Leamington Community Primary School

Inspection of Leamington Community Primary School Leamington Road, Norris Green, Liverpool, Merseyside L11 7BT

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 16 and 17 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school and enthusiastic about their learning. They feel safe in school and achieve well. This is reflected in their high levels of attendance. They want to be in school every day. Pupils enjoy many opportunities to learn beyond the classroom, including visits to zoos, local parks, museums and galleries. They also benefit from a wide range of activities after school, such as sports, art, musical theatre and cookery clubs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take on leadership roles, such as school councillors, art councillors, attendance buddies and online safety officers. They carry out such roles with pride. Pupils are also keen to improve the local environment. They have taken part in litter- picking and a poster campaign to encourage dog owners to clear up mess.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live up to leaders’ high expectations for their behaviour. They behave well in lessons, at breaktimes and when moving around the school. Pupils demonstrate the Leamington values of friendship, respect, honesty, determination and courage. They told inspectors that adults in school live by these values as well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are confident that staff listen to their worries. Leaders have robust systems in place to deal well with any incidents of bullying. Pupils told inspectors that school is their safe and happy place.

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better?

Leaders have designed a curriculum that is interesting and ambitious for all pupils. In most subjects, leaders have thought carefully about the knowledge and vocabulary that pupils should learn in each subject. This has been organised logically, so that pupils can build on their learning over time. This helps them to achieve well across most areas of the curriculum.

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better?

In a few subjects, teachers are not sure what pupils already know. At times, this leads to some knowledge being repeated while other important information is left out.

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better?

Typically, teachers deliver the curriculums well. Most teachers have strong subject knowledge and they use this to shape activities that help pupils to learn what is intended. Mostly, teachers check on pupils’ learning. However, some teachers do not use assessment information well enough to identify misconceptions or gaps in pupils’ knowledge.

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better?

Leaders have good systems in place to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) early. Teachers adapt their delivery of the curriculum well. This means that pupils with SEND can learn successfully alongside their peers. 16 and 17 May 2023

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Leaders have prioritised the teaching of early reading. They have invested in high- quality texts for the library, reading corners and corridor displays. From the start of the Nursery Year, there is a focus on improving communication and language skills. Children in the Reception class and pupils in key stage 1 follow the phonics programme in a logical order. Teachers make sure that pupils read books that are matched well to the sounds that they have learned. This includes the books that pupils take home. Teachers quickly identify pupils who are not keeping up with the phonics programme. These pupils receive effective, extra support that helps them to catch up.

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Teachers make sure that children in the early years take part in activities that encourage resilience, independence and self-regulation. They are taught from an early age to recognise their emotions and the impact that their behaviour has on others. Pupils across the school learn strategies to calm themselves if they are feeling angry or unsettled. As a result, classrooms are typically calm and pupils can concentrate fully on their learning without disruption. Pupils are polite and treat staff, visitors and each other with respect.

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Leaders have constructed a comprehensive programme to support pupils’ personal development. Leaders help pupils to develop a strong understanding of equality. For example, pupils learn about different world religions and cultures. They understand that there are different families. Pupils learn about democracy through experiences such as elections for school council representatives and an annual visit to the Houses of Parliament. Pupils know how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy.

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Staff feel valued and well supported by leaders and each other. They appreciate leaders’ consideration of their workload and well-being . Governors carry out their statutory duties effectively. They ensure best value for money by comparing their spending with other schools. They are knowledgeable about the curriculum. Everyone at this school pulls together for the benefit of pupils. They live and breathe their vision of ‘together we make a difference’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have embedded a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff know the pupils and their families well. All adults receive regular training to understand the risks and potential dangers pupils may face. All staff follow a careful system for reporting concerns. Leaders act quickly when concerns are shared. They are persistent in ensuring that pupils receive the specialist external support that they and their families might need.

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Safeguarding

Teachers make sure that pupils know how to stay safe online and in their community. 16 and 17 May 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, leaders have not identified the knowledge that pupils have previously learned. This hampers teachers from designing learning that makes sure pupils learn all that they should. Leaders should finalise their curriculum thinking, so that it is clear what pupils will learn and when this will happen.  At times, some teachers do not use assessment information well enough to spot pupils’ misconceptions. This leads to gaps in pupils’ understanding. Leaders should ensure that teachers are suitably equipped to check pupils’ learning and then reshape their teaching, so that pupils’ learning is secure.

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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. 16 and 17 May 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Patrick Monaghan

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4 July 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There is an on-site breakfast club.  Leaders use one registered alternative provider.

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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 the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other leaders and staff in school. They spoke with a group of governors, including the vice-chair of the governing body. The lead inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science, geography and computing. They discussed the curriculums with the leaders of 16 and 17 May 2023

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these subject areas. Inspectors also visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work, held discussions with teachers and talked with pupils.  Inspectors also spoke with leaders from other areas of the curriculum.  An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktimes and at lunchtimes. They observed pupils’ behaviour as they moved around the school.  Inspectors visited the breakfast club and talked with staff and pupils in this provision.  Inspectors evaluated leaders’ safeguarding arrangements and scrutinised leaders’ self-evaluation documents and improvement plans.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school.  Inspectors also talked with staff about their workload and well-being.  Inspectors spoke with parents as they dropped their children off at school. They considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text

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responses.  Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted's online survey for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Sharon Cowey, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

John Hanley Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 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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