Light Oaks Infant School

Light Oaks Infant School continues to perform well, maintaining its 'good' rating since the last inspection in 2016. Pupils enjoy a safe and supportive environment where they can thrive academically and socially. They develop strong relationships with their peers and staff, and demonstrate high levels of engagement in their learning activities. The school has made significant progress in enhancing its curriculum and addressing learning gaps caused by the pandemic, especially for younger students and those with special educational needs. Notably, the school encourages a love for reading and ensures that all staff are well-trained to teach phonics effectively.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy and safe at school.
• Strong relationships between pupils and staff.
• High expectations from leaders for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Effective use of external expert advice for staff training.
• Wide range of extra-curricular activities available to pupils.
• Successful prioritization of reading across the school.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subject areas lack finalized essential knowledge and vocabulary for teaching.
• Occasional reliance on alternative assessment methods instead of the school's curriculum.

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 Infant School attended 93.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.4% 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, 0.3% of pupils at Light Oaks Infant 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 Infant School had 15.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 7.9% 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, 20.8% of pupils at Light Oaks Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.6% 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 Infant School received £7,321 and spent £7,428 for each of its 240 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £104,000 (£436 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

What is Light Oaks Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Light Oaks Infant School is Good, from an inspection in September 2022.

When was Light Oaks Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

Light Oaks Infant School was last inspected in September 2022.

How many pupils does Light Oaks Infant School have?

Light Oaks Infant School has 255 pupils on roll.

What age range does Light Oaks Infant School cover?

Light Oaks Infant School for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Light Oaks Infant School?

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