The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice and marked improvement in specific areas. This may indicate that the school has improved significantly overall. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next inspection be a section 5 inspection. Your school is a vibrant and inclusive learning community. Its spirit and ethos are perfectly captured in its motto ‘Succeed and Achieve Together’. Your highly effective leadership has ensured that the school is now in a much stronger position than when it was last judged to be good. Other senior leaders, governors and staff mirror your enthusiasm and commitment to providing pupils with an education that inspires, challenges and empowers them to reach their potential. Pupils’ books and displays of their work show that they study a wide range of subjects in ways that promote a love of learning. To ensure that pupils make strong progress in all subjects, you and your team have reviewed and improved the curriculum this year. In subjects other than English and mathematics, you have more clearly identified the important knowledge and skills you intend pupils will learn and the order in which these will be taught. You and other leaders are currently carrying out a variety of checks to determine how well these intentions are being met. Some subject leaders are still developing the skills for this work, and the expertise to lead any further improvements that might be necessary in their subjects. In your school, teachers feel well supported and enabled to carry out their work. Pupils thrive and achieve and are excited about their learning. The questions and investigations that drive learning in many subjects ignite pupils’ curiosity and thirst for learning. Pupils speak enthusiastically about numerous memorable learning experiences. These include learning how mountains are formed, writing persuasive pitches for products they have designed and creating a dance to show the process of pollination. Pupils know about important people who have influenced art, music, science, mathematics, literature and history. They value the educational visitors and visits you provide to enrich the curriculum. Pupils told me that visits to museums, art galleries and theatrical and musical performances ‘make learning more real’. The overwhelmingly positive responses from pupils and their parents and carers are a true testament to the quality of teaching and curriculum in your school. All pupils who responded to Ofsted’s pupil survey said that they enjoy their learning and would recommend Broadgreen to others. Pupils like and value their teachers. They described teachers as helpful and kind and said that teachers give them challenging work, encourage them to contribute in lessons, and listen to what they have to say. Parents too are full of praise. Typical comments included, ‘This is a school filled with love and fun,’ ‘My children come home full of marvel,’ and ‘The school is a treasure in the community.’ You ensure that the curriculum makes an exceptional contribution to pupils’ personal development and well-being. Leaders have constructed a comprehensive personal, social and health education programme that educates pupils about safe and healthy lifestyles and relationships. All pupils also have planned opportunities to develop thinking skills. Pupils discuss social and moral dilemmas, including questions about diversity and equality, such as: ‘Should female footballers get paid the same as male footballers?’; ‘Can you be different but accepted?’ These sessions develop pupils’ confidence to express opinions, skills of negotiation and respect for different viewpoints. The success of the school’s work in this area was plain during my visit, when many pupils confidently came up to me, shook my hand and engaged me in conversation. Pupils’ impeccable manners continue to be a hallmark of your school. At the last inspection, you were asked to provide all pupils with more opportunities to develop their writing skills in English and other subjects. You were also asked to ensure that mathematics activities are sufficiently challenging. You have responded very well to both recommendations. Teachers have readily taken on board the non-negotiables you set for pupils’ writing. Pupils’ books show that they are given at least two opportunities each week to produce an extended piece of writing. One of these is in English and the other in a different subject. Teachers are skilful in inspiring pupils to write. Examples include pupils writing a ‘team-talk’ from the perspective of the Liverpool football club manager, blogs about players in the England women’s world cup squad and a script for a detective film. The work in pupils’ books, and celebrated in displays around the school, shows that pupils make strong progress in writing. Better attainment in writing is evident over time. By the end of Year 6, the proportion of pupils attaining the expected standard in writing has been consistently at least in line with pupils nationally. The proportion writing at greater depth has increased each year since 2016 and was above average in 2018. The work pupils undertake in mathematics now challenges them very effectively. The pupils I spoke with, including the most able mathematicians, agree. Pupils of all ages enjoy applying their mathematical learning to the wide range of reasoning challenges they are given. Over time, the end of key stage 2 mathematics test results show that pupils make consistently good progress. By the end of Year 6, attainment at the expected standard is at least in line with pupils nationally. The proportion of pupils who attain the high standard is close to the national average. Alongside these improvements, you have also ensured that reading has a more central place in the curriculum. Great emphasis is placed on pupils’ reading for pleasure and to enhance their knowledge and vocabulary in different subjects. As a result, there has been a notable improvement in pupils’ progress and attainment in reading. In 2018, for example, Year 6 pupils’ reading test results were above average at both the expected standard and the high standard. You receive excellent support and healthy challenge from your governing board. Governors are keen to know the impact of school improvement initiatives on pupils’ outcomes. Accordingly, they have asked questions about the progression of skills within the school’s new curriculum. Safeguarding is effective. You have ensured a strong culture of care and safeguarding in the school. All safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Statutory checks are in place to ensure the suitability of all adults working in school, and appropriate checks are made on visitors when they arrive at the school. You ensure that all staff receive regular safeguarding training. As a result, staff are clear about their responsibilities and do not hesitate to pass on any concerns they might have about a child’s welfare to you or your deputy safeguarding leaders. You maintain comprehensive records of all safeguarding incidents and concerns. These provide clear and detailed information about the school’s actions and communications with parents and professional agencies. Where you consider that the views of other professionals are not in pupils’ best interests, you are not afraid to challenge these or escalate your concerns. Pupils say that they feel safe in school and that behaviour is good. They have an informed understanding of how to stay safe in many situations because safeguarding education is an integral part of your curriculum. Pupils know the different forms bullying can take and what to do if they experience it. In this aspect of safeguarding, pupils explained the valuable role of the pupil anti-bullying ambassadors. Pupils explained that there is little bullying in school and that if it does occur teachers and other adults are really good at sorting things out. Pupils are clear about the potential dangers of using technology. Pupils trust the adults who work with them. They told me that all the teaching and welfare staff listen to any concerns they might express and never ‘fob you off’. Parents appreciate the school’s work to keep their children safe. All parents who responded to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, said that their children are safe in school. Inspection findings Prior to 2018, the proportion of children attaining a good level of development by the end of the early years had been well below average. In 2018, however, the proportion increased to almost 70% and was close to the national average. This outcome reflected the children’s strong progress. An increased emphasis on the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics underpinned this improvement. This has continued and is now an embedded and successful aspect of the school’s early years practice. Children in the early years benefit from an exciting curriculum that develops all areas of their learning. During the inspection, the children were delighted to receive a letter from ‘T-Rex’ and were highly motivated to write back. The children gleefully explored dinosaur artefacts in their class museum and sifted through sand like archaeologists to uncover dinosaur bones. As the children explored, skilled practitioners expertly supported the children’s learning, language development, writing skills and knowledge of the world. This example is typical of the learning that takes place in the early years each day. In 2017, leaders also took decisive action to tackle low attainment in key stage 1, including Year 1 pupils’ attainment in phonics. Leaders ensured that more, welltrained staff were deployed to teach phonics, each day, in Years 1 and 2. The overall profile of reading was raised, including reading for pleasure. As in the rest of the school, pupils were given many more opportunities to write in different styles and for different purposes. Leaders soon began to see the impact that these changes were having on pupils’ progress and attainment in phonics, reading and writing. In 2018, the proportion of Year 1 pupils attaining the expected standard in phonics rose sharply and matched the national average. Similar success was evident in the 2018 statutory assessments of Year 2 pupils. Pupils’ attainment in reading and writing improved significantly and was close to pupils this age nationally, at both the expected standard and greater depth. The same is true for mathematics. Leaders’ and teachers’ higher expectations and a strong focus on developing pupils’ number and problem-solving skills boosted progress and ensured that pupils attained standards similar to pupils the same age nationally. Current pupils’ books and the school’s assessment information show that these improvements have been sustained. The school makes very good provision for disadvantaged pupils. By the end of key stage 2, disadvantaged pupils have made strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Indeed, in mathematics, their progress has been in the top 20% of schools nationally for the last two years. Leaders are very successful in identifying and addressing any barriers to learning that these pupils might face. Leaders make wise and effective use of the additional funding they receive for this group of pupils. Essentially, leaders’ high expectations, quality teaching, the school’s inclusive nature and commitment to all pupils achieving their potential are what make the difference. The school prepares pupils exceptionally well for life in modern Britain. In this school, all aspects of diversity are recognised and celebrated. Consequently, pupils gain a deep understanding of the meaning of equality and a genuine understanding of fundamental British values. Leaders ensure that nothing in this crucial aspect of pupils’ education is superficial or left to chance. From the early years onwards, the curriculum is explicitly planned to enable pupils to learn about respect and to value difference. The impact of your work is plainly evident in pupils’ mature and perceptive comments on these matters. You and your staff are cultivating future citizens and doing so remarkably well. Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: all subject leaders are knowledgeable and proficient in leading improvements in their subjects so that pupils know more and remember more as they get older. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Liverpool. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website. Yours sincerely Margot D’Arcy Ofsted Inspector Information about the inspection I met with you and your senior leadership team to discuss leaders’ evaluations of the school’s work and priorities for improvement. I met with a group of pupils from key stage 2 and spoke to other pupils informally at lunchtime. Accompanied by you, I observed teaching, learning and behaviour in the early years, key stage 1 and key stage 2. Jointly with you and your assistant headteachers, I reviewed samples of pupils’ work. I analysed a range of school documents and resources, including those relating to safeguarding, behaviour and governors’ work. I held a meeting with three governors and met with a representative of the local authority. I spoke with parents informally as they brought their children to school. I considered 36 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online parent survey, including 17 written comments. I took account of 26 responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire and 36 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil questionnaire.