Aintree Davenhill Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Aintree Davenhill Primary School Aintree Lane, Aintree Village, Liverpool, Merseyside L10 8LE

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 September 2023

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Outcome

Aintree Davenhill Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very happy to attend this welcoming, vibrant school. They arrive every day full of enthusiasm because they are excited to see what they will be learning. Pupils said that they find their lessons interesting. They are well supported by their teachers, who care about them. Pupils enjoy playing with their friends and they said that they feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils rise to meet the high expectations that the school sets for them. They work hard in their lessons. To this end, they are alert to their teachers’ instructions and they remain focused on their learning. In the main, pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school takes an appropriate approach to managing behaviour. Pupils understand the school rules. They agree that the school’s clear routines exist for the benefit of all. Pupils are eager to be ready, and they act respectfully and safely towards each other. As a result, the atmosphere in school is calm and purposeful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ experiences in school go beyond the academic curriculum. The school provides many opportunities for pupils to take on positions of responsibility, such as acting as a member of the school council or as an anti-bullying ambassador. Pupils also make a positive contribution to their local community, for example by taking part in the ‘smile challenge’ at the local nursing home.

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

The curriculum for pupils is suitably broad and ambitious. This helps to ensure that pupils, including children in the early years, receive a variety of rich learning opportunities. In the main, pupils learn the curriculum successfully. 19 and 20 September 2023

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In most subjects, the school has carefully thought about the stepping stones in pupils’ learning from the Nursery Year to Year 6. Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong. This helps them to design learning and choose activities that support pupils to gain a deep body of subject knowledge. Teachers check on how well pupils are learning the curriculum and they address misconceptions and gaps in a timely manner. Pupils achieve well across the curriculum.

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In a few subjects, the curriculum does not identify the key knowledge that pupils need to learn. This makes it difficult for pupils to build on prior learning when they meet new subject knowledge.

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The school has ensured that there are appropriate systems in place to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly and accurately. When necessary, teachers make adaptations to how they deliver the curriculum so that these pupils can access the same curriculum as their peers. The school works closely with parents, carers and other agencies to ensure that pupils get the support that they need. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Pupils enjoy a well-designed, expertly taught phonics curriculum. Children in the Nursery Year learn songs and rhymes which develop their language and communication skills. By the time children enter the Reception class they are ready to link sounds to letters. This sets them up well as early readers, so that by the end of Year 2, pupils develop into fluent, confident readers. Staff choose books that are matched carefully to pupils’ phonics knowledge. Staff also ensure that those pupils who are in danger of not keeping up with the phonics programme are identified and supported well to catch up quickly.

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Developing a love of reading among older pupils is a priority for the school. To this end, the school ensures that staff routinely promote the joys that reading can bring. The school’s library and reading areas are well stocked with a wide range of high-quality texts. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about the books that they have enjoyed.

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The school places great importance on pupils’ wider development. There is a wide range of clubs for pupils to develop their talents and interests. The school also educates pupils about the wider global community. For example, through their choice of reading materials and artists and designers in art and design, staff promote pupils’ understanding of a wide range of cultures. Pupils believe strongly in the principle of equality and they are adamant that everybody should be treated with respect. They are courteous when discussing important social issues and they express their opinions clearly.

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Routines for positive behaviour are established well in the early years. Pupils across the rest of the school behave well. This ensures that learning proceeds smoothly.

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Governors know the school very well. This knowledge enables them to both support and challenge leaders for the benefit of pupils. The school is mindful of staff well-being. It takes steps to reduce unnecessary workload when making decisions about the curriculum.

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Parents speak highly of the school. They believe that they are well informed about what their children are learning. They appreciate the support and care offered by staff. 19 and 20 September 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the school has not identified the key knowledge that pupils need to be ready for the next phase of learning. This means that, at times, pupils’ learning is not as strongly linked to what they have learned previously as it could be. The school should ensure that all subject curriculums set out the knowledge that pupils should learn and the order in which this should be taught.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and 19 and 20 September 2023

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protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 19 and 20 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

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

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken this into account in her evaluation of the school.  During this inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher and a wide range of other staff.  The inspector met with members of the local governing body.  The inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector spoke with pupils about their work and their wider school life.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record and took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils. The inspector 19 and 20 September 2023

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during playtimes and while in lessons.  The inspector considered the views of parents submitted through Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.  The inspector carried out deep dives into early reading, mathematics and history. She spoke with the staff who lead these subjects, visited lessons and spoke with teachers. She also spoke with pupils about their learning and viewed examples of their work.  The inspector also spoke to subject leaders in a range of other subjects.  The inspector observed pupils in key stage 1 and Year 3 read to a trusted adult.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Liz Davidson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 September 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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