King David Primary School

King David Primary School 114 Childwall Road, Liverpool, L15 6WU

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils make good progress and attainment is high especially in reading and writing.  Children benefit from a rich range of activities in the Early Years Foundation Stage and achieve well.  Teaching is typically good and often excellent. Pupils enjoy learning especially when teachers make it exciting by using everyday events.  Attendance is above average.  Behaviour is good and pupils respect each other’s values and beliefs. Pupils’ safety has been a priority in the amazing new building. As a result pupils feel secure and happy.  Leaders and governors have worked together very well to resolve the issues from the previous inspection. They have ensured improvements in pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Although attainment in mathematics is above average in Year 2, it is not as high as other subjects. The more-able pupils do not always make enough progress in lessons in Years 1 and 2.  Teachers do not always keep up the pace of lessons and some pupils start to lose interest. Questions and work are not always demanding enough especially when the class is all taught together.  Teaching assistants are not always used effectively.  Teaching is monitored regularly but the recording of how teachers can improve is not always precise enough to check that actions are taking place.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 30 lessons and parts of lessons. They visited all classes.  Meetings were held with staff, groups of pupils, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Pupils from different classes read to inspectors. Inspectors scrutinised pupils’ work especially writing and mathematics in Year 2.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s improvement plan, information on the progress made by pupils, the school’s evaluation of its performance and documents about safeguarding.  The views of 95 parents were analysed through the online questionnaire (Parent View) website.

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Inspection team

Jennifer Platt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Prydwen Elfed-Owens Additional Inspector Peter Martin Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a large United Synagogue day school. Currently, slightly less than a quarter of the pupils are Jewish.  The school has moved to a new campus which includes a kindergarten and high school.  Very few pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding provided for children in local authority care, those from services families and those known to be eligible for free school meals).  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is broadly average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The inspection of the school’s religious education and the content of collective worship are

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Information about this school

inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 and are not part of this inspection.  The school provides a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching to outstanding by:  ensuring that work is always hard enough work for the more-able pupils in mathematics in Years 1 and 2  keeping lessons going at a brisk pace and increasing the demand of what pupils are expected to do when it is clear that they are losing interest  checking that the assessment of pupils’ work is accurate and work is always set at the right level for all pupils especially when they are taught for a long time as a whole class  making it clear to teachers how their teaching can be improved and checking that changes take place.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the role of teaching assistants by:  including them more in the planning of lessons so they play a fuller role in all parts of the lesson  checking that when they are not needed in a lesson they are deployed to another lesson.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enjoy their time in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They enter with skills and knowledge that are generally above those typical for their age. Teachers encourage them to make choices and become independent and they make good progress. Attainment is above average when they leave Reception. Their good reading, writing and numeracy skills prepare them well for Year 1.  The results of the national assessment of pupils’ knowledge of letters and sounds (phonics) at the end of Year 1 are above average. This reflects the effective teaching of this information. However, for the younger children there is not always enough adult support and groups are too large. This restricts their opportunities to be involved in practical activities as they learn.  Achievement is good and, from Year 1 to Year 6, pupils make good progress. The results of national tests and assessments at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are impressive.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 At the end of Year 2 attainment is high except in mathematics which is above average. Work in mathematics is not always hard enough for the more-able pupils in Years 1 and 2 and not as many exceed the level expected for their age as they do in other subjects. Attainment in reading is high and pupils make good use of their skills to tackle new words and read with expression. Writing is imaginative although a few could improve their handwriting.  Attainment at the end of Year 6 is high. National tests results in 2012 showed a significant proportion exceeded the level expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. Although the number was high in mathematics it was not quite as high as in the other subjects. Action was swift and adjustments made to the way groups are taught by ability. Indications are that the target of 66% at the higher level will be achieved.  The older pupils are enthusiastic readers; they have many favourite authors and recognise the

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The achievement of pupils is good

features of a good story. Writing is impressive with neatly written work and accuracy in punctuation, grammar and spelling.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress. Tasks are usually set at their ability and support in class and small groups is effective.  The school has very few pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium. However, this funding is spent on providing a quiet time for those who need it at lunch time. Activities raise their self-esteem and ensure they start the afternoon in the right frame of mind for learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good with several examples of outstanding teaching observed during the inspection. All lessons are managed effectively so that pupils behave well and there is little interruption to their learning. Teachers often link subjects together so that learning is more purposeful and sustains pupils’ enthusiasm. This quality of teaching ensures pupils make good progress.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, staff build on children’s own interests, which currently are about space, and this captures their enthusiasm. For example, they selected items from a wide range of resources to make a rocket. Teachers avoid giving too much guidance so that children come up with their own ideas.  Teachers in Reception make it clear what children are intended to learn both indoors and outside. This is an improvement since the previous inspection. Occasionally, there is a lack of adult support available to reduce the size of groups or to take part in role play and extend

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The quality of teaching is good

children’s vocabulary.  In Years 1 to 6, teachers also exploit pupils’ own interests and experiences. In an outstanding information and communication technology lesson in Year 5, pupils were set the challenge to produce an advertisement to sell a holiday. This idea instantly grabbed their interest and they made excellent use of computers to research and present some very imaginative ideas.  In most lessons teachers encourage pupils to identify if they are confident with what they are doing or if they need extra help. Pupils then receive additional advice and get on confidently with their work. Teachers include comments when marking pupils’ books that tell them how to make it better.  Most teachers have good subject knowledge. In literacy and numeracy lessons, teachers insist on pupils using the correct terminology in their responses. In the best numeracy lessons teachers draw out from pupils how they have reached their answers. This gives pupils insight

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The quality of teaching is good

into different methods to solve problems.  When teaching is most effective lessons go at a brisk pace but this is not always the case. In a few lessons, pupils spend too long listening to teachers and information and questions are not demanding enough for all abilities.  In some lessons teachers do not spot promptly that pupils are losing interest nor do they respond by raising their level of expectation. This leads to some pupils not giving their full attention to their teachers. Most make better progress as they move to tasks but this is not always the case especially for the more-able pupils in mathematics.  Support staff are often deployed effectively as pupils work in small groups but their role at other times is less effective and they could have been deployed more effectively elsewhere. For example, an extra pair of hands was needed in a lesson in Year 3 when pupils were having problems using computers.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is good and the school is a very happy place to learn. Pupils identify friendship as their favourite aspect of school life describing school as, ‘one big community’. They appreciate the respect their teachers show them and respond likewise to each other. They are extremely courteous to visitors and eager to share their pride in their new school.  Very rarely, when lessons do not capture pupils’ full attention, do pupils cause some minor disturbances to others. Good attention is given to informing pupils about looking after themselves and keeping safe. They feel they have, ‘been warned about dangers’ and know what to avoid. They recognise the different forms of bullying including cyber-bullying but feel this is too kind a school for this to happen. They do identify some minor concerns including falling out but know how to resolve these arguments.  Overall, pupils are eager to learn, especially when encouraged to be independent and to find out

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

for themselves. On other occasions pupils can sit back and allow others to answer the questions but this is mainly when they are not asked to think for themselves or work is too easy.  Pupils clearly enjoy school and this is reflected in their prompt arrival and above average attendance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, governors and managers have successfully sustained high standards during the move to the new building. This move did not slow down the school’s determination to improve the school following the last inspection. Ambitions are high and the school is well placed to achieve them.  The tracking of pupils’ progress is a major factor in ensuring more pupils now exceed the level expected of them. Although this system is not yet fully embedded, teachers’ knowledge of the levels pupils are expected to achieve is improving as staff share their skills and experiences.  Teachers now have a good picture of the progress pupils make. Regular meetings are held to consider pupils’ progress and teachers are expected to explain what they are doing to resolve any underachievement. This ensures all pupils have equal opportunity to succeed.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher check closely on the effect of teaching on learning.

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The leadership and management are good

This provides an accurate overview of the quality of teaching but does not always make it clear how improvements can be made and some variations between classes remain. Nevertheless, training for staff responds to any concerns as well as to school priorities. For example, the focus on guided reading has had a very positive impact on standards in reading for the older pupils.  Performance-management systems (the setting of targets which help staff to improve their work) are effective. Teaching has improved since the last inspection and additional pay is awarded for meeting challenging targets.  The school’s evaluation of its own performance is accurate. Subject leaders play an important role in checking on what needs to be done to improve. Action plans clearly show effective strategies to raise attainment and success is both challenging and easy to measure.  The curriculum is carefully balanced to meet all pupils’ needs. Jewish pupils follow their

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The leadership and management are good

compulsory curriculum while other pupils follow the locally agreed syllabus for religious education. All study Ivrit (modern Hebrew) and during internationally themed weeks share experiences about other faiths and cultures.  Many visits and visitors enrich the curriculum and sport is highly popular. The school orchestra reflects the school’s strong musical tradition.  The partnership with the local authority is strong. Advice, training and regular monitoring visits have helped to raise the quality of teaching as well as pupils’ progress.  Links with parents have improved through the setting up of a parents’ forum which includes termly opportunities for parents to express their views. Overall, the majority of parents would recommend the school to others as is reflected in the fact the school is oversubscribed.  The governance of the school:  Governors have worked closely with the headteacher to resolve the issues identified in the

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The leadership and management are good

previous inspection. They monitor the effect of changes more closely and have an impact on the school’s performance. Governors now have an informed view of what is happening in school. They review data about pupils’ progress and request to see pupils’ books to follow up on progress and teaching. Governors are very clear about previous dips in attainment and know how the school has resolved them. Governors follow guidance from the local authority when setting the headteacher’s performance targets and are aware that staff targets are suitably challenging. Finance is managed efficiently including the checking that the extra resources, although small, to support pupils under the pupil-premium initiative are having a positive outcome. Governors are eager to extend their support for the school by raising their skills through attending training especially any newcomers to the board.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 104682 Local authority Liverpool Inspection number 404953

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 426 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lauren Lesin-Davis Headteacher Rachel Rick Date of previous school inspection 6 October 2010 Telephone number 0151 2351420 Fax number 0151 2351420 Email address office@kingdavid-pri.liverpool.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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