Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard’s Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Walton-le-Dale, St Leonard's Church of England Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this nurturing school. They enjoy strong, positive relationships with caring staff. Pupils know that there are trusted adults who they can speak with about any worries they may have.

This fosters a deep sense of safety and belonging.

The school wants its pupils to be inquiring, independent, inclusive and inspirational. It has redesigned its curriculum to ensure that it is suitably ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or dis...abilities (SEND).

Pupils typically achieve well. Year 6 pupils are well prepared for their secondary education.

Pupils behave well.

They listen carefully and typically stay focused on their learning.

Pupils benefit from a wide range of trips and clubs beyond the academic curriculum. For example, pupils speak enthusiastically about travelling on a boat, as well as residential trips and theatre visits.

These experiences enable pupils to develop exciting new interests and find undiscovered talents.

Pupils flourish in their various roles and responsibilities. These include becoming school councillors, 'trinity leaders' and behaviour ambassadors.

This contributes to pupils' increasing understanding of what it means to be a positive citizen in modern Britain.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has worked effectively to secure improvements to the quality of the curriculum since the last inspection. It has carefully considered the needs and interests of all pupils in its curriculum design.

The curriculum in all subjects across key stages 1 and 2 is ambitious and well thought out. In these subjects, the school has considered carefully what it wants pupils to know and the order in which the subject content will be taught. This is a similar picture in the early years, where the curriculum in most areas of learning identifies the key knowledge that children should learn.

This prepares them well for key stage 1.

Staff deliver the curriculum well. Most staff use the school's strategies to identify and address pupils' misconceptions or gaps in their knowledge.

However, from time to time, some staff do not check that pupils' knowledge is secure before introducing new learning. This hinders how deeply some pupils, and children in the early years, learn.

Typically, the school accurately identifies pupils with SEND accurately.

However, the curriculum is not adapted consistently well to meet the needs of some pupils with SEND. This means, sometimes, these pupils do not learn as well as they could.

The school places a high priority on teaching pupils to read.

Pupils benefit from reading a wide range of diverse and interesting books. Staff deliver the phonics programme effectively. Timely support helps pupils who do not keep up with the phonics programme in order to catch up quickly.

This helps these pupils to become fluent readers.

Classrooms are calm and purposeful. Pupils are kind and considerate.

They are supportive of one another and know what it means to be a good friend. Pupils play sociably with each other at breaktimes. They move around the school sensibly, demonstrating high levels of courtesy towards staff and visitors.

The vast majority of pupils attend school regularly. The school provides effective support for families where attendance is a concern.

The school provides a wide range of high-quality opportunities to nurture pupils' personal development.

Pupils are taught about faiths and cultures that may be different to their own. They learn about diversity among people and families. Pupils understand the concepts of democracy, respect and tolerance.

They understand that rules are there to keep them safe. Pupils are well prepared for their future lives.

The school is a harmonious community.

Staff are positive about the actions that the school takes to support their workload and well-being. For example, they appreciate receiving additional time to carry out their curriculum responsibilities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Occasionally, staff do not identify or address gaps in some pupils' knowledge before they introduce new learning. This means that pupils' learning is not as secure as it should be. The school should support staff in checking that pupils have successfully embedded prior knowledge before they introduce new curriculum content.

• The curriculum is not adapted consistently well for a small proportion of pupils with SEND. This means that these pupils do not develop their knowledge and skills as well as they could. The school should ensure that staff have the expertise to make suitable adaptations to the curriculum so that pupils with SEND learn successfully.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2015.

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