Pilling St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Overview

The report describes a school where leaders have established a "secure platform" for pupil success, with most aspects meeting the "Expected standard." Pupils achieve well in core subjects, and disadvantaged pupils perform comparably to their national peers. While the environment is calm and safe, the report notes that "further work remains" to fully realise leaders' ambitions for detailed knowledge across the entire curriculum.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well in reading, writing, and mathematics, with disadvantaged pupils making strong progress.
• Leaders have created a "calm, safe environment" where bullying is not tolerated and pupils feel supported.
• Attendance systems are effective, with a "marked reduction in persistent absence" for disadvantaged pupils.
• Staff provide high-quality support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), ensuring equitable access to the curriculum.
• Governors and leaders work collaboratively, prioritising staff wellbeing and pupil needs effectively.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should ensure early years children develop a "detailed understanding" across all areas of learning to be exceptionally well prepared for Year 1.
• Leaders should ensure pupils develop a "secure and detailed knowledge" across the PSHE curriculum, particularly regarding British values.
• Leaders should ensure all pupil groups, including disadvantaged and SEND pupils, consistently achieve well and produce high-quality work across the whole curriculum.

Safeguarding

The safeguarding standards are met, with leaders establishing an "open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility" and concerns actively managed.