A Blackburn primary school, which is “tenacious in its work to improve the attendance of pupils”, has seen its Ofsted ratings rise to ‘good’.
St Alban’s Roman Catholic Primary, in Trinity Street, was rated “requires improvement” in its last inspection in 2022.
Ofsted no longer provides overall judgements to state-funded schools, but the school was rated “good” in all areas after the inspection in September.
An enhancement of the curriculum and improvements in pupils’ behaviour has helped to improve standards.
The report stated children settled in well to the “warm and friendly” school, with the work of governors addressing the actions of the last inspection to improve standards.
This included the “promotion of positive attitudes to learning among pupils”, which was supported by staff who motivate pupils to keep on trying.
Inspectors said: “St Alban’s is a warm and friendly school where everyone is welcome.
"The secure relationships that pupils have with the nurturing staff help them to feel happy, safe and well cared for.
“Pupils are confident to talk to a trusted adult if they have any worries and are proud to attend their school and to be part of its diverse community. They relish opportunities to make a positive difference to the lives of others.
“The school has high expectations of what all pupils should achieve, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Since the previous inspection, the school has taken steps to strengthen the curriculum.”
The school was also commended for its consideration of staff workload and well-being when making changes to the curriculum, and presenting new information to pupils clearly through well-designed activities.
Children undergo regular checks on their learning and staff identify well pupils understand and retain knowledge that has been taught.
However, in some subjects these practices still need refinement, and checks on learning are not effective enough to identify gaps in children’s learning, to inform future teaching.
Inspectors continued: “The school has made reading a priority. Pupils read widely and often.
"Children in the early years eagerly gather round and become engrossed in stories as staff read to them.
“They provide targeted support where needed to help pupils to keep up. Pupils read books that match the sounds that they have learned. Increasingly, more pupils are becoming confident, fluent readers by the end of key stage 1.”
Working with parents, the school has ensured that they understand the negative impact of absences and has robust procedures in place to identify these concerns and address these.
The arrangements for safeguarding were considered to be effective.
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