Marshside Primary School

Inspection of Marshside Primary School Elswick Road, Marshside, Southport, Merseyside PR9 9XA

p.1

Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 16–17 January 2020

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff make this a friendly and welcoming school. Staff and pupils treat each other with kindness and respect. They follow the school’s motto, ‘Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself.’ Staff deal effectively with any bullying. Pupils feel safe.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They enjoy lessons. Pupils value the wide range of clubs, including sign language and film club. Leaders develop pupils’ appreciation of the school’s seaside location. Pupils talked with enthusiasm about bird watching. The whole school enjoys an annual beach walk and picnic.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

In 2019 at the end of key stage 2, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics was lower than pupils nationally. Leaders are developing the curriculum to ensure that pupils’ achievement improves, and they do well across all subjects.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are taking steps to enhance pupils’ enthusiasm for reading. Teachers share a wide range of books and stories with pupils. Plans are in place to purchase additional books for pupils to read. Pupils are given regular time for quiet reading.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to contribute to school life. Older pupils take on a wide range of leadership roles in school. ‘Recycle rangers’ help to reduce waste in school. Pupils develop as caring and thoughtful individuals.

p.2

better?

The school has undergone changes in staffing in the last two years. This means that some subject leaders are new to their roles. Leaders and the local authority are providing training. This is to enable staff to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to lead subjects across the curriculum.

p.2

better?

Children achieve well in Reception. They make good progress across different areas of learning. Adults introduce new words to children. For example, staff modelled the appropriate use of ‘longer’ and ‘shorter’ when children were sorting planks of wood in the outdoor area. Across the school, teachers revisit new vocabulary with pupils to help them to remember what they have learned.

p.2

better?

In writing, teachers make sure that pupils practise their spelling and grammar skills regularly. Children in Reception use their phonics knowledge to write sentences independently. Across the school, some pupils do not make the progress that they should in writing. This is because curriculum planning does not always build on what pupils already know.

p.2

better?

When needed, staff provide regular additional support for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This support is effective in mathematics. In some subjects, including science and geography, pupils with SEND do not make the progress that they should. This is where pupils do not always 16–17 January 2020

p.2

3

understand what to do. Teachers do not plan well enough to meet the needs of pupils with SEND in some subjects.

p.3

3

Pupils, including pupils with SEND, develop as fluent readers. Staff make sure that pupils read with an adult often. Pupils falling behind in their reading are given a range of effective support to help them catch up. Teaching builds on the letters and sounds that pupils already know. However, in Reception and Year 1, pupils’ reading books do not precisely match the sounds that they are learning. This slows pupils’ early reading progress. The proportion of pupils who met the phonics screening check was well below national in 2019. The phonics leader is aware that staff do not use a consistent approach when teaching phonics. A programme of additional training has been planned for staff. This is at an early stage.

p.3

3

Leaders have recently revised curriculum plans. The plans set out the learning that they want pupils to know, remember and use in their future learning. Staff are working together to improve the plans further. This is because in some subjects, teachers’ planning lacks details about how pupils will develop their learning over time. For example, in geography, teachers do not consider how pupils will develop their mapping skills across year groups. In history, the curriculum plans do not show how pupils will learn the chronology of the events they are studying. This means that pupils sometimes do not remember important details about their previous learning. In science, pupils remembered learning about plants but could not show how this had improved their scientific knowledge.

p.3

3

Leaders ensure that there is effective provision for pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. For example, pupils learn about faiths, including Judaism and Hinduism. They enjoy festival days in school, such as Diwali and harvest. Staff give pupils time for reflection and prayer. Leaders plan a range of visits to museums and places of interest. Pupils learn about a wide range of different composers and artists.

p.3

3

Pupils are polite. They behave well in lessons, so everyone can learn. They move around the school calmly. Members of the school council worked with leaders to improve the school’s behaviour policy. Pupils know how staff expect them to behave. From Reception, children listen carefully to adults’ instructions.

p.3

3

Pupils enjoy school and most attend regularly. Despite the efforts of staff, some pupils miss school often. This slows their learning.

p.3

3

Governors know the school well. They share the headteacher’s vision to develop the curriculum further. Governors use their skills to provide regular challenge and support for leaders.

p.3

3

Leaders place a high priority on staff well-being. Staff are unanimous in reporting that they feel valued by leaders. Teachers appreciate the training opportunities that leaders provide, including subject leader training. 16–17 January 2020

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.4

Safeguarding

Leaders give staff regular training and updates. This means that everyone knows how to check for signs that a pupil may be at risk. Leaders and staff take the right actions when necessary. Staff work closely with other agencies and professionals. This helps pupils get the support that they need. Leaders make the relevant checks on staff to ensure that they pose no threat to pupils’ safety and well-being.

p.4

Safeguarding

Staff teach pupils about the risks that they might face in their everyday lives, including when using technology. Pupils know who to go to if they are worried about anything.

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some subject leaders are new to their role and are developing the knowledge and skills to contribute to improvements in the curriculum. Learning in some subjects is not planned in a logical way and pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Leaders need to provide further training to ensure that subject leaders have the skills and knowledge necessary so that the curriculum continues to improve. Subject leaders need to ensure that planning in their subject helps pupils know more and remember more across different areas of the curriculum.  Curriculum planning in some subjects does not develop a sequence of learning which will help build pupils’ knowledge from topic to topic and from year to year. The curriculum planning should show how pupils will develop and build on their knowledge, so that pupils achieve well across the curriculum.  Reading books for younger pupils who are struggling to read are sometimes too

p.4

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

difficult for them to practise their decoding skills. Leaders need to make sure that reading books are closely matched to pupils’ phonics ability. The approach to teaching phonics lacks consistency. Leaders need to provide training for staff to ensure that a consistent approach to teaching phonics is used.  Some pupils with SEND make slower progress than they should. This is where the activities that teachers plan are too difficult. Leaders should ensure that teachers plan activities in different subjects which build on what pupils already know.  Whole-school attendance is below the national average. Some pupils miss school too often and this affects their learning. This is despite a range of measures put in place by staff to improve pupils’ attendance. Leaders need to continue their efforts to improve the attendance of pupils who are absent very regularly. 16–17 January 2020

p.4

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.

p.5

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.5

How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

p.5

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.5

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. 16–17 January 2020

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.6

School details

Date of previous inspection 22 January 2019

p.6

Information about this school

 There have been no significant changes since the previous inspection.

p.6

Information about this inspection

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

p.6

Information about this inspection

 We met with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.  We held meetings with four members of the governing body.  We checked the safeguarding policies and procedures and the single central record. We met with leaders, staff and pupils to check how effective safeguarding is in school.  We met with parents at the school gate to seek their views. We also considered 36 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, including free-text responses.  We also spoke to staff to seek their views of the school. We considered 19 responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff.  We spoke with a representative from the local authority. 16–17 January 2020

p.6

7

 We examined a range of documents. These included minutes of the governing body meetings and safeguarding documentation. We met with leaders, staff and pupils to check how effective safeguarding is in school.  During the inspection, we spoke with pupils from Year 1 to Year 6 and observed lunchtime.  Geography, reading, science and writing were considered as part of this inspection. For each of these subjects, inspection activities included discussions with leaders, visits to lessons, discussions with teachers, scrutiny of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils about their learning. In reading, we also observed a member of staff listening to pupils read.  In art and design, and history, we scrutinised pupils’ work and met with subject leaders and with pupils.  We visited mathematics lessons in Reception and Year 1.  We scrutinised the work of pupils with SEND in subjects across the curriculum.

p.7

Inspection team

Elizabeth Stevens, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

p.7

Inspection team

Collette Mather Ofsted Inspector 16–17 January 2020

p.7

8

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.

p.8

8

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 .

p.8

8

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.8

8

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.8

8

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.8