A primary school where pupils are “proud to attend the happy and caring school” has been given a glowing Ofsted report.

Ofsted no longer gives overall judgements to state-funded schools, but St Hubert’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Great Harwood retained its ‘good’ rating in all five judgement areas.

A report published on November 28 saw this good rating in quality of education, behaviours and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and early years provisions.

The report stated pupils routinely acted out the school's values of forgiveness, friendship and respectfulness and that they were kind to one another.

Inspectors said: “Pupils are proud to attend this happy and caring school. They learn to make the right choices and to accept responsibility for their actions.

"Pupils enjoy positive relationships with staff. This helps them to feel safe in school. 

“Pupils behave well and show positive attitudes to their learning. Those pupils who need extra help in managing their emotions receive effective support from staff who understand and care for them.

“Pupils make a positive contribution to the life of the school. For example, older pupils act as ‘gardeners’ and they look after younger pupils, who are ‘seedlings’.

"These experiences help pupils to learn what it means to contribute to the school community.”

Staff were also commended for their high expectations of pupils’ achievement, with pupils achieving well across a broad range of subjects.

The curriculum was said to be broad knowledge-rich and ambitious for all pupils with a clear plan for how information should be set out and when they should learn it.

This applied to children in early years as well, with teacher-led learning and guided activities to support children in developing their knowledge.

Staff were said to care for children well and help them to develop independence and be prepared for the next stage of education, but did provide pointers for the school to improve on.

Inspectors continued: “The school provides appropriate training that helps staff to implement the curriculum successfully.

“However, on occasion, in a few subjects, staff do not match learning activities accurately to the knowledge that the school has identified for pupils to learn.

"When this is the case, some pupils do not learn some curriculum knowledge as well as they could.

“Staff regularly check on what pupils know and remember. They address gaps in pupils’ knowledge quickly.

"At times, these checks on pupils’ learning are not as detailed as they could be. This means that some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready.”

The school is ambitious to develop a love for reading, with children beginning to learn to read at the start of Reception through phonics sessions, inspectors noted.

Staff were said to deliver these sessions with expertise, and they use assessments to identify children who are at risk of falling behind.

These children were said to receive extra support and catch up quickly and most pupils gain the knowledge and skills to read with confidence and fluency.

Inspectors continued: “The school has invested in an extensive library. Reading is prioritised and all pupils are encouraged to read a wide range of books from different genres.

“Books are carefully chosen to spark pupils’ interests and to reflect the diversity of the world.”

Pupils were said to be typically attentive during lessons and show engagement in their learning, including in the early years.

Attendance was said to be good and the school took effective action to support the small number of pupils who need to improve their attendance or punctuality.

They were also said to benefit from a broad range of opportunities to develop their talents and interests through a wide range of after-school clubs.

Inspectors said: “Pupils benefit from an extensive range of opportunities that support their wider development. They know how to care for their physical and mental health.

“They learn to celebrate the differences that exist between people and to treat everyone with respect. This prepares them well for life in a diverse world.”