Bedford Primary School

Bedford Primary School

Address: Quarry Road, Bootle, Liverpool, Merseyside, L20 9LJ Unique reference number (URN): 149829

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders have carefully crafted an impressive programme beyond the academic curriculum that is relevant to pupils’ lives now and in the future. Pupils consistently develop the knowledge, attributes and skills to be successful in life. Staff are resolute in their focus on ensuring that pupils benefit from deliberately planned opportunities to build their social and emotional skills. This empowers pupils to make a difference and be heard. Through taking on responsible roles, such as student councillors, subject ambassadors and young interpreters, pupils learn how to work harmoniously with others and play an active role in improving their school and community. They learn about the impact of knife crime and raise money for the local community. Pupils develop respect for the views and opinions of others and confidence to speak in groups. They appreciate the importance of treating others with respect and tolerance. Pupils are taught the importance of law and democracy. By the time

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

they leave Year 6, pupils have a mature understanding of their place in the wider world.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Support for pupils' wellbeing is prioritised. Staff are skilful in equipping pupils with the detailed knowledge and skills that they need to identify risk and share worries. Pupils value the 'worry boxes' and the swift help they receive to deal with any concerns that they have. They learn what it means to have a healthy lifestyle and relationships. This starts in the early years, where children learn to understand their feelings and manage their emotions. Pupils learn how to maintain positive friendships and the importance of respecting personal boundaries, including online.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

An extensive offer supports pupils to discover new skills and talents. Pupils speak excitedly about performances linked to 'Madagascar' club and of dance, craft, baking and sporting opportunities that have inspired them to try new things. Deliberate thought is given to removing any barriers for pupils. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, benefit from the school’s thoughtful offer.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils' attendance rates are improving and the proportion of pupils who miss large amounts of their education is declining. This is true for pupils overall and for groups such as pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders track attendance closely and act decisively to address any concerns that arise. They build positive relationships with pupils and their families in order to understand what the barriers to regular attendance are. Leaders put tailored support in place that leads to improvements in attendance rates for individual pupils.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Staff and pupils are well versed in the kindness, care and respect that sits at the heart of 'Team Bedford'. This ensures that pupils throughout the school make positive behaviour choices. Staff model positive relationships. This starts in the early years where children learn how to take turns and listen to each other. Pupils are typically polite, courteous and keen to learn. They strive to demonstrate their 'marvellous manners' in the dining hall. Pupils who struggle to meet the school's high expectations are supported to manage their emotions and improve their behaviour. They benefit from a range of effective strategies so that they are ready to learn. The culture of respect and acceptance of difference mean that unkind incidents, for example bullying or discrimination, are rare.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders carefully consider any disadvantages or barriers that pupils face. They ensure they understand the unique needs and experiences of each pupil at the earliest opportunity. This includes for those pupils who join the school later in their education. Leaders ensure that supporting pupils to be included and valued as part of the school community is at the forefront of this work. Pupils benefit from tailored and well-matched support for their emotional and social needs. This is prioritised by staff so that pupils quickly gain a sense of belonging and are supported to be ready to learn. Leaders ensure that any use of alternative provision is appropriate and in pupils' best interests.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff are well supported to take a step-by-step approach to identifying and supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Working closely with parents, carers and external agencies, leaders ensure these productive partnerships contribute to the school's work. This informs the support that pupils receive. Appropriate adaptations to learning help most pupils with SEND to access the same learning as their peers. When appropriate, pupils benefit from individual curriculums matched to their needs. Leaders ensure that additional funding is used effectively to provide further support for disadvantaged pupils. Pupils who speak English as an additional language access tailored sessions to develop their language and communication skills.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders, including trustees and members of the local governing body, know their school very well. They have a granular understanding of the community that they serve and the barriers that many pupils face to their learning and wellbeing. Leaders are focused on the most important priorities for further improvement. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are at the heart of leaders' decisions and changes that they make. Leaders have taken purposeful action to address pupils' attendance and readiness to learn. This work has been built on the strength of the school's personal development offer and supportive and trusting relationships with parents and carers.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have taken action to address weaknesses in the curriculum, teaching and achievement, including in the early years. Some aspects of this work is further on than others. Improvements in the teaching of reading, for example, are beginning to have an impact. Staffing instabilities have slowed the progress of some of this improvement work. Leaders have addressed these instabilities as a priority.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Trustees and local governors provide effective support and challenge to school leaders. They oversee all areas of provision and fulfil their roles effectively. This includes meeting their statutory duties. Staff are proud to work at the school and feel very well supported.

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Needs attention

They value the opportunities that they are given to develop their knowledge and skills through the professional learning offered by the school and, more widely, the trust.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, have gaps in their knowledge across the curriculum, particularly in writing and mathematics. For some pupils, these gaps are not being closed swiftly enough. Published data shows that pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 2 and in the Year 4 multiplication tables check is below the national averages. While the proportion of pupils who met the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check improved in 2025, it remains below the national average.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities or those who are disadvantaged, are increasingly supported to make progress from their varied starting points as a result of recent improvements. This is evident in pupils’ reading and their understanding of their current learning in other subjects. For example, pupils confidently share their knowledge from recent learning in geography, history and music. Even so, over time, pupils have not been as well prepared for the next stage of their education as they should be.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Teachers' checks on pupils' learning do not identify or address gaps in their understanding well enough. This means that pupils are not supported to secure the most important learning that they need to build new knowledge. Leaders have begun to address this issue. They provide focused support for staff on effective teaching methods, including adapting learning to meet pupils' needs. The impact of this work is evident in some areas of the curriculum. For example, in the teaching of early reading. Phonics is taught well and pupils receive the extra help that they need to secure their early reading knowledge. As pupils move through each year group they read with increasing fluency and understanding. Staff use a number of strategies to support individual or small groups of pupils who have gaps in their mathematics knowledge and writing skills. However, this work is at an earlier stage.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have designed the curriculum beyond English and mathematics carefully. This helps pupils to progress through subjects in a logical order. Staff have secure subject knowledge to deliver these curriculums. However, pupils are not well supported to make links between their previous learning and new learning in these subjects.

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Early years Needs attention

Children are not supported to be as well prepared for the challenges of key stage 1 as they could be. Children do not benefit from staff showing them how to develop their communication and language skills. They do not have enough back and forth conversations to support their learning. This limits how well they engage and interact with adults and each other. Staff do not use checks on children's learning, including early writing and mathematics, to address gaps well enough. This hampers some children from progressing smoothly through the curriculum. Leaders have begun to address this situation. For example, the sharp focus on the teaching of early reading is having a positive impact.

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Early years Needs attention

Staff liaise effectively with other settings, parents and carers to support children's transition into the Reception Year. This ensures that children's needs, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are identified in a timely manner. Children's social and emotional development is prioritised. Staff establish warm, caring relationships with children. Consequently, children settle quickly. They learn and play happily together.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Warm relationships between staff and pupils underpin this caring community. Pupils are welcomed by friendly staff with personal greetings. Pupils who join the school at different times of the year, including those who speak English as an additional language, settle quickly. Everyone is welcomed into ‘Team Bedford’. The school provides a haven for pupils. They feel safe and know that staff care about them. Pupils value the support that staff give them socially and emotionally. They feel comfortable to share their worries, including about bullying. Staff soothe any concerns that pupils may have and deal with any issues promptly and effectively.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils appreciate the extensive range of exciting opportunities on offer. They are proud to represent their school in choir performances and sporting events, such as the mini marathon in London. They enjoy visits that enrich their learning, including listening to orchestras and visiting theatres. Pupils are particularly proud of the Shakespeare North performances in which they participate. These experiences develop pupils' confidence and self-esteem. Pupils are encouraged to ‘dream, believe and aspire' by learning about life beyond school through visits to universities. For example, pupils talk of their plans to become astronauts, paramedics and pilots.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils make every effort to rise to leaders’ high expectations of their behaviour. They enjoy their learning and all that the school offers. Pupils want to be in school and attendance rates are improving. They proudly speak about their class ‘recognition boards’ and 'golden tickets' that they earn for positive behaviour. Pupils who sometimes find it difficult to manage their emotions receive appropriate support to do this well. Staff understand the barriers and challenges that some pupils face in their learning. Overall, pupils benefit from well- considered approaches to address their needs. However, pupils, including children in the early years, are not supported to achieve as well as they could. Leaders are taking appropriate action to address this issue but it is too soon to see the impact of some of these improvements.

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that pupils who have not secured the necessary foundational knowledge and skills in English and mathematics, particularly those who are

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Team inspectors:

Iain Sim, Ofsted Inspector Lisa Littler, Ofsted Inspector Joanne Hewson, Ofsted Inspector disadvantaged, receive appropriate support to secure and apply this knowledge so that pupils’ achievement improves. Leaders should ensure that staff are supported to further develop how well they check pupils' learning in lessons and adapt their teaching in response so that pupils’ gaps in knowledge, misconceptions are effectively addressed and that pupils’ new learning builds on what they already know. Leaders should further develop the quality of staff-child interactions in the early years provision, so that staff promote children's confidence in their use of language to support their learning and development. Leaders should continue to take action to further reduce levels of absence for pupils.

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About this inspection

The school is part of the Southport Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Ian Raikes, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Stuart Bellerby.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our updated inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other school leaders and staff during the inspection. The lead inspector met with the CEO, trustees, including the chair of trustees and members of the local governing body. Inspectors also spoke with a representative of the local authority and a representative of the registered alternative provision currently used by the school.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school provides a breakfast and after school provision for pupils.

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About this inspection

The school currently makes use of 1 registered alternative provision.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years. National average: 26.3%

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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average

2023/24 (final) 33% 46% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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average

2023/24 (final) 52% 58% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2024/25 (revised) 54% 61% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 52% 59% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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