Summerhill Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Summerhill Primary School Poverty Lane, Maghull, Liverpool, Merseyside L31 3DT

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Outcome

Summerhill Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, and their parents and carers, would readily recommend Summerhill Primary School to others. Parents appreciate how staff go out of their way to meet their children’s needs. Pupils feel safe and cared for in school. They extend a warm and friendly welcome to visitors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know how well leaders expect them to behave. Children in the early years make a confident start to school life. Their mature attitudes belie their years. Pupils treat each other with respect. They understand that everyone has rights. This includes the right to learn. Classrooms are calm and purposeful as a result.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ achievement, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils are keen to meet these expectations. They work hard and achieve well across a broad range of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils trust the adults in school to help them to resolve any difficulties. Pupils also value the support of the anti-bullying ambassadors. Leaders take any incidents of bullying and inappropriate behaviour seriously. They deal with these sensitively and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel fully involved in school life. For example, they arrange special events to celebrate diversity. Pupils play a big part in making the school a happy place to learn.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum that matches the ambition of the national curriculum. They have ensured that the needs of all pupils, including those with SEND, are met well. Leaders have given careful thought to how the curriculum builds from the early years through to Year 6. Children in the early years are well prepared for key stage 1 and beyond. 18 and 19 April 2023 In most subjects, leaders have identified the essential knowledge that pupils will learn. Leaders ensure that teachers have the expertise to deliver these subject curriculums well. Teachers present information clearly. They carefully choose resources to help pupils to learn successfully in these subjects. Teachers carry out regular checks on what pupils know and remember. This helps pupils to build securely on their prior learning.

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

Leaders’ curriculum thinking is not as developed in a small number of other subjects. They have not identified the knowledge that they want pupils to learn at each stage in sufficient detail. For example, teachers are unclear what specific vocabulary pupils need to know to help them to make sense of future learning. Some checks that teachers carry out on pupils’ understanding can lack a clear focus as a result. This hinders how well teachers plan pupils’ next steps of learning. Some pupils do not remember what leaders expect them to know as well as they should in these subjects.

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

Leaders are determined that all pupils learn to read well. Children in the Reception Year are quickly introduced to the established phonics programme. Staff are trained to deliver this programme well. They help pupils to build secure phonics knowledge. Pupils readily apply this knowledge to read and write unfamiliar words accurately. They read books that closely match the sounds that they have learned. Any pupils who need extra help receive tailored support from skilled staff. This helps pupils to develop their fluency in reading and prepares them well for key stage 2.

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

Leaders have an equal ambition to develop pupils’ love of reading. Carefully selected books take centre stage across the school. For example, pupils benefit from well-stocked class libraries. They spoke confidently about the books that they read and the wide range of texts that their teachers share with them. Pupils leave Year 6 as assured readers amply prepared for the challenges of the key stage 3 curriculum.

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

Leaders ensure that staff know how to identify pupils who may have SEND. This starts in the early years. Leaders make sure that pupils with SEND access a curriculum that is carefully matched to their needs. This helps these pupils to learn well.

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

Leaders prioritise pupils’ wider development. Pupils know that they have a right to be listened to. They share their beliefs and opinions with confidence. They are highly respectful when talking about sensitive issues such as disability. Pupils learn how to become responsible citizens, ready to take their place in modern society.

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

Leaders and staff make sure that children develop positive learning behaviours quickly. Children in the early years behave exceptionally well. They are keen and inquisitive learners. Pupils throughout the rest of the school build on these strong beginnings. This means that everyone can learn without interruption.

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

Staff morale is high. Staff feel valued and are unequivocally proud to work at the school. They appreciate the actions that leaders take to make their workloads manageable.

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

Governors bring an array of experience and skills to their roles. They know the school well. This helps governors to provide effective challenge and support to leaders. 18 and 19 April 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders train staff well so that they know how to keep pupils safe. Staff are vigilant. They take appropriate actions if they have any worries about a pupil’s welfare. Leaders are tenacious in following up any concerns raised. They ensure that meticulous safeguarding records are kept. Leaders work closely with other agencies to make sure that pupils are kept safe.

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Safeguarding

Staff, and visiting professionals, teach pupils how to stay safe and behave responsibly in different situations. This means that pupils know how to recognise the dangers of issues such as gang membership and substance misuse. Pupils also learn how to stay safe when they are online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders’ curriculum is at an earlier stage of development in a small number of subjects. This means that some teachers are not as clear as they should be about the important subject knowledge that pupils need to learn and remember. Some pupils’ learning is uneven as a result. Leaders should ensure that they clearly identify the essential content that pupils should learn.  In a small number of subjects, some teachers do not routinely check that pupils are fully secure with prior learning before they move on to new content. This means that some pupils do not build on their existing knowledge as well as they should. Leaders should ensure that teachers have the expertise to support pupils to know and remember more over time.

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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 February 2014. 18 and 19 April 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. 18 and 19 April 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10283622 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new assistant headteacher has been appointed since the school was last inspected. A new chair of the governing body has also been appointed.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision for pupils.

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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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher, other school leaders and members of staff. She met with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body. The inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector checked the arrangements for keeping pupils safe. She 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 reading, geography and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, 18 and 19 April 2023 looked at samples of pupils’ work, held discussions with teachers and talked with

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Information about this inspection

pupils.  The inspector listened to pupils read with a familiar adult.  The inspector spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school and observed their behaviour at playtimes. She considered the views of pupils shared through Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  The inspector spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. She considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  The inspector spoke with parents as they dropped their children off at school. She considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Jackie Stillings, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 18 and 19 April 2023 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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