Seven Stars Primary School

Seven Stars Primary School has important strengths, especially in its early years and personal development. Children in Nursery and Reception get off to a positive start through warm adult interactions, a strong focus on early reading and quick identification of SEND; by the end of Reception they are well prepared for Year 1. Pupils feel safe, behave well and benefit from strong pastoral care, leadership opportunities and a wide enrichment offer. Safeguarding standards are met. However, the school is not yet meeting expected standards in several core areas. Achievement in reading, writing and mathematics has been below national averages for three consecutive years, and disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND often do not achieve as well as they could. Attendance is below national levels and persistent absence is above average. Teaching does not consistently check prior knowledge, adapt to pupils' needs or tackle weaknesses in handwriting, spelling and grammar. Inclusion work and oversight of alternative provision also need improvement. The inspection took place in a context of significant change: many leaders and governors are new, including the headteacher and chair of governors, and the school has high levels of disadvantage, a resourced SEND unit for cognition and learning, and seven alternative provision arrangements, six of them unregistered. Leaders have introduced an ambitious curriculum, a systematic early reading approach and new attendance systems, but these changes are at an early stage and have not yet had the impact pupils need since the previous inspection.

Strengths

• Early years provision gives children a positive start, with warm and purposeful adult interactions.
• Reading is prioritised from the start, using systematic phonics and books matched to pupils' phonics knowledge.
• Children who fall behind in reading receive timely support to catch up quickly.
• Adults identify children's needs quickly, including SEND, and work closely with parents.
• Pupils feel safe, supported and a sense of belonging because staff build warm, positive relationships.
• Pupils learn to respect others, understand democracy and keep themselves safe online and offline.
• The school provides a wide range of therapeutic and pastoral support for pupils.
• Pupils take on leadership roles and enjoy enrichment activities such as residentials, sports, performances and visits.
• Disadvantaged pupils can take part in enrichment activities alongside their peers.
• Pupils generally behave well, creating a calm and orderly environment, and bullying or discrimination is rare.
• Suspension rates have fallen significantly because staff provide sensitive, well-targeted emotional support.
• Leaders have designed an ambitious, well-sequenced curriculum with oracy as a clear priority.
• The specially resourced SEND provision is staffed by well-trained staff who know pupils well and typically meet EHCP needs.
• Governors understand their role, fulfil statutory duties and engage well with the school community.
• Leaders consider staff workload and wellbeing, and staff are proud to work at the school.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and effective management of concerns.

Areas for Improvement

• Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics has been below the national average for three consecutive years.
• Pupils are not as well prepared for their next stage of education as they could be.
• Pupils do not consistently remember what they have been taught.
• Teachers do not routinely check what pupils already know before introducing new learning.
• Teachers do not consistently identify and address gaps in pupils' handwriting, spelling and grammar.
• Teachers do not consistently adapt their teaching for some pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Some SEND and disadvantaged pupils do not receive the support that teachers have agreed to provide.
• The gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers nationally is not closing quickly enough.
• Leaders do not identify the specific barriers that some disadvantaged pupils face, so additional funding is not used precisely.
• Attendance is below national levels and the proportion of persistently absent pupils is above the national average.
• Many pupils still miss too much school and miss out on important learning and wider opportunities.
• Leaders' changes to curriculum, teaching and attendance are at an early stage and have not yet had the impact pupils need since the previous inspection.
• Governors do not have sufficiently detailed oversight of the alternative provision that some pupils attend.
• Pupils in alternative provision do not receive well-matched support.
• Leaders' actions have not had the impact that disadvantaged pupils need.
• Some pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, do not achieve as well as they could.
• Some pupils have not achieved as well as they could in the phonics screening check.

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 Seven Stars Primary School attended 92.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.9% 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, 3.6% of pupils at Seven Stars Primary 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 Seven Stars Primary School had 20.1 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, 9.9% of pupils at Seven Stars Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 13.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 10 pupils.

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 Seven Stars Primary School received £9,523 and spent £9,574 for each of its 232 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £30,000 (£129 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 Leyland · Lancashire local authority: places and applications

What is Seven Stars Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Seven Stars Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was Seven Stars Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Seven Stars Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Seven Stars Primary School have?

Seven Stars Primary School has 232 pupils on roll.

What age range does Seven Stars Primary School cover?

Seven Stars Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Seven Stars Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 28% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Seven Stars Primary School?

Seven Stars Primary School is at Peacock Hall Road, Leyland, Lancashire, PR25 1TD.