Birkdale Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Birkdale Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being part of this caring and welcoming school. They know that each member of staff cares about them as individuals. Many pupils, and their parents and carers, spoke of the loving Birkdale school family.

Pupils recognise that teachers put a spark into learning to make it fun and enjoyable. They particularly like the songs that teachers share with them across the curriculum, even more so when the staff band springs into action. The school has fostered a supportive learning atmosphere that enables pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND),... to succeed.

Pupils understand the school's high expectations of their work. They achieve and behave well. They are polite and respectful towards each other and to staff.

They enjoy playtimes with their friends and the many games that staff organise.

Pupils make a positive and real contribution to the development of the school's curriculum. For example, student ambassadors and staff work closely to enhance pupils' learning experiences.

They have helped to raise the profile of their specialist areas. Pupil voice is a strong feature of this school. Each week, staff consult pupils on a topic and this feeds into the decisions that the school makes.

This makes pupils feel that adults in the school listen to them.

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

Pupils, including those with SEND, benefit from an ambitious curriculum that is meaningful and interesting to them. Starting from the early years, the school has carefully considered what pupils will learn and when they will learn it.

Staff benefit from a well-designed programme of training and support. They are knowledgeable about the subjects that they teach. They explain information clearly and model subject-specific vocabulary well.

They are adept at bringing lessons to life. In most subjects, staff make sure that pupils remember previous learning. However, in a small number of subjects where the curriculum is newer, some pupils struggle to remember over time.

As a result, in these subjects, some pupils cannot build on prior knowledge when they are learning something new.

During lessons, staff check to ensure that pupils understand recent learning before introducing new concepts. Staff identify and address pupils' misconceptions successfully.

The school is adept at using information from assessments to make adjustments to teaching so that pupils learn well.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Staff introduce children to high-quality texts in the Nursery Year.

In the early years, children learn songs and rhymes that prepare them well for learning how to read words in the Reception class. The school provides regular training and support to ensure that staff implement the phonics programme to a consistently high standard. This high standard contributes to pupils building up secure reading knowledge.

Pupils make the most of opportunities provided to practise reading and become competent readers. They value the wide range of literature that is available in their classroom or in the well-stocked school library. They are keen to try out books that their teachers recommend.

Pupils are proud of their roles as librarians. They relish this opportunity to encourage others in their reading journey.

Skilled staff quickly identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND.

When necessary, these pupils benefit from well-targeted adaptations to the implementation of the curriculum. This enables them to successfully follow the school's ambitious curriculum. Each term, the school holds coffee mornings for professionals and the parents and carers of pupils with SEND to meet and support each other.

Most pupils attend school regularly and punctually. Relationships between adults and pupils are warm and respectful. Pupils work conscientiously and understand the school's 'Be rules' well.

This helps everyone to get on with their learning.

The curriculum to promote pupils' personal development is well thought out. Staff have carefully designed it to ensure that pupils have the knowledge and skills to become successful citizens of modern-day Britain.

Staff provide pupils with a wide range of enrichment activities that broaden their horizons. They nurture and develop pupils' talents and interests in drama, sport and music. Pupils spoke particularly highly about being composers in the music-tech club.

Staff feel well supported. Their morale is high. Most are very proud to work at the school.

They feel that the school values their hard work and takes into account their workload and well-being when making decisions. For example, changes to the curriculum have benefited staff greatly. The governing body understands and fulfils its statutory duties with diligence.

Governors use their expertise to challenge and support the school successfully.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, there have been recent changes to the curriculum.

In these areas, some pupils do not remember prior learning well enough. The school should ensure that staff design learning activities, which help pupils to remember more and build on what they have learned in the past.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2014.