Darwen Aldridge Sudell Primary

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 17 March 2026

Pupils are happy and proud to be part of this welcoming school community. Pupils behave well and try their best in lessons. The school is a calm place where routines are well established. This helps pupils to feel safe and settled. This is especially true if they join the school after attending another school or come from another country. Staff know pupils well. Leaders ensure that pupils who face challenges in their lives receive suitable support to overcome any difficulties that they experience. Children develop positive attitudes to learning in the early years. However, they are not as well prepared as they could be for the curriculum in Year 1 and beyond. Leaders do not make sure that all pupils secure early reading and writing knowledge consistently well as they progress through the school. Some pupils are not fully prepared for their next stages of education as a result. Pupils get along with each other well. They learn to value the differences that people have. Pupils celebrate each other’s talents and successes. They value times to work or play together. Pupils develop firm friendships during their time at school. They willingly help new classmates who are at the early stages of learning to speak English. Most pupils attend school regularly. They are keen to access the wide range of high-quality activities that leaders provide. These include sports and craft clubs, as well as careers days and opportunities to take part in residential trips. Pupils embrace leadership roles, such as acting as a school councillor or eco-council member. They carry out these roles diligently. Through activities such as these, pupils learn how to make a positive contribution to their school and wider community. They are well prepared to become an active member of modern British society when they are older.

What the school should improve

• Leaders at all levels should strengthen their understanding of how well pupils achieve across the curriculum. Those responsible for governance should take timely action to ensure that suitable support is provided when pupils are not achieving or attending as well as they should.
• Leaders should ensure that teachers check and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge consistently well so that pupils are better prepared for their next stages of education. This is particularly important for pupils’ foundational knowledge in reading and writing.
• Leaders should make sure that children in the early years develop accurate and correctly formed letters and numerals to prepare them more successfully for the curriculum in Year 1 and beyond.
• Leaders should ensure that all pupils develop regular attendance habits, especially pupils with special educational needs an/or disabilities and other disadvantaged pupils so that they achieve as well as they can.

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