Mersey Park Primary School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Mersey Park Primary School Elm Road, Higher Tranmere, Wirral, Merseyside CH42 0PH

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Outcome

Mersey Park Primary 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?

Pupils flourish here. They delight in coming to this happy school each day. They are greeted by staff every morning with a warm and welcoming smile. Pupils benefit from strong and supportive relationships with staff and each other. This helps them feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), enjoy their learning and strive to meet the exceptionally high standards that the school has set for their achievement. As a result, pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and pupils do their utmost to live up to these expectations every day. From the minute children come into the Nursery Year they are taught to ‘be nice, work hard and never give up’. Routines are very well established. This makes school a calm and purposeful place. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. Very little learning time is lost.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a vast array of opportunities that extend pupils’ wider development. These opportunities are available to all pupils. For example, one of the pupil groups provides feedback to leaders on aspects of school life, such as behaviour around school. The school responds to their recommendations promptly. This ensures that pupils feel valued by the school and their contribution counts.

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

The school has developed a rich and ambitious curriculum that is underpinned by a commitment to excellence. The important knowledge that pupils need to know and when 7 and 8 January 2025

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it is to be taught has been carefully sequenced. This ensures that pupils’ learning builds on what they already know.

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Staff deliver the curriculum with expertise and design activities which enable pupils, including children in the early years, to learn exceptionally well. Staff are alert to any misconceptions that pupils may develop and act swiftly to address these as they arise. Meticulous thought has been given to when and how pupils should revisit their learning. This helps them to remember the important knowledge that they have learned over time. Pupils, including those with SEND, build a rich body of knowledge and make links across curriculum areas.

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From the moment children enter the Nursery Year they are supported to develop their speech and language through rhyme and story. Throughout school, staff model the language and vocabulary they wish children to develop and use. The school’s work on oracy is an area of strength. This means that pupils, as they move through school, develop speaking and listening skills that enable them to debate, challenge and ask questions about their learning. Pupils’ engagement in lessons is impressively high.

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The school has effective systems in place to identify, at the earliest opportunity, the specific needs of pupils with SEND. Staff expertly adapt the curriculum. When necessary, leaders seek specialist support to further enhance their understanding of pupils’ needs and the best ways to support them. As a result, pupils with SEND learn successfully alongside their peers.

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Phonics begins as soon as children join the Reception classes. Well-trained staff deliver the phonics programme effectively. Pupils practise reading with books that are suitably matched to the sounds that they know. Those pupils who struggle to keep up with the phonics programme are given the support they need. By the end of Year 3, most pupils are fluent readers.

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The school does everything it can to ensure that pupils attend school regularly. It closely tracks attendance and punctuality, providing support to individual families when needed. Such actions have proved successful. As a result, the attendance of pupils is improving.

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The wider curriculum is exceptionally well thought out. It supports pupils to develop their character, interests and talents. Visits and visitors are arranged to support pupils’ understanding of different faiths and cultures. As a result, pupils are highly considerate of the views and beliefs of different groups of people.

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The school offers a wide variety of clubs and activities. Such clubs are open to all. Pupils know how to keep themselves physically healthy and mentally well. They also know how to act appropriately in order to keep themselves safe online. Pupils enjoy representing their school in sporting activities.

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Governors fulfil their role with commitment and tenacity. They monitor the school’s continuous improvement closely. They focus sharply on helping the school to continue to refine the quality of education that pupils receive. There is no complacency. Staff are 7 and 8 January 2025

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extremely proud to work at this school. They value the consideration the school gives to their workload and well-being and the time given to them to complete their roles effectively. Parents and carers hold the school in very high regard.

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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 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness 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 7 and 8 January 2025

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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). 7 and 8 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 and 14 March 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new chair of governors has been appointed since the last inspection.  The school offers a breakfast club for pupils.  The school uses one registered alternative provision. This is an educational provision at another school in a local multi-academy trust for a small number of pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and other members of staff. She also spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors and a representative of the local authority. 7 and 8 January 2025

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ 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 considered the views expressed by parents and carers in their responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. She spoke with parents as they brought their children to school at the start of the school day.  The inspector also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaires for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Pat Speed, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 7 and 8 January 2025

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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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