Great Meols Primary School

Inspection of Great Meols Primary School Elwyn Road, Meols, Wirral, Merseyside CH47 7AP

p.1

Inspection dates: 15 and 16 November 2023

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Great Meols Primary School as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection of the predecessor school.

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Rob Brown. This school is part of the Oak Trees Multi Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Tony Lacey, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jane Owens. 15 and 16 November 2023

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy attending Great Meols Primary School. They said that the school is a great place to be and they love spending time with their friends. Pupils understand and follow the school’s values of compassion and teamwork well. They are respectful of each other and of the adults who are there to support them.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and at playtimes. They follow the school rules. Pupils appreciate the positive praise and rewards that they receive for making the right choices. They particularly enjoy parents and carers coming to weekly assemblies to celebrate and join in their success.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The trust and the school have high expectations of all pupils’ learning. This includes those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils try their best. They typically achieve well. Year 6 pupils are well prepared for their secondary education.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of opportunities that promote their wider development, such as trips, clubs and visitors to the school. Pupils learn about the importance of looking after their emotional and mental well-being. They carry out positions of responsibility diligently, such as being ‘super kind change-makers’ or play leaders for those children in the early years.

p.2

better?

Children in the early years receive the best possible start to their education. The exceedingly well-ordered early years curriculum sets out the specific knowledge that children must learn. Adults, who are highly trained, deliver the curriculum with skill. They interact exceptionally well with children. For example, adults question, support and draw out the specific learning that children must know and remember. Children show high levels of concentration and perseverance in the activities that are designed for them. This prepares children remarkably well for Year 1 and beyond.

p.2

better?

The trust and the school have worked well together to revise much of the curriculum from early years through to Year 6. Overall, they have ensured that the curriculum is well organised and that it enables children, and pupils, across school to build up their knowledge in a logical order. Staff have a secure subject knowledge. They skilfully check that pupils have retained key subject concepts in their long-term memory before delivering any new knowledge.

p.2

better?

In one or two subjects, however, the curriculum does not fully identify the essential knowledge that pupils need to know. From time to time, this prevents some pupils from acquiring the depth of knowledge of which they are capable. Furthermore, some teachers do not ensure that pupils apply their knowledge of spellings and grammar consistently well across subjects. This prevents some pupils from achieving as highly as they should across the wider curriculum. 15 and 16 November 2023

p.2

3

Reading is carefully woven throughout the curriculum. Adults successfully encourage pupils to develop a love of reading across school. Pupils read widely and often. This exposure to high-quality literature is pivotal in extending pupils’ vocabulary.

p.3

3

In the Nursery class, children enjoy listening to different rhymes and songs. Children begin to learn sounds through the structured phonics programme in the Reception Year. Staff are well trained to teach the phonics scheme. As a result, adults model the phonics sounds that pupils learn in lessons consistently well. Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know. Consequently, many pupils read with increasing fluency and accuracy by the end of Year 2.

p.3

3

The school utilises the expertise from across the trust to support and develop the quality of education of pupils with SEND. Leaders, including from the trust, ensure that staff are well trained in the identification of pupils with additional needs. Most pupils with SEND do learn alongside their classmates. However, a small number of pupils receive a bespoke curriculum that fully meets their learning needs. The school has a clear rationale for why this is in the best interests of those pupils. They have carefully thought through how and when those pupils will return to studying the full curriculum.

p.3

3

The school fosters pupils’ talents and interests well. Pupils enjoy a vast array of clubs on offer and they take part in competitive sporting tournaments. They have the opportunity to perform with the school choir or take part in an end-of-year school production. Pupils embrace differences in society. They learn about wider faiths and cultures. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, with a particular focus on water and rail safety, which are crucial due to the school’s location.

p.3

3

Governors and trustees have a thorough understanding of the school and they perform their statutory and delegated duties well. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the benefits of being in the trust and how this supports their well-being and workload. They appreciate the well-being committee, which is accessible to all staff. Staff benefit from the collaborative working culture fostered by the trust and school leaders. They recognise the positive impact this has on their workload.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In one or two subjects, the school has not pinpointed the fundamental knowledge that pupils should learn. In these subjects, some pupils do not learn to the depth that they could. The school should finalise its curriculum thinking in these remaining subjects. This is so that pupils build a more detailed understanding of subject topics and concepts. 15 and 16 November 2023

p.3

4

 Sometimes staff do not ensure that pupils apply their knowledge of spelling, punctuation and grammar across the wider curriculum. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as highly as they could. The school should ensure that staff support pupils to deepen their knowledge, skills and understanding of spelling, punctuation and grammar across all subjects.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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 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). 15 and 16 November 2023

p.4

School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.5

Information about this school

 Great Meols Primary School converted to become an academy school in June 2017. When its predecessor school, Great Meols Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  The school is part of the Oak Trees Multi Academy Trust.  A new headteacher and chair of the local governing body have been appointed since the previous inspection.  The school runs a before- and after-school club for pupils.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 15 and 16 November 2023

p.5

6

 This was the first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any ongoing impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, history, geography and science. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects. They spoke with leaders and pupils. Inspectors also reviewed samples of work in these curriculum areas.  Inspectors listened to pupils read with a trusted adult.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders. The lead inspector spoke with representatives of the local authority. She also met with the chief executive officer, the chair of the board of trustees, and the chair and vice-chair of

p.6

6

governors.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the view 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.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documentation, including that relating to behaviour and attendance. Inspectors also examined the school’s self-evaluation document and the school improvement plan.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses. Inspectors also spoke with parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for pupils and for staff.

p.6

Inspection team

Sue Dymond, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Alison Lawson Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 November 2023

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7