Childwall Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel loved at this school. They are safe and have a clear sense of security.

Pupils are kind to each other and get along well. They stated that any disagreements are minor and rare. The school acts swiftly whenever this happens to maintain a happy and harmonious school environment.

The school has high expectations for what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), will learn. Pupils achieve well in most curriculum subjects.

Pupils have various opportunities to develop their talents and interests.

There are many extra-curricular clubs on offer throughout the school day. Pupils have a say in what these wi...ll be each year. Sporting opportunities are plentiful.

Pupils also engage in drama productions, learn musical instruments and sing in the choir.

As pupils get older, they happily take on an increasing number of responsibilities around the school. These range from ambassadors to school council representatives and house captains.

Curriculum learning is enhanced well through wider experiences from field trips to visiting poets. Pupils also have opportunities for residential visits. Pupils are incredibly active citizens.

For example, they arrange beach litter picking, support local charity shops and raise funds for global causes.

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

The school caters for the personal development of pupils exceptionally well. Fundamental British values permeate the school's curriculum.

This helps pupils to develop a strong respect and tolerance for the different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs of others. Pupils have regular, meaningful opportunities to debate. They regularly discuss current events and are taught how to empathise with the views of others.

Pupils have further opportunities to hone their debating skills through the school's debate club. Pupils develop a firm knowledge of how to form healthy, positive relationships with others. They have a secure understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including when online.

Pupils develop an excellent attitude to maintaining their physical health.

There is a deep-held commitment from governors, leaders and staff to promote positive mental health. The way that the school helps pupils to look after their mental well-being is exemplary.

Pupils hold this support in high regard, often telling inspectors that it is one of the things that makes their school special.

The school provides pupils with a balanced curriculum. It has outlined broad expectations for what pupils will learn in each subject by the end of each year.

The school has adopted curriculums that typically break down the school's expectations into smaller steps of learning. However, in a small number of subjects and in some parts of the early years, the school is not clear enough about the crucial knowledge and subject-specific concepts that will be taught over time. This ultimately impedes teachers from being able to deliver some curriculums as effectively and coherently as they could.

It also hinders teachers in assessing whether pupils have understood certain concepts and acquired the important knowledge needed for future learning. Inspectors found that pupils' knowledge in these subjects was not secure. That said, pupils do achieve well across much of the curriculum.

They attain above national averages in end-of-key stage tests.

The school has systems in place to evaluate how well curriculums are implemented by staff. In some subjects, the school has an accurate understanding of what is working well and what might need further development.

However, this is not the case in other subjects. In such subjects, the school's view of curriculum delivery is not secure and does not help the school to address some issues within these areas.

The school promotes a love of reading in many ways.

For example, pupils engage in annual poetry events and read high-quality texts in their English lessons. Pupils make regular use of the school library, which is ably operated by pupil librarians.

The school ensures that staff are well trained to deliver its chosen phonics programme consistently well.

They provide pupils with books that are well suited to their knowledge of sounds. Pupils who struggle with reading receive swift support to help them keep up in their learning. Most pupils quickly become fluent, confident readers.

The school has effective systems and procedures in place to identify pupils with SEND early. The school ensures that pupils with SEND access their learning well. Teachers adapt their delivery of curriculums to cater for these pupils' additional needs.

Pupils' attendance at school is high. Few are persistently absent. Most pupils behave well, particularly during lesson times.

They are attentive and engage enthusiastically with learning activities. The school has very recently introduced new systems and routines to bring about a calmer, more orderly environment during unstructured times. These procedures are still in their infancy.

Not enough time has passed to see the full impact of these new measures.

Governors fulfil their statutory duties. Governors and senior leaders are particularly mindful of the workload and well-being of staff.

The staff feel valued, and morale is high.

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, the school is not clear enough about the knowledge and longer-term substantive concepts that need to be taught.

This means that teachers are sometimes unclear about the most important knowledge to teach and assess. This prevents pupils from acquiring a rich body of knowledge in a coherent way. The school should ensure that staff are clear about the crucial knowledge that needs to be taught and give clearer guidance to staff on how this knowledge should be assessed.

• In some subjects, the school does not have a robust insight into how well curriculums are designed and implemented. Consequently, the school does not act as swiftly as it could to address some instances where curriculum delivery is less effective. The school should review its approaches to evaluating the quality and impact of curriculum delivery so that it has an accurate picture of what is going well and what needs further development.