Shoreside Primary School

Shoreside Primary School Westminster Drive, Ainsdale, Southport, Merseyside PR8 2QZ

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Inadequate

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Safeguarding arrangements are not effective. Leaders have not maintained a sufficient oversight of safeguarding records. Not all governors have undergone the required checks on their suitability to work with children.  Leaders have not sustained the good quality of education identified in the last inspection. Pupils’ attainment and progress have been, and continue to be, too variable across subjects and ability groups because pupils are not challenged enough to improve.  Leaders have too optimistic a view of the school’s performance and have not focused on the right priorities to tackle the weaknesses in the school.  Leaders have not set clear targets for the school as a whole or for various groups of pupils. Therefore, although teachers check on pupils’ progress, they have no secure means of knowing whether sufficient progress is being made.  Leaders focus on ensuring that pupils reach the standards expected for their age. They do not

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

focus enough on developing pupils’ greater depths of understanding.  The coordination of provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is weak. The processes for setting targets and checking on these pupils’ progress are not being implemented.  The quality of teaching is very variable between subjects. This detracts from the progress that pupils make and also leads to inconsistencies in their behaviour in lessons.  Since the last inspection, attendance has not been high enough and, for some groups, has been significantly worse than the averages nationally. It is now improving, but is still below average.  The pupil premium and physical education and sports funding is used appropriately. However, the governors have no means of measuring its impact on pupils’ achievement. The school has the following strengths

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The curriculum is broad and balanced and provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong.  The early years foundation stage is well led and managed and children make good progress in the early years.  Pupils’ behaviour around the school is good.

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the leadership and management of the school by ensuring that: – leaders have effective systems to check regularly that all safeguarding requirements are met and that records and procedures are updated in accordance with any changes in regulations – in evaluating the effectiveness of the school, leaders focus on its weaknesses as well as its strengths, so that the priorities for development focus clearly on the specific aspects that need most improvement – the school development and associated plans include precise targets for improvement, clear actions and timescales for achieving those targets and explicit criteria for evaluating their impact on increasing pupils’ progress and raising their attainment – the targets set across the school focus on ensuring that pupils are not only reaching the expectations for their age but are also developing greater depth of knowledge, skills and understanding

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– there is a greater sense of urgency in improving the attendance of all groups of pupils.  Improve the provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities by ensuring that: – specific targets are set for their academic and personal development, and that their progress towards these targets is checked on regularly, so that the impact of any additional support they receive can be assessed accurately and timely amendments made where necessary – the provision for these pupils is coordinated efficiently and that senior leaders conduct regular checks to ensure that this is so.  Improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by ensuring that: – pupils of all abilities are challenged to make the best progress of which they are capable – pupils’ time is not wasted in lessons. An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium funding should be undertaken to assess how this aspect of the leadership may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken to assess how this may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leaders had failed to ensure that all members of the governing body have undergone the required checks on their suitability to work with children. The necessary checks have been completed following the inspection.  Leaders have not succeeded in tackling the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. Pupils’ progress in mathematics has been very variable over recent years and still requires improvement. The quality of teaching remains inconsistent, with questioning still being a weakness, despite being highlighted as in need of improvement in the previous report. For three of the last four years, attendance has been below average and, in the case of some groups of pupils, significantly so. Although current attendance is better, it still falls below the national average.  The headteacher has a caring attitude towards his staff and pupils. However, he has not been stringent enough in driving up standards of attainment and progress and in

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

improving the quality of teaching and learning in the school.  In their own evaluation of the school, leaders have focused on its strengths and have taken too little account of the weaknesses identified in the published data on its performance. For example, they judge attendance to be good, despite published evidence to the contrary, and they pay little heed to the underperformance of pupils of particular abilities. As a result, they have an overoptimistic view of the school.  Leaders have not identified the right priorities to tackle the weaknesses in the school. The school improvement plan does not include clear targets and does not indicate precisely enough the improvement that leaders expect to happen within specific periods of time. Therefore, although teachers check on pupils’ progress regularly, they have no means of knowing whether the progress made is sufficient and how much or what kind of additional support they should provide.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 The leaders do not have sufficiently high aspirations for the pupils. Their main focus is on helping pupils meet the expectations for their age. They place too little emphasis on ensuring that those pupils who are capable of doing so achieve greater depth of understanding. As a result, the most able pupils are not being stretched enough academically.  The recently appointed middle leaders bring a considerable amount of expertise and enthusiasm to their roles. They are very committed and work hard. However, their efforts are impeded by the lack of clarity about the school’s overall goals.  The coordination of provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is weak. In theory, there are clear processes in place to set targets for these pupils and to check on their progress. In practice, these processes are not being implemented. As a result, there is no means of knowing whether the support provided

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

for them is appropriate, what its purpose is, or what impact it is having. The impact of additional funding allocated for pupils who have special educational needs is not monitored closely enough.  The system of managing the performance of staff has been changed recently. Teachers are given specific targets which require them to increase on the previous performance of the pupils in their classes, so that they achieve more. It is too early to judge how successful this is.  The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced. There is a clear overall plan to ensure coverage, continuity and development across subjects and the work in pupils’ books shows that teachers are adhering to the plan. In subjects other than English and mathematics, pupils of all abilities are given the same work to do, and work is undemanding for the most able pupils. There are insufficient opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical knowledge and extended writing skills across subjects.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 The provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is a strength of the school. Pupils have the opportunity to take part in a number of arts activities, including regular visits to the theatre, to concerts and to the cinema. There is a high take-up of the instrumental tuition offered by the school and pupils are justly proud of their orchestra. They contribute to the leadership of the school in a number of ways, including taking on specific responsibilities and representing their fellow pupils on the school council. They contribute to the life of the community through, for example, running clean-up campaigns to maintain and improve the local environment and raising money for charities. Their sense of responsibility for the wider world is also developed through their ecological work, which includes the current ‘preventing waste’ campaign. The pupils who spoke to the lead inspector were highly enthusiastic about their

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

Spanish lessons and proud of their connections with a school in Spain. The school places a considerable emphasis on developing British values, which are reflected in the pupils’ attitudes. Through assemblies and connections with local places of worship, the pupils also develop the spiritual dimension of their lives.

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Governance of the school

 The members of the governing body bring a considerable range of knowledge and expertise to the school. They meet regularly with leaders and staff and one governor also holds meetings with the pupils on the school council. Although the governors receive information on the progress made by pupils, they are not able to judge whether this sufficient because of the lack of clear overall targets for the school.  The pupil premium funding is used appropriately to support disadvantaged pupils. The governors know about the progress made by these pupils. However, because the overall intentions are not made explicit, it is not possible for them to determine whether the progress is sufficient.  The physical education and sports funding is used to extend the expertise of staff and increase the range of activities available to pupils. However, leaders have not established how many pupils they expect to take part in these activities or how well

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Governance of the school

they expect them to achieve. Therefore, they do not know what impact the expenditure is having on pupils’ progress.  In 2016, the government made amendments to the regulations relating to school governance. These amendments (set out in Statutory Instrument 2016 No 204, 16A) state: (1) ‘Where a governor has been elected or appointed before 1st April 2016 and does not hold an enhanced criminal record certificate, the governing body must apply for such a certificate in respect of that governor by 1st September 2016. (2) Where a governor is elected or appointed on or after 1st April 2016 and does not hold an enhanced criminal record certificate, the governing body must apply for such a certificate in respect of that governor within 21 days after his or her appointment or election.’  At the time of the inspection, the governing body had not fulfilled its statutory duty to ensure that that all governors had received the appropriate checks on their suitability

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.  At the beginning of the inspection, the single central record of the suitability of staff to work with children was incomplete in several other respects. The omissions were put right by the end of the second day. However, the school leaders had failed to identify them until they were pointed out by the inspector. This indicates insufficient management oversight of safeguarding. Similarly, the school had not checked on the suitability of all governors to work with children.  The pupils who spoke to the lead inspector said that they feel safe at the school and on the way to and from school. Through presentations from visiting speakers and specific instructions when preparing to go on school visits, they are taught how to keep themselves safe near roads and railways. They receive swimming lessons and know how to keep themselves safe near water. In science lessons, they are taught how to

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Safeguarding

deal safely with electricity. The school holds regular fire practices and the pupils know precisely what to do and where to go in the event of a fire.  The school places considerable emphasis on ensuring that parents and pupils receive information on how to keep safe when using the internet and social media.  The school’s safeguarding policy is up to date and all staff have received the required training. Those who spoke to the inspectors knew what to do if they ever had concerns about the safety of a child.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 The last inspection of the school identified the need for greater consistency in the quality of teaching. There have been several changes of staff over the last five years and the school has provided a considerable amount of training for teachers to help them develop their practice. This has led to improvements in the quality of planning and assessment but inconsistencies still remain.  The school’s main focus has been on ensuring that pupils reach the standards expected for their age. No targets have been set for the proportions expected to gain greater depth of understanding in subjects and there are no targets for pupils of varying abilities. As a result, leaders are not able to tell whether the progress that pupils make is sufficient to ensure that they compare well with pupils across the country.  When asking questions, the teachers rely very heavily on answers volunteered by pupils and do not check on the understanding of those who are less forthcoming.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

Consequently, pupils are not supported to develop their ideas and some misconceptions are not identified and corrected. Teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to consolidate their learning when they have misunderstood a concept.  The most able pupils are not challenged sufficiently and are not given enough opportunities to develop greater depth of understanding. For example, in mathematics, pupils who were already very confident in using the 24-hour clock completed rudimentary activities rather than being given challenges to move their learning on.  When pupils are working alone or in groups, teachers and teaching assistants do not check carefully enough on what they are doing, so that they can give them timely support. As a result, pupils can waste time repeating mistakes. This hampers pupils’ learning, including that of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 In most subjects, the work set for pupils is very similar, regardless of their varying abilities. This is particularly the case in subjects other than English and mathematics.  Pupils’ responses to lessons are very much influenced by the quality of the teaching. Where the teaching is stimulating, the pupils take part enthusiastically, discussing and sharing their ideas and applying their existing knowledge successfully to new tasks. In too many instances, however, pupils lose interest because the work is not demanding for them, because they do not understand what is expected of them or because teachers’ explanations go on too long. In these circumstances, they rarely disrupt others but the pace of their learning slows.  The most effective teaching is characterised by the effective planning of learning, including making good use of resources, to stimulate pupils’ interest. In English, key stage 2 pupils were confident in using dictionaries and thesauri to extend their

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

vocabulary. They could write in lively, complex sentences because of thoughtful teaching.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is inadequate.  This aspect is inadequate because leaders have not ensured that all members of the governing body have undertaken the required checks to ensure their suitability for their role.  The pupils who spoke to inspectors said that they enjoy coming to school and feel safe there. This echoed the comments made by the parents who spoke to the lead inspector and the very positive responses to the online questionnaire.  The pupils said that there is rarely any bullying in the school. When it does happen, it is dealt with very quickly. This is supported by the school’s records. The pupils know whom to go if they have any worries or concerns and are confident that they will receive the necessary advice and help.  Relationships between the pupils and between pupils and staff are positive. The pupils also relate well to visitors and are happy to initiate conversations as well as to respond

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Personal development and welfare

to questions. They are polite, helpful and friendly. In the meeting with the lead inspector, they were happy to share their experiences and listened carefully to each other’s comments and ideas.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.  Pupils behave well in the playground and around the school. They cooperate well with each other and respond readily to requests and instructions from supervising staff. In lessons, pupils’ behaviour varies according to the quality of the teaching. Where teaching is interesting, stimulating and well organised, the pupils show work with concentration and enthusiasm and move quickly and without fuss from one activity to the next. However, when the work is not at the right level for them, pupils lose concentration. Where there is a clear purpose to discussions, the pupils contribute in an animated and disciplined way. Less well focused discussions can lead to an unnecessarily high level of unproductive noise.  Since the last inspection, attendance has not been good enough. In 2013, overall absence and persistent absence were worse than the national averages. The situation

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Behaviour

improved in 2014 but declined in the following two years. In 2015, the attendance of disadvantaged pupils was in the lowest 10% of all maintained schools nationally. The same was true in 2016 when the attendance of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities was similarly poor. In 2016, boys’ attendance was below average and girls’ attendance was below average for the second year running.  The school and the educational welfare officer have worked with the families of pupils with particularly poor attendance records. The headteacher also publishes the most recent figures for each class in the weekly newsletter. However, there is no analysis by groups, even though some groups have had particularly poor attendance records. The school’s information indicates that attendance so far this year has improved to being in line with the national average. However, there are inconsistencies between year

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Outcomes for pupils Require improvement

 Outcomes for pupils require improvement because there have been, and continue to be, too many inconsistencies in the standards that pupils reach and the progress that they make during their time at the school.  The proportion of pupils who meet the expected standards in the phonics screening at the end of Year 1 has been above the national figure for the last four years. The work seen during the inspection shows that these standards are being maintained.  Attainment at the end of key stage 1 has been below average for several years. Middle-ability pupils underperformed in mathematics and writing in 2016. The changes in teaching that the school has made are leading to improvements in the standards of pupils currently in key stage 1. However, they are not yet ensuring sufficient in-depth learning by the most able pupils.  The amount of progress made by pupils between the ages of seven and 11 has fluctuated over recent years. It has been consistently better in reading than in writing

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Outcomes for pupils Require improvement

and mathematics. In 2016, attainment at the end of key stage 2 in reading was above the national average. Attainment in mathematics and writing was below average. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, made good progress from their starting points in reading. Their progress in mathematics and writing is not as strong.  Disadvantaged pupils made weaker progress in mathematics and writing than other pupils nationally in 2016. The progress of disadvantaged pupils currently in school shows variability across subjects.  The proportion of the most able pupils who achieved greater depth of learning was significantly above average in reading but significantly below average in writing in 2016. The most able pupils are not consistently challenged to achieve high standards.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make variable progress. The school’s monitoring of progress made by these pupils is weak.

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Outcomes for pupils Require improvement

 The pupils who were heard reading during the inspection did so with considerable fluency, although they tended to rush and therefore run one sentence or paragraph into the next. They had effective strategies for deciphering words which were unfamiliar to them and they made a clear attempt to use changes of voice and expression to convey the meaning of the text. They all read regularly at home and talked with enthusiasm about their favourite books.  The work in mathematics books shows that middle- or low-ability pupils are not being challenged sufficiently to improve. In the English books, progress is variable and again there are inconsistencies in the challenges presented to pupils. In science, the most- able are not making sufficient progress because the work that they are expected to do is no different from that given to less-able pupils.

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Early years provision Inadequate

 Although there are several strengths in the early years, it is judged to be inadequate because the school has not met the statutory safeguarding requirements in relation to checks made on governors.  The setting is well led and managed. The leader knows the children well and has high expectations of them. She has a clear understanding of their strengths and weaknesses on entry and provides them with a range of purposeful activities that match their abilities and interests. In her teaching, she has a passion for helping accelerate pupils’ progress which would provide a good example for staff in the rest of the school.  Children enter Reception with skills that are broadly typical for their age. Some children have weaknesses in writing, in the ability to count beyond five and in their communication and language skills. Where weaknesses do occur, they are quickly tackled through purposeful, focused and well-planned activities which ensure rapid

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Early years provision Inadequate

progress. The children’s work is assessed accurately.  The proportion of children reaching a good level of development by the end of Reception has varied over the last three years. In 2016, the proportion who achieved the expected level in mathematics was well above average. In reading and writing, it was close to the national average. The amount of difference between the performance of boys and girls has varied from one year to the next, depending on the nature of the cohort. Therefore, there is no consistent pattern. The numbers of disadvantaged pupils have been too small to allow for any meaningful comparison with other children across the country.  The close partnership with parents helps to promote children’s good progress. Parents are welcomed into the setting and have the opportunity to stay and read with their children at least once a week. The parents are provided with a wide range of stimulating activities to support their children’s learning at home. They also receive

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Early years provision Inadequate

very helpful advice, through well-attended workshops and interesting online materials, on a range of subjects, including how to support pupils’ phonics skills at home and how to prepare them for the transition to Year 1.  The early years environment is attractive, well-resourced, includes a range of areas for work and play, and provides a variety of rich stimuli for developing the children’s language. The outdoor environment is well developed and provides interesting resources that can be used flexibly to stimulate the children’s imagination and help develop their social skills.  Staff have undergone all the required safeguarding training and know precisely what to do if they have any concerns about the safety of a child. The relevant risk assessments are conducted in accordance with the school’s policy. Children’s medical needs are well documented and all staff have had very recent paediatric first-aid training. The site is

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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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address head@shoreside.sefton.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14–15 June 2012

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Information about this school

 The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  The school met the government’s floor standards for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6 in 2015.  The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average.  The great majority of pupils are of White British heritage, and speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is higher than average.  The proportion of pupils entering or leaving the school at other than the usual times in the year is average.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors gathered a range of evidence to judge the quality of teaching, learning and assessment over time. They observed learning in classes. This included joint observations with the headteacher.  The inspectors looked at examples of pupils’ work and talked to them about their work.  The lead inspector talked to parents as they brought their children to school. He also examined 57 responses to the online questionnaires for parents.  The lead inspector met the chair of the governing body and five governors. He also spoke to a representative of the local authority.  The lead inspector met with eight pupils chosen at random from Years 3 to 6.  The inspectors also spoke to pupils in lessons, in the corridors and the playground.  The inspectors examined a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and the school’s development plan.  The inspectors also scrutinised documents relating to standards, behaviour, attendance

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Inspection team

Aelwyn Pugh, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Maureen Hints 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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