Newfield School

Inspection of a good school: Newfield School Edge Lane, Crosby, Liverpool, Merseyside L23 4TG

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Outcome

Newfield School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school and of their many academic and personal achievements. Before joining this school, pupils have often experienced a turbulent and disrupted education. However, in this school, pupils know that staff genuinely care for them and want them to succeed. They know that staff have high expectations of them. Pupils respond positively and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have positive and trusting relationships with adults in the school. Pupils and staff enjoy eating lunch together. They chat and laugh together. There is a warm, friendly and happy atmosphere in school, which helps pupils to feel valued and accepted for who they are.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Sometimes, pupils need support to manage their emotions and behaviour. When this happens, staff respond quietly with respect and kindness. Some pupils may need a sensory break. Others benefit from quiet time or a change of environment. Over time, pupils learn to manage their own behaviour well. This ensures that pupils learn in a calm and positive environment.

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious, and pupils study a wide range of national curriculum subjects. The school has considered the special educational needs and/or disabilities of pupils in its curriculum design. In most subjects, the curriculum is ordered well to allow pupils to build secure knowledge over time. In a small number of subjects, however, it is not clear what knowledge pupils should acquire and when this should happen. Pupils do not learn as well as they could in these subjects.

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

Staff use assessment strategies well to check pupils’ understanding and to identify gaps in their knowledge. They revisit learning and give pupils opportunities to practise and apply their learning in different contexts. This ensures that pupils gain in confidence and are 5 and 6 December 2023

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successful in their learning. However, in the small number of subjects where it is unclear what pupils should learn, teachers find it difficult to check on pupils’ learning.

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The school considers carefully how to bring the curriculum to life for pupils. For example, a number of external experts visit the school to share their expertise with pupils. These include a local author who reads with pupils and supports their creative writing. Local artists, musicians and illustrators enhance collaborative projects in school and in the community. These opportunities help pupils to feel ambitious about their futures.

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Reading is a priority in school. Pupils have many opportunities to read throughout the day. For example, they read to staff, with their classmates and independently. Staff receive appropriate training to support children in the early years and pupils who are at the early stages of reading. This helps these pupils to become confident and fluent readers.

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Teachers carefully select class books that engage pupils and foster their love of reading. Pupils also enjoy reading books that deepen their knowledge of different topics or subjects. Staff discuss unfamiliar vocabulary in all subjects. This helps pupils to expand their own vocabulary in their writing and when speaking.

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Pupils achieve a broad range of nationally accredited qualifications. They also develop the skills that they will need for work, further education or training. For example, they learn to listen to others, work efficiently in a team and solve problems. Older pupils have opportunities to undertake work experience and vocational options. This work has enabled previous pupils to secure employment in professions such as the civil service and in construction industries.

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Pupils also have ample opportunities to learn about different cultures and religions. They visit local places of worship, attend festivals and enjoy learning about the culture, religion, food, music, geography and history of different countries.

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The school works together with parents, carers and external partners to support pupils’ attendance. The school continuously strives to try different options and ideas to encourage pupils to attend well. This has had a positive impact in removing barriers to attendance and has dramatically improved some pupils’ attitude to and attendance at school.

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Staff appreciate their well-being clinic. They know that leaders will listen to them. There is a strong culture of support and teamwork among the staff. A collaborative approach gives staff opportunities to share good practice, to solve any problems and to manage their workload.

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Governors have a wide range of expertise. They hold leaders to account but also support staff’s professional development. For example, governors share and develop staff’s knowledge about safeguarding and about local community research on education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 5 and 6 December 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, it is not clear to teachers what pupils need to know. This means that teachers do not have the information that they need to prepare effective learning or to check that pupils’ knowledge is secure. Consequently, pupils do not learn as well as they could in these subjects. The school should ensure that all subjects are well designed and ordered so that pupils can acquire the intended knowledge that they need for future learning.

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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 May 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 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). 5 and 6 December 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 April 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses five unregistered alternative providers and one registered alternative provider.  The school has one temporary primary classroom based in Maghull High School, Sefton.  All pupils have an education, health and care plan. The school caters for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs and autism.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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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 the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation. 5 and 6 December 2023

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and other leaders. An inspector also spoke with the school improvement partner and a representative from the local authority.  An inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, including early reading, science and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors 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. An inspector also listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors 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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the views of parents expressed through Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. They also considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Julie Bather, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Morley Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 December 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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