Halsall St Cuthbert’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school. This thriving and popular school is the very heartbeat of the village and is highly successful in meeting pupils' learning needs. Pupils grow and flourish in a very caring and nurturing environment.

Their relationships with adults are extremely positive and built on mutual respect, helping them to 'aim high and think big'. The headteacher, very ably supported by the deputy headteacher, has inspired staff, governors and the community to share a 'no excuse' culture and an unrelenting drive to continually improve. As a result, all aspects of the school's work have continued to improve since the previous inspection.

Pupils' achieveme...nt, including that of the most able, is outstanding throughout school. This is reflected in the standards they reach by the end of Year 6, which are usually significantly above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. Staff morale is high because they feel appreciated and extremely well supported.

Senior and middle leaders are highly effective in supporting the focus on continually improving the quality of teaching and achievement of pupils. However, not all teachers are consistently providing high quality marking that helps pupils to improve their work. The very strong links with the local community and outside agencies help the school to be highly successful in meeting the needs of pupils and their families, as well as those of staff.

Pupils' well-being and learning are strongly supported by parental and community involvement. Governors are highly passionate and successful in leaving no stone unturned in continually improving all aspects of the school. Pupils are rightly proud of their school.

Their behaviour and attitudes to learning are outstanding. Their attendance is above average. They enjoy an excellent range of homework and activities and clubs to promote their interest in sport, music and the arts.

Pupils feel safe because of the high quality support and guidance they receive, especially on e-safety. Teaching is never less than good and frequently outstanding. Teaching is inspiring, stimulating and challenging to all groups of pupils.

Children thrive in the early years, make excellent progress from their different starting points and are very well prepared for Year 1.

Information about this school

The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.

A very small proportion of pupils is from other minority ethnic groups. The proportion of disabled pupils or those with special educational needs is low compared to the national average. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium funding is low compared to the national average.

This additional government funding is provided for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority. The school has a full-time Reception class. The school meets the government's current floor standards, which are the minimum expectation for pupils' achievement in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

The school has a number of awards, including Arts mark Gold, Active Mark Gold, Silver Sainsbury's School Games Mark and the Healthy School Award. The school works in close partnership with the West Lancashire Schools Sports Partnership. The headteacher is a national leader of education (NLE) and is used by the local authority to support other headteachers in the local authority.

An after-school club operates on the school site and is managed by a voluntary committee. It is subject to a separate inspection at a different time and the report can be found on the Ofsted website. The school is a National Support School.

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