Runcorn All Saints CofE Primary School

Inspection of Runcorn All Saints Church of England Primary School Church Street, Runcorn, Cheshire WA7 1LD

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 February 2022

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 15 and 16 February 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They said that it is friendly and welcomes everyone. Pupils know that staff care about them and will listen to any worries that they may have. This helps pupils to feel happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers take time to help pupils get ready to learn each day. As a result, in lessons, pupils are enthusiastic and eager to learn. Pupils behave well. Teachers have clear expectations for good behaviour. Pupils understand the rules. These help them to make sensible choices. Pupils said that teachers act swiftly to resolve any issues of bullying or when other pupils make unkind comments.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well in some subjects due to leaders’ high expectations. However, pupils do not develop enough knowledge in all subjects. This is because of the variable quality of leaders’ curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the responsibility of becoming reading ambassadors, eco-warriors and playground leaders. They have opportunities to explore their interests through a range of clubs, such as sports and singing.

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better?

Leaders have a clear vision for their curriculum, which is ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. In some subjects, leaders have considered the knowledge that pupils should learn and the order in which they should learn this information. This helps pupils to achieve well. However, in other subjects, leaders’ curriculum thinking is at an earlier stage. They have not identified the essential knowledge that pupils should learn. This stops teachers from planning learning that builds on what pupils already know. It also hinders pupils’ ability to know and remember more over time.

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better?

Some subject leaders are not sufficiently knowledgeable about the subject they lead. This limits the level of support they can offer teachers to make sure that teaching activities match the planned curriculum. As a result, in these subjects, pupils are not able to build their knowledge as well as they should.

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better?

Teachers use assessment strategies carefully to check what pupils know and have remembered of the curriculum. Teachers use this information to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge and to inform future teaching.

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better?

Children start to develop their love of reading in the early years, through staff’s well considered use of stories and rhymes. Older pupils talked confidently about their favourite books and authors. Leaders have carefully planned the curriculum in phonics so that children learn new sounds in a logical order. Staff carefully select pupils’ reading books to match the sounds that pupils learn in class. This helps pupils to develop their confidence and fluency in reading. Staff are well trained and 15 and 16 February 2022

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confident in their delivery of the phonics programme. Extra support is put in place quickly if pupils need to catch up.

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Leaders plan a broad curriculum in the early years that provides children with the foundations for their later learning. Staff’s strong focus on developing children’s vocabulary helps children to communicate their knowledge and ideas. Staff plan interesting and worthwhile curriculum activities to develop children’s knowledge. For example, staff help children to practise using their mathematical knowledge of comparing the length of objects.

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Pupils are considerate of one another in classrooms and when they are playing outside. Staff can focus on teaching without unnecessary distractions. If pupils’ behaviour falls short of leaders’ expectations, staff help pupils to understand how they can make better choices in the future. Pupils said that staff help them to behave well.

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Leaders support pupils to become active and responsible citizens who are keen to help others. Pupils support local charities and join in national charitable events. They develop respect for people’s differences. However, the curriculum provides pupils with limited opportunities to develop their full understanding of fundamental British values.

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Governors are supportive of the school. However, they do not provide the necessary long-term direction for the school’s work or hold leaders to account effectively for the quality of education that pupils receive.

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Staff value the support that they receive from leaders. They are proud to be part of the staff team at All Saints.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that safeguarding is of the highest importance to all staff. Leaders keep meticulous records of their work to keep pupils safe. The school’s safeguarding team keep staff informed of possible risks to pupils through regular, up-to-date training. This ensures that members of staff have the information that they need to spot signs of harm or neglect. Staff know how to record and communicate their concerns to leaders. Pupils learn how to stay safe, for instance when they are using the internet or social media.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders’ curriculum thinking is at the early stages for some subjects. They have not identified the essential knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember. This hinders teachers from carefully planning learning that builds 15 and 16 February 2022

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pupils’ knowledge over time. Leaders should further develop the curriculum so that it enables pupils to know and remember more.  Some subject leaders are not confident in their own subject-specific knowledge. They are also inexperienced in subject leadership. Leaders should explore ways to ensure that subject leaders further develop their subject knowledge and subject leadership skills so that they can plan the curriculum in their subject more effectively and support other staff to deliver it well.  Governors do not provide effective long-term direction for the school’s work or hold leaders to account for the quality of education that pupils receive. They should ensure that they improve their skills and knowledge so that they can provide more effective leadership.  The personal development curriculum does not enable pupils to gain a keen understanding of British values. Leaders should ensure that pupils understand the

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importance of British values and what this means to them as citizens in modern society.

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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. 15 and 16 February 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.allsaintsceprimaryschool.co.uk Date of previous inspection 9 and 10 June 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in September 2021 and a new deputy headteacher joined the school in November 2021.  Most members of staff are new to the school since the previous inspection.  Leaders use two alternative providers for a small number of pupils.  The most recent section 48 inspection took place in March 2017.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 During this inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders and members of staff. 15 and 16 February 2022

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 The lead inspector met with four members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority and a representative of the diocese by telephone.  Inspectors scrutinised the school’s approach to safeguarding. They examined a range of safeguarding documentation. They checked the single central record and spoke with staff and pupils about safeguarding.  Inspectors completed deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science and music. For each deep dive, an inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum documents, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and spoke with some pupils about their learning.  The lead inspector observed pupils in the early years, key stage 1 and key stage 2 read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during lunch and playtimes.  Inspectors spoke with parents and carers to gather their views about the school.

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The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  The lead inspector considered responses to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors gathered the views of pupils during the inspection, including their responses to the pupil questionnaire.  Inspectors spoke with staff to gather their views about their workload and well- being.

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Inspection team

Julie Morley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Maria McGarry Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 February 2022

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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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