Leasowe Primary School

Inspection of Leasowe Primary School Oxley Avenue, Leasowe, Wirral, Merseyside CH46 1RU

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 15–16 October 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy, vibrant and safe school. Staff, parents and pupils are proud to belong to the ‘Leasowe family’. Parents, carers and staff told us that the new headteacher has transformed the school. She has helped everyone at the school to understand that anything is possible.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone at Leasowe is encouraged to do their best. Pupils work hard and behave well. Everyone we spoke to said that bullying is not tolerated.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders make sure that all pupils are welcome. Pupils get the support they need to succeed. Some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) use the two ‘hubs’ to complete their work. Pupils enjoy making use of the ‘rest easy’ stations when they are feeling stressed or worried.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils in key stages 1 and 2 achieve as well as other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. This is despite the challenges that many pupils face.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders plan exciting opportunities and activities that inspire and motivate pupils. These help pupils to develop strong personal skills and attitudes. Parents and pupils embrace the exciting opportunities that leaders provide.

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better?

The headteacher provides strong leadership. Everyone we spoke to said that the school has improved dramatically in recent years. Parents and staff said that they value the support that the headteacher has given them.

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better?

Leaders, parents and pupils understand and follow the ‘Leasowe Law’. This set of values makes it clear how to behave and treat others. Staff show kindness and understanding to pupils and their families. Pupils behave in the same way, showing respect and a willingness to help others.

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better?

Activities such as trampolining and karate help pupils to develop new skills. Pupils take part in lots of local and national events. They share their work on well-being with their community. Pupils lead and support other pupils. Activities like these help to build pupils’ confidence. Pupils’ personal development is a key strength of the school.

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better?

Pupils read and write well. They also have secure mathematical knowledge. This is because teachers plan and deliver lessons which build on what pupils already know. This helps pupils to know and remember more in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils are resilient and have a strong sense of self-worth. The experiences they have at school contribute well to this. Pupils are therefore well prepared to move on to secondary school. 15–16 October 2019

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Reading has high priority in the school. Many children struggle with language when they first start at Leasowe. However, they get the support they need to quickly develop their speaking and listening skills. Activities that teachers provide in the early years make children want to learn more. Teachers from the early years and the ‘hub’ liaise closely. This makes sure that children with SEND get the support they need when learning to read. In key stage 1, skilled staff help pupils who do not read as well as they should to catch up. Pupils are proud of what they have learned and achieved. They love to read. One key stage 2 pupil told us, ‘Now I can read, I can learn more.’

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Staff understand the needs of pupils very well. Leaders make sure that teachers plan activities that help pupils learn what they need to access the curriculum. Pupils across the school use resources that help them learn as well as they can. For example, classrooms in the ‘hubs’ are designed to help meet the needs of the pupils who use them. Pupils achieve well here. The ‘rest easy’ stations support pupils to deal with their feelings and behaviour.

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Leaders know that there is more to do. In some subject areas, such as art, plans build on what pupils already know in a logical order. This helps pupils to achieve well in this subject. In other subjects, such as history, plans are less clear. Some subjects are led by teachers who are new to the role. These teachers need support to develop confidence in helping other staff.

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Governors understand their role in deciding what improvements are needed next at the school. They also know that they need to check how well leaders are doing. Some governors are more confident at this than others.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff are trained in how to be alert for pupils who may be at risk from harm. Leaders, and the family support worker, ensure that support is in place, whenever it is needed. Leaders have a good understanding of challenges in the local community. Mental health and well-being cause serious problems for some pupils and members of their families. Adults teach pupils how to regulate anxiety. Pupils have a good understanding about how to keep themselves healthy and safe. They know how to protect themselves from potential danger when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders’ plans for the curriculum are not equally detailed in all subjects. In some subjects, such as in art, these plans show how pupils’ learning builds on what they already know over time. In other subjects, such as history, detailed plans are relatively new. Teachers need time to secure this new approach so that pupils know and remember more in all subjects. Ofsted’s transition arrangements were 15–16 October 2019

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applied on this inspection.  Some subject leaders support and challenge other teachers well. Others are new to the role and need time to develop their skills and knowledge. Leaders should ensure that new subject leaders acquire the skills they need to lead their subjects. This will help to ensure that all teachers can be supported and challenged to teach all subjects well.  Governors know that leaders are effective and support the work that leaders do. Leaders are ambitious to further improve the school. Governors are aware that, as the school changes and develops, their role will also change. They need to ensure that they access the training and support available to them. This will help them to check how well leaders are doing as the school evolves.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 15–16 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10082063 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23 October 2014

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Information about this school

 The school has set up two ‘hubs’ for pupils with SEND. One of these caters for pupils in key stage 2. The other caters for children from the early years and pupils from key stage 1. Pupils who access the ‘hubs’ have a range of additional needs. Some of these are complex and include: medical, sensory, neurological, academic and behavioural needs.  A new headteacher has been appointed since the previous inspection. A new deputy headteacher has also been appointed, who worked at the school previously.  The number of pupils attending the school has risen dramatically since the time of the previous inspection. 15–16 October 2019

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We spoke with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, the family support worker, the school’s business manager, a small group of governors including the chair of the governing body, a national leader of education (who has worked with the school) and a representative from the local authority.  We looked at a range of documentation for safeguarding, including the record of required checks carried out on school staff, staff training logs and case files. We met with the person responsible for safeguarding to discuss how the school keeps pupils safe.  We focused closely on reading, mathematics, history and art. We talked to the leaders of these subjects. We visited lessons, including those taking place in the ‘hubs’. We looked at examples of children’s work. We talked with teachers and pupils about what pupils were learning.  We also looked at pupils’ workbooks in other subjects. These included:

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Information about this inspection

geography; religious education; personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE); design and technology; and writing.  We observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtimes. We observed them in breakfast club, a karate session, a specialist session to support pupils with anxiety and as they moved around the school.  We spoke to pupils about their experiences at school.  We looked at the 22 responses to Ofsted Parent View, the parental questionnaire, and 15 free-text responses from parents to find out their views of the school. We spoke with parents as they dropped off their children at school.

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Inspection team

Claire Cropper, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Linda Griffiths Ofsted Inspector 15–16 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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