St Stephen and All Martyrs' CofE School, Lever Bridge

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 25 January 2023

Pupils feel valued at this school regardless of their differences. They appreciate the importance of treating everyone with respect and care. Pupils benefit from the positive relationships that they enjoy with each other and with staff. Pupils told inspectors that they trust staff to help them if they have any concerns. This makes pupils feel safe and happy in school. Leaders and staff are ambitious for all pupils to be successful academically and personally. Pupils are resilient. They understand that making mistakes is part of learning. Staff apply the behaviour policy consistently well. As a result, learning is rarely disturbed by disruptive behaviour. This allows pupils to learn without interruption. There are effective systems in place to identify bullying. On the rare occasions that bullying occurs, leaders deal with it quickly. Pupils benefit from taking on additional responsibilities in school. For example, they act as safety ambassadors, who lead school assemblies. Members of the ethos team debate issues relevant to the school and its pupils. Pupil librarians oversee the running of the school community library that is open to families each day. Such opportunities build pupils' confidence and prepare them well for life beyond the classroom.

What the school should improve

• In one or two subjects, leaders have not identified the key knowledge that pupils, including children in the early years, should learn or when this content should be taught. This prevents teachers from designing learning that builds up pupils' knowledge over time. Leaders should ensure that they finalise their curriculum thinking in these areas, so that pupils can build on prior knowledge when they are learning something new.

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