Lytham Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 12 November 2024

This is a welcoming school that provides a caring place for pupils to learn. Staff in the early years help children get off to a positive start in their education. From the moment children join the Nursery class, they are supported well to build up their confidence and independence. Pupils across the school value the positive relationships that they have with staff. They trust that staff will help them if they have any worries or concerns. This helps pupils to feel happy at school. The school is ambitious for pupils to achieve well, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Many pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. However, pupils have gaps in their learning across a range of other subjects and do not achieve as well as they should. Despite this, pupils work hard and behave well in lessons. Pupils benefit from opportunities to take on responsibilities. These include being house captains or joining one of the pupil groups linked to the religious character of the school. That said, the school's provision for pupils' personal development is limited. Pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they should be.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, the school has not ensured that teachers have the knowledge they need to teach the intended curriculum effectively. Some of the learning activities that pupils complete do not enable them to learn the important knowledge as well as they should. The school should make sure that teachers have the subject knowledge they need to deliver the curriculum effectively, so that pupils achieve well.
• In a number of foundation subjects, pupils have gaps in their knowledge as a result of weaknesses in the previous curriculum. Some of these gaps have not been identified or addressed. Consequently, this hinders the ability of some pupils to make sense of new learning. The school should ensure that teachers are equipped to swiftly identify and remedy these gaps in pupils' knowledge. This is so that pupils can build and further strengthen their knowledge in these subjects.
• The school's checks on the delivery of the curriculum are not as effective as they should be. As a result, the school does not identify inconsistencies that limit pupils in building up a deep body of knowledge. The school should ensure it carries out effective checks that enable it to identify whether the curriculum is being taught as intended. This is to ensure that pupils achieve well.
• The school's programme for personal development is limited. Pupils do not learn all that they should to be ready for life in modern Britain. The school should ensure that pupils experience a range of high-quality personal development opportunities that prepare them well for modern day society.

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