Kilgarth School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Kilgarth School Cavendish Street, Birkenhead, Merseyside CH41 8BA

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Outcome

Kilgarth School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Kilgarth School provides a calm and welcoming environment for pupils to learn in. Despite the considerable barriers that pupils have faced before joining the school, they quickly settle when they get here. Pupils develop nurturing and trusting relationships with staff, who help them to understand their own emotions and behaviour. This helps pupils to feel comfortable, happy and safe in the school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has the highest aspirations for pupils’ academic and social success. Through a thoughtfully designed curriculum, pupils take qualifications in subjects that are tailored skilfully to their aspirations and ambitions. For example, a rich vocational offer is available for pupils that includes construction, mechanics and catering. Pupils, all of whom have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve exceptionally well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff treat pupils respectfully and with kindness. They know each pupil extremely well. This contributes significantly to pupils’ growing self-esteem and to their confidence. Classrooms are typically purposeful. Across the school, pupils behave exceptionally well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with the tools that they need to succeed in life. Opportunities to strengthen pupils’ resilience and social skills are wide-ranging. For example, pupils relish rock climbing, fishing and competing against other schools in sports tournaments.

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

The school’s ambitious curriculum is designed to ensure that pupils are well prepared for adulthood and can move on from school to meaningful education, training or employment. Pupils pursue an array of vocational awards and academic qualifications. 5 and 6 November 2024

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The school creates personalised programmes for each pupil to ensure that they achieve the best possible outcomes from their starting points.

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Across subjects, the school has mapped out the building blocks of knowledge that teachers expect pupils to learn. Teachers make sure that the things pupils learn build on what they already know. In lessons, teachers’ expert use of questioning helps them to spot any misconceptions as they arise and they address these before moving pupils on to new learning. Teachers use a range of assessment tools to gather essential information about pupils' learning when they join the school. This means that learning pinpoints the precise gaps in pupils’ knowledge and is matched to their individual needs.

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All pupils who attend the school have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. The school has effective strategies in place to identify any additional SEND that pupils may have. Teachers are provided with regular information on the additional learning needs of pupils. This ensures that the needs of these pupils are met securely in the classroom.

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The school prioritises the development of pupils’ reading and spoken language skills. Pupils read every day and in every lesson. Over time, this helps pupils to engage in learning, find their voice and confidently share their opinions. Staff are quick to identify and address weaknesses in pupils’ phonics or specific reading knowledge. This ensures that all pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, are supported well to become confident, fluent readers.

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Across the school community, the culture of very positive behaviour permeates every classroom. Highly trained staff use what they know about pupils to act to ensure that pupils stay focused on learning. Pupils value the support they receive to help them to manage their own behaviour. They socialise well together both in organised activities and unstructured time.

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The school strongly focuses on pupils’ attendance. Its range of incentives and rewards encourage pupils to attend regularly. This has significantly improved many pupils’ attitudes to attending school every day.

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The school places great importance on pupils’ broader development. There are a range of carefully crafted opportunities that help to develop pupils’ independence, self-confidence and resilience. For example, pupils learn how to manage conflict, set personal goals and navigate social relationships. Staff help pupils to prepare for their next steps after finishing school. Pupils benefit from work-related learning and strong career advice. They are exceptionally well supported through robust transitions to post-16 provision.

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The school, together with governors, evaluates accurately the quality of provision for pupils. Its precise oversight ensures continual school improvement and sustained high standards of education. The school prioritises the well-being and workload of staff. Staff are proud to be members of the school community. They work hard and feel valued. 5 and 6 November 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 outstanding for overall effectiveness in March 2015.

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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, 5 and 6 November 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). 5 and 6 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 March 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses three unregistered alternative provisions for a small number of pupils.  All pupils have an EHC plan. Places are commissioned by local authorities.  The school provides education for pupils, aged 11 to 16, with social, emotional and mental health needs, autism and other learning needs.  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 of the school. 5 and 6 November 2024

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and with other leaders. The lead inspector also spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. She also spoke with a school improvement partner from the local authority.  The inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to pupils and looked at samples of their work. They also considered the school’s self-evaluation document, along with other documentation and analysis provided by the school.  The lead inspector met with the SEND coordinators and reviewed samples of documentation relating to pupils with SEND.  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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors took account of the views of parents expressed through Ofsted Parent View,

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including the free-text comments. They also considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.

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Inspection team

Kate Bowker, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Dawn Farrent Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 November 2024

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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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