Lister Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Lister Infant and Nursery School Green Lane, Lister Infant School Green Lane, Liverpool, Merseyside L13 7DT

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Outcome

Lister Infant and Nursery School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Respect, kindness and honesty are at the heart of school life at Lister Infant School. Pupils understand and appreciate these values, which they live up to. Leaders and staff promote and celebrate them around school, in lessons and assemblies.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is very much part of the local community. Parents agree, with one comment, typical of many, being, ‘The teaching staff and support staff make the school such a welcoming place to be.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders aspire for pupils to thrive. They ensure that attention is given to pupils’ emotional well-being. Pupils are often asked, ‘How full is your bucket?’, which helps them to understand their well-being and to consider that of others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders expect pupils to behave well. Pupils meet these expectations. They work hard and concentrate in lessons. Pupils understand the ‘three Bs’ of ‘be safe, be respectful, be involved’. One pupil commented, ‘Everyone is kind here; people look after us. They make our dreams come true.’ Pupils feel happy and safe. On rare occasions when pupils do not behave well, teachers help them to understand how they can improve. This helps pupils reflect on how their behaviour affects others and ensures incidents of bullying are rare and dealt with well.

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

Leaders have created a well-structured curriculum that sets high expectations for all pupils. They have identified the important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to know and remember. This is carefully sequenced so that pupils build their knowledge over time. For example, in geography, pupils draw maps of the local area after carrying out a local walk. Leaders ensure that teachers receive the training they need to deliver the curriculum well. In lessons, teachers check pupils’ learning regularly and provide support 28 and 29 March 2023

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to pupils who need it. They encourage pupils to reflect on their learning and apply it to different contexts. As a result, pupils achieve well.

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Leaders prioritise reading. It is at the centre of the curriculum. Staff are highly skilled and receive regular training in reading. Phonics lessons begin as soon as pupils join Reception. Pupils enjoy reading a range of books in school and at home. They learn about and experience an array of different authors and genres. They also read in many subjects. This helps them to develop a love of reading. Pupils who have fallen behind in their reading are supported well to catch up quickly. Pupils become confident and fluent readers over time.

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Teachers use assessment strategies well. They systematically check that pupils have understood what has been taught. When gaps in knowledge are identified, teachers skilfully adapt their teaching to ensure that these gaps are closed.

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Children make a good start to school life in the early years. There is a real focus on developing children’s early language skills from the start so they are ready for key stage 1. For example, in mathematics, children learn about the language of pattern and shape through stories read by the teacher.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive good support and are fully included in all aspects of school life. This is particularly so in English and mathematics. Staff receive regular and effective guidance about how to support pupils with SEND. Parents of pupils with SEND feel that ‘their hand is held’ in supporting them. This means that the needs of pupils with education, health and care plans or those with significant needs are very well catered for. Occasionally, for some pupils with SEND, in some subjects, such as geography, support is not always matched closely enough to their needs.

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Pupils behave well in lessons. They enjoy the activities that teachers plan for them. In lessons, pupils behave well because lessons are stimulating and interesting. Pupils’ positive behaviour is celebrated on ‘recognition boards’ in class.

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Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development. It is a strength of the school. Pupils learn from sharing stories that everyone is welcome, and they comment, ‘It doesn’t matter if we are different; it would be boring if we were all the same.’ Leaders broaden pupils’ horizons by planning visits to the city’s museum or arranging visits to school from professionals, such as architects and dentists. Pupils are given opportunities to contribute to school life by being school councillors or reading and mathematics ambassadors. They feel that they make a positive contribution.

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Relationships between leaders and staff are overwhelmingly positive. Staff are very appreciative of the way leaders care for their well-being.

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Governors know the school well. They provide effective support and challenge to leaders.

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The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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There is a strong culture of safeguarding at this school. All members of staff attend regular training sessions to update their knowledge and raise their awareness of the risks to pupils. Staff are confident to identify and report concerns. Leaders have effective systems in place to follow up any concerns they might have. They support families and work well with external agencies when pupils are at risk of harm.

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Teachers make pupils aware of any risks they may encounter in their daily lives. They teach pupils how to avoid being exposed to danger. They raise pupils’ awareness of the risks that exist online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, teachers do not always adapt learning well for pupils with SEND. This means that pupils with SEND do not always make as much progress as they could in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that support for pupils with SEND is closely matched to fully meet pupils’ needs to help them to learn more.

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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 September 2011.

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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. 28 and 29 March 2023

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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. 28 and 29 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10210991 Type of school Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 November 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision.  The school has a breakfast and after-school club.

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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 school leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation.  During the inspection, the inspector held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher. He also met with five members of the board of governors, including the vice chair of governors.  The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector viewed a range of safeguarding documentation. He examined checks on safer recruitment and spoke with members of staff to check their safeguarding knowledge. 28 and 29 March 2023

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. He met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and viewed examples of pupils’ work. The inspector also viewed examples of pupils’ work in science and history.  The inspector observed children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 reading to a trusted adult.  The inspector spoke with members of staff about their workload and well-being.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  The inspector considered the responses, including the free-text comments, to Ofsted Parent View. He also considered the responses to the staff and pupil surveys. The inspector spoke to parents and carers at the end of the school day.

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Inspection team

Barry Yeardsley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 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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