Burnley St Stephen's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 April 2026

The school is a calm and welcoming place. Caring staff make sure that pupils feel safe and happy. Pupils enjoy social times. They make the most of opportunities to explore the school’s outdoor areas. Some pupils develop leadership skills through roles such as acting as ‘buddies’ for children when they join school, setting up the hall for daily worship or being members of the school council. Children settle well in the early years. They develop self-confidence and independence. Despite this, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could as they progress through the school. There is variation in how well they are prepared for their next stages of education. This is particularly true for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and for some other pupils who face challenges in their lives. Some of these pupils miss out on important aspects of their learning. They fall further behind their peers as a result. Leaders do not address the barriers that some pupils face as well as they could. This means that some pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils struggle to access aspects of school life. Most pupils attend school regularly and on time. They typically behave well as they move around the school. Incidents of unkindness, such as bullying, are dealt with diligently. However, leaders do not make sure that the highest expectations for behaviour are maintained. This is especially variable during lesson time. Pupils’ learning is disrupted at times. When teachers do not manage pupils’ behaviour well, pupils do not enjoy their learning as they should. Pupils learn about their local community. They take part in activities, such as parish events or singing at a local care home. This helps them to develop their understanding of how to make a positive contribution to society when they are older.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should identify and address areas of the school’s work that need improvement quickly and effectively.
• Leaders should ensure that teachers find out what pupils most need to learn. They should ensure that teachers identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge and misconceptions in a timely manner. This is most important for pupils’ foundational knowledge of reading, writing and mathematics.
• Leaders should make sure that all pupils develop secure foundational knowledge of reading, writing and mathematics so that they are better prepared for their next steps of education. In particular, pupils’ transcriptional knowledge and skills should be developed more effectively and embedded more quickly.
• Leaders should ensure that children in the early years are prepared as well as possible for their transition to Year 1 and beyond. They should ensure that children develop secure foundational knowledge in reading and writing.
• Leaders should make sure that pupils who face additional challenges in life consistently receive the support that they need to achieve as well as they can. This is particularly true for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Leaders should strengthen their systems and processes for monitoring and analysing emerging patterns of concerning attendance and behaviour so that they can intervene more effectively.
• Leaders should ensure that all staff adhere to the school’s agreed policy for managing behaviour.
• Leaders should make sure that the impact of their personal development programme is evident in how pupils behave and respond to others.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)