Rudston Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Rudston Primary School Rudston Road, Liverpool, Merseyside L16 4PQ

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Outcome

Rudston Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children who attend the nursery, enjoy coming to this friendly and caring school. They play together energetically and engage positively with their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that teachers and staff want the best for them. They understand the high expectations that staff have of them. This helps pupils to try their hardest in lessons. They are proud of themselves when their teachers reward them for demonstrating resilience or being respectful to their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel listened to by staff. This helps them to feel safe. Pupils say that teachers will ‘drop everything to help you if you are struggling’. If bullying should happen, teachers and leaders act quickly to tackle it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many parents and carers, including parents of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), have positive views of the care and support that their children receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils build many memories of the different opportunities they have in school. For example, they spoke excitedly about the sports tournaments and residential trips they had taken part in. Pupils in the popular school choir look forward to performing on stage at a local high school. Leaders ensure that these experiences are accessible to all.

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

Leaders have carefully considered what pupils should know and be able to do by the time they leave school. In most subjects, they have organised the curriculum well. Subject leaders have thought clearly about how pupils build their knowledge from the Nursery Year up to Year 6. This clarity equips teachers to deliver the curriculum well. Pupils learn and remember more in these subjects than they did in the past. 13 and 14 June 2023

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In a few other subjects, leaders are improving the curriculum. These subject leaders are still finalising the exact knowledge that they want pupils to learn. In these subjects, teachers sometimes lack clarity. This makes it harder for teachers to design learning activities which help pupils to remember what they need to know. Added to this, in subjects other than reading and mathematics, the strategies that teachers use to check what pupils have learned are still developing. As a result, on occasion, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge that teachers are unaware of.

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Leaders have a thorough understanding of the needs of pupils with SEND. They use rigorous systems to identify these needs accurately. Staff in the nursery are experts in spotting the early signs that children may need additional support. Leaders ensure that teachers in all key stages understand how to adapt their teaching so that pupils with SEND can succeed alongside their classmates. A small number of pupils need more specialist help. They benefit from expert support which helps them to achieve well from their starting points.

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Leaders understand the important role that reading plays throughout the curriculum. They have prioritised the teaching of phonics. Staff have the expertise that they need to deliver the phonics programme effectively. This programme begins in the early years, where children encounter a rich variety of words and stories. In the Reception Year and key stage 1, teachers ensure that the books that pupils read are closely matched to the sounds that they have learned. This helps pupils to read accurately and with increasing fluency. Skilled support from staff ensures that pupils who find reading difficult, including pupils in key stage 2, can catch up quickly. Many pupils enjoy choosing books from the library and reading for pleasure at home.

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In lessons, and at social times, pupils typically behave well. They follow classroom routines with enthusiasm. Leaders deal swiftly with any incidents of poor behaviour so that learning is not disrupted. Children in the early years listen attentively and follow adults’ instructions.

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Leaders provide pupils with a range of opportunities to support their personal development. Pupils learn about different cultures, faiths and types of families. This helps them to respect each other’s differences. Pupils look after their physical health by taking part in a wide variety of sports. By the end of Year 6, many pupils have represented their school in competitions. Pupils take on positions of responsibility, such as being peer mentors or digital leaders. These experiences help pupils to grow in confidence and contribute positively to the school community.

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Leaders and governors know the school well. Governors provide leaders with appropriate support and challenge. They help leaders to focus their actions on improving the standard of education that pupils receive.

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Many staff told inspectors that leaders support them well. They value the changes that leaders have made to reduce their workload and improve their well-being. 13 and 14 June 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have successfully created a culture of vigilance. They have ensured that staff are well trained and alert to signs that pupils may be at risk of harm. Every worry is carefully checked and there is no complacency.

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Safeguarding

Staff follow clear procedures for reporting any concerns. This helps leaders to take swift and appropriate action. When needed, leaders work effectively with external agencies to ensure that pupils get the timely help that they need.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe. For example, they learn about how to stay safe online. They also learn about positive ways to stay mentally healthy.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few of the foundation subjects, leaders have not precisely identified the crucial knowledge that they want pupils to acquire as they move through the curriculum. This hinders teachers in designing appropriate learning activities, and makes it more difficult for pupils to build on their prior knowledge as they progress through the school. Leaders should provide teachers with greater clarity about what pupils need to learn and remember in these subjects.  In subjects other than reading and mathematics, assessment strategies do not give leaders and teachers enough understanding of how well pupils are learning the curriculum. Gaps can open in some pupils’ knowledge without teachers knowing. Leaders should ensure that assessment strategies are well matched to the knowledge in the curriculum, so that teachers can accurately identify any learning that pupils have missed.

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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 January 2014. 13 and 14 June 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. 13 and 14 June 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 April 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school’s governors are responsible for a separate pre-school on the same site which provides early education for two- and three-year olds.  A small number of pupils at this school have more profound and complex special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) than those typically found in a mainstream school.  Leaders make use of one registered alternative provider for a very small number of 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 his evaluation of the school.  The inspector completed deep dives in these subjects: early reading, computing and mathematics. He met with subject leaders, visited lessons, reviewed pupils’ work and spoke with teachers and pupils. The inspector listened to pupils reading to a familiar adult. 13 and 14 June 2023

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 The inspector also spoke to leaders and pupils about the curriculum in some other subjects. He reviewed pupils’ work across a range of other subjects.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation. He spoke to the headteacher and senior leaders throughout the inspection. He also met with the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator.  The inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. He also met with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector held meetings with the staff responsible for safeguarding and scrutinised the single central record. The inspector considered leaders’ safeguarding processes and procedures. He observed pupils during social times and discussed safeguarding with them.  The inspector considered the responses to the online survey Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. He also took into account the responses to Ofsted’s

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Inspection team

Ben Hill, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 June 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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