Moorcroft Wood Primary School

Moorcroft Wood Primary School Bull Lane, Bilston, Walsall, WV14 8NE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils 3 3 Quality of teaching 3 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils 2 2 Leadership and management 2 2

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils’ progress is mostly adequate in English and mathematics.  Reception children and pupils in Years 1 and 2 do not do as well as they should.  Despite recent improvements in teaching, not enough lessons are good or better.  In some lessons teachers do not probe pupils enough with their questions to check precisely what pupils have learnt.  Teachers do not always expect enough of pupils, particularly of those of average ability and the less able, and do not let pupils work by themselves for long enough.  Pupils do not always know from the feedback which teachers give them what they have done well in lessons and how they could improve their work.  Senior leaders sometimes do not focus sharply enough on the outcomes of teaching activities on pupils’ learning and progress.

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The school has the following strengths

 Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has improved pupils’ achievement, which is now better than in the past by the end of Year 2 and Year 6.  Teaching has improved and the proportion of good teaching has increased.  Pupils enjoy school and feel safe; they behave well.  A good range of interesting activities, such as sport and outdoor visits, contributes well to pupils’ breadth of experiences and achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 13 lessons, three of which were jointly observed with the headteacher. In addition, the inspectors made three short visits to other sessions.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, the Chair and two other members of the Governing Body, a representative of the local authority, as well as with senior and middle leaders.  Inspectors took into account the views of five responses to the on-line Parent View questionnaire together with the outcomes of the school’s own survey of parents’ views.  Inspectors looked at a wide range of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ current and recent progress, planning and monitoring documentation, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding arrangements.

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Inspection team

Krishan Sharma, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Rashida Sharif Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils who are supported at school action is slightly higher than average, while the proportion of those supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  A very large majority of pupils are White British. A very small minority come from minority ethnic groups, very few of whom speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for pupil premium funding is higher than average.  There is an on-site after-school club which is not managed by the governing body and this has recently been subject to a separate inspection.  The headteacher joined the school in April 2011.  Moorcroft Wood meets the government’s current floor standard, which is the minimum expected for pupils’ attainment and progress at the age of 11 years.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the proportion of good teaching so that all pupils, particularly those of average and lower ability, make good progress by: - giving pupils more challenging work which builds on what teachers know about their current knowledge, understanding and skills - ensuring teachers ask searching questions to check what pupils have learnt in lessons - increasing opportunities for pupils to work on their own in lessons - helping pupils to know what they have done well and what they need to do to make their work better.  Improve pupils’ achievement in English and mathematics, particulary in Reception and at Key Stage 1, by: - strengthening the phonic skills (linking of letters and sounds) of pupils of average and lower ability so that they are able to read with greater accuracy, understanding and fluency - providing more opportunities for pupils to use their speaking and listening skills within, and beyond, the classroom

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

- ensuring pupils write more often on their own and, at length, in English and other subjects - providing more opportunities for pupils to apply their mathematical skills to practical and real-life problems.  Ensure senior leaders sharpen their checks on the quality of teaching with a greater focus on the outcomes of teaching activities on pupils’ learning and progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards are not improving fast enough because children in Nursery and Reception and pupils in Years 1 and 2 mainly make only the expected progress expected, with few doing better. Attainment remains below average at the end of Year 2, but standards are rising and are broadly average in reading. Pupils’ phonic skills are not yet secure enough. Consequently, pupils’ confidence in reading and understanding unfamiliar words is not as strong as it should be.  Pupils continue to make steady progress as they move through Key Stage 2; it speeds up when they are in Years 5 and 6. Recent results show standards are above average in English and mathematics by the time pupils leave the school. For the second consecutive year, the proportion of pupils making and exceeding the expected progress from Year 3 compares favourably with national figures.  More able pupils make stronger progress than other groups. Pupils of average and lower

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

ability mostly make the expected progress. Too often, teachers’ expectations are too low and work in lessons does not stretch these pupils enough.  Good progress in reading in Key Stage 2 leads to above average attainment by the end of Year 6. Pupils’ progress in writing is slower. Their writing in English is improving but there are weaknesses in basic punctuation and in building sentences. Progress is held back due to the lack of regular opportunities for practising writing in other subjects. In mathematics, pupils have too few opportunities to practise their skills in solving practical and real-life problems.  Many pupils do not express themselves clearly because their speaking and listening skills are not sufficiently strong. They are keen to talk, but opportunities to practise and sharpen their communication skills are not always taken both inside and outside the classroom  Disabled pupils, those with special educational needs, those in receipt of pupil premium

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

funding and the few from minority ethnic groups or who speak English as an additional language, make good progress; extra help provided to meet their varied needs is effective.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because pupils make only steady, rather than good, progress particularly in Reception and Key Stage 1. The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection, but not enough to raise the overall quality of teaching to good.  Good teaching is found throughout the school, especially in Years 5 and 6. In the most effective lessons, teachers display a strong knowledge of their subject and they are adept in asking probing questions which challenge pupils to think and to do their best.  In some lessons, pupils are given work that does not stretch them enough when teachers do not fully take into account what pupils already know and can do. In these lessons questioning is not always probing enough to test pupils’ understanding.  Typically, teachers give clear instructions to pupils in lessons, but in some lessons teachers talk for too long and leave pupils with limited time to work on their own. Although in most

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

lessons pupils talk about their work, not enough guidance is given to them on how to assess its quality and on how they could improve it.  The teaching of reading is emerging as a strength of the school. A small minority of less able pupils and those of average ability, particularly in Key Stage 1, lack a secure grasp of phonic skills. As a result, they do not read well and do not fully understand text they read.  The teaching of writing is regularly planned but is not always effective in increasing pupils’ confidence in writing at length and by themselves. Writing skills are not developed well in other subjects.  The promotion of pupils’ speaking and listening skills is a weaker feature in some lessons. The regular routine of using talking partners does not prepare pupils sufficiently well to discuss, at greater length, what they are doing and what they think of their work.  Pupils handle number work well because its teaching is effective. However, there are too few

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

opportunities for pupils to apply their skills in solving mathematical problems.  The teaching of disabled pupils, those with special educational needs and from minority ethnic groups and those who are supported through the pupil premium is good. Skilled teaching assistants intervene successfully to ensure that they achieve well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Typically behaviour is good. Senior leaders have established a clear set of expectations, which pupils understand. Pupils behave well in lessons, and in and around the school. As a result, pupils’ learning is rarely disrupted. Even in lessons when occasionally they become restless, pupils conduct themselves responsibly.  Pupils display positive attitudes towards their work and others around them. They relate well to each other and with all adults who work with them. They are polite and courteous. Pupils show respect for those who are from different backgrounds.  Children in Nursery and Reception keenly join in all the activities planned for them. As they grow in confidence, they learn to become more independent and enjoy the freedom to make choices about what they are learning.  Teachers’ management of behaviour is effective. Consequently, pupils learn to take responsibility for their own conduct. They know what is acceptable and what is not suitable

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

behaviour. Parents, pupils, staff and governors believe that behaviour is good.  Pupils feel safe at school and trust that someone will always be there to listen to their concerns if they arise. Pupils have a secure understanding of various forms of bullying, especially that which relates to prejudice and cyber bulling. They say that bullying in school is rare and, if it happens, adults deal with it urgently.  Attendance is now average. Persistent absence is pursued by senior leaders with vigour and it is falling, as a result.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher’s passion about improving pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching has brought about considerable changes within a short period of time. Senior leaders candidly acknowledge that their push for improvement is not yet complete. Their checks on the school’s work, although mostly good with clear and correct priorities, are not always as sharp as they might be on the quality of teaching with a central focus on pupils’ learning and progress.  Senior leaders’ efforts in making quick gains in pupils' rates of progress have paid off. Standards are rising by the time pupils leave the school and a trend of improvement is emerging. Most of the areas of improvement identified at the previous inspection have been successfully tackled. The capacity to bring about further improvement is now well established.  Pupils’ progress is regularly checked and the information is used to provide extra help for

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The leadership and management are good

those who have special educational needs and others who are supported by pupil premium funds. Senior leaders and governors ensure that these groups make speedy progress and enjoy equality of opportunity.  The performance management of teaching is now effectively linked to pupils’ achievement. The staff training programme is linked both to the school’s main priorities and the individual needs of the staff. The recent improvements in the teaching of reading show that the training is having a beneficial influence on the quality of teaching, particularly in Key Stage 2.  The school works closely with parents. They are satisfied with the care their children receive at school. Senior leaders are effective in ensuring there is no discrimination.  The curriculum offers a good range of experiences, including sport, music and outdoor activities which enhance pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The

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The leadership and management are good

provision for and pupils’ achievement in music have improved considerably following a review of the subject. Safeguarding arrangements are secure. Staff are always alert to and ensure pupils’ safety.  The local authority has supported senior leaders in evaluating the schools’ performance. The support given has had a more limited impact in the lower part of the school.  The governance of the school: - the governing body has a sound knowledge and understanding of the school’s strengths and of areas in need of improvement - since the arrival of the current headteacher, governors have become sharper in making checks on the school’s work, particularly pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching, and in questioning senior leaders about them - governors check that pupil premium funding is used to provide extra help for pupils, for example through one-to-one and small group teaching and through a variety of enrichment

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 135016 Local authority Walsall Inspection number 402666

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 226 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sarah Farmer Headteacher Andy Nicholls Date of previous school inspection 5 November 2009 Telephone number 01902 495943 Fax number 01902 493051 Email address postbox@moorcroft-wood.walsall.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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