Ormskirk Lathom Park Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Ormskirk Lathom Park Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that they are like one happy family at this small school.

They appreciate the care and attention that they receive from staff. They also enjoy working with pupils of different ages. Older pupils support younger pupils well.

They act as positive role models. They behave well.

Pupils are curious learners and enjoy learning, including outdoors.

Staff have high expectations of all pupils. They provide interesting and meaningful lessons as part of a well-designed curriculum. This helps pupils to achieve well.

Pupils f...eel safe in school. They have a good understanding of bullying. They said that if bullying does happen, they trust staff to sort it out quickly.

Pupils are respectful of different people. They support each other to resolve issues that sometimes happen on the playground. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 said that they would always encourage their friends to take 'time out' if they ever noticed conflict building.

Pupils contribute well to school life. They hold a range of responsibilities, for example rabbit monitors, head girl and boy, sports leaders and school council. Pupils are proactive in these roles.

For example, pupils recently requested new football nets from sports leaders. Sports leaders ordered the nets and they arrived within the week.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum that is well suited to the needs of all pupils, including those children who access the two-year-old provision.

It enables pupils to achieve well. The curriculum allows pupils to learn about meaningful and purposeful topics. For example, children in the early years are currently making a pond.

They will build on their understanding of this in Year 1 when they learn about habitats and the life cycles of animals.Teachers and support staff have good knowledge of the subjects that they teach. Teachers use assessment strategies effectively to check on prior knowledge and to address common misconceptions.

However, in some subjects, teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to recap, revisit and consolidate their previous learning. This leads to some pupils developing gaps in their understanding. Subject leaders do not check effectively enough that the subject curriculums are being delivered as they should be.

Some subject leaders are not aware of the weaknesses in pupils' learning.

Pupils love to read. They have access to a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books.

Staff in the early years ensure that phonics and early reading has a high priority during the school day. Staff follow a consistent approach when teaching phonics. Leaders put in extra support for those pupils who fall behind.

The books that pupils read include the sounds that they are currently learning. Almost all pupils become fluent readers over time.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive a high level of support to access the same curriculum as other pupils.

Leaders ensure that pupils' needs and the barriers to their learning are identified and addressed quickly. Staff work well with a range of external agencies to put relevant support in place. Parents and carers of pupils with SEND value the ongoing and regular communication that they have with teachers.

Pupils behave well in lessons and there is little disruption to learning. A few pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This means that they have gaps in their curriculum knowledge.

Governors understand their statutory responsibilities. They have a range of skillsets that they bring to their roles. They are mindful of the well-being of staff and leaders.

However, governors do not have a good enough understanding of the difference the curriculum is making to pupils' achievement.

Pupils learn about topical world issues and engage in regular debate. They understand the importance of having a healthy body and a healthy mind.

Pupils are respectful of other and compassionate when members of the community are facing challenging times. They are keen to support the local community, for example, by raising money for charity.

Parents said that the staff go 'above and beyond' to support their children's learning and development.

They said that staff know every pupil well and provide individual support when needed. Almost all parents would recommend this school to others.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have established clear and effective systems for keeping pupils safe. All staff have received appropriate safeguarding training and are aware of how to identify those at risk of harm. Vulnerable pupils receive swift support from staff in school or outside agencies when necessary.

Pupils learn about how to stay safe through the curriculum. They have a good knowledge of online safety and know how to report situations that make them feel uncomfortable.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some subject leaders do not have a good enough understanding of how the curriculum is being delivered.

This prevents them from spotting weaknesses in the teaching of the curriculum and from gaining an accurate understanding of how well pupils are learning what they should. Leaders should ensure that they pay closer attention to how the curriculum is delivered in these subjects to ensure that staff are supported and pupils know and remember more over time. ? A few pupils do not attend school regularly enough.

This prevents these pupils from achieving as well as they should. Leaders should further develop their attendance procedures to ensure that pupils attend school on a regular basis. ? The governing body does not have a strong enough understanding of the school curriculum and the difference that it is making to pupils' outcomes.

This hinders them from offering leaders well-informed challenge. Governors should ensure that they have the information that they need to be assured that the curriculum is having the desired impact.

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 a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2017.