Knowsley Village School

Inspection of Knowsley Village School Sugar Lane, Knowsley, Prescot, Merseyside L34 0ER

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

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love attending their welcoming school. They skip in each day and go home smiling. Pupils know that the school cares for them and puts their well-being first. They make firm friends and support each other as they learn and grow. Pupils embody the school value of ‘respect for all’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils welcome the high ambitions that the school has for their achievement. They enjoy their lessons and do their best. Children in the early years explore and learn from a wide range of exciting activities. They develop independence from the earliest age.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that the school has high expectations for their behaviour. They have the same expectations of themselves. They follow the school’s golden rules. The atmosphere in school is calm and positive. Pupils develop strong relationships with their peers and with staff, built on high levels of respect and trust.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils proudly take on responsibilities, such as belonging to the school council and the eco-team. They enjoy the wide range of extra-curricular clubs on offer. Pupils’ ‘going for gold’ passports list the experiences that they will have and skills that they will develop during their time in school. All these opportunities contribute to their personal development.

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious for its pupils. It is ordered logically so that pupils build new knowledge on their previous learning. The school ensures that staff have the guidance that they need to deliver this curriculum effectively. The early years curriculum is well-designed. Children’s learning in all areas is supported and extended through carefully designed activities in the provision. This means that children in the Nursery and the Reception Years are well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

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

The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) as early as possible. It puts in place support to help them to access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. However, sometimes, learning tasks are not adapted well enough for pupils with SEND. The school has not ensured that teachers have the necessary expertise to scaffold learning effectively. On these occasions, pupils with SEND struggle to achieve the intended learning.

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

The school teaches pupils to read successfully. Staff are skilful in delivering the phonics programme. Pupils enjoy learning about letters and the sounds that they represent. Pupils who find reading difficult are supported well to keep up with their peers. Pupils use their secure phonics knowledge to read with increasing fluency and accuracy as they progress through key stage 1. Older pupils are confident readers who enjoy a wide range of different books and authors.

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

The school has clear systems to check pupils’ learning in English and mathematics. Teachers use this information to design the next steps in learning. However, this is not the 4 and 5 March 2025

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case in some other subjects. In these subjects, the school does not have effective ways to check on what pupils know and can remember. This also means that some misconceptions are not identified or addressed, and pupils do not receive the feedback on their work that they need to help them to improve. Pupils’ learning is not as secure in these subjects as it is in others.

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Pupils show high levels of engagement in lessons. They listen carefully and complete tasks with enthusiasm. They respect everyone’s right to learn without disruptions. Some pupils do not attend school often enough to benefit from this positive learning environment. However, the school is clear and consistent in the way that it works with parents and carers to help them to get their children into school. Attendance is improving.

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The school aims for its pupils to become active, responsible citizens of society. Pupils have a good awareness of fundamental British values and why these are important. Pupils learn about the ways that people can be different to each other. They firmly believe that everyone should be treated equally. Nobody should feel left out. The school ensures that pupils learn about different religions and cultures. They listen respectfully to each other’s viewpoints and beliefs.

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The school has a nurturing culture. It builds strong relationships and a sense of community. Parents welcome this approach. Staff feel that the school is supportive of their well-being. They appreciate the steps that the school has taken to reduce unnecessary workload. For example, by starting to streamline feedback to be smarter and more effective.

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Governors are knowledgeable about the school. They get the information that they need so that they can support and challenge the school appropriately to ensure that pupils flourish in every way.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The systems to check pupils’ learning are not as effective in some subjects as they are in others. As a result, teachers sometimes do not know what pupils have learned in some lessons or remembered over time. Pupils’ learning is not as effective as a result. The school should ensure that there is a clear, effective and well-understood system for checking that pupils have learned all that they should.  The feedback that pupils sometimes receive does not help them to know what they should do to improve their work. At times, their misconceptions and gaps in their knowledge are not addressed. This means that their learning is not secure. The school 4 and 5 March 2025

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should ensure that pupils get the information that they need to build the correct knowledge and know what their next steps in learning should be.  Some pupils with SEND do not get the support that they need within lessons to learn the curriculum well. Teachers sometimes do not make effective adaptations to help these pupils access the curriculum as intended. The school should ensure that teachers understand how to support pupils with SEND to learn and achieve well.

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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

Local authority Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Jeanette Hegarty

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 February 2023, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school provides a breakfast and after-school club.  The school currently uses one registered 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.  The inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 4 and 5 March 2025

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 During this inspection, the inspectors met with the headteacher and a wide range of other staff.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority and the school improvement partner.  The 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, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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 inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and while in lessons.

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 The inspectors considered the views of parents submitted through Ofsted Parent View, including the free text responses.  The inspectors also spoke to subject leaders and pupils and viewed examples of pupils’ work in a range of other subjects.  The lead inspector observed pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.  The inspectors reviewed key documents, including the school’s self-evaluation, school action plans and monitoring records.

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Inspection team

Liz Davidson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Tony McCoy 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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