Anfield Road Primary School

Anfield Road Primary School Anfield Road, Liverpool, Merseyside L4 0TN

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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 Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Strong leadership by the headteacher and the deputy headteachers has provided a clear direction that has driven improvement.  Determined actions by leaders mean that almost all pupils are now making good progress across a range of subjects. However, attainment at key stage 2 in reading, while good, is not as strong as that in writing and mathematics.  Leaders have used training effectively within the school to improve the quality of teaching. As a result, this is now consistently good.  Leaders conduct detailed assessment and provide effective support for those pupils new to the school and who speak English as an additional language. Over time, these pupils make good progress.  The rich and vibrant environment and the challenges offered through the curriculum contribute to both the pupils’ personal development and the good progress that they make.  Governors have a wide range of skills and know the school well. They are supportive of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the school and contribute to its continuous improvement.  Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported to make good progress from their starting points.  Pupils generally demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning. Strong relationships between teachers and pupils contribute to pupils’ growing confidence and the quality of learning.  Children in the early years make good progress. Increasing numbers of Reception children are attaining a good level of development, but this is still below national averages.  Leaders of the early years have developed a varied and rich curriculum for Reception children which prepares them well for Year 1. However, the nursery curriculum does not provide the youngest children with the same rich opportunities and experiences learning.  The progress of disadvantaged pupils is improving. These pupils ‘grow’ personally, socially and academically due to the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

effectiveness of the tailored support offered by the school.  Attendance rates have improved. Leaders have taken a wide range of actions to improve the attendance of pupils, but absence and persistent absence rates are still too high.  A strong culture of safeguarding exists throughout the school. Procedures for keeping pupils safe are secure and clear. The pastoral support for pupils is a high priority for leaders.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve progress and the quality of teaching and learning in reading at key stage 2, particularly extending pupils’ skills to understand the text and identify what is going to happen next.  Implement leaders’ plans to improve the curriculum for Nursery children: – to provide greater coherence with the Reception curriculum – to provide richer opportunities and experiences – to give them a strong early start to their learning.  Further reduce persistent absence and improve attendance and punctuality.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The headteacher and deputy headteachers have very effectively tackled the areas for improvement raised during the previous inspection of the school. Working effectively with middle leaders, the headteacher has improved the quality of teaching and learning. This has been key to pupils’ improving progress and attainment.  Senior leaders know the school well and are accurate in their judgement of its strengths and weaknesses. Improvements reflect the school’s vision to ‘Aim High’. All staff share the vision to meet pupils’ needs and provide a curriculum that excites as well as challenges pupils to do their best.  Leaders have galvanised the staff team through the involvement of all staff in deciding the school’s priorities and agreeing school-wide procedures to address them. Heads of school, who are responsible for the quality of teaching and outcomes across a number of year groups, provide a good balance of support and challenge so that everyone is

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

working together to achieve the school’s vision.  Leaders check on the effectiveness of their actions. For example, the English leader has been very proactive in supporting and challenging colleagues to embed an agreed teaching approach to allow pupils to discuss their thoughts and ideas before writing them. She has also ensured that a rich vocabulary and secure aspects of spelling, punctuation and grammar are included in pupils’ writing. She has been very successful in this and the quality of pupils’ writing has noticeably improved.  Leaders and teachers have high expectations of their pupils. They provide an impressive pastoral support system to enable pupils to overcome any barriers to learning. It is clear that leaders know individual pupils and their circumstances well.  The majority of staff feel valued and are positive about the leadership of the school. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved. This is because leaders

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

have created opportunities for teachers to observe the effective teaching of their colleagues and monitor closely agreed improvements. Where necessary, teachers know that support and training will be provided to help them improve the quality of their teaching. Leaders evaluate teachers’ performance through robust and supportive procedures. Staff at all levels appreciate the training opportunities offered.  Leaders have introduced an effective and wide range of pastoral and academic support to help pupils to overcome barriers to their learning. They have used the pupil premium funding effectively to employ specialist teaching and pastoral staff to raise the aspirations and achievement of disadvantaged pupils. This high-quality support and the help in groups provided to meet their needs are improving the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils and those who speak English as an additional language.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders have created an effectively balanced curriculum which promotes pupils’ progress in English and mathematics. The wider curriculum is organised to give pupils the curiosity they need to learn, to develop resilience and raise their aspirations. It draws on the local area’s rich and vibrant culture and develops in pupils a first-hand and meaningful understanding of diversity and equality. A lively visual environment promotes learning and celebrates excellence in subjects across the curriculum, but particularly art, history and enterprise.  A broad range of opportunities for enrichment contributes to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils elected to the school council or as house captains respond positively to their responsibilities. Pupils enjoy the opportunity to support charities and to develop their musical, artistic and linguistic talents. A typical comment shared by a pupil demonstrates the importance of these activities: ‘I want to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

be a musician. And now I can play the cornet, piano and guitar – and I love singing!’  The leadership English and mathematics is effective. Leaders of these subjects have used training opportunities well to improve leadership and teaching skills and confidence of staff. Leaders have used monitoring and training to ensure that the teaching of phonics is particularly effective. Training, led by external advisers, has improved the teaching of reading skills but pupils’ understanding of the text is not fully developed. Nevertheless, the quality of teaching in both subjects has improved in recent years.  Leadership of subjects other than English and mathematics is shared across teams of staff. This enables interested and experienced leaders to identify the key skills and knowledge to be taught to each year group during the year. Through effective checking, leaders have ensured that better teaching has brought about improved

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

progress and attainment in a wide range of subjects.  The funding for pupils with SEND is used effectively. The two special educational needs coordinators (SENCos) have improved the progress and attainment of these pupils. They have developed clear procedures to support and monitor teaching and learning. Through this effective support, most current pupils with SEND are making good progress from their starting points.  The physical education and sports funding for primary schools is used very successfully Significant investment in sport has encouraged greater participation. Professional development for staff means that they are now more confident about teaching in this area. There is a range of sports and after-school clubs for pupils. A very popular music group draws members from both pupils and staff. Pupils who spoke with inspectors value these additional opportunities and attendance at these activities is high.

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Governance of the school

 Governors share senior leaders’ vision and commitment to improvement. They know their school well because they visit regularly. Governors gain a deeper insight into what is happening in school by asking probing questions about the impact of leaders’ action on pupils’ progress and outcomes. They receive detailed information from a variety of sources, including external quality assurance professionals and pupils’ feedback. Governors use this wealth of information to effectively hold leaders to account for their decisions.  Governors are keen to ensure that there is a good balance of expertise on the governing body. It has recently appointed new governors to fill previously identified gaps. They are committed to the school and undertake relevant training to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. The governing body ensures that the school gives value for money and that decisions about spending are taken in consideration of the

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Governance of the school

main priorities for school improvement. Governors meet their statutory responsibilities.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Policies and procedures to ensure pupils’ safety, including employment checks, are up to date and meticulously maintained.  Leaders and governors ensure that staff are well trained in keeping pupils safe. They ensure that staff know how to spot early signs that pupils may be at risk and know how to act on any concerns. School records show that any issues are followed up thoroughly. Good liaison with external agencies helps support vulnerable pupils and their families.  Pupils feel safe and know the systems school leaders have put in place to ensure their safety. The school site is well maintained. It provides a safe and stimulating place where pupils can play and learn together.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Leaders have taken successful action to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment since the last inspection. Most pupils now benefit from effective teaching that allows them to make good progress in a range of subjects. Pivotal to this improvement is the focus on improving skills and gaining a shared approach to teaching throughout the school.  The teaching of mathematics is good. Teachers give close attention to improving pupils’ fluency and speed of recall of important mathematical facts. Consequently, they can deal with larger and more complex numbers with increasing confidence. Teachers provide pupils with a range of calculation strategies and draw out from pupils their methods of solving problems and encourage them to explain their thinking. However, pupils draw on a relatively narrow mathematical vocabulary in their explanations.  The teaching of writing has improved, and teachers have raised their expectations of

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

the standards that pupils can reach in their writing. Teachers use examples of literature to inspire and enthuse pupils. Teaching has been adapted to focus even more on vocabulary and the application of grammar and punctuation to pupils’ writing. Pupils are also encouraged to improve their own writing. These actions have helped to ensure that current pupils across the school are making good progress and producing better pieces of writing. Pupils’ application of phonics to improve the accuracy of their spelling is good.  The teaching of early reading is effective, due to staff’s strong phonic knowledge. Teaching is well matched to the assessed needs of pupils and, as a result, younger pupils make strong progress and ensures that teaching is sufficiently challenging. Pupils in Year 2 read well and have an accurate understanding of what they have read. Throughout the school teachers provide daily reading lessons to promote pupils’

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

understanding of what they have read. For example, Year 5 were developing their understanding of new vocabulary, linked to their history studies. Older pupils enjoy a wide range of books by a variety of authors but have limited opportunities to share their own reading books with adults. Teachers encourage pupils to read with intonation and expression but insufficient attention is given to ensuring that older pupils fully understand the text and can identify what the author is suggesting might happen next.  Teaching assistants across the school work effectively to support pupils with SEND and develop their understanding of English. They effectively support the development of phonics and speech and language. Particularly effective was the support given to a small group of older pupils to develop their knowledge and understanding of addition and subtraction. Teachers make accurate assessments of pupils’ learning needs,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

including their social and emotional needs. Teaching and learning are closely matched to these identified needs, so that pupils are beginning to make good progress from their starting points.  Teachers develop English and mathematics through other subjects. Pupils in key stage 2 appreciate the chance to apply their knowledge of writing structures and what they have read to an historical context. Mathematical charts and tables are used successfully to record and explain geographical and scientific findings.  A strength of teaching across the school is the use of questioning to encourage pupils to think for themselves or to clarify misconceptions. Pupils of all abilities recognise the importance of this strategy in helping them to become independent and confident learners. Teachers ask probing questions to extend learning across a range of subjects.  Teachers use assessment with increasing effectiveness to ensure that pupils are

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

learning and making progress. When teachers observe any misconceptions, they use a range of strategies to work with individuals or groups to address them. Consequently, pupils are confident that they will get the support that they need to learn successfully.  Teachers have good subject knowledge. They use it well to plan learning that engages pupils’ interest and provides sufficiently challenging work for most pupils. In some subjects, such as science and art, this results in high-quality pieces of detailed work.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Key to the strong personal development and welfare of pupils are the very warm and caring relationships between staff and children. Leaders and staff have a very clear understanding of the backgrounds of pupils and ‘go the extra mile’ to ensure that pupils receive the right level of pastoral support. A typical comment endorsed by the group of staff spoken to during the inspection was that ‘leaders have appointed the right people for the school’.  Pupils feel safe in school and understand how to keep themselves safe. Pupils spoken to during the inspection stated that there is no bullying in the school. They recognise the many different strategies that leaders use to keep them safe, including, for example, lessons on road safety and cyber bullying. Leaders are aware of the dangers facing their pupils in the wider community and ensure that teaching provides age-

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Personal development and welfare

appropriate strategies to overcome these. For example, the curriculum includes work on radicalisation and racial harmony.  Pupils value the support and encouragement that they receive from their teachers. They are developing the self-confidence and independence to be successful learners. Pupils are particularly appreciative of the clarifications and reminders from staff about what they have already learned so they can move forward with their learning. They described lessons as ‘fun’. Presentation in their books is sometimes untidy, but as they move through the school, pupils show a growing sense of pride in their work.  Pupils benefit from several clubs and visits that the staff provide. Pupils appreciate the range of sports clubs and visits. These activities, along with regular opportunities to support various charities and to learn about other faiths, enhance and enrich pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Personal development and welfare

 There are many opportunities for pupils to take on positions of responsibility in the school. These include becoming a member of the school council. Pupils elected to these roles carry out their duties with pride and to good effect.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are attentive in class and learning is rarely disrupted by poor behaviour. Pupils generally conduct themselves sensibly around the school. They are welcoming to visitors and are polite and friendly to adults and each other. Relationships between pupils and staff are very strong.  Pupils say that pupils behave well most of the time and are clear about the school’s systems for promoting good behaviour, including privileges such as sharing tea with members of staff. They have confidence in the staff to deal with the rare incidents of poor behaviour.  Pupils’ attendance last year continued to rise due to leaders taking effective action. The attendance leader, in partnership with an education welfare officer has established a series of robust and rigorous systems and procedures to address attendance, punctuality and persistent absence. While there have been some successes as a result

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Behaviour

of these actions, the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent remains too high.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Leaders and governors recognise the impact of pupil mobility on the results of national assessments at the end of key stages 1 and 2. Many pupils start and leave the school at different times through the school year. Pupils who have attended the school for several years benefit from effective teaching and make stronger progress and attain more highly than the national results show. These pupils make good progress and attain at levels closer to the national average at both key stage 1 and 2.  Leaders provide effective support for those pupils who join at various times throughout the school year. Many of these newcomers have limited acquisition and understanding of English or face other barriers to learning. Support for these pupils includes small group tuition to improve their skills in English and mathematics and their social and emotional development. These measures resulted in improvements in overall progress,

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Outcomes for pupils Good

particularly for writing and mathematics in 2018 in the national assessments at key stage 2.  Work in books and the school’s own assessment information indicate that most current pupils now make good progress across a range of subjects, including reading, writing and mathematics. This is because of the improvements in the quality of teaching resulting from successful training, coaching and the appointment of new staff.  Work in pupils’ mathematics books and school records show that most pupils are making good progress. Pupils’ knowledge and skills are improving, and they are developing a deepening understanding of calculation processes. Pupils across the school are beginning to draw on their increasing mathematical knowledge and understanding to explain their thought processes, especially in Years 5 and 6.  Pupils make good progress in writing. Pupils in key stage 1 use an interesting range of vocabulary and are developing their use of the language of traditional stories. Older

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Outcomes for pupils Good

pupils include similes and other description effectively to create mood. Emotive pieces of work include: ‘Craving for light, Stefan, who was an adorable, youthful boy was waiting anxiously for the vessel to arrive.’  Pupils read with appropriate fluency, considering their age and ability. Progress is good. Younger pupils use their knowledge of phonics effectively to read unfamiliar words. Older pupils read widely and for pleasure and enjoy reading. Pupils in Year 1 achieve well in the national phonics screening check. However, in key stage 2, pupils’ comprehension skills are insufficiently developed, so they do not always have a thorough understanding of what they have read.  Leaders use reviews of progress and attainment each half term to determine the impact of additional support on disadvantaged pupils’ achievements. These plans are adapted where necessary to ensure that the support provided has the maximum effect

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Outcomes for pupils Good

on pupils’ progress. As a result, most disadvantaged pupils make good progress, particularly in writing and mathematics.  Pupils with SEND make good progress from their starting points. The SENCos manage provision efficiently and identify pupils’ needs effectively. Pupils benefit from carefully planned support and effective guidance that helps them to make good progress. Increasing numbers of pupils with SEND are working at age-related expectations.  Pupils acquire knowledge, understanding and skills in a range of subjects other than English and mathematics through the school’s well-designed and implemented curriculum. This ensures that pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Work in pupils’ books shows that most are making good progress across the wider curriculum. For example, in Year 1, good teaching in history enabled pupils to develop their understanding of cause and effect when learning about the Great Fire of

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Outcomes for pupils Good

London. Effective use of visits and visitors encourages pupils to draw on a range of primary and secondary sources of information when learning about, for example, the Tudor period.

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Early years provision Good

 Children enter the early years with skills and knowledge that are below those typical for their age. Through strong teaching overall progress is good, especially in the areas of reading and number and to a lesser extent in writing. As a result, they are well prepared for Year 1.  Leaders’ assessment records and work in children’s books show that the proportion of children working at age-related expectations is increasing, especially for those children who join school at the start of the school year. However, the overall proportion of children who achieve a good level of development remains below the national average.  Nursery children benefit from high expectations, especially in the development of vocabulary and phonics. Children are beginning to form recognisable letters and attempt simple words. As a result of well-focused teaching activities, children typically make good progress. However, leaders have plans to improve the coherence between

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Early years provision Good

the nursery and reception curriculum and provide opportunities for nursery children to benefit from a rich and challenging curriculum. Their aim is to enable higher proportions of Nursery children to make even greater progress and be even better prepared for their learning in the Reception classes.  Children who are disadvantaged are beginning to make good progress. Leaders are much more analytical of the needs of these children. Their actions, in response, result in a number of additional adult-led activities which support children’s learning effectively. These activities are particularly effective in phonics and also in fine motor control and speech and language development.  Leaders identify and support children with SEND effectively. Children with speech and language difficulties are quickly assessed on entry into the early years classes and receive additional help from specially trained staff. This effective practice helps to

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Early years provision Good

ensure that these children make good progress from their starting points.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good. Teachers provide well- planned activities that enthuse the children and are carefully matched to their learning needs. Children listen carefully to instructions. Staff use questioning and a wide range of experiences to assess and broaden children’s knowledge, for example when learning about planets. Staff intervene to address misconceptions, enabling children to develop their understanding.  The early years leader is effective and identifies strengths and weaker aspects of the early years provision. For example, adjustments have been made to develop children’s fine motor control to raise overall outcomes. Through effective support for children and carefully planned activities, improvements in control are evident in the quality of children’s letter formation and writing.

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Early years provision Good

 Leaders involve parents and carers in their children’s education in various ways. Parents accept invitations to join workshops to explain the school’s teaching methods. Staff meet with parents before children start in the Nursery or Reception class to ascertain the children’s needs and establish whether any additional support is needed. This ensures that transition into the early years is well managed.  Children’s behaviour and their attitudes to learning are generally good. They are confident in exploring activities indoors and outside, demonstrating that they feel safe. There are no breaches of the welfare requirements. Staff follow and know the safeguarding procedures and policies well that are applicable to the whole school.

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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 admin@anfieldroadprimary.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14–15 February 2017

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Information about this school

 This school is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The number of pupils on roll has increased by around 10% in the last year.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is higher than the national average.  The majority of pupils are white British. The proportion of pupils speaking English as an additional language is broadly in line with the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is broadly in line with the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is below average.  Pupil movement in and out of school is high. Increased numbers of pupils for whom English is an additional language join the school at times other than the usual starting point. This high mobility has a negative effect on national assessment outcomes.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed learning throughout the school in all classes and in a range of subjects and scrutinised pupils’ work. Some of these activities were carried out jointly with members of the senior-leadership team.  Inspectors listened to pupils read.  Observations were made of pupils’ behaviour at the beginning of the day, at lunchtime, at breaktime and in the classroom.  The inspectors met with pupils, formally and informally, to listen to their views.  Meetings were held with the senior leaders, middle leaders and teachers, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspection team scrutinised a wide range of documentation, including information about pupils’ attainment and progress and the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan. Inspectors considered minutes of meetings and records relating to teaching and learning, pupils’ attendance and behaviour and safeguarding of pupils. A

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Information about this inspection

scrutiny of the website was also undertaken.  Inspectors considered the views expressed by parents through informal meetings. They analysed 21 responses received through the free-text facility on Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey. They also analysed 60 responses to the staff survey.  During the second day of the inspection, Year 6 pupils were not in school as they were attending their future high school. Evidence for the performance of these pupils was collected on the first day and from their English, mathematics and topic books throughout the inspection.

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Inspection team

Ian Shackleton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephen Rigby 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

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 .

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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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