Greasby Infant School

Inspection of Greasby Infant School Barker Lane, Greasby, Wirral, Merseyside CH49 3NX

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 November 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 26 and 27 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very proud to attend this caring school, which is at the heart of its local community. Pupils of all ages love to help to look after their school and its grounds. For example, members of the eco-team delight in helping to look after the school’s birds and rabbits. Through various leadership roles, pupils are encouraged to develop their confidence and independence.

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What is it like to attend this school?

From the early years upwards, pupils’ behaviour is exceptional. Children in the Nursery class settle quickly into school life. They learn the school’s rules and routines so that not a moment of learning is lost. At breaktimes, pupils of all ages play happily together. They help one another and they are kind and considerate. The oldest pupils are excellent role models for younger children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. They respond to the high expectations that the school has of them. As a result, they leave well prepared for junior school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of wider opportunities on offer. They take part in clubs such as football, cooking club and multi-sports club. Pupils enjoy visiting places of interest to extend their learning, such as the science museum and aquarium.

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

Reading is given a high priority. This starts in the Nursery class, where children are enthralled at story time. Books are brought to life with simple props that children then use to act out familiar stories. The phonics programme begins in the Reception Year. Children start to learn the sounds and letters that they need to begin to learn to read. Pupils practise reading using books that match the sounds they know. Following this strong start, pupils typically go on to be accurate, fluent readers in key stage 1.

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

The school identifies and supports those pupils who need more help to keep up with their reading. However, some pupils in key stage 1 are not given sufficient opportunities to apply their knowledge of the sounds that they have learned to their writing. This hinders some pupils from forming letters correctly. These pupils do not develop their fluency in writing as well as they do in reading.

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

The school’s curriculum has been carefully designed. It sets out the most important knowledge that pupils should learn and the order in which it should be taught. In most subjects, staff regularly check how well pupils are learning. This enables any misconceptions to be addressed as they arise in lessons. However, in one or two subjects, the curriculum is not as ambitious as it could be. Some pupils do not achieve as highly as they could. This is because assessment information does not give teachers the information that they need to shape future learning. This hampers teachers from designing learning that builds successfully on what pupils know already. 26 and 27 November 2024

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The school identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND swiftly. Staff are well trained to ensure that they adapt their delivery of the curriculum to meet these needs. In addition, pupils receive the support that they need with their learning. This enables pupils with SEND to learn alongside their peers.

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Emphasis is placed on pupils’ personal development. This includes a well-designed curriculum for relationships and sex education and health education. This builds pupils’ knowledge about how to stay safe online and how to be physically healthy. Pupils demonstrate maturity beyond their years when they talk about what makes people different. They learn the importance of acceptance and they celebrate diversity. Pupils are encouraged to develop empathy and understanding. They are well-prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Pupils take the opportunities that they are given to contribute to their local community seriously. For example, they sing for elderly residents and raise money for charities that are close to their heart. The programme for personal, social and health education enables pupils to have a well-developed sense of right and wrong. They speak up and have faith in staff to resolve any worries that they might have.

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Pupils have exemplary attitudes to learning. In lessons, they listen very attentively to their teachers and try their best with their work. Pupils, including children in the early years, show a thirst for knowledge. They enjoy sharing their learning with others. Classrooms are purposeful learning environments and pupils take a pride in their achievements.

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Attendance has a high priority. Pupils attend very well. The school supports the very small number of families who need help to improve attendance.

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Governors know the school well. They offer appropriate support and challenge. They are especially mindful of staff’s workload and well-being. Staff feel valued and enjoy working at the school. They feel well supported to carry out their roles effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not provide sufficient opportunities for some pupils in key stage 1 to apply their knowledge of letters and sounds in their writing. This hinders some of these pupils from forming their letters correctly and from developing fluency in writing as quickly as they could. The school should provide regular opportunities for these pupils to practise their writing.  In one or two subjects, assessment information does not provide teachers with the information that they need to ensure that the curriculum is suitably ambitious for all pupils. This prevents some pupils from achieving as well as they could. The school 26 and 27 November 2024

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should ensure that assessment information supports teachers to design learning that helps pupils to develop a rich body of subject knowledge.

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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). 26 and 27 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.greasby-infant.eschools.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 and 15 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher has been appointed this academic year.  The school has provision for three- and four-year-old children in its Nursery class.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 26 and 27 November 2024

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 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.  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 carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, looked at a sample of pupils’ work, spoke with teachers and talked with pupils about their learning.  An inspector observed pupils from Years 1 and 2 read to a familiar adult.  An inspector also considered the curriculum in other areas, including English. This

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included talking with pupils and scrutinising curriculum documentation.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and other leaders. An inspector also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  An inspector met with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at the end of the school day and during lessons and breaktimes. They also spoke with pupils about their views of school life.  Inspectors considered the views of parents and carers. They looked at the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. An inspector also spoke to a number of parents at the end of the school day.  Inspectors considered the views of staff and pupils who responded to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Frith Murphy, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Elizabeth Hulse Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 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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