Blackmoor Park Junior School

Blackmoor Park Junior School Leyfield Road, Liverpool, Merseyside L12 9HB

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The headteacher and governing body have set high standards of professionalism and expect all to aspire to these. Teachers and teaching assistants have risen to this challenge and, as a result, the quality of teaching has improved rapidly over recent years.  Teaching is now very well led. Teaching is now led and organised very well. Teachers follow effective strategies consistently throughout the school. These have led to considerable improvement in the way mathematics and English are taught.  Teachers closely monitor the progress that pupils make and they use this information to inform their planning. Leaders and managers use the information skilfully to identify the slowing of pupils’ progress and are able to intervene quickly with a carefully planned response whenever necessary.  Pupils’ achievement continues to improve.  In classes, pupils have highly positive attitudes to their learning. They work enthusiastically and

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This is a good school

work well in groups.  All adults in the school are excellent role models for pupils. Consequently, everyone shows respect for each other.  Pupils say that there is no bullying and that teachers deal with disagreements between pupils quickly and effectively. Pupils feel very safe. Parents rightly believe that their children are safe in this school.  Systems to ensure that pupils are safe and well looked after are very effective. A nurturing and caring culture pervades the school.  A very large proportion of parents who made their views known are highly supportive of the work of the school.  Pupils’ social and moral development is very strong.  Since the last inspection, the school has received high-quality support from the local authority. This has contributed well to the school’s improvement.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 While great strides have been made in improving the curriculum in English and mathematics, improvements in other subjects have been slower.  Pupils have too few opportunities to learn beyond the classroom.  The criteria that leaders and managers use to evaluate the impact of school improvements are too vague.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the quality of leadership and management, at all levels by ensuring that: – the impact of improvements on all aspects of the school’s work is measured, as far as possible, through pupils’ achievement and attendance.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the curriculum so that pupils are given a broader and richer range of learning experiences and opportunities.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher and governors have shown great ambition and perseverance in their drive to create a good school. Leadership is characterised by a very honest and realistic evaluation of how well the school is doing. They have shown integrity in ensuring that all decisions, some of them very difficult, have been made in the best interests of pupils.  Improvements throughout the school are driven by high expectations and are firmly rooted in improving the skills of all staff. These improvements are embedded in the culture of the whole school.  The performance of staff is carefully monitored and effective systems are in place to ensure that high professional standards are maintained.  Those with responsibility for leading the school have focused much of their energy and resources into improving pupils’ behaviour and their achievement in mathematics, reading and writing. They have been highly successful in achieving this ambition. This fully justifiable focus has led to other aspects of the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

curriculum being less well developed. Despite this, the curriculum beyond English and mathematics is sound.  This school has received very good support from the local authority and a national leader in education (NLE). The local authority has been instrumental in ensuring that teachers assess pupils’ work accurately. It has also delivered a variety of good-quality training to teachers. The NLE has trained new leaders to ensure that their contribution to school improvement has been quick and considerable. The school’s strong improvement means that this support has now been discontinued.  School leaders continue to work intensively with the local authority and the new leader of the local infant school to ensure that there is a shared understanding of national standards at the end of key stage 1. This closer working supports the transition of pupils between key stages and enables teachers to build on

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

pupils’ prior attainment and deepen their understanding. Pupils in all years are making strong progress from the standards they were assessed to have achieved at the start of key stage 2.  There is strength in leadership at all levels. Leaders of subjects and leaders of year groups are well trained and supported. They have a good understanding of how to improve their areas of responsibility. Most are skilful in doing so.  Provision for pupils who have special educational needs or disability is good. Their specific needs are identified and communicated clearly to teachers. Teaching assistants and teachers are given very good advice on how to help support the learning of these pupils.  Leaders and managers have clearly identified a very small group of pupils who are not progressing as quickly as others. Pupils who have a special educational need or a disability and who are also disadvantaged make slower progress than others. The school has introduced a range of strategies to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

ensure that this group attends better and makes better progress. School leaders are monitoring this group closely.  Parents who chose to complete the inspection questionnaire, to write to inspectors or speak to them, were overwhelmingly pleased with the school. Comments were particularly supportive about the caring and nurturing approach of the staff. Parents believe pupils behave well and are safe. A few parents were critical of the school for not informing them well enough about the progress their child makes. Inspection evidence did not confirm this. Parents meet their child’s class teacher regularly and receive a good-quality end of year report. The school is currently trying to ensure that parents have a formal opportunity to speak with their child’s teachers of mathematics and English, who might not be their class teacher. The school works very well with parents, and parents feel they can approach the school if they have concerns.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 A small number of parents raised concerns about homework. Pupils showed inspectors their homework books and it was clear that high-quality homework is given frequently. Pupils’ homework is an important factor in helping them progress more quickly. The school enables and supports parents very well to engage with their child’s education.  This year the school’s website has been rewritten and improved. At the time of the inspection there were a small number of omissions, which the headteacher is aware of and has undertaken to address.  Staff who chose to complete the inspection questionnaire were very strongly supportive of the work of the school and the quality of school leaders and managers.  Pupils in Year 6 are very well prepared for their move to secondary school. They leave with good numeracy and literacy skills. They have very good learning skills and habits, very positive attitudes to learning, and they behave well. Teachers give good advice to their pupils and the school makes every

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

effort to ensure that pupils have opportunities to visit secondary schools in their area. This school provides secondary schools with detailed and useful information about the skills and needs of every child.  Additional funding to enhance physical education and sporting activity has enabled pupils to enjoy a wider range of additional activities, including swimming and after-school sports clubs. This funding has also been used to good effect to improve the coaching skills of teachers.  Pupils’ moral and social development is very strong as shown by their very high expectations of their own behaviour and that of others. If they sense injustice they will tell someone. Pupils’ spiritual and cultural development is not quite as strong. Teachers have been focusing so much on improving pupils’ basic skills that they have not been able to enrich pupils’ learning opportunities through an extensive range of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

visits and other activities. When these opportunities do occur, pupils relish them; for example, the Year 6 residential visit is particularly popular.  Pupils have a good understanding of British values. They fully understand the concept of diversity and that other children’s home life may well be different from their own. They understand democracy and respect rights; they value all people equally.  The governance of the school – The governing body has given generously of their considerable skills and time over a long period to ensure school leaders provide a good quality of education to pupils in their charge. Governors are clearly ambitious to continue to steer further improvement. – Governors have found an appropriate balance between holding senior school leaders rigorously to account for the impact of their work, and supporting them. Governors ensure that high standards are maintained throughout school leadership, teaching, pupils’ well-being and behaviour.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The arrangements for safeguarding are compliant and effective. Those responsible for ensuring that pupils are safe have a strong understanding of pupils’ home circumstances and their potential impact on pupils’ learning and safety. When there are concerns about a child, detailed records are kept and are secure. The school has efficient systems for communication with external agencies that have responsibility for child protection. School staff are well trained and given good information. Staff know what to do if they have concerns about a child. Pupils feel safe in this school because staff are caring and approachable.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching has continued to improve. Most subjects of the curriculum are well taught, particularly English and mathematics. Teachers are well supported and trained. A wide range of strategies is consistently applied across the school, including those to improve literacy, numeracy and marking. Teaching and learning are very well organised.  Teachers use questioning well in order to deepen pupils’ understanding and, in this way, teachers assess whether their pupils have understood their work. When looking at pupils’ work, teachers are also skilled in accurately assessing what their pupils know, understand and can do. They use this skill on a daily basis to plan lessons that meet the needs of their pupils. This is a considerable improvement since the last inspection.  Classrooms are happy and industrious places. Pupils are curious and readily ask questions.  Teachers follow the school’s policy on marking consistently. Pupils value the guidance given by teachers

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

and respond positively to their advice.  Some pupils are withdrawn from classes to work with teaching assistants individually or in very small groups. These arrangements are designed to help boost pupils’ understanding when they show signs of falling behind. The sessions are very focused so pupils will often return quickly to their class.  Year 6 pupils speak very highly of the ‘writing week’, where they focus on one topic, researching it in detail and writing about it at length. One pupil told inspectors that they prefer it ‘to normal work’ because it felt real and exciting and ‘you got to go outside’. Generally, Year 6 pupils felt that this was the best writing they had done. Pupils say they would welcome more opportunities to learn beyond the classroom.  The teaching of computing has improved recently. Teachers are adapting well to the new curriculum and the provision of more up-to-date equipment has made a big difference. Teaching of computer animation

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

is having a profound impact on pupils’ understanding of mathematics. For example, pupils in Year 3 confidently use negative numbers, coordinates and degrees of rotation when creating their animation.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are happy, safe and well looked after. They all feel very secure in this caring and nurturing environment. Pupils see adults as compassionate and trust them to take very good care of them all in the school.  The school takes particularly good care of those pupils who face difficult circumstances in their lives. All pupils are very well taught how to recognise potential dangers and how best to deal with them. This includes dangers pupils could be exposed to when using social media or the internet. Pupils are fully aware of appropriate and inappropriate behaviour.  The school recognises the importance of promoting pupils’ emotional well-being and has plans to develop this work further.  Pupils’ personal development is a very strong aspect of their education in this school. Pupils quickly become confident because they feel safe and secure. They take on responsibility very well and look after

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Personal development and welfare

each other with sincerity. Pupils play harmoniously and work well together, respecting other pupils’ views and opinions. They look after their school environment and wear their school uniforms with pride.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils say no time is lost in lessons as a result of poor behaviour. The good quality of teaching helps pupils enjoy their lessons. Pupils have very positive attitudes to their learning; they work enthusiastically. Pupils work equally well individually, in pairs or groups. They are keen to show how much they know, yet will support each other sensitively. Most take pride in their work; however, some rush their written work and so lose accuracy.  Throughout lunch and breaktimes, there is a very harmonious and happy atmosphere. Pupils play with the large range of equipment that is freely available to them. Pupils take responsibility to look after each other. Adults rarely need to intervene in pupils’ play, and when they do, it is simply to calm enthusiasm.  Pupils move quickly and responsibly through school corridors. They are punctual to lessons and very responsive to adults’ instructions.

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Behaviour

 Highly respectful and caring behaviour is expertly modelled by all staff. The tone is set for the day when the site manager warmly welcomes pupils into school.  Leaders and managers are not complacent about the standards of behaviour. They have worked hard over many years to develop this school’s positive and hardworking culture. The behaviour of pupils is carefully monitored and for those pupils who find it difficult to behave well, effective strategies are in place. Pupils themselves expect good standards of behaviour. They encourage and support others to behave well. Teachers and teaching assistants manage any potential misbehaviour very well because they have good strategies to do so and know individual pupils very well.  In consultation with pupils, leaders and managers reviewed the management of behaviour. Consequently, they have created a much better balance between sanctions for misbehaviour and rewarding good

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Behaviour

behaviour. This has continued to ensure that pupils behave well and to have very positive attitudes to school.  Despite attendance improving over a number of years, it is still only broadly average. School leaders have identified a small group of pupils who do not attend well. They have put steps into place to improve their attendance. These include a more rapid response to unexplained absence.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 In the past, the results attained by pupils in the end of key stage 1 assessments have not always given a fair indication of their achievement and consequently the progress made by pupils in key stage 2 has appeared to be depressed.  In recent years pupils’ attainment has been broadly average and rates of progress have been improving year on year.  Pupils currently in the school make good progress from their starting points.  On entry to the school, pupils appear to read well. However, they do not have the skills to read unfamiliar words and their comprehension skills are weak. Improvement in reading is currently rapid in Years 3 and 4 because these pupils have a better grounding than that of older pupils. Reading is now well taught throughout this school. The reading skills of pupils in Year 5 and 6 are less strong because their starting points in this school were much lower and their skills weaker.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils are encouraged to write frequently and in a wide range of subjects. Pupils enjoy writing and they make consistently good progress in writing across the school. Most rapid progress is seen in Year 3. It is clear that school leaders’ emphasis on improving writing across the school has paid off.  The teaching of mathematics has improved since the last inspection. Pupils now make good progress in mathematics throughout all years and classes. The mathematical skills of the most able pupils are very strong.  The school’s relentless focus on improving English and mathematics has been successful and pupils now make good progress in these subjects. Progress in other subjects is a little more variable, but overall it is good.  Pupils of all abilities make good progress because teachers ensure that learning activities are particularly well matched to their needs. The progress of most-able pupils is rapid across all subjects.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Overall, the progress of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is good. There is a larger proportion of pupils in this school with more complex special educational needs than seen nationally. While these pupils do not always attain as well as others, they too make good progress.  There has been a gap in achievement between disadvantaged pupils and others in the school. In Years 5 and 6, this gap has narrowed. The gap, although reduced, exists in Years 3 and 4 because strategies to help these pupils catch up have had less time to have an impact on their progress.

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School details

Unique reference number 104521 Local authority Liverpool Inspection number 10012144

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Junior School category Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 363 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Moore Headteacher/Principal/Teacher in charge Martin Davies Telephone number 0151 228 3250 Website www.blackmoorpark.com Email address blackmoorparkj-ao@blackmoorpark-jun.liverpool.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 24–25 June 2014

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Information about this school

 Blackmoor Park Junior School is larger than the average-sized school.  Since the last inspection, a new deputy headteacher and a new special educational needs coordinator have joined the school. In addition, four teachers have joined the staff.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is below average. The pupil premium is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  Most pupils are of White British heritage. Very few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.  Until recently, the school was supported by a NLE who is headteacher at Great Crosby Catholic Primary

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Information about this school

School.  The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about governance and curriculum on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors gathered a wide range of evidence during the inspection, including through observations of teaching, some of which were undertaken jointly with senior leaders.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ work during lessons and at a further sample of pupils’ written work, including English and mathematics.  Meetings were held with school staff, including the headteacher, other senior leaders and staff in charge of aspects of the school’s work. Inspectors met members of the governing body. They also spoke to four representatives of the local authority. The lead inspector had a telephone conversation with the headteacher of the principal feeder infant school.  Inspectors spoke with pupils in formal interviews, during lessons and informally at lunchtimes and break times.  Inspectors considered a large variety of documentation related to the school’s work: improvement plans, the school’s view of its performance and information concerning pupils’ attainment, progress and

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Information about this inspection

attendance.  Inspectors scrutinised records concerning safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour.  Inspectors analysed 70 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors also took into account 21 written responses from parents and spoke to parents as they brought their children to school. Inspectors also took account of a range of parents’ comments about the school that have been made throughout the year.  Inspectors analysed 10 responses to the Ofsted online staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Neil Mackenzie, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ann Gill Ofsted Inspector Schelene Ferris Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

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

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