Anfield Road Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 1 October 2024

Pupils are happy at this calm and nurturing school. There is a warm welcome waiting for pupils each morning. The large group of pupils who join the school from overseas are supported well to quickly feel included as part of the school community. Pupils are proud of their school. Pupils conduct themselves well. From the time that they start in the early years, children quickly learn routines and settle well to school life. They are keen to please and they meet the high standards that the school sets for their behaviour. Pupils are starting to realise the expectations that are set for their learning in subjects across the curriculum. Following some very low results at the end of key stage 2 in 2023, improvements are ensuring that all pupils are currently achieving better standards in their work. However, the way in which language is promoted across the early years is too varied in its effectiveness. Pupils benefit from a range of additional activities to develop their talents and interests, including clubs for boxing, jewellery making and football. Older pupils take on leadership roles, such as being a school councillor or language ambassador. This develops their confidence and adds to the sense of community in the school.

What the school should improve

• In a small number of subjects, including in the early years, the arrangements to assess pupils' knowledge are not as strong as in other subjects. This means that staff do not understand where there are gaps in pupils' learning. The school should ensure that the gaps in pupils' knowledge are assessed against the intended curriculum and addressed effectively.
• In the Nursery Year, some children in the early stages of language acquisition do not have enough opportunities to develop their communication and language skills. These children are not learning to interact well enough with one another. The school should ensure pupils are taught to use a wide vocabulary to help them communicate effectively.
• Governors have not sufficiently held the school to account for the effectiveness of the pupil premium expenditure. This means that the review of this funding is not ensuring that it is having the best possible impact on disadvantaged pupils. The school should ensure that targets for the pupil premium are specific and measurable so that governors can understand better, and enhance, the difference that this funding makes to disadvantaged pupils' attainment.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)