Haslingden Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Pupils make good progress across the school from their individual starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. They leave the school at the end of Year 6 with standards overall that are broadly average.

Teaching is good and sometimes it is outstanding. This is particularly true in the Early Years Foundation Stage. The school cares for its pupils exceedingly well.

Exceptionally strong partnerships with outside agencies and the nurturing environment within the school ensure that pupils' emotional needs are remarkably well met. The relatively new headteacher has the full support of the staff, governors and parents. Together with his... leadership team, he knows what to do and has continued to make improvements.

All staff keep pupils safe, maintain their good behaviour and develop their confidence and good attitudes to learning. As a result, pupils say they feel safe and the vast majority of parents agree. They have a good understanding of how to stay safe, including when using the Internet.

The curriculum is good and is enhanced very well by a plethora of visits, visitors and sporting activities. The primary sport funding is spent very well to ensure that pupils have an increasing amount of lunchtime and after-school sports clubs available to them. The governing body makes a good contribution to improving the school.

Together with the senior leadership team, governors check the quality of teaching well and make sure that teachers are held to account for the progress their pupils make. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Standards in writing are not as high as those in reading and mathematics. Opportunities for pupils to write at length both in literacy and across other areas of the curriculum are limited.

Some pupils occasionally find the work too easy and do not get enough challenge from teachers. Marking does not always clearly show pupils how to improve their work and pupils are not always given time to respond to comments from teachers. Some teams of subject co-ordinators occasionally lack a 'leader' to take a more strategic overview of improvement and understanding of achievement in their subject.

Information about this school

This is a larger than average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs supported through school action is broadly average. The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.

The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium funding (additional funding for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those from service families and those looked after by the local authority) is above average. The percentage of pupils from ethnic minorities is above average. The two single largest groups in school are from Pakistani and Bangladeshi heritages.

The percentage of the pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average. The school meets the government's current floor targets, which are the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in English and mathematics. There has been a change of headteacher since the last inspection.

The acting deputy headteacher is absent from school, but her role is being covered by two acting assistant headteachers who are staff in the school. The school works in close partnership with two local schools, one of which is a teaching school. The school provides a well-attended breakfast- and after-school club.