Lydiate Primary School

Lydiate Primary School Lambshear Lane, Lydiate, Liverpool, Merseyside L31 2JZ

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders and governors have successfully addressed the decline in outcomes which was evident at the previous inspection.  The quality of teaching has improved and, as a result, current pupils’ progress in most subjects, including English and mathematics, is good.  Leaders, governors and staff share high morale and a commitment to making further improvement in the school.  Improvements to the quality of assessment mean that teaching is generally matched well to pupils’ skills and abilities.  On occasion, teaching does not challenge pupils sufficiently in writing, including disadvantaged pupils.  Teachers question pupils well to develop their thinking skills. Pupils’ mathematical reasoning skills are generally developed well, but in some year groups these are not as strong.  Pupils behave well. They say that they feel safe in school and show a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe.  Children in early years thrive in the newly

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

improved learning environment. They make good progress from their starting points. At times, activities do not fully extend their learning.  Leadership of English and mathematics is strong and contributes well to improving teaching and pupils’ outcomes. The leadership of other subjects is developing.  Leaders have worked well to improve attendance and reduce levels of persistent absence. This, however, remains an area for further improvement.  The curriculum provides a broad range of experiences and extra-curricular activities that develop learning well.  Leaders and governors have an accurate view of the quality of the school. Plans for further improvement are clearly focused and regularly reviewed.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ and children’s outcomes by: – ensuring higher expectation in writing, including for disadvantaged pupils – providing more opportunities for pupils to develop their skills of mathematical reasoning – challenging children more in early years.  Further improve subject leadership, in subjects other than English and mathematics, so that it plays a greater role in bringing about improvement.  Build on the school’s work to improve attendance further and reduce levels of persistent absence.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders have worked with determination to remedy the decline in outcomes which was evident at the previous inspection. The headteacher, along with the newly established assistant headteachers and middle leaders, has brought about improvement to attainment in key stage 1, attendance, the quality of teaching and progress throughout the school.  The quality of teaching is closely monitored and support and training put in place where a need is identified. Teachers have benefited from a broad range of training since the previous inspection. For example, the teaching of writing and mathematics has improved as a result of staff training in these areas.  Senior leaders ensure that they have an accurate view of the progress that pupils make. Progress is carefully tracked and analysed so that any weaknesses are swiftly identified and support put in place.  Effective systems to monitor and evaluate the quality of education mean that leaders

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

and governors have an accurate view of the quality of teaching and learning in the school. This enables them to identify the key priorities for the school’s next steps for improvement. Action planning is realistic, with clear targets and regular review.  Leadership of English and mathematics is strong. These leaders have good knowledge of their subjects, and of the quality of teaching and progress. They have been effective in bringing about improvements to pupils’ progress in their subject areas since the last inspection.  The leadership of other subjects is still developing. Many leaders are new to their roles. They are developing a better knowledge of pupils’ progress in their subjects. However, they are not fully effective in bringing about improvements. This means that progress in some subjects, such as geography and history, is not as strong as in others.  The curriculum provides interesting experiences for pupils across a broad range of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

subjects. For example, pupils in all year groups enjoy taking part in activities related to the First World War, such as ‘Real History Day’. The curriculum is enriched by a number of after-school and lunchtime clubs such as dance, computing, multi-sports, art and gardening.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils learn about other cultures and faiths, and take part in events such as multicultural week. They take part in fundraising for charities. In their behaviour and personal development, they show their understanding of right and wrong and the importance of respect for others.  The pupil premium funding is spent well to provide extra teaching support and funding towards extra-curricular trips. Support is targeted to help overcome pupils’ barriers to learning and is effective in supporting their good progress.  The sports premium funding is used well to provide staff training, to improve resources

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

and to employ a dance instructor. Year 5 pupils have been trained to be sports leaders and in 2018 all Year 6 pupils were able to swim 25 metres by the end of the year. These measures have increased pupils’ enjoyment of sport and exercise.  Funding for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is used well to provide tailored support. The special educational needs coordinator ensures that pupils’ needs are identified and their progress carefully tracked. The assessment system used closely identifies the small steps of progress being made by some pupils due to the nature of their needs. This information is used to ensure that learning is well matched to pupils’ needs. As a result, most pupils make good progress.  The local authority and a national leader of education have provided effective support for the school since the arrival of the current headteacher. They are very confident that

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

the leadership team of the school will continue its journey of improvement.

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Governance of the school

 The membership of the governing body has changed considerably since the previous inspection. The current membership shares leaders’ passion and commitment to improvement. They have a range of skills which they use to both support and challenge senior leaders.  Governors are well informed about the quality of provision in the school. This is through information from senior leaders but also through their own visits to the school to, for example, observe teaching and scrutinise books. They have an accurate understanding of the school. They ask challenging questions to ensure that leaders are held to account.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  There is a strong ethos of ensuring that pupils are kept safe and that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Staff are well trained and vigilant. They identify where pupils may be at risk. They know the procedures to follow should they have concerns about a pupil.  Leaders work well with parents and outside agencies to meet the needs of pupils who may be at risk. Record-keeping is detailed and of high quality.  Pupils have a good awareness of safety. They are confident that they have a member of staff to turn to should they have any concerns.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Leaders have acted swiftly to address the decline in standards evident at the time of the previous inspection. Improvements, particularly to the teaching of mathematics and writing, and to methods of assessing pupils’ progress have led to improvements in progress across a range of subjects.  Phonics is well taught. Pupils enjoy well-planned sessions and activities which develop their understanding of letter sounds. Sessions are well matched to pupils’ abilities, with the result that pupils progress well.  Teaching is characterised by positive relationships and clear expectations for pupils’ engagement in their learning. This promotes their confidence and means that most pupils apply themselves well to their learning.  The teaching of writing provides opportunities for pupils to write for a range of purposes. For example, key stage 1 pupils enjoy writing questions for a character in a book they have been reading.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 At times, where teacher’s expectations are not high enough, pupils’ skills and understanding are not extended.  Teachers question pupils well to develop their understanding and thinking. For example, lower key stage 2 pupils were questioned well to consider why they knew something was an opinion and not a fact.  Mathematics is well taught. Teaching builds on pupils’ previous learning and ensures progression in their skills and understanding. Teachers often question pupils well to encourage their thinking. For example, upper key stage 2 pupils, when working out missing numbers in calculations, were asked to think whether it mattered which way round numbers were added before subtracting from the sum.  Teaching encourages pupils to apply their understanding to different mathematical problems. Pupils are often given chances to explain their reasoning, either verbally or in writing. However, this approach is less well developed in some year groups.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 There are strengths in the teaching of some other subjects, such as science and art, which ensure that pupils’ learning builds progressively on their understanding. These skills are not as well embedded in subjects such as geography and history.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are proud of their school. Those who spoke with inspectors said that they enjoyed school and liked their teachers. Pupils show positive attitudes to their learning.  Pupils say that they feel safe and are confident that the school keeps them safe. They learn to keep themselves safe, including online. They showed a good understanding of bullying and report that it very rarely happens. They have confidence in staff to deal with any concerns should they arise.  Pupils have positive relationships with staff and each other. They show respect for each other’s views during class discussions. They learn to develop skills as active citizens while they enjoy their roles and responsibilities as school councillors, sports leaders and monitors.  Leaders and staff promote pupils’ emotional well-being effectively. For example, the

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Personal development and welfare

recently established mental-health first-aid team provides support for pupils who may be experiencing difficulties.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  The school is calm and orderly. Pupils behave well in class and when moving around the school. They respond to staff’s clear expectations for their good behaviour.  Positive relationships are evident in the playground. Pupils are sensible and show self- discipline in a range of situations.  Pupils engage well in their learning and know the importance of working hard. On occasion, they become restless and distracted when learning does not fully meet their needs.  Leaders have worked well to improve pupils’ attendance. It is currently close to the national average. Leaders’ efforts to reduce the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school have borne fruit. This proportion has decreased to be in line with national averages. There is still work to be done to ensure that this improving trend continues.  There have been no fixed-term or permanent exclusions.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Current pupils are making good progress in English, mathematics and a range of other subjects. This is due to improvements in the quality of teaching, which have led to pupils’ progress improving, particularly over the past year.  These improvements are reflected in the rise in attainment in reading, writing and mathematics from 2017 to 2018. Attainment rose to above national averages at the expected standard in both key stages, apart from mathematics in key stage 2, which was slightly below average.  Pupils make good progress in phonics. This is reflected in the results of the Year 1 phonics screening check which, for the last three years, has been in line with or above the national average.  Pupils develop a love of reading. Older pupils read widely and show a good understanding of the books they read. Younger pupils also say that they enjoy reading. They use their phonic knowledge well to read unfamiliar words.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Pupils develop confidence in using their number skills and applying these skills to solving problems. While most pupils are developing skills in explaining their mathematical reasoning, progress in this aspect of mathematics is not equally strong throughout the school.  Progress in writing, although good overall, is not as strong as in reading and mathematics. Pupils learn to write for a range of purposes, but tasks are, at times, not sufficiently challenging.  Disadvantaged pupils make good progress in a range of subjects. Their learning is closely supported and monitored. In published results for 2018, disadvantaged pupils’ attainment in reading and mathematics at the end of both key stages and progress in reading in key stage 2 showed improvement. In these areas, differences in outcomes from those of other pupils nationally are diminishing. Writing has been slower to improve, but pupils’ books show that current pupils are making good progress and

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Outcomes for pupils Good

attainment is rising.  Most pupils with SEND make good progress due to carefully tailored support.  Pupils make good progress in a range of other subjects, such as science and art. They develop skills systematically and attainment in science is consistently above the national average. Progress in some subjects such as geography and history is not as strong, as pupils’ learning in these subjects is not as carefully planned.

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Early years provision Good

 Children enter school with skills that are broadly typical for their age but are sometimes weaker in early reading. Most children make good progress to reach a good level of development at the end of Reception Year. Those children who enter the school with lower skill levels are supported well to catch up. As a result, children are well prepared for the transfer to Year 1.  Children enjoy their time in Nursery and Reception classes. They engage well in the activities provided, showing good levels of concentration. For example, children excitedly hunt for food left for the ‘hungry caterpillar’ outdoors.  Staff establish warm, caring relationships with children. This helps to promote their confidence and positive attitudes to their learning.  Staff effectively promote children’s early writing skills. Children’s books show good progress in the development of sentence writing and handwriting skills.

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Early years provision Good

 Staff know the children well and learning is closely monitored to ensure good progress. They provide interesting activities which relate to children’s interests. For example, children enjoy watching chicks hatch. They happily count chicks and the number of eggs.  Staff establish positive relationships with parents and carers. Parents are involved in supporting their children’s learning through, for example, recording their observations in a ‘special moments’ book.  Teachers and teaching assistants often question children well to develop their learning. At times, they do not challenge them enough to develop their learning to the full.  Children behave very well and are familiar with the routines of Nursery and Reception classes. They show a strong sense of security in their environment and learn to handle tools and equipment safely.  The early years leaders have a good awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of

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Early years provision Good

provision. They have brought about improvements to the learning environment indoors and out, which have had a positive impact on children’s engagement in their learning.

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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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address head.lydiate@schools.sefton.gov.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 February 2018

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Information about this school

 This is a larger-than-average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding is below average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is below average.  There have been a number of changes to senior leadership since the last inspection.  The current headteacher took up post in September 2017 and the two assistant headteachers took up post in September 2018.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed learning throughout the school. In addition, they scrutinised pupils’ workbooks and listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with pupils, the chair of the governing body and three other governors, the headteacher and other senior leaders. The lead inspector also held a meeting with a representative of the local authority and a national leader for education.  Inspectors looked at a range of information produced by the school, including information on pupils’ progress and attainment, behaviour and attendance, procedures for safeguarding and the school’s own evaluation of its work. They considered reports to the governing body, minutes of their meetings and the school’s plans for further improvement.  Inspectors considered the 35 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and the views of 33 parents who communicated via text message to Ofsted.  Inspectors also took account of the 19 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire and 10

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Information about this inspection

responses to the online pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Elaine White, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

David Woodhouse 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

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