Florence Melly Community Primary School

Florence Melly Community Primary School Bushey Road, Liverpool, Merseyside, L4 9UA

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Early years provision Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 School leaders, including governors, have not maintained the quality of teaching seen at the previous inspection. As a result, by the time pupils leave school at the end of Year 6 they do not achieve consistently well, particularly in writing and mathematics.  Targets set in the school development plan are not closely linked to pupils’ progress or measurable enough for leaders to assess how well the school is doing.  Some middle leaders are not having an impact upon raising standards at the school.  Pupils do not make consistently good progress in all classes and subjects, because the quality of teaching is not consistently good. Teachers do not always tell pupils what they must learn or demonstrate what they want pupils to do to succeed in their learning.  Pupils of different abilities are not always given work that builds on what they already know and can do.  Teachers do not always make sure that pupils

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

check, correct and improve their work.  Provision in the early years requires improvement. Teachers do not always assess accurately or record rigorously the progress made by children. Consequently adult-led activities do not always challenge children well and activities that children are able to choose for themselves are not always clearly linked to learning.

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The school has the following strengths

 Behaviour is good in and around school, including in the early years. Pupils enjoy learning and like their teachers.  Pupils feel safe and secure. Pupils are looked after well in this happy and caring school.  Highly skilled and experienced teaching assistants play a valuable role in supporting pupils’ learning, especially the learning of those pupils who are disabled or who have a special educational need.  By the time pupils leave school at the end of Key Stage 2, they achieve well in reading.  Gaps in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and others in school narrow as pupils move up through the school.  Attendance is improving, because the school works well in partnership with parents.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classes taught by teachers and in activities taken by teaching assistants.  Inspectors met with a group of pupils and observed and spoke to pupils during breakfast club, lessons, play-times and at lunch-times. They also listened to pupils reading.  Meetings were held with parents, staff, senior leaders and managers, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  A range of documents was considered by inspectors, including the school’s analysis of how well it is doing, the school development plan, information about pupils’ progress, checks on the quality of teaching, minutes of governing body meetings, and records relating to attendance and safeguarding. Inspectors also examined work in pupils’ books.  Inspectors took account of 50 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and a letter from a parent.  Inspectors also considered 12 responses from staff to the inspection questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Louise Murphy, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than most primary schools.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium (additional funding for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority) is well above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is similar to the national level.  The overwhelming majority of pupils are of White British heritage and speak English as their first language.  The school provides full-time places for children in the Reception classes and part-time places for children in the Nursery classes.  The school provides a breakfast club.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and learning so that pupils make at least good progress, especially in writing and mathematics, by making sure that teachers always:  make it clear to pupils what they are learning and show and explain exactly what they need to do to succeed  make sure that tasks build upon what pupils already know and can do  check that pupils correct and edit their work so that they can learn from their mistakes.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accurately assess and record the progress made by children in the early years and use the information to plan activities that challenge children and are clearly linked to learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the impact of leadership and management by:  making sure that targets set in the school development plan are measurable and linked to pupils’ progress  developing the skills of middle leaders so that they are able to contribute fully to raising standards in their area of responsibility.

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The leadership and management require improvement

 The work of the headteacher and other school leaders has not been fully effective in ensuring that the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement have been maintained since the previous inspection. As a result, leadership and management require improvement.  Teachers’ performance is checked on by school leaders including middle leaders, who make sure that teachers attend training that matches the school’s priorities and the developmental needs of individuals. However, some subject and phase leaders are still developing their skills, for example in judging the effectiveness of teaching. As a result, the quality of learning and teaching in English and mathematics and the provision for children in the early years has not been consistently good enough to have a positive impact on standards.  The school development plan identifies priorities and objectives. However, the targets set are not linked to

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The leadership and management require improvement

pupils’ progress or measurable enough to help school leaders evaluate the impact of their actions and raise standards quickly.  This is an inclusive school that fosters good relations within the school and the local community. The school is committed to making sure that all pupils have an equal opportunity to succeed and any form of discrimination is tackled effectively. It provides a good level of support for pupils who have additional needs and pupil premium money is spent wisely to support eligible pupils so that in most classes, the progress of disadvantaged pupils improves as they move up through the school. However, there is still work to do to raise the achievement of all pupils to at least good.  The subjects on offer provide opportunities for pupils to develop their understanding of fundamental British values. Older pupils understand that Britain is a democratic society because people vote for the

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The leadership and management require improvement

government. All pupils at Florence Melly learn tolerance and respect for different cultures and religions. Social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is given good attention and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.  The primary school sport funding is spent effectively. Specialist coaches work with pupils and staff to help develop their sporting skills. The school offers a variety of after-school sporting activities and pupils are involved in a range of interschool competitions. As a result, more pupils are participating in sporting activities and are developing increasingly healthy lifestyles.  More recently the local authority has provided a high level of support to the school. For example, local authority officers are providing coaching and development for early years staff and are robustly supporting the development of improved teaching and learning in English and mathematics. The local authority is

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The leadership and management require improvement

committed to continuing this high level of support.  Safeguarding arrangements are good and meet statutory requirements.  The governance of the school:  Governors are highly committed to the school and extremely proud of its place at the heart of the local community. They bring a wide range of expertise to the school and ask questions to help them know about the school, including about the quality of teaching. However, they recognise that they need to re- assess the level of challenge that they provide, as standards have not been maintained since the previous inspection. Governors know about the arrangements for checking on teachers’ performance. They understand that any underperformance must be tackled and that rewards for good teaching must be linked to pupils’ progress. They attend training that helps them carry out their duties, including understanding pupil performance data.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils behave well in class and around the school, they say that they like their teachers and enjoy learning. Pupils are respectful and polite to each other and the adults around them. One child commented, ‘we feel at home here,’ while another reported that everyone in school is like ‘one big family’.  Pupils value the opportunity to take on additional responsibilities. For example, eco-councillors are busy planning a rota to make sure that the school site is litter free and pupil councillors make sure that all pupils can suggest ideas on how to make school an even better place. Pupils are also involved in the parent, teacher and children's association ‘PaTCh’, which raises money to buy additional school equipment and donates money to charity. As the pupils have an elected representative on the Junior Lord Mayor Council, they can also have a say in some of the initiatives that take place city wide.

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Behaviour

 Pupils know how they are expected to behave and believe that the new behaviour management system is very helpful. This is because pupils are highly motivated to be the best that they can and earn ‘Tiger Points’ for their team. Most parents who responded to Parent View believe that behaviour is well managed and school behaviour logs confirm this view.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils feel safe in school because they know that the adults in school care for them well. They are well informed about how to stay safe when using their bicycles on the road and when using different forms of technology.  Parents and pupils value and appreciate the work of the two learning mentors who are always available to discuss any issues or concerns. Pupils feel that the mentors are helpful to them, because there is always someone to listen when they need to talk.  Pupils know exactly what bullying is and could explain different forms, including racism and homophobia. Pupils are confident that bullying is rare in school, but that if it did take place, staff would deal with it quickly and effectively.  Attendance is always high on the agenda and the excellent partnership that the school maintains with parents has resulted in improved rates of attendance which are now similar to national levels. Pupils are

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Safety

keen to earn an ’Awesome Attendance’ certificate. The very well attended breakfast club provides a good start to the day and helps pupils to be on time for school.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupil progress information, observations of teaching and work in pupils’ books indicate that the quality of teaching is uneven across the school and is not consistently good over time, especially in writing and mathematics. This prevents some pupils from making good progress.  School leaders recognised that the quality of teachers’ marking needed to improve. They now check that teachers provide guidance to pupils regarding how to make their work even better. However, some teachers do not make sure that pupils act upon advice and correct their work to help them to learn from their mistakes.  Teachers do not always make it clear what they want pupils to learn, either through displaying a precise learning goal or through explaining and/or demonstrating what pupils are expected to master during the lesson. The rate of progress slows because pupils are not always absolutely clear about what they have to

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

do.  Teachers collect a wealth of information regarding pupils’ progress and question pupils skilfully to assess their level of understanding. They do not use all of this information well enough to plan suitable work and as a result, classroom activities are sometimes too hard or too easy to challenge all pupils effectively.  There has been a drive to improve the quality of learning and teaching in writing and mathematics. When possible, teachers now attempt to link writing to practical experiences to make it more enjoyable for pupils. For example, pupils dress as characters from a story book or as superheroes and take part in role- play activities which help them to produce more interesting and exciting pieces of writing. Practical resources and computer packages have been purchased to help pupils fill any gaps in their acquisition of mathematical skills. These actions have not been in place long enough to have a sustained and positive

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

impact on standards.  Reading is taught well. There is a wide range of books available for pupils to choose from and they know that as well as reading in school every day, they are expected to read at home to practise and develop their skills. Teachers encourage pupils to think about the books that they have read, to help them to develop their writing style.  There are good relationships between adults and pupils. Adults regularly and appropriately use praise and encouragement which motivates pupils and as a result, they take pride in their work and presentation is usually of a good quality.  Well-trained teaching assistants work with teachers and support disabled pupils and those with special educational needs well. The highly enthusiastic teaching assistants provide an exciting variety of practical activities to support pupils when they work together in small groups or on a one-to-one basis. This is

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

because they know that this is how some pupils learn best.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The information available confirms that progress made by pupils from their individual starting points is not always good enough across the school. As a result, achievement requires improvement.  For the past three years, end-of-key-stage test results show that standards at the end of Year 2 vary between just below and significantly below national levels in reading and mathematics and are broadly average in writing. Key Stage 2 results remain broadly average in reading, but dipped to well below national levels in writing and mathematics in 2014.  The school’s pupil progress information and inspectors’ observations show that in reading, writing and mathematics attainment is uneven between Year 1 and Year 6. There are pockets of good progress, but these are inconsistent between subjects and classes. Overall, most pupils make expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils making better than expected progress in

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

reading compares favourably with national levels, but too few pupils consistently make better than expected progress in writing and mathematics.  The proportion of pupils in Year 1 who meet the required standard in the national screening check on phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is improving and has reached slightly above the national average. Pupils are encouraged to read regularly and older pupils who read to an inspector did so with clarity and expression. They were able to talk about their favourite books and authors and how staff encouraged them to read regularly.  School leaders have recognised that the teaching of mathematics needed to improve. They have put strategies in place, such as appointing a specialist teacher and teaching older pupils in sets matched to their ability level. However, these systems have not been in place long enough to have had a full impact on standards.  The most-able pupils are provided with a range of additional activities to help them to achieve well. The

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

school has recently invested in an on-line mathematics package that pupils can use at home to develop their skills. There are sets of books available which appeal to talented readers and encourage them to want to read even more. There are also opportunities for older pupils to visit the local high school to work on higher level mathematics and English lessons. However, proportionally fewer pupils attain at the higher Levels 3 and 5 than do so nationally and the progress made by the most-able pupils in school is not consistently good and therefore, requires improvement.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress, because their needs are met well. Any additional need is identified early, the school works well with other agencies when necessary and a good level of support is put into place and often delivered by skilled teaching assistants.  At the end of Year 6 in 2014, the disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium attained at

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

approximately two terms behind their classmates in writing, one term behind in mathematics and at a similar level in reading. When compared to other pupils nationally the disadvantaged pupils attained at one year behind in writing and mathematics and again at a similar level in reading. With regard to achievement, disadvantaged pupils at the school do better than pupils nationally in reading, but do not achieve as well in mathematics or writing. When children start school in the early years, gaps in capabilities between disadvantaged and other children are wide. In most classes, gaps are narrowing between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and their peers as they move up through the school, especially in reading.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 From individual starting points which are often below those typically found, most children make the progress expected of them. However, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development by the end of the Reception year is lower than that seen nationally. As a result, not all children are well prepared for their learning in Year 1.  Parents are welcome to meet with early years staff at any time during the school day and the ‘Little Bird Book’ goes home with children daily so that parents can keep staff up to date with their children’s interests and achievements. This regular sharing of information helps staff to develop learning tasks that interest the children. For example, all of the children are keen to get involved in learning and talking about dinosaurs.  The quality of leadership and that of teaching require improvement because staff do not always record or assess the progress that children make accurately or rigorously enough. While some tasks help the

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The early years provision requires improvement

children to make good progress, teaching does not always help children reliably to achieve the next steps in their learning. For example, activities set by adults do not always challenge children at the correct level and tasks that children can choose for themselves sometimes lack any meaningful link to learning. As a result children are not helped to make consistently good progress.  The school understands that the education and surroundings for the early years children is not good enough. The school has started to reorganise the learning spaces which is helping to improve learning. However, there is more to do.  Throughout the early years, children mostly behave well, respond quickly to instructions and show kindness and consideration towards others. Adults working with disabled children and those who have special educational needs are sensitive to those needs and support the children well. The safeguarding

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The early years provision requires improvement

arrangements linked to the early years help to make sure that the children are safe and well looked after.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 133336 Local authority Liverpool Inspection number 453245

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 456 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair J Southern Headteacher Alan Reeves Date of previous school inspection 7 November 2007 Telephone number 0151 2261929 Fax number 0151 2561983 Email address florencej-ht@florencemelly-jun.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 and 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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