Knowsley Central School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Knowsley Central School Mossbrow Road, Huyton, Liverpool, Merseyside L36 7SY

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Outcome

Knowsley Central 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 rush excitedly into school, warmly welcomed by staff, when they arrive each morning. This is a place where pupils flourish.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy exceptional relationships with staff. They know that staff care for them deeply. There is always someone there for them when needed. Consequently, pupils feel happy and know that they are in safe hands.

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What is it like to attend this school?

From children in early years to the oldest pupils, there is no ceiling on what staff want pupils to achieve. Staff have a thorough understanding of pupils’ complex needs. This, along with an aspirational curriculum, ensures that pupils, who all have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are exceptionally well prepared for their next steps in education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff skilfully help pupils to regulate their own behaviour and to manage their emotions. Staff are experts at noticing when pupils experience distress or discomfort, and they respond quickly and sensitively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personal development is woven through everything the school does. Pupils enjoy the many experiences they are offered. This includes an exciting residential trip for older pupils and clubs that are created from pupils’ interests. Pupils are proud to talk about their enterprise activities. They make products to sell to raise money for charities or donate as gifts to local community residents. 18 and 19 March 2025

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

This school never stands still. It is relentless in continually improving experiences for pupils to make sure they are offered the very best education.

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

The school has designed a highly effective and ambitious curriculum. The school’s curriculum thinking is exceptionally well developed and reflects a strong determination that every pupil will benefit from rich and engaging learning. Speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and educational psychology professionals work closely with staff and play an important role in contributing to this excellent curriculum.

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

All staff receive frequent, high-quality training. This has, for example, developed leadership at every level across the school. In turn, many staff are experts in their field and frequently work collaboratively and share best practice with others. This includes working with mainstream and special schools across the local authority as well as providing highly valued outreach support to mainstream schools.

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

Teachers are confident in the subjects that they teach. They use the information in education, health, and care (EHC) plans adeptly so that individual targets are seamlessly interwoven into all aspects of the curriculum. They also skilfully use the information that they have about each pupil to break down learning into small, manageable steps. Staff have a deep understanding of how to adapt the delivery of the curriculum for all pupils. As a result, all pupils thrive.

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

At the forefront of the school’s work is a focus on developing pupils’ communication and interaction skills. Staff apply a well-considered range of communication strategies across the school and create personalised communication books for each pupil. From the early years, children are taught early reading skills. Pupils enjoy learning the foundations for reading, for example through listening and responding to sounds around school. Pupils who are ready to learn phonics develop their early reading skills well. They decode texts and read books that are closely matched to the sounds that they already know. Fostering a love of reading is a prominent feature in school. Pupils have regular access to a wealth of books. They frequently share stories, songs, rhymes, and poems with staff and with each other.

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

From the early years onwards, staff are adept at teaching important skills such as following routines, building sustained attention and taking turns. This relentless focus on building positive learning habits often takes time but inevitably leads to pupils being highly motivated and taking pride in their learning. While being sensitive to the difficulties and barriers that families face, the school works tenaciously to ensure that pupils attend school regularly.

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

The school expertly promotes the personal development of all pupils. This prepares pupils well for success in their day-to-day life beyond school. This begins from the moment pupils start at the school. Pupils grow in confidence, independence, and resilience, through the many experiences they are offered. For example, there are opportunities to 18 and 19 March 2025

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learn life skills such as going to a café, buying food at the local supermarket, or sitting in the cinema.

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Governors share the school’s ambition and commitment. Staff value the support that they receive for their well-being and workload. They appreciate the time the school gives them to carry out their responsibilities effectively. Staff are proud to work at the school and share the school’s determination to make a real difference to the lives of pupils and their families.

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Parents and carers are effusive about the school. They typically said that staff at the school are ‘amazing’ and ‘go above and beyond’ in all that they do for their children and their families.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in October 2014.

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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. 18 and 19 March 2025

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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). 18 and 19 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

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Knowsley Central School has changed considerably since the last inspection. From September 2020, in agreement with the local authority, the school no longer offers places for key stage 3 pupils. Despite this, there has been an increase in pupils on the school’s roll. The complexity of the needs of pupils with SEND has also increased.  All pupils at the school have an EHC plan. The school caters for pupils with a range of complex needs, including those with severe learning difficulties and autism.  The school does not make use of alternative provision for 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 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. 18 and 19 March 2025

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 Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher and other senior leaders and staff in the school, including those responsible for safeguarding and pastoral care.  The lead inspector spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. She also spoke with an independent school advisor and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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 held discussions with staff, which focused on their workload and well-being.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including documents relating to school

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improvement.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils. However, as appropriate, inspectors spoke with pupils about their experiences at school.

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Inspection team

Sue Eastwood, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gil Bourgade Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 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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