Blackmoor Park Infants' School

Inspection of Blackmoor Park Infants’ School 45-65 Leyfield Road, West Derby, Liverpool, Merseyside L12 9EY

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 2 and 3 November 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe at the school. They find it easy to make friends. They are proud of Blackmoor Park Infants. They were delighted to meet ‘special visitors’ to talk about their learning. Pupils gain much from the extra activities that leaders and staff provide. They dance, play football and develop new physical skills in multi- sports activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy and achieve well in mathematics and reading. This is because leaders have high expectations for pupils’ learning in these subjects. However, pupils do not learn well in every subject. This is because not all the curriculum, planned activities and assessments of pupils, including in early years, are good enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave sensibly in classrooms. However, leaders’ expectations of children’s and pupils’ behaviour are not high enough. This leads to some low-level disruption in lessons. This means that some pupils do not learn as well as they should. Also, some pupils’ behaviour as they move around the school is too boisterous. Pupils said that when other pupils act in ways that upset them, they can tell a member of staff. That said, some pupils said that these issues happen again.

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better?

Leaders and governors make sure that there is an effective curriculum in English and mathematics. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, become confident, skilful mathematicians, as well as fluent, keen readers. Pupils now achieve well in these subjects. Leaders make appropriate use of experts from outside of the school to help to improve the staff’s work in reading and mathematics. However, not all the school’s curriculum or pupils’ learning are of the quality they should be. Some pupils do not behave as well as they should. Leaders, governors and staff have more work to do to improve the quality of children’s and pupils’ education and behaviour.

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better?

In reading and mathematics, leaders carefully plan and assess pupils’ learning of the curriculum. However, in some other subjects, children in the early years and pupils do not learn all the knowledge that they need. This is because leaders’ curriculum plans do not set out enough of the essential chunks of knowledge that staff should teach pupils. Some of the teachers’ assessments of pupils’ learning are not useful because leaders and teachers are not always clear about what knowledge to assess.

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better?

The school’s approach to teaching the curriculum, including the special curriculum weeks and events, often excites pupils about learning. However, some planned activities, such as colouring-in photocopied pictures, do not develop children’s and pupils’ knowledge sufficiently. These weaknesses hold back their progress in some subjects.

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better?

Staff enthuse children and pupils about stories, books, rhymes and poems. They teach phonics precisely and follow their chosen teaching programme properly. Staff give pupils the frequent extra practice that they need. Pupils read many books of 2 and 3 November 2021

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interest from their well-stocked, attractive classroom libraries. Reading is now a much-loved and successful part of the school’s curriculum. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, read with accuracy and understanding.

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While many children and pupils behave well and classrooms can be calm, some pupils do lose interest in their work. They then become restless. This means that not all pupils can concentrate and learn new knowledge. This happens when staff do not plan activities well. Sometimes, staff do not consider properly how to manage pupils’ move to new work. On occasion, they do not ensure that pupils move calmly to other parts of the building. The need for staff to resolve these low-level issues then draws teachers away from teaching.

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Staff, including in the early years, spot quickly when children and pupils struggle with learning. They link well with other professionals, parents and carers to share information. Leaders make sure that staff provide effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Teachers and teaching assistants support pupils with emotional or language difficulties particularly well.

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Teachers said that the headteacher acts thoughtfully to ensure that they have time to complete their roles. Leaders ensure that teachers have a reasonable workload. Governors double check that leaders continue to provide lots of support for the well- being of all staff. That said, not all governors know enough about what subjects of the school’s curriculum leaders and staff need to improve.

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Leaders and staff teach pupils to be physically active. They provide pupils with many opportunities to develop healthy emotions. Leaders plan carefully how staff develop pupils’ awareness of the wider world. Pupils learn of important female artists. Staff teach them about famous people who have challenged racism and prejudice. They help pupils to realise that they too can achieve and have a successful career. They teach pupils to respect differences between people, including to respect those people with a disability.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff are vigilant about spotting any small changes in pupils’ emotions or behaviour that might suggest they are at risk of harm. They listen carefully to children’s and pupils’ views and concerns. Leaders keep comprehensive records of any safeguarding issues. Leaders link well with the police, as well as workers from health and social care, to protect pupils. Staff teach pupils to keep themselves safe, including when online. Governors, leaders and staff take many steps to promote pupils’ safety near roads outside of the school and across the local area. 2 and 3 November 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders and staff do not identify all the component knowledge that they need to teach children and pupils. Teachers sometimes plan learning activities that do not match what they want pupils to know. Some assessments of pupils do not focus on the precise knowledge they should remember. This means that pupils do not learn well in some of the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that they and staff understand how pupils build knowledge. They should set out clearly in their curriculum plans all the essential information that staff will teach and assess. This will help to improve pupils’ achievement.  Some children and pupils do not behave sensibly around the school and sometimes in classrooms. Leaders do not make sure that all staff manage behaviour well. This means that some pupils do not learn enough self-control. Sometimes, this negatively affects their learning and that of other pupils. Leaders

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

should make certain that all staff know how to manage pupils’ behaviour, implement the agreed policy and ensure that all pupils behave properly.  Not all governors know enough about what curriculum subjects require further attention by leaders and staff. This means that they do not have the information they need to hold leaders to account for the effectiveness of the school or to give enough support for improvement. Leaders should make sure that all governors understand leaders’ priorities for improving pupils’ education so that they challenge and support leaders fully to improve the school’s curriculum.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 are the school and you are 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. 2 and 3 November 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.bpinfant.com Date of previous inspection 30 November to 1 December 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school uses one alternative provision for pupils.  The school governing body provides places for children of birth-age three years in The Kindergarten Day Nursery at Blackmoor Park Infant School, EY391320. This provision is registered separately with Ofsted and was not part of this inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and other members of staff.  Inspectors spoke with some members of the governing body.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences in school. 2 and 3 November 2021

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 Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, corridors and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors spoke with some parents and evaluated parents’ responses, including free-text comments, to the online Ofsted Parent View questionnaire.  Inspectors spoke with an officer of the local authority and spoke with a National Leader in Education who is supporting the improvement of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography, art and design and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans for history and computing. They spoke with pupils and staff about these subjects.  The lead inspector listened to some pupils from Year 1 and Year 2 reading to

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staff.  Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding leads and checked how leaders record and respond to safeguarding concerns. Inspectors spoke with pupils, parents and staff about safeguarding. Inspectors checked a sample of the school’s safeguarding policies and leaders’ records of checks on the suitability of staff to work with pupils.

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Inspection team

Tim Vaughan, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephen Kirkpatrick Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 November 2021

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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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