Manor Primary School

Inspection of Manor Primary School Beechwood Drive, Birkenhead, Prenton, Merseyside CH43 7ZU

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 21 and 22 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this school. They make friends easily and get on well together. They said that staff are caring and kind. Pupils are confident that staff will listen to their concerns. They told inspectors that staff do their best to help them to overcome any difficulties.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders deal with bullying quickly and effectively. This helps pupils to feel safe. Pupils are polite and respectful towards staff and each other. Pupils live up to leaders’ high expectations for their behaviour. Typically, pupils behave well in lessons. They conduct themselves well around the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy choosing books from the school’s libraries. Pupils participate in a variety of events to support local charities. They take on a range of responsibilities within the school, including becoming a head boy or girl, a prefect or a play leader.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils typically try their best in lessons. They aim to live up to leaders’ high expectations for their learning and achievement. While children in the early years learn well, pupils in key stages 1 and 2 do not achieve as well as they should in some subjects. This is because teachers do not design learning activities that help pupils to remember new knowledge over time. Some pupils do not have sufficiently firm foundations on which to build.

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better?

Leaders and governors are acting with determination to tackle the long-standing weaknesses in the quality of education that pupils receive at the school. They are making some headway. However, some of the essential changes that are required to improve pupils’ learning are new, for example the systems to check how well pupils are retaining new knowledge. It is too early to see the impact of these changes on how well some pupils achieve. By the end of key stage 2, some pupils underachieve in a range of subjects, including writing and mathematics.

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better?

More recently, leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum for pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In most subjects, leaders have given careful thought to the knowledge that they want pupils to learn and the order in which to teach this new information. Leaders have also taken effective steps to make sure that the curriculum builds from the early years to Year 6. Despite this, due to the weaknesses in the previous curriculum, some pupils have large gaps in their learning.

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better?

Typically, teachers have secure subject knowledge. They explain new learning well, and they check that pupils understand what is being discussed during lessons. However, leaders’ systems for assessing how well pupils are learning new topics and concepts are at a very early stage of development. As a result, some teachers do not know enough about what pupils can recall from previous lessons. This means that 21 and 22 March 2023

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some pupils do not have a secure enough base on which to build new learning. Furthermore, there are times when teachers omit to teach important aspects of the curriculum. Some teachers also do not choose the most appropriate tasks to help pupils to learn new information. This hampers pupils’ progress through the curriculum. It does not help pupils to build on their knowledge over time.

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Reading is central to the school’s curriculum. Children in the Nursery Year develop their vocabulary and listening skills well. The teaching of phonics starts as soon as children join the Reception Year. Leaders have implemented an ambitious curriculum that introduces pupils to phonics in a systematic way. Staff deliver this curriculum well, and they assess pupils’ reading skills accurately. Teachers ensure that pupils learn phonics in a well-ordered manner. Adults quickly identify any pupils at risk of falling behind in their phonics knowledge. Staff give these pupils timely and effective support.

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Teachers provide lots of opportunities for pupils to read or to listen to stories. This improves pupils’ knowledge and understanding of vocabulary. In key stage 2, well- designed reading sessions expose pupils to lots of different types of books. Pupils talked with enthusiasm about the books that they have read. This has helped to promote pupils’ love of reading. Over time, most pupils develop into confident and fluent readers.

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Children in the early years, including in the Nursery Year, get off to a flying start. They listen carefully to adults’ instructions. They get on with learning with few interruptions to their lessons. Children enjoy a well-thought-out curriculum that meets their learning needs. As a result, children are well prepared to embrace the demands of the key stage 1 curriculum.

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Leaders successfully identify and assess those pupils who need extra support with their learning, including pupils with SEND. They make sure that pupils with SEND access the same lessons as other pupils. However, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they should. They too have gaps in their learning.

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Overall, pupils enjoy learning. They move around the school calmly and sensibly. They conduct themselves well in lessons and have positive attitudes to learning. Pupils’ attendance has improved over time. However, a small number of pupils miss out on their learning because they do not attend school regularly enough.

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Pupils learn how they can maintain a healthy lifestyle and how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. During ‘Thoughtful Thursday’ sessions, pupils reflect on how they can be responsible, respectful citizens. They access a wide range of extra- curricular activities. However, pupils do not have enough opportunities to explore in sufficient depth different cultures, religions or beliefs. Nevertheless, leaders are well on their way to tackling this weakness.

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Governors are asking increasingly challenging questions to ensure that the quality of education improves for pupils. Leaders and governors also take care to manage staff’s workload and well-being. Governors ensure that the senior leaders are well cared for. Overall, staff morale is high. 21 and 22 March 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have regular training in safeguarding procedures, and they are well aware of their responsibilities to protect pupils from harm. Adults know what to do if they have any concerns about a pupil. They make timely referrals to leaders who act on these swiftly.

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Safeguarding

Staff know pupils and their families well. They are alert to any changes in pupils’ behaviour that may indicate a potential issue. Leaders work with families and a range of external agencies to identify and manage any potential safeguarding concerns.

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Safeguarding

Pupils appreciate the support that they receive from their teachers. They understand how to keep themselves safe, including when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils do not achieve as well as they should by the end of key stage 2. Some current pupils, including those with SEND, continue to have gaps in their knowledge of different subjects. Leaders should ensure that they adapt the delivery of the curriculum to address the gaps that pupils have in their knowledge, skills and understanding of different subjects.  Some teachers do not deliver the curriculum as intended. Occasionally, they omit to teach important information, and some teachers do not design learning activities that fully meet pupils’ needs. This hinders how well pupils learn. Leaders must ensure that teachers deliver all the essential information that has been identified in each curriculum area. They must also ensure that teachers choose the most appropriate pedagogical activities to fully meet pupils’ learning needs.  Leaders’ systems for assessing how well pupils are learning are underdeveloped.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

As a result, some pupils do not have secure enough foundations on which to build new learning. Leaders should ensure that the systems that they use to check how well pupils are learning knowledge are fully effective.  Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This prevents them from experiencing all that the curriculum has to offer. For some pupils, missing school also widens the gaps that they have in their knowledge of different subjects. Leaders should improve the attendance rates of those pupils who fail to attend school as often as they should. 21 and 22 March 2023

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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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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. 21 and 22 March 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 June 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. Inspectors met with the governing body, including the chair of governors. Inspectors also met with representatives of the local authority and the Leading Learners Multi- Academy Trust.  Inspectors completed deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. As part of the deep dives, inspectors met with leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited lessons with senior leaders, met with 21 and 22 March 2023

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teachers and looked at pupils’ work. Inspectors also listened to pupils reading from Years 1 to 3.  Inspectors looked at the curriculum and pupils’ work in a range of other subjects.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at social times.  Inspectors spoke with a range of pupils to discuss their behaviour, safety and welfare. Inspectors also held conversations with staff to discuss their workload and well-being.  Inspectors checked the single central record and checked leaders’ systems for monitoring and reporting safeguarding concerns. They also met with the designated safeguarding lead.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinators to evaluate the quality of education for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors reviewed key documents, including leaders’ own evaluation of the school, leaders’ improvement plans and their monitoring records.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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 Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses. Inspectors also spoke with parents at the beginning of the school day.  Inspectors met with representatives from Leading Learner Multi-Academy Trust.

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Inspection team

Moira Atkins, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Vicky Briggs Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 March 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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