Accrington Hyndburn Park Primary School

Accrington Hyndburn Park Primary School

Address: Park Road, Accrington, Lancashire, BB5 1ST Unique reference number (URN): 119183

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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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Achievement Needs attention

For several years, published data shows that pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics has been below the national average. Many pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are not as well prepared for their next steps in learning as they should be. They have not benefited from high aspirations and consistent teaching that builds their knowledge securely.

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Achievement Needs attention

Across subjects, pupils’ progress through the curriculum has been hampered by their uneven learning experiences over time. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, do not achieve all that they should. Some pupils benefit from appropriate support to secure gaps in their learning. However, this is not the case for all pupils.

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Achievement Needs attention

Leaders have identified these issues and work is underway to bring about improvement. This is evident in pupils’ understanding of their current and recent learning. Nonetheless, some pupils have not secured the basic knowledge that they need in reading, handwriting, spelling, grammar and mathematics. This means that they find it harder to apply their knowledge accurately.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

While whole school attendance rates are broadly in line with national average, some groups of pupils do not attend school often enough. As a result, rates of persistent absence remain stubbornly high. Actions to reduce absence are beginning to have a positive impact. The recent expansion of the attendance team and a sharper focus on analysis and actions to improve attendance has raised expectations. Leaders work with external agencies and families to understand and address underlying causes and barriers to regular attendance. They demonstrate an accurate understanding of attendance patterns.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. They are working to further support this across the school day. Pupils are beginning to receive suitable support, which helps them regulate and re engage with learning. This is leading to fewer suspensions. Despite this, agreed behaviour systems are not consistently understood and applied by staff. At times, this leads to behaviour incidents not being dealt with swiftly enough. This is particularly the case at breaktimes and lunchtimes. Most pupils behave well in class. However, where learning is not well-matched to pupils' needs, some pupils disengage and display less positive attitudes to their learning. Bullying and discriminatory incidents are dealt with effectively. As a result, such incidents are reducing.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have ensured that there is a broad curriculum in place. This is designed to help pupils to build their knowledge logically over time. Despite this ambitious intent, the way in which the curriculum is taught varies across the school. Pupils' experiences in lessons are uneven. Leaders have begun to address inconsistencies in the learning experiences that pupils receive. However, this work is at an early stage.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have prioritised the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics. There is an increasing focus on supporting pupils to secure the key knowledge that they need for their future learning. Teachers provide additional support to help pupils who struggle to secure these important skills. However, this extra help is sometimes not matched well enough to their individual gaps in learning. Leaders have prioritised professional learning for staff so that they have the subject knowledge that they need to teach the curriculum confidently. This is beginning to bear fruit, for example, staff's improved expertise in reading and phonics is evident. Although these actions are appropriate, some staff are not confident in adapting their teaching to best meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively.

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Early years Needs attention

The early years curriculum is ambitious and outlines what children should know and be able to do. However, the quality of teaching in the early years is variable. This impedes children's progress through the curriculum from their starting points. Some adult interactions develop children's vocabulary and support children to deepen their thinking but this is not the case elsewhere. This means that some children are not as ready for Year 1 as they should be.

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Early years Needs attention

Leaders develop positive relationships with parents and carers right from the start of children entering the early years. They have a renewed focus on working closely with parents to consider each child’s experiences, interests and starting points before they join the school. This is aimed at ensuring that the barriers to children’s learning and wellbeing are identified swiftly before they join the school. It is too soon to see the benefits of this work. Leaders ensure that children’s wellbeing and welfare needs are met. However, due to the variance of children’s experiences across the provision, some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities do not receive the support that they need to flourish.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The school does not have a consistent approach to identifying and assessing pupils’ individual needs, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This leads to gaps in the support that some pupils who face barriers to their learning receive. Leaders’ accurate understanding of the school’s context and the barriers that pupils face informs their use of pupil premium funding. However, this strategy is not applied consistently well.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Plans for pupils with SEND lack clear, specific actions. Staff do not pinpoint consistently what these pupils most need to learn or how they learn best. Some pupils experience classroom support that is effective. In contrast, some others are asked to complete tasks that are too demanding. Most pupils who join the school speak English as an additional language. Leaders prioritise supporting these pupils to develop their communication and language skills. However, due to inconsistencies in support, pupils’ experience of this extra help is variable. Leaders have identified the right priorities to improve their approach to inclusion. They are strengthening the school’s staged support system so that teachers can assess needs more reliably and put appropriate provision in place for pupils sooner. This work is at an early stage although some improvements are further ahead. The support for pupils' social and

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Inclusion Needs attention

emotional wellbeing, for example, is beginning to make a positive difference to their wellbeing.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders have not been wholly successful in ensuring that pupils achieve and behave as well as they should. The school has been through a period of considerable change recently. The acting leadership team are largely new to their roles. They have an accurate view of where strengths and weaknesses lie and are taking appropriate action to address shortcomings. Working with the local authority and external advisors, leaders are focused on improving key aspects of the school's work, such as strengthening the support for pupils who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. They are raising ambition and expectations for pupils. Even so, much of this work is at an early stage.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Many governors have been newly appointed within the last year. They understand and fulfil their statutory duties. Governors are beginning to improve their oversight of the school’s work. Decisive action has focused on stabilising the building blocks for future improvement, such as increasing leadership capacity. However, some changes have not led to improvement quickly enough. Pupils' attainment has been consistently below the national averages over time. This means that many pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, do not achieve as well as they should.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

During this period of change, leaders have kept pupils' best interests at the forefront of their minds. They have also supported staff's wellbeing and sought to minimise any increase in staff's workload. Staff are positive about the changes being made. There is an increased focus on professional learning that supports managing behaviour, effective teaching and meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders also work closely with parents and carers. Parents are typically positive about the school. That said, a few feel that there is still more work to do.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders' understanding of the school's context informs their design of the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum. They ensure that the curriculum revisits key themes and includes teaching about online safety, healthy relationships and managing emotions. It takes account of the school's local context to ensure that pupils know how to stay safe within and outside of school. Leaders’ discussions about curriculum content with parents and carers promote openness and strengthen engagement. However, some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, do not benefit as much as they should from this programme. This is because it is not taught consistently well.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

Pupils learn that people have different families, backgrounds and beliefs. They develop an understanding of cultural diversity. Pupils are able to speak about the importance of treating everyone equally. They explain that everyone is welcomed at their school. Many pupils show kindness and tolerance. Nevertheless, pupils do not have a secure understanding of fundamental British values. Leaders' work to support pupils' wellbeing is increasingly effective. Adults know the pupils and their families well. They provide additional advice and appropriate support.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

Pupils value trips to museums and farms to learn about the world beyond school. Older pupils enjoy being playground buddies and monitors at breaktimes. Leaders have taken deliberate steps to broaden pupils’ experiences by introducing a wider range of extra- curricular activities. Pupils enjoy these opportunities. Leaders track attendance at clubs across different pupil groups. They have considered barriers to participation. Thoughtful adjustments have begun to be put into place to overcome these obstacles where possible. For example, by offering clubs before and during the school day for pupils unable to attend after school. However, work to increase the number of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, who participate in this offer is at an early stage.

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

Pupils are greeted warmly as they arrive at school each morning. Those who join the school at different times through the year, including those who speak English as an additional language, settle quickly. Pupils trust caring staff to listen to their worries. If bullying happens, staff deal with it effectively. This helps pupils to feel safe. Pupils’ behaviour and the support that is provided to them is improving. They are proud to receive house points and ‘Wow’ certificates for their efforts each week. However, pupils’ experiences in school, including at breaktimes can be disrupted and unsettled due to behaviour incidents. Some pupils’ attendance has improved recently. Despite this, many pupils still do not attend regularly enough. They miss out on important learning and experiences.

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

Pupils, including children in the early years, do not achieve as well as they should. This is because, over time, their experiences in lessons are uneven. In addition, some pupils who face barriers to their learning, do not receive the support that they need to succeed. These variable experiences lead to some pupils not engaging or enjoying their learning. Leaders are beginning to take action to increase the consistency of teaching approaches to address this issue. However, it is still early days in terms of these new strategies. Currently, some pupils are not prepared well enough for their next steps.

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

Pupils who represent their classmates on the school council, or have other responsibilities in school, take their roles seriously. These roles develop pupils’ confidence. They enjoy visits to museums and farms. Pupils also speak positively about being eco-warriors and attending the ‘FBA’ club. Leaders are currently working to further increase pupils’ participation in these opportunities. Pupils learn that everyone should be treated with respect, regardless of their differences. However, due to inconsistencies in the teaching of the curriculum, they do not develop all of the knowledge that they require for life in modern Britain.

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Next steps

Leaders should continue to build on their recent improvement work, so that the shortcomings in pupils’ education and care across the school are resolved, leading to sustainable improvements. Those responsible for governance should continue to enhance their knowledge and expertise so that they are better able to hold leaders to account for the quality of the school’s work and pupils’ achievements. Leaders should further raise the aspirations of what pupils can and should achieve, so that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged are supported to achieve all that they can so they are ready for their next steps in learning. Leaders should ensure that gaps in pupils’ foundational knowledge and skills are identified and addressed quickly. Leaders should support staff to provide suitable adaptations for pupils who face barriers to their learning, so that the aims of the curriculum are realised and pupils are supported

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Next steps

to learn and apply more of what they are taught. Leaders should ensure that staff are supported to implement the early years curriculum effectively and engage in high-quality interactions with children within the provision, so that children are supported to learn all that they need to prepare them for Year 1. Leaders should ensure that staff are supported to apply agreed behaviour systems and procedures consistently well, so that pupils behave well across the school day, including at social times. Leaders should ensure that persistent absenteeism reduces, so that pupils' attendance improves and they do not miss important learning and attend school more regularly. Leaders should ensure that the programme to promote pupils' personal development is taught consistently well, so that pupils gain an understanding of fundamental British values and are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Leaders should also further

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Next steps

develop their work to remove barriers to pupils’ participation in the school’s offer beyond the curriculum.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Julie Parsonson.

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

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About this inspection

Inspection activities: Inspectors spoke with the acting headteacher, acting deputy headteacher and other school leaders and staff during the inspection. The lead inspector spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. She also spoke with a representative of the local authority and the school's improvement advisor.

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Team inspectors:

Gary Bevin, Ofsted Inspector Andrew Marlow, Ofsted Inspector Mike Dixon, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 30 June 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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School capacity

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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School capacity

Since the previous inspection, there have been a number of changes to leadership and governance. An acting headteacher and seconded acting deputy headteacher have been appointed from May 2026. Several new governors have joined the governing body from June 2025.

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School capacity

The school provides a breakfast provision for pupils.

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School capacity

The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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 6 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 needs support 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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national average

2023/24 (final) 71% 74% 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) 72% 72% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 70% 72% 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

2023/24 (final) 67% 73% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 70% 73% 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

2024/25 (final) 41% 47% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 35% 46% 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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average

2024/25 (final) 68% 63% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 61% 62% 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

2023/24 (final) 48% 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

2024/25 (final) 55% 61% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 57% 59% Close to average

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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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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 5.8% 5.2% Close to average

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 5.8% 5.5% Close to average

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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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