Knowsley Lane Primary School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Knowsley Lane Primary School Astley Road, Huyton, Liverpool, Merseyside L36 8DB

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of outstanding as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, are happy at this friendly and welcoming school. They forge strong and trusting relationships with the adults who work with them. The school ensures that pupils are excited by their learning and that they have the opportunity to engage in a range of wider experiences. Most pupils enjoy attending school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils’ learning and wider development. Typically, pupils enjoy an education that is broad and balanced. Pupils benefit from experiences that enrich their learning, such as outdoor learning and school trips. This helps them to achieve well in many areas.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave extremely well. The atmosphere throughout the school is one of kindness and respect. For example, pupils open doors for each other and enjoy playing together happily at lunch times. Older pupils relish the opportunity to act as role models for their younger peers as a play leader or a reading buddy. This helps pupils to nurture and appreciate the value of friendships.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to get involved in the wider life of the school. For example, they enjoy a wide range of clubs and take part in local community projects. These rich experiences develop pupils’ confidence and support them to be responsible members of society.

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

In the main, the school ensures that pupils, including children in the early years, benefit from an ambitious and engaging curriculum. The school is not complacent. Together with the trust, it is continually striving to refine and improve the quality of education for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). To this 9 and 10 July 2024

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end, in most subjects, the school has carefully identified and ordered the important knowledge that pupils should learn. This helps pupils to learn new content logically and securely, building on what they already know. However, in a minority of subjects, this work is still ongoing. The school has not clearly defined the subject-specific content that it wants pupils to know and remember. Some pupils do not acquire a sufficient depth of subject-specific knowledge as a result.

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Staff value the support and training that they receive. They appreciate that the school takes sensible measures to balance staff workload while providing them with the tools that they need to deliver the curriculum effectively. Staff select appropriate teaching activities and explain subject matter well. In most subjects, teachers use assessment strategies successfully to identify misconceptions and address any gaps in learning that pupils may have.

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In the recent past, the proportion of pupils who met the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check was below the national average. As a result, the school, supported by the trust, has overhauled and improved its approach to teaching phonics.

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Children in the Nursery and Reception classes benefit from suitable opportunties to develop their communication and language skills. This builds children’s confidence from the start and closes gaps to secure a strong foundation for their phonics learning. Well- trained staff expertly teach the newly introduced phonics programme with confidence. Staff build pupils’ reading knowledge effectively, using books that closely match the sounds that they know. Older pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge are receiving well-matched additional support. This is helping pupils to read with increased fluency and confidence.

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The school ensures that pupils with SEND are accurately and swiftly identified. Staff devise helpful targets and skilfully adapt their delivery of the curriculum when necessary. This ensures that pupils’ additional needs do not become a barrier to their learning and that they can access the same curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils rise to the high expectations that staff set for their behaviour. This begins in the early years where children are taught how to share, take turns and build strong relationships. From Years 1 to 6, pupils develop highly positive attitudes and show a strong desire to learn. They behave sensibly and politely in lessons and around the school.

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The school has recently introduced a range of helpful strategies to support pupils and their families when attendance is not as high as it should be. These strategies are beginning to bear fruit. However, this work is in its early stages and too many pupils continue to be persistently absent from school. This hinders these pupils’ learning and development.

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Pupils enjoy an extensive range of high-quality personal development opportunities both within and beyond the school. For example, pupils learn about difference and tolerance during themed activity weeks that highlight disability and modern British values. Pupils take part in gardening as part of their school ‘eco warrior’ club and they volunteer to 9 and 10 July 2024

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befriend elderly citizens as part of community projects. This helps pupils to become confident, well-rounded young people, who are well prepared for their next steps in life.

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Trustees and governors on the local academy board bring valuable expertise to their roles. They implement effective systems of support and challenge to ensure that the school can continually strive to provide the best possible quality of education for all pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the school is in the process of defining the essential knowledge that it wants pupils to learn. This is hindering teachers from ensuring that pupils acquire a deep body of subject-specific knowledge over time. The school should ensure that teachers are clear about the essential knowledge that pupils should learn and when this should be taught in these subjects.  Some pupils do not attend school as often as they should. This hinders how well they achieve and means that they do not benefit fully from all that the school has to offer for their wider development. The school should ensure that it embeds its newly introduced strategies to secure high attendance rates for all pupils.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. 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 outstanding in January 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. 9 and 10 July 2024

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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). 9 and 10 July 2024

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School details

Local authority Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council

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School details

Website www.knowsleylane.knowsley.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 17 and 18 January 2019

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Vantage Multi Academy Trust.  The school does not use 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 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 their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the CEO and deputy CEO of the trust. The inspector also met with the chair of the local academy board.  The inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector met with the principal, other senior leaders, middle leaders, staff and pupils. 9 and 10 July 2024

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, and art and design. 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.  The inspector observed some pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult.  The inspector also looked at pupils’ work from a range of other subjects.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. She met with a range of staff throughout the inspection to gather their views.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. However, the inspector met with pupils from different year groups to gather their views about school life. The inspector also observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.

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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.

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Inspection team

Amanda Downing, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 9 and 10 July 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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