Gayton Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Gayton Primary School Gayton Road, Heswall, Wirral, Merseyside CH60 8PZ

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Outcome

Gayton Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy in this school. They say that this ‘is a great place to learn’. Pupils have warm relationships with adults. They know that their teachers care about them and want them to do well. Leaders have created a positive environment where everyone learns together. This reflects the school’s motto, ‘positive minds, positive futures’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want pupils to achieve well in all subjects. Pupils talk confidently about their learning. Pupils have many opportunities to develop their personal interests. They are passionate about wildlife and the environment. Pupils are proud of the money they raise for their adopted animal charities. They have planted over sixty trees to attract wildlife to the school grounds. Pupils are proud of the school’s green flag status.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have high expectations of pupil behaviour. Pupils behave impeccably around school. They are polite and well mannered. Pupils genuinely care about each other. They say they feel safe in school. Pupils know about many different types of bullying. They say that bullying rarely happens. Pupils sign the ‘rainbow pledge’ not to be a bystander if they notice any bullying. Pupils, parents and carers say that if they share a concern, teachers quickly sort it out.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Everyone recognises the positive changes that the new headteacher is making to the curriculum. She has developed a clear vision of what she wants the curriculum to look like. Leaders have implemented changes to how subjects like English, mathematics and science are taught. In these subjects, teachers know what to teach and when to teach it. Leaders have developed detailed plans for design and technology, art, history and geography which carefully lay out the sequence of learning. Leaders have yet to implement these plans fully.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders are ambitious for pupils to achieve as well as they can in reading. They have recently changed the way phonics is taught. Teachers are well trained. They know what 17–18 December 2019

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letters and sounds to teach and the order in which to teach them. Teachers check regularly on how well pupils are learning their letters and sounds and soon notice if pupils fall behind. They provide good support to these pupils so that they can catch up quickly. Pupils read books that are well matched to the letters and sounds they know. By the end of Year 1, most pupils are confident and fluent readers. In key stage 2, pupils read every day. They read a wide variety of stories and poems. In the past, there have been inconsistencies in the quality of teaching of reading in key stage 2. Leaders have identified the root cause and have plans in place to resolve it.

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In science, the curriculum leader has a clear plan that shows what pupils need to learn and when. This includes how pupils measure and record their scientific findings. For example, in Year 1 pupils were making a simple pictogram to show the hours of daylight in each season. In Year 5, pupils were using sophisticated tables and graphs to present their findings. As a result, most pupils achieve well in science.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified promptly. Leaders ensure that support plans are in place for pupils with SEND. Parents and pupils contribute to these plans. Staff provide effective support, so that pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as everyone else. Parents of pupils with SEND have noticed the positive changes to SEND provision.

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Children learn well in the Reception Year. For example, children learn to write their letters when learning their sounds. Staff provide many opportunities for children to write independently. By the time they finish the Reception Year, most children achieve the early learning goal for writing. Parents spoke positively about how their children had settled into school.

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Governors and leaders ensure that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about a wide range of faiths and cultures. Each week, pupils debate issues like, ‘Should we decorate our houses for Christmas in November?’ Pupils speak passionately about these debates.

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The new headteacher has quickly gained the confidence of governors, staff and parents. Staff are proud to work at Gayton. They say that leaders are mindful of their workload. Staff say that everything is done in the best interests of pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that the right checks are carried out on adults, including volunteers, before they start working in school. Staff have regular training so that they are up to date with current safeguarding guidance. They take pupils’ safety very seriously. Leaders have recently introduced an electronic system to record concerns about pupils. All concerns are logged and monitored carefully. Records show that leaders take rapid action when concerns are raised. 17–18 December 2019

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Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. For example, they know not to share personal information online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The new headteacher together with senior leaders have constructed a curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. In subjects like English, mathematics and science, changes have already been implemented so that the curriculum sequence of knowledge, skills and vocabulary is clearly identified. Leaders have developed their plans for other subjects. Leaders should now fully implement and embed their curriculum plans for design and technology, art, history and geography. This will ensure that pupils know and remember more in these subjects. Ofsted’s transition arrangements were used in this inspection to confirm that pupils benefit from a good quality of education.  Leaders have strengthened the curriculum for reading. Throughout the Reception Year and key stage 1, there is now a consistent approach to delivering the reading curriculum. This is not yet the case in key stage 2. Leaders should now implement their

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

plans to ensure that there is a more consistent approach to teaching reading to older children.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged Gayton Primary School to be good on 11 June 2015.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 17–18 December 2019

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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. 17–18 December 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10087736 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 10–11 June 2015

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher was appointed in September 2019.  Three new teachers were appointed in September 2019.

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Information about this inspection

 I met with the headteacher.  I met with three representatives of the governing body and spoke on the telephone to one representative from the local authority.  I considered reading, mathematics and science as part of the inspection.  I interviewed curriculum leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited lessons and talked to teachers and support staff about their work.  I observed pupils reading, looked at pupils’ work in books and talked to them about their learning.  I spoke to several parents at the start of the school day. The views of 71 parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, were considered.  I considered the views of 22 members of staff through Ofsted’s survey. 17–18 December 2019

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 I talked to groups of children including the eco team and the pupil council to seek their views about what it is like to attend the school. No pupils responded to Ofsted’s online survey.

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Inspection team

Garry White, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 17–18 December 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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