Navigation Primary School

Inspection of Navigation Primary School Hawarden Road, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 1NG

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 4 and 5 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school creates a vibrant and inclusive environment where pupils feel safe and happy and are eager to learn. Staff foster positive relationships with pupils and their families. This creates a sense of trust and belonging for pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ academic work and their behaviour. These expectations are well understood by pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and they rise to meet them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour across the school is excellent. Well-mannered pupils look after each other and play happily at playtime. In class, they concentrate on their learning. Pupils take pride in their achievements and know teachers will recognise their efforts. They are particularly proud of their art gallery. Pupils say that this gives them the opportunity for their imaginations to ‘go wild’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a strong understanding of a range of important issues, including equality, diversity and healthy living. They are proud of the positive contribution that they make to their school. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, benefit exceptionally well from extra-curricular opportunities. By the time pupils leave Year 6, they are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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

The school has developed a well-crafted curriculum. This begins in the early years, where highly skilled staff ensure that children learn fundamental skills and knowledge. In Nursery and Reception, staff make use of opportunities to talk to children regularly. As a result, children benefit from hearing and using a wide range of vocabulary. Pupils continue to build on their learning as they move through the year groups at school.

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

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. Staff are well informed about how to identify pupils’ needs and adapt learning to enable pupils with SEND to succeed. These pupils access the same rich curriculum as others and achieve well. Staff choose appropriate resources and activities, which not only help pupils to learn well but also spark their enthusiasm and excitement for learning. They identify pupils’ misunderstandings by checking work during lessons. This enables teachers to review what pupils know and what they need to learn next. However, in a couple of subjects, pupils do not have the opportunity to recall and connect new learning to what has been learned before. As a result, this affects how well some pupils deepen their knowledge in these subjects.

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

Reading is a high priority. Children in the early years enjoy stories and rhymes, which helps them develop an enjoyment of books. Starting in the Reception class, children follow a structured phonics programme. Staff check on what pupils know and can do. Pupils who find reading more difficult are supported well to keep up with the pace of the phonics programme. 4 and 5 March 2025

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Older pupils develop a strong love of books. They benefit from author visits and say these inspire them to become writers themselves. Pupil librarians proudly support their peers in their reading journey. Although the school helps pupils to become fluent and accurate readers, aspects of the curriculum for early writing are not implemented as well as they could be. Some pupils develop errors in their writing, and these are not addressed consistently well.

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Pupils are keen to attend school. Behaviour is impeccable. Children in the early years concentrate for extended periods. Pupils are polite and work hard. They enjoy their learning. Leaders have been tenacious in improving pupils’ rates of attendance. The school has a clear understanding of the barriers to better attendance. It works closely with families to promote regular attendance.

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This is a school where everyone is valued. The provision for pupils’ personal and wider development is particularly strong. The provision for pupils’ wider development enriches their learning by providing them with first-hand experiences of theatres and museums. Pupils value these visits highly. They learn how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. Pupils have an impressively mature attitude towards healthy relationships, growing up and staying safe online. They demonstrate a strong knowledge of fundamental British values and the uniqueness of individuals in society.

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Staff are proud and happy to work at the school and make a strong, supportive team. They appreciate leaders’ consideration of their workload and well-being. Parents and carers are very supportive of the school and what it offers their children. Governors work closely with leaders to ensure that they challenge, as well as support, the school. They hold leaders to account for the school’s performance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, the school’s focus on letter formation and transcription for pupils is not sharp enough. This means that some pupils are occasionally more prone to making and repeating errors in their writing. The school should ensure that staff consistently apply its high expectations of the accuracy of the written work pupils produce to the same standard across the curriculum.  In a couple of subjects, the curriculum does not provide pupils with sufficient opportunities to retrieve and consolidate their prior knowledge. This affects how well some pupils remember important subject content over time. The school should ensure that the pupils benefit from well-considered approaches to recap prior learning and build their knowledge securely over time. 4 and 5 March 2025

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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). 4 and 5 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 February 2020, under section 8 of the education act.

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Information about this school

 This school does not currently make use of any alternative provision for its pupils.

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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.  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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art 4 and 5 March 2025

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and design and history. They met with subject leaders and with teachers. Inspectors visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work and talked with groups of pupils about their learning.  The lead inspector observed some pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors considered the curriculum in other subjects. They met with leaders, spoke with pupils and reviewed pupils’ work in these subjects.  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.  The lead inspector spoke with members of the local governing body. She also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also took

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account of the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors met with leaders to discuss attendance, behaviour and pupils’ personal development.  Inspectors looked at a range of policies and documentation relating to pupils’ welfare and education. They observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around school.  Inspectors met with parents at the start of the school day. They took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school. They took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey, including the free-text comments.

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Helen Friend, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Sue Mills Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 March 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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