Allanson Street Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Allanson Street Primary School Gaskell Street, Parr, St Helens, Merseyside, Merseyside WA9 1PL

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Outcome

Allanson Street Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At this school, pupils ‘belong, believe, aspire and achieve’. They receive a warm welcome each day from staff. Staff encourage pupils to be the best that they can be. More and more, pupils are empowered to believe in themselves and to be resilient.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has designed an exciting and ambitious curriculum which ensures that pupils learn successfully across a range of subjects. Pupils are happy to attend school each day. They are adamant that there are ‘no outsiders’ and that everyone is welcome. Children in the early years get off to a strong start. They learn how to play well together, take turns and share. Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. They display keen attitudes to learning and try their best. Pupils are proud of their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s provision for pupils’ wider development is a real strength. They benefit from a myriad of carefully chosen experiences such as visits to museums, art galleries and parks. Furthermore, the school organises annual public speaking opportunities for each pupil, which develop their confidence. The school’s ‘steps to success’ programme rewards pupils for participating in a range of clubs or for being active within the community. For instance by joining ‘thriller’ dance club or singing for elderly people.

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

The governing body supports the school’s caring ethos and has a shared sense of moral purpose. It supports and challenges the school in equal measure. Staff refer to the school as family. They are well supported by leaders. The school has revised its marking policy, which has reduced staff’s workload.

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

The school has focused successfully on improving its curriculum. It has ensured that pupils learn a vibrant curriculum which builds their academic knowledge as well as pride in the local area. For example, pupils learn about local history and the legacy left by influential figures. The school has set out the most important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to learn. Teachers check pupils’ understanding of new words and 14 and 15 May 2024

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encourage pupils to use these fluently. From the early years, the curriculum is well ordered. Teachers have a strong, shared understanding of how the curriculum builds year on year.

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Teachers’ subject knowledge is strong. There are effective systems in place to identify any additional needs that pupils may have. In most subjects, teachers adapt learning effectively to meet the needs of pupils. For instance, learning is broken down into smaller steps. Typically, this helps most pupils, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to learn the curriculum successfully. By the end of key stage 2, pupils achieve well.

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In lessons, teachers make regular checks on how well pupils have understood. This helps them to spot any gaps in learning. Some pupils receive extra support to help fill these gaps. In the main, misconceptions are addressed and remedied quickly. However, teachers do not regularly give pupils enough opportunity to recall prior learning of previous topics. As a result, some pupils are less secure in remembering their learning over time.

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Teachers in the early years skilfully design activities to help children to consolidate their learning. For example, children practise number recognition while playing in the sandpit. Staff focus on developing children’s language and communication skills. They interact purposefully with children to propel children’s learning forward.

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The curriculum is underpinned by carefully chosen texts. Pupils are encouraged to read often and are rewarded when they do so. Children in the Reception class enjoy sitting on a sofa and listening to a story. Older pupils have a love of reading and most read confidently.

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The phonics programme is well established. Staff use assessment methods effectively to identify pupils who struggle to keep up with the programme. These pupils benefit from regular support. In a few instances, the programme is not delivered consistently and some staff do not make the most of the time for pupils to practise phonics. This means that a small number of pupils do not read as fluently as they could.

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Caring relationships and a strong pastoral team contribute to pupils behaving exceptionally well. Pupils play together happily at social times. Many pupils proudly wear lanyards to represent the positions of responsibility that they hold, such as anti-bullying ambassadors, playground buddies and reading ambassadors.

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Well-considered opportunities help to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. Pupils engage regularly with role models from the emergency services and learn to respect them. They experience a trip to a university to broaden their horizons. Pupils learn about different religions and have an appreciation of everyone’s uniqueness.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 14 and 15 May 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, the phonics programme is not delivered consistently. This means that a minority of pupils do not secure their phonics knowledge as effectively and quickly as they could. The school should ensure that it supports staff to develop the confidence and expertise to deliver the phonics programme as intended.  At times, the school does not focus on helping pupils to recall the most important knowledge that they have learned. As a result, some pupils are less confident in recalling learning over time. The school should ensure that teachers plan regular opportunities for pupils to recap and recall previous learning, so that pupils build a secure understanding across the curriculum.

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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 March 2019.

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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, 14 and 15 May 2024

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looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 14 and 15 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 March 2019, under section 5 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.  There has been a change in headteacher since the previous inspection.

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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. 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, other senior leaders and staff. She met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector met with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history 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. 14 and 15 May 2024

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 The inspector spoke to pupils about their learning in other subjects and reviewed samples of their work.  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 attendance and behaviour data, minutes of governing body meetings, the school’s self-evaluation and development plan.  The inspector met with some parents at the start of the school day. The inspector also considered the views of parents on Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.  The inspector spoke to staff to discuss the school’s support for their well-being and workload.  The inspector spoke to pupils about behaviour and bullying. She also considered the

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responses to the pupil survey.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Jenny Jones, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 14 and 15 May 2024

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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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