Lower Kersal Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Lower Kersal Community Primary School St Aidan’s Grove, Salford, Greater Manchester M7 3TN

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 September 2023

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Outcome

Lower Kersal Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Lower Kersal Community Primary School is ‘a school where everyone matters’. This is displayed through the strong relationships between staff and pupil. Pupils are particularly accepting of others who are different to themselves. They show a mature understanding of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils’ achievements, no matter how small, are recognised and celebrated. This builds pupils’ self-esteem and helps them to feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school expects pupils to behave well. Pupils live up to this expectation. In lessons, they display positive attitudes to their learning. They are respectful to adults, their peers and the environment. Furthermore, the school raises pupils’ aspirations. For instance, pupils take part in workshops at local universities. The school also has high expectations for pupils to achieve well. Pupils rise to meet these expectations and they achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talked animatedly about their participation in mountain biking, performing arts, crime scene investigations and philosophy classes. Pupils’ understanding of the local area is developed by spending time visiting the river, wetlands and gardens.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years quickly respond to the school’s routines. They enjoy practising their climbing and balancing skills on the newly installed climbing structure. Pupils in year 5, relish the responsibility of caring for the school’s chickens.

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

The school’s high aspirations for its pupils are reflected in its broad and ambitious curriculum. Beginning in the Reception class, the school has identified the essential knowledge that pupils should learn and when this should be taught. In some subjects where the curriculum is newer, a small number of teachers do not have the subject knowledge to present information clearly. This hinders pupils from deepening their knowledge over time. 26 and 27 September 2023

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Teachers routinely check on what pupils know to identify any misconceptions and gaps in learning. However, on occasion, misconceptions are not tackled swiftly or efficiently. This means that a small number of pupils are less able to recall their learning.

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The school has improved how quickly it identifies pupils’ additional needs. Nevertheless, it is still developing staff’s expertise in this area. In some subjects, the adaptations to learning that staff make do not support pupils’ learning. In these subjects, pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could.

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Pupils’ love of reading begins in the early years. Children in the Nursery class enjoy adding actions to familiar stories. The school has a well-considered reading curriculum that includes a diverse breadth of authors and genres. For example, each week, pupils in key stage 2 read a selection of fiction, non-fiction and poetry texts.

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The phonics programme is securely embedded and delivered consistently by well-trained staff. Children begin to recognise sounds in the Nursery class and learn phonics from the start of the Reception class. They make a secure start in their reading journey. Pupils who struggle to keep up are given regular support. Most pupils in key stage 2 read with confidence and fluency.

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In lessons, pupils follow teachers’ instructions diligently. The school’s routines are securely embedded. Moreover, classrooms are purposeful learning environments, where pupils learn without disruption. There are a small handful of pupils who struggle to regulate their behaviour. These pupils are well supported by staff and given space and time to regulate and reflect. This helps them to return quickly to their learning.

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The school’s strong provision for pupils’ wider development is thoughtfully constructed. This provides pupils with experiences to broaden their understanding and appreciation of the world. Through debating opportunities, pupils learn skills, such as critical thinking. Learning chess helps pupils to think strategically. Pupils are encouraged to be proud of themselves. Most pupils act kindly towards one another.

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The school has developed strong partnerships with parents and carers. For instance, parents attend workshops on how to support their child with phonics. Staff are proud to work in the school. They say that changes to the marking policy have reduced their workload. Staff appreciate the time that they are given to lead their subjects.

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The governing board uses its experience and expertise to support the school well and to carry out its statutory duties.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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 In a minority of subjects, some teachers lack the knowledge and confidence to deliver the curriculum as the school intends. This hinders some pupils from securing a deep body of knowledge. The school should provide training and support to ensure that all staff have the knowledge and expertise to deliver the curriculum consistently and confidently.  In some subjects, teachers do not adapt their teaching suitably to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. This means that some pupils with SEND do not build their knowledge well or make connections in their learning. The school should ensure that staff understand how to provide the support that each pupil with SEND needs in order for them to know more and remember more.

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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 June 2014.

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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 the definition of children in need of help and 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). 26 and 27 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 June 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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 that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, senior leaders, other leaders and members of the governing board, including the chair of governors. The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, geography and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 26 and 27 September 2023

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record, took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils, and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation including the school’s self- evaluation, development plan and minutes of governing body meetings.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour at lunchtime.  The inspector spoke to pupils about their views of the school, bullying and behaviour.  The inspector listened to pupils in key stage 1 and key stage 2 read to a familiar adult.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free text responses. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Jenny Jones, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 26 and 27 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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