Birkdale Primary School
Catchment Area, Reviews and Key Information

Primary
PUPILS
453
AGES
3 - 11
GENDER
Mixed
TYPE
Community school
SCHOOL GUIDE RATING
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Can I Get My Child Into This School?

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This pupil heat map shows where pupils currently attending the school live.
The concentration of pupils shows likelihood of admission based on distance criteria

Source: All attending pupils National School Census Data, ONS
0845 140 0845

This School Guide heat map has been plotted using official pupil data taken from the last School Census collected by the Department for Education. It is a visualisation of where pupils lived at the time of the annual School Census.

Our heat maps use groups of postcodes, not individual postcodes, and have naturally soft edges. All pupils are included in the mapping (i.e. children with siblings already at the school, high priority pupils and selective and/or religious admissions) but we may have removed statistical ‘outliers’ with more remote postcodes that do not reflect majority admissions.

For some schools, the heat map may be a useful indicator of the catchment area but our heat maps are not the same as catchment area maps. Catchment area maps, published by the school or local authority, are based on geographical admissions criteria and show actual cut-off distances and pre-defined catchment areas for a single admission year.

This information is provided as a guide only. The criteria in which schools use to allocate places in the event that they are oversubscribed can and do vary between schools and over time. These criteria can include distance from the school and sometimes specific catchment areas but can also include, amongst others, priority for siblings, children of a particular faith or specific feeder schools. Living in an area where children have previously attended a school does not guarantee admission to the school in future years. Always check with the school’s own admission authority for the current admission arrangements.

3 steps to help parents gather catchment information for a school:

  1. Look at our school catchment area guide for more information on heat maps. They give a useful indicator of the general areas that admit pupils to the school. This visualisation is based on all attending pupils present at the time of the annual School Census.
  2. Use the link to the Local Authority Contact (above) to find catchment area information based on a single admission year. This is very important if you are considering applying to a school.
  3. On each school page, use the link to visit the school website and find information on individual school admissions criteria. Geographical criteria are only applied after pupils have been admitted on higher priority criteria such as Looked After Children, SEN, siblings, etc.

How Does The School Perform?

Good
NATIONAL AVG. 2.09
Ofsted Inspection
(06/11/2018)
Full Report - All Reports
49%
NATIONAL AVG. 60%
% pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics



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Progress Compared With All Other Schools

UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 9% of schools in England) Average (About 67% of schools in England) Above Average (About 6% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 8% of schools in England) UNLOCK Well Below Average (About 10% of schools in England) Below Average (About 11% of schools in England) Average (About 59% of schools in England) Above Average (About 11% of schools in England) Well Above Average (About 9% of schools in England)
Matlock Road
Birkdale
Southport
PR8 4EL
01704567516

School Description

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. During my visit, it was clear that the school’s aim of ‘Attainment through Caring, Challenge and Creativity’ aptly sums up its ethos. An air of excitement, fun and enjoyment of learning characterises the school. In no small part, this is due to your enthusiasm and commitment to ensuring that pupils have interesting and memorable learning experiences. Many parents commented on this feature and paid tribute to the work that you and your staff do to educate, nurture and inspire their children. Pupils themselves are the school’s biggest fans. Many were bursting to tell me about all the extraordinary things that happen. ‘One minute we’re working with an archaeologist, the next a plane has landed on the playground or someone from history has come out of the Tardis,’ is typical of pupils’ comments that capture the spirit of learning at Birkdale. All the staff who responded to Ofsted’s online survey said that they are proud to work at your school. Staff agree that leaders consider their well-being and encourage them to improve through support and training. This makes for happy and effective staff who have a very positive effect on pupils’ academic and personal development. Effective teaching and a broad curriculum, including ‘life lessons’, ensure that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain and ready for secondary school when they leave Year 6. At that point, pupils have made strong progress in reading and mathematics and their attainment in these subjects is high. During our visits to key stage 2 classes, we saw some very effective teaching of reading. Teachers used well-crafted questions to extend pupils’ vocabulary and develop their inference skills. Teachers required pupils to justify their answers using evidence from the texts. Texts are thoughtfully chosen to motivate pupils, develop their understanding of ideas about equality and diversity and increase their knowledge of a variety of subjects. The text about The Unknown Warrior was an excellent example of pupils’ reading skills and historical knowledge being developed at the same time. Pupils do not achieve as well in writing, but the situation is improving. In 2016, Year 6 pupils’ progress in writing was weak and attainment was significantly below average. Since then, however, you and your staff have worked successfully to improve progress and raise attainment so that it is now in line with the national average. Although writing is not now the school’s main priority for improvement, you are not content to relax your efforts. Writing most definitely remains on the radar to ensure that pupils achieve as well in this area as they do in reading and mathematics. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes thoroughly enjoy school. It is clear from the way the children conduct themselves that they feel safe and secure. The proportion of children who attain a good level of development by the end of Reception has improved significantly over the last two years, and is now above average. In the same period, pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 2 improved in reading, writing and mathematics. Standards in mathematics are now slightly above average and standards in reading are much closer to the national average. In writing, however, standards are still below average. Teachers in the early years and key stage 1 are rightly focusing on further improving standards in reading and writing. However, weaknesses in the curriculum and teaching of phonics are hampering improvement. You have taken effective action to deal with the areas for improvement raised by the previous inspection. Curriculum plans reflect your strong commitment to the most able pupils having opportunities to deepen their learning. Higher proportions of pupils attaining the higher standard in reading and mathematics by the end of key stage 2 demonstrate this improvement. Even in writing, where progress is not as good, the proportion of Year 6 pupils attaining greater depth in their writing was slightly above average this year. Since the last inspection, comprehensive training for teaching assistants and more thoughtful deployment of these staff are ensuring that they make a more consistent contribution to teaching and learning. However, some support staff are not being used as well as they might be in the teaching of phonics. Governors are loyal and dedicated and are great advocates for the school. The introduction of a governors’ open day this year has given governors a deeper insight into the school’s work. In my discussion with governors and review of the minutes of their meetings, it was clear that they regularly ask leaders probing questions about important matters regarding finance and the school building. However, governors’ questions about pupils’ achievement are less frequent and searching. You have rightly identified this as a priority for improvement.

Birkdale Primary School Parent Reviews



unlock % Parents Recommend This School
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>80, "agree"=>16, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 61 responses up to 06-11-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>80, "agree"=>16, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 61 responses up to 06-11-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>72, "agree"=>21, "disagree"=>5, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 61 responses up to 06-11-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>72, "agree"=>21, "disagree"=>5, "strongly_disagree"=>2, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 61 responses up to 06-11-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>70, "agree"=>23, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>0, "dont_know"=>3} UNLOCK Figures based on 61 responses up to 06-11-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>59, "agree"=>34, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>0} UNLOCK Figures based on 61 responses up to 06-11-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>59, "agree"=>30, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>5, "dont_know"=>5} UNLOCK Figures based on 61 responses up to 06-11-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>52, "agree"=>18, "disagree"=>3, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>23} UNLOCK Figures based on 61 responses up to 06-11-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>72, "agree"=>16, "disagree"=>0, "strongly_disagree"=>5, "dont_know"=>7} UNLOCK Figures based on 61 responses up to 06-11-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>62, "agree"=>16, "disagree"=>10, "strongly_disagree"=>3, "dont_know"=>8} UNLOCK Figures based on 61 responses up to 06-11-2018
Strongly Agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree Don't Know {"strongly_agree"=>62, "agree"=>30, "disagree"=>2, "strongly_disagree"=>5, "dont_know"=>2} UNLOCK Figures based on 61 responses up to 06-11-2018
Yes No {"yes"=>93, "no"=>7} UNLOCK Figures based on 61 responses up to 06-11-2018

Responses taken from Ofsted Parent View

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