King David Primary School

Inspection of a good school: King David Primary School Childwall Road, Liverpool, Merseyside L15 6WU

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 January 2023

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. Inspectors are recommending the next inspection to be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that the best thing about their school is the respectful, tolerant and welcoming environment that they, and staff, create for each other. Pupils are proud of the caring culture at the school. This helps them to feel safe. Pupils appreciate the Jewish ethos and enjoy the Jewish learning opportunities that are threaded through the school’s curriculum and wider activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate their reading gladiators club and the ambassador roles that they can undertake. They also enjoy listening to the various external speakers who visit school. However, pupils miss taking part in visits outside of school. Leaders have not resumed these events since the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions eased.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ ambition for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well is reflected in pupils’ gains in reading, writing and mathematics. However, pupils are not achieving as well as they should across a range of other subjects. This is because leaders are still in the early stages of implementing curriculums in other subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the high expectations that leaders set for their behaviour. Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They behave well in lessons and around the school. Staff deal with the rare incidents of bullying effectively.

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

Leaders have implemented carefully designed curriculums in English and mathematics. In these subjects, teachers are clear on what they should teach and how they should deliver subject content. This leads to pupils developing their knowledge securely over time in reading, writing and mathematics. However, in most other subjects, leaders have either 11 and 12 January 2023

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not fully identified the specific knowledge that pupils need to learn or have only completed this work recently. Therefore, teachers are unsure of, or are still getting to grips with, leaders’ expectations of what pupils should learn in these subjects and how best to deliver subject content. This leads to teachers choosing resources or activities that are not well suited to helping pupils build their knowledge securely. It also means that teachers are sometimes unclear on what knowledge to check, or what assessment strategies to use, to establish how well pupils are learning. As a result, pupils, including those with SEND, do not achieve consistently well beyond reading, writing and mathematics.

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In some subjects, and in the early years, leaders do carry out some checks to see how well the curriculum is being delivered. However, overall, leaders’ checks do not provide sufficient information to evaluate how well teachers are implementing new subject curriculums nor how well pupils, including those with SEND, are accessing them. This limits leaders’ ability to identify and address any weaknesses in particular subjects.

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Leaders have prioritised the teaching of reading and phonics. Staff promote a love of reading through story time and carefully chosen books that foster pupils’ interests and develop their understanding of the modern world. Leaders ensure that children learn phonics as soon as they start in the early years. Staff are trained to deliver the phonics programme well and match reading books closely to the sounds that pupils know. Leaders ensure extra reading support is provided to pupils who might need it. This additional help is effective in supporting pupils to close the gaps in their phonics knowledge quickly. This ensures that pupils become confident, fluent readers.

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Leaders ensure that staff are effective at identifying pupils who may have SEND. This starts in the early years, where children’s needs are quickly identified.

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Leaders have recently adopted a new personal, social and emotional education curriculum which is well designed to enhance pupils’ personal development. Pupils develop their sense of tolerance and equality through the curriculum and the wider opportunities that leaders and staff provide. Pupils know how to stay physically healthy and develop a positive appreciation for different religions.

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Pupils enjoy their learning and show high levels of focus and concentration in lessons. This means that any disruptions to learning are minimal. Pupils conduct themselves particularly well as they move around the school. They are sensible and courteous as they pass each other.

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Governors play their part in setting the vision and values for the school. However, they do not have a secure understanding of some aspects of their role. This means they do not carry out some of their core functions, such as holding leaders to account, as well as they could. Leaders are considerate of staff’s workload and take actions to ensure that it is manageable. Staff appreciate these efforts. Many staff feel that leaders engage with them effectively, but this view is not shared by some. 11 and 12 January 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained to keep pupils safe. They know how to identify any signs that a pupil might be vulnerable. Staff know how to report these concerns to the leaders responsible for safeguarding. Leaders manage these reports effectively. Leaders provide a curriculum that raises pupils’ awareness of risks and helps them to understand how to keep themselves safe, including when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Governors do not have a secure understanding of some of their roles and responsibilities. This means that they do not carry out some of their core functions as effectively as they should to ensure that pupils are safe and achieve well. Governors should ensure that they gain the appropriate knowledge and understanding that they need to help them carry out their duties effectively.  In many subjects, leaders have not identified the specific knowledge that pupils should learn, or, if they have, this work has only been completed recently. This means that teachers are not clear on what knowledge to teach or the activities and resources to select to best support pupils’ learning. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the guidance that they need to deliver the new curriculums effectively so that pupils know more and remember more.  In several subjects, leaders are not clear on how well their new curriculums are being

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

implemented by teachers. This means that leaders do not know how well pupils, including those with SEND, are doing in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that they have effective oversight of the curriculum so that they can identify what is going well and what they need to do next in order to help all pupils achieve.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2012. 11 and 12 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. 11 and 12 January 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10241966 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Lauren Lesin-Davis

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher has been appointed since the last inspection.  The school is an orthodox Jewish school.  The most recent section 48 inspection took place in November 2017.  Leaders currently make use of one registered alternative provision for a small number of pupils.  The school campus is shared with a high school and a kindergarten school. Neither of these other providers were considered as part of this inspection.

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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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, other school leaders and members of staff.  The inspector spoke with the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority. 11 and 12 January 2023

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 The inspector checked the arrangements for keeping pupils safe. He looked at a range of documentation and spoke to leaders and staff. The inspector also spoke to pupils about whether they feel safe in school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, looked at samples of pupils’ work, held discussions with teachers and talked with pupils.  The inspector listened to pupils read with a familiar adult.  The inspector also spoke with leaders and pupils about the curriculum in a small number of other subjects.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at social times. He spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school. He also considered the views of pupils shared through Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  The inspector spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. He also considered

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the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  The inspector spoke with parents and carers as they dropped their children off at school. He considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

David Spruce, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 11 and 12 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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