St. Margaret's Anfield Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St. Margaret’s Anfield Church of England Primary School Lower Breck Road, Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside L6 4BX

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Outcome

St. Margaret’s Anfield Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being part of this nurturing and caring school community. They appreciate the warm welcome from staff at the gate each morning. Leaders and staff are highly ambitious for the achievement of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They said that their friends, and the staff, look after them well. Leaders support pupils’ social, emotional and mental health needs effectively. They ensure that the school’s vision that anything is possible is lived out on a daily basis.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Classrooms are calm. This allows pupils to do their best in lessons. Teachers’ high expectations for behaviour are clear right from when children join the school in the Nursery class. Pupils behave well. They said that their teachers act quickly and successfully to resolve the rare instances of bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand equality and diversity. They know that everyone is different and that everyone will be included in their school. Older pupils enjoy supporting others, for example as play leaders. Pupils’ learning is successfully enhanced by leaders and staff through a range of trips, including a recent skiing trip to Italy, and after-school clubs.

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

Leaders have designed a broad, ambitious and interesting curriculum for all pupils, including those with SEND. They have carefully considered the local area and the experiences of pupils to make the content of the curriculum interesting and relevant. From the early years right up to Year 6, leaders have decided on the important knowledge and vocabulary that they want pupils to learn. They have ordered the content of curriculums thoughtfully to ensure that new ideas build on what pupils have previously learned. 4 and 5 May 2023

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Leaders recognised that standards in national tests needed to improve and took swift action. For example, they improved their approach to the teaching of mathematics in order to help pupils remember more over time. As a result, work in pupils’ books now shows that pupils are deepening their mathematical knowledge.

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Most subject leaders are trained well and provide valuable guidance for teachers about how to deliver curriculums effectively. However, in a small number of subjects, leaders are new to their role. Support for the delivery of the curriculum and their confidence to carry out their role are less well developed. However, in most subjects, pupils identify links in their learning and are deepening their understanding over time. Well-considered assessment strategies enable staff to identify pupils who need extra further help to keep up with their peers.

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Leaders make sure that pupils learn phonics through a well-ordered curriculum. This begins when children start in the early years. Leaders ensure that reading books match the sounds pupils know. Any pupils who are at risk of falling behind in their learning of phonics are identified early. Effective additional support is provided for these pupils. Therefore, by the end of key stage 1, most pupils are successful readers.

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Teachers provide lots of opportunities for pupils to read and to listen to stories. Staff teach pupils the meaning of important new words and help pupils to understand how language is written. As a result, pupils’ understanding of the texts that they read is improving well over time. Older pupils read fluently with expression, intonation and a real sense of understanding.

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Leaders and staff are skilled at identifying the specific needs of pupils with SEND. Teachers and teaching assistants effectively support the learning of pupils with additional needs. This is because staff are effectively trained in educating pupils with SEND. They ensure that pupils with SEND follow the same curriculum as other pupils. This helps these pupils to achieve well.

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Children in the early years know the routines that help them to work and play safely and purposefully. Early Years classrooms are well-resourced and inviting environments. All the areas of learning are addressed. There is strong emphasis on developing a love of books and children’s vocabulary. As a result of effective teaching, children achieve well in the early years.

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Pupils across the school concentrate on their learning with limited distractions. They are keen to do their best. Leaders work successfully with some families to ensure their children’s attendance improves. However, some pupils still do not attend regularly enough. These pupils miss out on the learning and wider experiences that school staff offer.

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Staff talked positively about the strong and supportive teamwork that exists in the school. They know that leaders consider their workload before new initiatives are introduced. They said that they are proud to work at the school. 4 and 5 May 2023

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Governors know the school well. They work productively with leaders to understand how effectively the curriculum is helping pupils to know more and remember more.

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Parents and carers spoke positively about the support provided by leaders and staff to their children. They know that their concerns will be listened to. They value the school’s response to their needs.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

School leaders and staff take their responsibility for the safety and care of pupils very seriously. Leaders have created an inclusive environment. This offers pupils tangible care and guidance. They have developed a very effective team to support pupils at risk of harm. All staff have been appropriately trained. Their vigilance and knowledge of pupils’ families help to make sure that any emerging concerns are swiftly identified. Staff are prompt to report these concerns to leaders.

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Safeguarding

Leaders’ relationships with a wide variety of outside agencies are strong and help them to provide appropriate support for pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

The curriculum teaches pupils about the dangers associated with smoking, drugs and alcohol.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A small number of leaders are new to their role. This impacts on the quality of guidance they can offer to staff to enhance the way the curriculum is delivered. Leaders should further develop the expertise of new leaders to enable them to lead their subjects or areas in a consistently effective way.  Some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, do not attend school regularly. As a result, these pupils do not benefit from all that the school offers. Leaders should continue to work closely with families to emphasise the importance of regular attendance on securing their children’s well-being and academic achievement.

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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 4 and 5 May 2023

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about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2018.

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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. 4 and 5 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10286268 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 Rev Canon Peter Winn

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 1 and 2 May 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is a Church of England voluntary-controlled school. The last section 48 inspection took place in November 2021.  A new headteacher has been appointed since the last inspection.  The school does not make use of any 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 school leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and with other leaders and members of staff. He also spoke with members of the governing body. The inspector also spoke with representatives of the local authority and diocese.  The inspector looked at a range of documents and spoke with leaders about the school’s safeguarding procedures.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. He talked with curriculum leaders of these subject areas. The inspector also visited 4 and 5 May 2023

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lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work, held discussions with teachers and talked with pupils. The inspector also observed some pupils reading to staff.  The inspector also considered other subjects. He spoke with leaders about the curriculums in these subjects and their implementation.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in class and as they moved around school. He also observed pupils in the dining hall and playing outside at lunchtime.  The inspector spoke with a group of pupils about their experiences at school.  The inspector looked at the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. He also met with parents before school to find out their views of the school.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for pupils or for staff.

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Inspection team

Ian Shackleton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 May 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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