Light Oaks Junior School

Light Oaks Junior School is a maintained junior school in Salford for pupils aged 7 to 11. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was graded good in all four key judgements: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. The previous inspection grade was also good. Pupils are described as happy, safe and well cared for, with strong relationships, respectful behaviour and a calm environment. The school has high expectations, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and most pupils achieve well. The school's strengths include a well-organised curriculum, effective support for pupils with SEND, a strong focus on personal development, and a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities and pupil responsibilities. Reading is prioritised and pupils generally enjoy reading, while safeguarding arrangements are effective. Governors are knowledgeable and hold the school to account, and staff value the support they receive for their well-being and training. However, the report identifies some important areas for improvement. Pupils who struggle with reading do not catch up quickly enough, which can hinder their access to the wider curriculum. Pupils are also less secure in spelling and letter formation, and teachers do not consistently correct these errors, limiting writing fluency. In addition, many pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, have had poor attendance in the past, creating learning gaps that are not being addressed swiftly enough, although the school's strategies are beginning to improve attendance.

Strengths

• Pupils are happy, safe and well cared for, with strong relationships and high levels of respect.
• Pupils behave well in lessons and during unstructured times in a calm and loving environment.
• The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Pupils with SEND are well supported and included within lessons.
• The curriculum is well organised and carefully considered in the majority of subjects.
• Teachers help pupils remember key information and link new learning to prior knowledge.
• Reading is prioritised and pupils are exposed to a wide range of text types.
• The writing curriculum develops pupils' talk and vocabulary, and pupils are motivated to write.
• Pupils have access to a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and valued responsibilities.
• Personal development is a sharp focus, including health, relationships, online safety and British values.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Governors are knowledgeable, supportive and able to hold the school to account.
• Staff value the high-quality training and support for their well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• Support for pupils who find reading difficult is not effective enough, so they do not catch up quickly.
• Reading difficulties can hinder pupils' access to the wider curriculum as they move through key stage 2.
• Pupils are less secure in forming letters and spelling accurately.
• Teachers do not consistently identify and correct errors in pupils' writing, limiting writing fluency.
• Many pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils, have not attended school regularly enough in the past.
• Strategies to reduce absence are only beginning to make a difference.
• Gaps in learning, including in reading, are not being remedied quickly enough to help pupils catch up.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Light Oaks Junior School attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 15.7% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Light Oaks Junior School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Light Oaks Junior School had 19.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 27.9% of pupils at Light Oaks Junior School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Light Oaks Junior School received £6,467 and spent £6,191 for each of its 355 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £300,000 (£845 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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All schools in Salford · Salford local authority: places and applications

What is Light Oaks Junior School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Light Oaks Junior School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Light Oaks Junior School last inspected by Ofsted?

Light Oaks Junior School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Light Oaks Junior School have?

Light Oaks Junior School has 355 pupils on roll.

What age range does Light Oaks Junior School cover?

Light Oaks Junior School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Light Oaks Junior School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Light Oaks Junior School?

Light Oaks Junior School is at Lancaster Road, Salford, Greater Manchester, M6 8LU.