Litherland Moss Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Litherland Moss Primary School Sterrix Lane, Litherland, Liverpool L21 0DB

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 January 2023

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Outcome

Litherland Moss Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are happy and safe. They play their part in ensuring that the school is orderly, calm and purposeful. Pupils adhere to the school’s values, including those of kindness, resilience, integrity and collaboration.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils form strong bonds with their peers and staff. They are confident to raise concerns with any adult, secure in the knowledge that they will always be taken seriously. If bullying happens, leaders take swift action to deal with it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, and children in the early years, respond well to the high expectations that staff have of their behaviour and achievement. As a result, pupils and children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well in most areas of the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand fundamental British values. They know that people should not be discriminated against because of where they are from, or what they believe in.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from visiting different places of interest, including museums, theatres and a local nature reserve. They are active citizens. Pupils frequently raise funds for different charitable causes. They are encouraged to pursue their interests in various areas of sport and music.

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

Leaders and governors have created a logically ordered curriculum, which helps to develop pupils’ and children’s academic knowledge and skills in a wide range of subjects. In addition, many aspects of the curriculum enhance pupils’ and children’s personal and social development effectively. Consequently, by the end of Year 6, most pupils are well equipped for their learning in high school and beyond.

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

In most subjects, teachers implement the curriculum well. Typically, they check pupils’ 10 and 11 January 2023

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learning, address any misconceptions that pupils may have and help pupils to deepen their understanding. However, in a few subjects, teachers’ strategies to help pupils to know and remember their learning are not as effective as they should be. Learning is not consolidated over time. As a result, some pupils do not recall their previous learning readily. In addition, in a few areas of the curriculum, subject leaders are new to post and are developing in their roles. The support that they provide to teachers in designing learning and building pupils’ knowledge over time is not as effective as it could be.

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Leaders prioritise reading. Teachers provide many opportunities for pupils to develop their reading skills across the curriculum. The early reading and phonics curriculums are implemented well by skilled teachers and teaching assistants. Due to this, pupils, and children in the early years, develop their phonics knowledge and reading fluency quickly.

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Leaders ensure that support is available for pupils who find reading difficult. Pupils who were heard to read to staff demonstrated their resilience and determination to succeed in reading. Older pupils enjoy the work of different poets and authors. They read confidently and with good expression.

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Leaders identify pupils with SEND quickly. When necessary, leaders work closely with a wide range of specialist partners to ensure that pupils with SEND get the support that they need without delay. Staff are aware of the individual learning needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders’ considered approach helps to make certain that pupils with SEND learn well and have access to the same curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils have settled into the school’s new location exceptionally well. Their conscientiousness helps to ensure that lessons are rarely disrupted by poor behaviour. Children in the early years are also well behaved. Typically, they follow instructions closely and listen intently during phonics sessions and story time.

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Leaders offer wide-ranging opportunities for personal development which engage pupils well. Most pupils participate in after-school clubs, including boxing, football, yoga, netball and music clubs. Pupils develop their leadership skills in different ways. For example, elected rainbow leaders enjoy sharing their views, and those of their peers, with senior leaders. Play leaders coordinate different sports and games during lunchtime and playtimes. Leaders encourage pupils to become emotionally resilient. For example, pastoral staff help pupils to manage friendships. Leaders also help pupils to maintain their emotional and social well-being.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They told the inspector that leaders are mindful of their mental health and workload. Most parents are positive about the new school, its leadership and their children’s learning.

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Governors, and leaders from the trust, know the school well. They make sure that leaders and staff have the resources that they need to support pupils’ learning and personal development well. 10 and 11 January 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Governors, leaders and staff are vigilant about safeguarding. Safeguarding leaders ensure that all staff are regularly updated on matters relating to pupils’ welfare and safety. Leaders make certain that staff are familiar with the government’s latest guidelines on keeping pupils safe in education.

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Safeguarding

Staff are skilled at spotting potential signs of neglect and/or abuse. They know precisely what to do if they are concerned about a pupil and report any concerns quickly. Leaders work with a range of different specialists to ensure that if needed, pupils get the expert help that they need rapidly.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe through different areas of the curriculum.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few areas of the curriculum, subject leaders do not have the expertise that they need to support teachers to deliver the curriculum effectively. Teachers’ efficiency in designing learning and building pupils’ knowledge over time is not as strong as it should be. Senior leaders should make certain that subject leaders receive the support that they need to support teachers and ensure that the curriculum is delivered consistently well.  In a few subjects, teachers’ approaches to help pupils to remember their learning are not as effective as they should be. In these subjects, some pupils develop gaps in their learning because their knowledge has not been reinforced over time. Leaders should ensure that teachers make sure that pupils’ retention of knowledge in these subjects becomes more secure.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school to be good in June 2018. 10 and 11 January 2023

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How can I feed back my views?

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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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. 10 and 11 January 2023

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School details

Headteacher Sarah Greer (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Litherland Moss Primary School converted to become an academy school in September 2018. When its predecessor school, Litherland Moss Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  In June 2022, the school moved to its new site at The Litherland Campus.  The executive headteacher leads two of the primary schools in the trust.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the head of school, the deputy headteacher and the executive headteacher. He also met with the special educational needs coordinator and other leaders to discuss attendance and pupils’ behaviour, welfare and personal development.  The inspector met with four governors. He also met with the chief executive 10 and 11 January 2023

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officer of the trust. The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, he discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector met with pupils to discuss their learning in some other subjects. He spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.  The inspector met with parents and reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. He reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  The inspector spoke to safeguarding leaders about the reporting and recording of safeguarding incidents. He talked with pupils about their safety and welfare. He examined a range of policies and documents. He also scrutinised safeguarding

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information, including the school’s safeguarding policy.

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Inspection team

Lenford White, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 January 2023

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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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