addressing barriers to learning and wellbeing experienced by some pupils, such as those who are known (or previously known) to social care and those with social, emotional and mental health needs. Staff ensure that these pupils feel secure, included and ready to learn. As a result, these pupils have the confidence and enthusiasm that enable them to flourish.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders have ensured that additional funding is used to enhance disadvantaged pupils’ experiences. This includes the work that leaders have done on successfully improving the attendance of these pupils.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders have developed an extensive and highly effective programme to enrich pupils’ personal development and relationships education. Staff nurture pupils to become active and positive members of the school community. Pupils celebrate and value each other’s differences. They have an in-depth knowledge of what it means to be equal and a detailed understanding of different faiths and cultures.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders ensure that pupils’ relationships education equips them extremely well to understand what makes a positive relationship. Pupils gain a deep understanding of aspects such as consent, peer pressure and how other people can influence their choices. They have a detailed understanding of online safety. They know how to protect their own wellbeing from negative aspects of social media.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils actively take on board key learning about healthy lifestyles and use this to make positive choices about exercise and diet. They have a comprehensive understanding of the harmful effects of alcohol and drugs.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils use their extensive understanding of fundamental British values to inform the way in which they act with others. For example, they understand democracy and listen to the views of others, respecting differing opinions.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders have devised an excellent set of additional opportunities to widen pupils’ experiences. These activities instil a sense of awe and reinforce key aspects of the curriculum. For example, pupils enjoyed a visit from a Viking to complement their history

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Expected standard

work while others were fascinated by a guest speaker who explained the devastating effects of knife crime.

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Expected standard

Pupils relish the opportunities that they have to take on leadership roles within the school. For some, this means actively contributing to improving the school by being part of the school’s ethos group or being a school councillor or an eco-warrior. For others, it means leading clubs for others, further extending the range of activities that develop pupils’ talents and interests.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, progress well through the curriculum. Typically, pupils achieve well. This is generally reflected in the published data at the end of key stage 2, where pupils' attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is in line with the national average. This is also true for the proportion of pupils in Year 1 who meet the expected standard in the phonics screening check. This means that pupils are equipped well with the phonics knowledge that they need to read accurately.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils, including those who face barriers to learning, generally secure basic skills well, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics. For example, the improvements in pupils’ handwriting enables them to write more fluently so that they can explain their thinking in subjects such as science, geography and history. Overall, pupils are well prepared for the next steps in their education.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders understand the reasons for pupils’ absences. They are effective in removing the barriers that prevent some pupils from attending regularly. As a result, pupils' attendance is improving. It is broadly in line with the national average. Leaders are highly successful in reducing persistent absence. As a result, these pupils benefit from the interesting range of activities on offer more often than they did in the past.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Staff apply the school’s behaviour policy consistently well. Pupils understand the consequences of their actions. As a result, they behave well and treat each other with sensitivity and respect. The school is a calm environment and there is little disruption to learning. Staff tackle incidents of misbehaviour quickly and decisively. As a result, instances of bullying, harassment or the use of derogatory language are rare. However, leaders do not analyse incidents as well as they could to spot patterns and trends to ensure the number of incidents reduces over time.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

The positive relationships that staff have with pupils underpin their approach to behaviour. Staff ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with social, emotional and mental health needs are settled and feel secure in school. As a result, these pupils approach school with positive attitudes and manage their own behaviour well.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders accurately understand the quality of the curriculum and how it is taught. They have carefully prioritised what they want to improve. The actions they have taken are having an impact. For example, leaders ensure that the curriculum clearly sets out the key knowledge and vocabulary that they want pupils to know in each subject.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

In lessons, staff ask appropriate questions to deepen pupils' understanding. They support pupils’ learning well by showing pupils successful examples before asking them to work with greater independence. When necessary, there is support for pupils if they are having difficulty in understanding key learning. Staff skilfully adapt their approach to meet the needs of pupils with identified barriers to learning, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Generally, teachers ensure that pupils gain a secure understanding of the basic knowledge that they need for the next steps in learning, particularly in English and mathematics. For example, recent positive action has ensured that pupils’ handwriting has improved. However, staff are not as adept at consistently addressing errors in pupils' use of punctuation and spelling.

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Early years Expected standard

Children’s personal development is at the heart of the early years provision. Staff's nurturing approach towards children accurately sums up the school’s motto of ‘sowing the seeds of tomorrow’. Children develop the confidence, cooperation skills and ability to overcome difficulties. This prepares them well for their next steps and beyond. In the Reception Year, children develop a love of learning, and this is something that carries on throughout their school life. Staff ensure that children are valued and included in the early years. They are skilled at ensuring those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with barriers to learning are supported well.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders quickly establish children’s starting points and adapt the curriculum accordingly. This gives children a positive start to their education. Staff set appropriate ambitions for children, including those who have barriers to learning. Over the course of the Reception Year, children generally progress well from their starting points.

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Early years Expected standard

The conversations that staff have with children prompts them to explain their thinking. The way that staff show children how to speak correctly extends children’s vocabulary. Phonics in the early years is taught well and prepares children for reading with accuracy and greater fluency at the start of Year 1. Children develop a secure understanding of the basics in reading and mathematics. However, there are times when children’s letter formation and some basic spellings are not reinforced as well as they could be. Nevertheless, children are prepared well for key stage 1.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and governors generally have a clear understanding of the school’s effectiveness. They are proactive in prioritising what they want to improve. Leaders' actions are raising expectations for pupils’ achievement in all aspects of school life, including for pupils' attendance, behaviour and attainment.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Overall, governors have an accurate view of how well the school is performing. They ensure that their statutory duties are met. For example, governors question leaders on a range of matters. They receive external reports to assure themselves about the effectiveness of the school’s work. They also undertake rigorous checks on the quality of measures to safeguard pupils.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff welcome the changes that leaders are bringing to the school. They appreciate the way in which leaders and governors support their professional learning, workload and wellbeing.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Parents and carers are positive about the way in which leaders support them and their children. Leaders ensure that parents are welcome and that the school community celebrates pupils’ successes. For example, leaders offer families a free meal during parents' evening, along with a presentation of pupils’ activities and achievements.

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