St Nicholas Church of England Primary School

Inspection of St Nicholas Church of England Primary School Nicholas Road, Blundellsands, Liverpool, Merseyside L23 6TS

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 almost 11 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time. From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. 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. 20 and 21 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this school. They are sensible and conduct themselves well. They take great pride in the roles and responsibilities that they undertake. Pupils value the warm relationships that they have with staff. They stated that staff are friendly and approachable. This helps pupils to feel safe and secure.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), should learn. The school’s published data for 2023 demonstrates that pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics is often significantly above the national average. However, while pupils also achieve well in other parts of the curriculum, they do not consistently reach the same high standards.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils engage well with their wider community. For example, at the time of the inspection, they had produced artwork for an exhibition commemorating the 150th anniversary of their local church. Pupils value their link with a partner school in Spain. This helps them to develop their appreciation for other cultures. It also enhances their learning of a modern foreign language.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the opportunities to learn musical instruments. They all get to learn brass instruments in Year 5 and play pieces of music together as part of a class orchestra.

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better?

The school has implemented a broad and ambitious curriculum. It has precisely identified the key knowledge that it expects pupils to learn by the end of each year in each curriculum area. In some subjects, such as English and mathematics, the school provides precise guidance to teachers on how and when to teach this curriculum content. Although from time to time, there is some variability in how well content is delivered, pupils still achieve high academic standards in these subjects.

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better?

In some subjects, including in the early years, the school has not provided the same level of guidance to teachers about when some key knowledge should be taught. This impedes teachers’ ability to help pupils to deepen their understanding of some core concepts. It also hinders how well the school builds on some of what pupils have already learned. In these parts of the curriculum, pupils do not develop a rich body of knowledge like they do in some others. Nonetheless, pupils do achieve well across most of the curriculum.

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better?

The school uses different approaches to check what pupils know and remember in their learning. However, the school does not ensure that the strategies it uses to check what pupils have understood are effective. This sometimes means that pupils do not get timely help and guidance when they might be struggling with aspects of their learning. It also means that some pupils do not get well-tailored support to meet some of their learning needs. This includes for some pupils with SEND. 20 and 21 March 2024

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The school has appropriate systems in place to identify pupils with SEND. It caters well for some pupils with more complex SEND who access the ‘rainbow room’ for parts of the day.

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The school promotes a love of reading. Pupils engage with high-quality texts that develop their appreciation for people’s differences and other cultures. They enjoy reading widely and often.

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The school prioritises early reading. Children in the Reception Year begin the school’s chosen phonics programme as soon as they start school. They read books that are well matched to the sounds that they know. They receive additional support to keep up with their learning of new sounds. The majority of pupils quickly become confident readers and meet the phonics screening check in Year 1.

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In all subjects, the school has identified the key vocabulary that pupils need to learn for each topic. However, in some cases, such as in the early years and with some pupils with SEND, teacher interactions do not enable some children and pupils to develop their communication and language skills as well as they could.

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The school ensures that attendance is a high priority for everyone. Pupils rarely miss out on their schooling. They have high rates of attendance. Pupils conduct themselves well during the school day. Most are attentive during their lessons. They are very sensible and courteous when they move around the school.

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The school caters well for the personal development of its pupils. It makes good use of the local coastline and nearby city centre to bring the curriculum to life. Pupils have access to a range of extra-curricular clubs from which they generally benefit. Pupils are proud of their sports teams. They enjoy competing against other nearby schools. Pupils enjoy the residential visits that the school arranges for them. They have a secure knowledge of how to look after their physical and mental well-being and develop an understanding of the fundamental British values. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Staff are appreciative of the school’s actions to support their workload. They gave examples of how the school is responsive when additional tasks require extra time to complete. Governors play an active part in school life. They fulfil their statutory duties.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subject curriculums, and the curriculum in the early years, the school is not clear enough about how and when key knowledge should be taught. This impedes teachers in delivering some curriculum content effectively. It also limits teachers’ ability to build on pupils’ prior learning. This means that pupils do not develop a deep understanding of some important concepts in some subjects. The school should review the design of these curriculums and give clearer guidance to teachers on how and when to deliver the intended key knowledge to pupils.  In some instances, the school does not ensure that assessment strategies are used effectively to check pupils’ understanding. This sometimes means that opportunities are missed to identify and help pupils who are struggling with their learning. It also means that teachers sometimes do not adapt their guidance and support to respond to the needs of some pupils, including some of those with

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

SEND. The school should ensure that staff are well equipped to carry out robust checks on learning so that they provide pupils with effective help and support that is appropriate to their needs.  The school does not cater for the development of pupils’ communication and language skills as well as it could, particularly in the early years and for some pupils with SEND. Some interactions between pupils and staff do not help pupils to deepen their learning and expand their vocabulary. This means that pupils miss opportunities to develop their language skills as well as they could. The school should ensure that there is a language-rich environment in which pupils can engage in high-quality dialogue with their teachers and classmates.

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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.

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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). 20 and 21 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 23 and 24 April 2013

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Information about this school

 A new deputy headteacher has been appointed since the last inspection.  A new chair of governors was appointed earlier this academic year.  The school uses an external provider to provide before- and after-school clubs for its pupils.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.  The school is a voluntary-aided Church of England primary school. The most recent section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in February 2020. The school is awaiting confirmation from the diocese about its next section 48 inspection.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 20 and 21 March 2024

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 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 inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors conducted deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history and mathematics. They met with subject leaders and teachers. They visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work and talked with groups of pupils about their learning. The lead inspector observed pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors also considered the curriculum, spoke with pupils about their learning and evaluated their work in some other subjects.  The inspectors spoke with a group of governors. The inspectors also talked to staff about their workload and well-being.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority and the

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diocese.  The inspectors met with the leaders who are responsible for attendance, behaviour and pupils’ personal development.  The inspectors spoke with pupils about their wider experience of school.  The inspectors looked at a range of policies and documents related to pupils’ welfare and education. They observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff. There were no responses to the survey for pupils.  Inspectors made themselves available to parents and carers at the start of the school day and took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including

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Inspection team

David Spruce, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Janette Walker Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 March 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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