Haydock English Martyrs’ Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, are happy in school. They enjoy warm relationships with staff. Pupils appreciate that leaders care about their emotional health and well-being.

Pupils know that leaders expect them to behave and achieve well. Pupils aspire to have their positive behaviour and learning celebrated.... They wear their badges, especially bookworm badges, with a genuine sense of pride.

Pupils work hard in lessons and get on well with each other. Those pupils who sometimes find it difficult to manage their behaviour receive appropriate support to do this well.

Pupils know how to identify different types of bullying.

If behaviour issues escalate, including bullying, leaders deal with them promptly and fairly. This helps pupils to feel safe.

Pupils play an active role in school life.

They eagerly carry out their extra responsibilities, such as being part of the chaplaincy team or eco-club. Pupils learn to treat everyone with respect, regardless of their differences.

Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), develop into fluent readers over time.

They become confident mathematicians. However, leaders' development of the curriculum in some other subjects is at an earlier stage. Pupils do not learn as well as they should in these subjects.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about the disruption to pupils' learning as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have focused successfully on improving pupils' outcomes in reading and mathematics. Leaders carefully order the knowledge that pupils need to learn in these subjects.

They make sure that staff use their clear understanding of where pupils have gaps in their knowledge to design what pupils should learn next. In these subjects, pupils achieve well. This includes in the early years.

As soon as they step into the Nursery Year, children benefit from meaningful opportunities to develop their communication, language and early mathematics skills.

In other subjects, leaders have begun to devise a more aspirational curriculum. They provide clear guidance to teachers about the important knowledge that pupils must know and the order in which this content should be delivered.

However, the implementation of this curriculum is at an early stage in some foundation subjects. Teachers are still developing their understanding of what pupils should learn. This includes how best to choose activities that will help pupils to deepen their knowledge over time.

Consequently, pupils' progress across the curriculum is uneven.

Leaders prioritise reading. They have developed a culture of reading for pleasure in staff and pupils.

This begins in the early years, where, for example, children join in exciting story-based role play adventures with enthusiasm. Older pupils build on these positive attitudes. They value the reading areas that leaders have created for them around the school.

This supports pupils to read widely and often.

Children are well prepared to learn to read as soon as they enter the Reception class. Staff deliver the phonics programme well.

Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know and are learning. Staff check on how well pupils learn new sounds carefully. If pupils fall behind, staff support them to catch up quickly.

Pupils develop strong reading habits. They read at home and in school regularly. This helps to build pupils' fluency and confidence.

Leaders identify pupils' SEND at the earliest possible opportunity. Pupils with SEND benefit from effective support. This helps them to access the curriculum well.

Leaders make timely links with outside agencies when pupils need further support.

Children in the Nursery Year are inquisitive and eager learners. Reception-age children show deep concentration when taking part in different learning activities.

Older pupils are also keen to learn and do well. Lessons across the school progress calmly and without interruption.

Leaders' provision for pupils' wider personal development remains a strength of this school.

Pupils are well prepared for the changes that will happen to them as they grow up. This includes changes to their bodies as a result of puberty. Leaders carefully select texts for pupils to read that develop their understanding of the differences between people.

Pupils develop a range of attributes through reading these texts, including the ability to think deeply about the experiences of others.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate that leaders are approachable and that their workload is considered carefully.

Governors enjoy long affiliations with the school. They are proud to serve its community. Governors ensure that most of their statutory duties are met well.

However, some aspects of their work are less secure. This includes governors' understanding of their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders make sure that staff know how to keep pupils safe. Staff escalate any concerns that they may have about pupils promptly. However, once concerns are reported, there are some weaknesses in the way that leaders use their own recording systems.

Some records contain insufficient detail. That said, these administrative lapses are easy to put right. They have not left pupils vulnerable to harm.

Leaders make sure that pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. Pupils learn how to recognise potential dangers when playing and working online. They understand that people online may not be who they say they are.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum is at the early stages of being implemented in a number of foundation subjects. Some teachers are still developing their understanding of how their class's curriculum fits into the overall curriculum. They are also developing their knowledge of how to design effective learning so that pupils remember essential content knowledge.

Pupils' achievement across the curriculum is uneven as a result. Leaders should ensure that teachers know how to deliver newly introduced subject curriculums effectively. ? Some safeguarding records do not contain essential administrative information relating to reported incidents.

These omissions could potentially be significant should concerns need to be escalated and information shared with other professionals. Leaders should ensure that staff adhere to the school's agreed safeguarding systems consistently well. ? Governors' understanding of the school's work around equalities is less well developed than their knowledge of their other responsibilities.

This means that governors do not effectively hold leaders to account for this aspect of their work as effectively as they do in other areas. Governors should make sure that they maintain a clear oversight of the school's statutory duties in relation to equalities legislation.

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2018.