Halewood Church of England Primary Academy

Inspection of Halewood Church of England Primary Academy Church Road, Halewood, Liverpool, Merseyside L26 6LB

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 25 and 26 April 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be a member of this school. They love to learn. Staff care for them exceptionally well. They are safe and very happy. Pupils’ sense of responsibility is strong. For example, older pupils run lunchtime clubs such as chess, serve on pupil voice councils and act as a ‘buddy’ to younger children. Pupils take their duties seriously. They carry them out with pride.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take full advantage of the very broad range of extra-curricular opportunities on offer. They take part in many of these opportunities through the ‘Halewood university’, which is particularly well attended. They expand their horizons further through trips, including to the theatre, and residential stays. Many pupils excel in sport. They take their preparations for local sporting competitions seriously and regularly experience success.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are very ambitious for what pupils will learn in reading, writing and mathematics. In these subjects, pupils achieve exceptionally well. Although pupils do not reach the same exceptional high standards across the curriculum, they still achieve well in other subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils conduct themselves extremely well. They have excellent relationships with their classmates, which means that fall outs are very rare. Leaders act quickly to address any bullying concerns as soon as they arise.

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better?

Leaders have designed a broad, ambitious curriculum for Years 1 to 6. They have also outlined their general expectations of what pupils should be able to do by the end of each year from the Nursery Year onwards. In reading, writing and mathematics, pupils achieve exceptionally well by the time they leave the school. However, while they still achieve well in some other subjects, they do not consistently reach the same high standards across all areas of the curriculum. This is because, in some subjects, and in the early years, leaders have not precisely identified the specific knowledge pupils should acquire or the order in which they should learn it. As a result, in these subjects, sometimes, teachers do not teach content in a logical order. Consequently, pupils cannot build on previous learning.

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better?

In most subjects, teachers carry out appropriate checks on what pupils have learned. However, where leaders have not clarified the specific knowledge that pupils need to learn and when, teachers are unclear about exactly which checks to make. This means that they do not identify and address some of the pupils’ knowledge gaps.

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better?

Leaders monitor and evaluate the impact of subject curriculums on what pupils know and remember. In some subjects, this is done very well. However, some 25 and 26 April 2023

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leaders’ oversight of the curriculum from the early years onwards is not as secure. As a result, they are not alert to weaknesses in the design and implementation of some curriculum areas. This sometimes prevents pupils from achieving consistently well.

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Leaders promote a love of reading. They make sure that pupils read a wide range of literature by classic authors, such as Shakespeare, to modern-day writers and poet laureates. Children in the early years start the phonics programme as soon as they begin school. Teachers are suitably trained and deliver the programme consistently well. Pupils read books that are matched appropriately to the sounds they know. Those who need extra help with their reading receive regular, high-quality support to catch up with their peers. This means that they quickly become confident, fluent readers.

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Leaders ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs identified quickly. Teachers adapt their implementation of the curriculum well so that pupils with SEND follow the same ambitious curriculum as their classmates.

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Pupils have extremely positive attitudes to their learning and understand the value of achieving well. School attendance is high, including for children in the early years. Pupils behave very well throughout the day. They show high levels of courtesy, self- control and consideration for others. Lessons are purposeful and orderly, with no disruption to learning.

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The way that leaders cater for pupils’ personal development is exemplary. They go way beyond the expected to make sure that pupils thrive. One of many examples of this is the early morning swimming club, which prepares pupils for the local swimming galas. Pupils develop a deep understanding of mental well-being and how to develop strong relationships with others. They are extremely respectful to those from different walks of life. Staff encourage them to be entrepreneurial, environmentally aware and community spirited through many activities across the year. They are very well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Staff are very happy working at this school. They recognise and appreciate leaders’ consideration of their workload and well-being. They also value the networking opportunities that are provided within the academy trust.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff are regularly trained and updated in safeguarding matters. Staff understand their responsibilities in keeping children safe and looking out for signs of potential harm. They act appropriately to raise concerns. Leaders involve external agencies, when required, to ensure that pupils and their families get the help they need. 25 and 26 April 2023

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Pupils learn how to stay safe in a range of situations. This learning includes road and cycle safety and keeping safe when using the internet.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have not precisely identified the component knowledge that pupils need to learn from the early years onwards. They have also not identified when teachers will teach this knowledge or how they will check that pupils have acquired it. This leads to pupils not building on prior learning as securely as they could in some foundation subjects. Leaders should provide teachers with robust guidance so that they can teach subject curriculums in a logical order and check that pupils have acquired and remembered essential knowledge.  Leaders’ oversight of curriculum implementation is not as strong in some subjects as it is in others. This means that some leaders do not identify or address weaknesses in the design and implementation of the curriculum from the Nursery Year to Year 6. At times, this hinders pupils from achieving consistently well across the curriculum. Leaders should review their approaches to evaluating

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

subject curriculums and how well teachers implement them.

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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. 25 and 26 April 2023

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School details

Local authority Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council

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School details

Inspection number 10242284 Type of school Primary

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School details

Headteacher Odile Coleman (acting headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Halewood Church of England Primary Academy converted to become an academy in October 2017. When its predecessor school, Halewood CofE Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  The school is now part of the Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust.  This is a Church of England School. The most recent section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in July 2019.  An acting headteacher and acting assistant headteacher were in post at the time of the inspection.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.  There is a before- and after-school club at the school, which the local governing board oversees.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 25 and 26 April 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school 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 of the school.  Inspectors conducted deep dives in these subjects: early reading, music and mathematics. They met with subject leaders and teachers. They visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work and talked with groups of pupils about their learning. The lead inspector heard pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum, spoke with pupils about their learning and evaluated their work in other subjects.  The lead inspector spoke with a group of governors and the chair of the board of trustees. He also spoke with a representative of the local authority and a representative of the diocese.  The lead inspector spoke with the chief executive officer and education director of

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the trust.  Inspectors also talked to staff about their workload and well-being.  Inspectors met with the leaders who are responsible for attendance, behaviour and pupils’ personal development.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about safeguarding and their wider experience of school.  Inspectors looked at a range of policies and documents related to pupils’ welfare and education. They observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors reviewed leaders’ policies and procedures to keep pupils safe. They discussed safeguarding arrangements with leaders and staff. They also checked the school’s records of the suitability of staff to work with pupils.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.  Inspectors met with parents at the start of the school day and took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

David Spruce, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

John Littler Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 April 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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