Pinehurst Primary School

Inspection of Pinehurst Primary School Anfield Pinehurst Avenue, Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside L4 7UF

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 22 and 23 March 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at school and have positive attitudes towards learning. They enjoy strong relationships with the caring and welcoming staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The pupils who inspectors spoke with said that they trust staff to deal with any concerns that they may have. Pupils said that bullying is dealt with decisively by leaders. Pupils feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told inspectors that leaders have high expectations for their behaviour. This is evident in pupils’ calm manner, both in lessons and in their conduct around school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enjoying the new curriculum that leaders have put in place. They are aware that teachers are setting higher expectations for their learning. As a result, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), build their knowledge well in subjects across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have opportunities to develop their leadership skills through roles as school councillors, reading ambassadors or as rainbow buddies who support new pupils to settle into school. Pupils also visit places of interest in order to support their learning and to celebrate their local heritage.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The large majority of parents and carers who responded to the Ofsted Parent View survey were very positive about recent improvements at the school.

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better?

Leaders have put together an ambitious new curriculum to ensure that pupils achieve well across a range of subjects. They have set out what they want pupils to learn in a logical order. In the early years, teachers know what they want children to learn at each stage of their education. For example, teachers have structured the curriculum to make sure that activities for two-year-old children set a firm ground for their future learning. Teachers check carefully on what children in the early years and pupils in the rest of the school know and can do. They use this information to adapt their teaching to meet the needs of pupils, including those with SEND. As a result, pupils are achieving well. However, in a small number of subjects in key stages 1 and 2, key knowledge is not defined clearly enough. Consequently, some pupils find it difficult to recall some of their learning in these subjects.

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better?

Leaders have prioritised the development of pupils’ reading well. Children in the Reception Year start their phonics programme straight away. By the time they are in Year 1, pupils are using their knowledge to read words of increasing complexity. Staff have received comprehensive training to ensure that the delivery of the phonics curriculum is effective across all year groups. The extra support provided for pupils is helping to cover learning that was missed during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, for some disadvantaged pupils, this additional support is not helping them to catch up swiftly 22 and 23 March 2022

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enough. As a result, some of these pupils are not able to read as confidently or as fluently as they should by the end of Year 2.

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Pupils’ positive attitudes towards their work means that they focus well on their learning. There is no disruption to lessons. This includes in the early years, for example in the Nursery Year where two-year-old children cooperate well when working together. However, the attendance of a small group of pupils is too low. Although this was the case previously, it has been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although leaders have a wide range of strategies to help these pupils back into school, the rate of attendance for some pupils is not improving quickly enough.

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Leaders have recently improved their procedures for identifying the needs of pupils with SEND. They have communicated well with parents to ensure that they are well informed about their child’s education. As a result, pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as other pupils and achieve well. These pupils fully participate in all aspects of school life.

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The school provides a range of opportunities to develop pupils’ cultural knowledge, such as in their study of different artists. Leaders also arrange visits to local places of interest, for example visiting local Cathedrals to develop their understanding of faith. Pupils are taught to value the differences and opinions of other pupils. As a result, they are polite and respectful of one another. This starts at a young age. For example, children in the early years take turns and listen to each other’s ideas when learning.

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All of the staff who completed Ofsted’s staff’s survey said that they are proud to work at the school. The staff who inspectors spoke with said that leaders and governors are considerate of their workload and well-being. All staff are all on board with the direction that the school is taking and all feel that the school has improved greatly since the previous inspection.

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Governors have an informed and detailed understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They make good use of external partners’ assessments of the school in order to quality assure the work of leaders. They ask relevant and probing questions in meetings and ensure that their statutory duties are carried out.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff have received comprehensive safeguarding training. They are aware of the local risks to pupils and are vigilant for the signs of abuse.

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Safeguarding

Leaders work well with a range of external providers to offer pupils and their families early help if the need arises. The parents who inspectors spoke with were very positive about the support that they have received from the school.

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Safeguarding

Pupils have opportunities to learn about how to keep themselves safe, for example when discussing knife crime. Pupils have a good understanding of the dangers of social media and how to keep themselves safe when online. 22 and 23 March 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some of the disadvantaged pupils who missed phonics learning during the COVID-19 pandemic are not catching up quickly enough with the reading curriculum. As a result, these pupils do not read fluently enough by the end of key stage 1. Leaders should ensure that these pupils are provided with intensive support to catch up quickly so that they can read with confidence and automaticity.  In some subjects, leaders have not clearly identified what key knowledge they want pupils to learn. As a result, some pupils do not remember some of the essential building blocks for future learning. Leaders should ensure that they more carefully define what they want pupils to know in these subjects so that pupils remember more of the taught curriculum.  Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the attendance of some pupils was too low. The pandemic has made this situation even worse. As a result, a small group of pupils are

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

missing too much of their education. Leaders should ensure that they tackle the persistent absence of pupils with tenacity in order to bring about more rapid changes in attendance.

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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. 22 and 23 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211684 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 7 and 8 March 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there has been a significant number of staffing changes, including in the senior leadership team.  The school has provision for two-year-old children.  The school currently uses one alternative provider that is maintained by Liverpool local authority.

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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

 Inspectors spoke with senior leaders, governors and a representative from Liverpool local authority about the leadership and management of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science, computing and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the 22 and 23 March 2022

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curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also heard a selection of pupils from Years 1, 2, 3 and 6 read.  Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors met with pupils to ask them about their learning in a range of subjects and about the opportunities that they have for their personal development.  Inspectors met with pupils from across the school to ask them about safeguarding. Inspectors reviewed documentation, which included the school’s safeguarding policy, register of the checks carried out on new employees and safeguarding records.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, at breaktimes and when walking round the school. They discussed behaviour and bullying with pupils, senior leaders and other staff.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day and took into account

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the views of parents who responded to the Ofsted Parent View survey. They also took into account the responses to the pupils’ and staff’s inspection surveys.

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Inspection team

Steve Bentham, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Vanessa MacDonald Ofsted Inspector Louise McArdle Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 March 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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