Moss Bury Primary School and Nursery

Moss Bury Primary School and Nursery Webb Rise, Stevenage, SG1 5PA

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils make good progress. Their progress is improving because teaching is good.  Pupils behave well. Past unacceptable behaviour has decreased, and the school has good procedures to encourage pupils to behave well.  Pupils enjoy learning. They feel safe and say that, although there was some bullying in the past, it is very rare now.  The school has a very good idea of where it has weaknesses and acts fast to deal with them.  The headteacher, governing body and other leaders provide clear guidance on how the school should improve. They provide good professional training for teachers to improve their teaching skills.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always make sure that pupils write neatly and spell accurately.  Marking does not always give clear information to pupils about how well they are doing, or show that teachers have checked that pupils follow the advice they are given on how to improve their work.  Occasionally, the timing of activities in lessons means that pupils do not settle quickly enough to their own work. It sometimes means that the ends of lessons are too rushed, with the result that pupils’ learning is not consolidated well enough.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 15 teachers in 27 lessons or parts of lessons. Four of these were observations with senior leaders to check that they evaluate teaching accurately. Inspectors also listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with staff and pupils, and with members of the governing body. Inspectors also spoke to a representative of the local authority and to parents bringing their children to school.  Inspectors examined documents about the school’s work, including information about the achievement of pupils, development planning and the school’s self-evaluation.  They took account of the 26 responses to the Parent View online questionnaire, and also examined the school’s own survey of parents’ views.

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Inspection team

Edward Wheatley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Fiona Robinson Additional Inspector Lynn Lowery Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than most primary schools.  Pupils come from mainly White British backgrounds. No pupils are at the early stages of learning English.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is broadly average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational need is also broadly average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (addition funds given to the school by the government for children looked after by the local authority or known to be eligible for free school meals) is broadly average.  The school includes specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs. It manages a local authority unit for pupils with hearing impairment. It can take up to six pupils, but currently has fewer than this.  All pupils are educated on site. The school does not use alternative provision to support any of

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Information about this school

its pupils.  The school has experienced several changes of headteacher since the last inspection, but the current headteacher has been in post for two years.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to outstanding by making sure that:  pupils settle quickly to their own learning in lessons and that the ends of lessons are used appropriately to summarise and confirm what pupils have learned  teachers encourage pupils to spell accurately and write neatly  teachers gives clear information in their marking about how well pupils are making progress, and check that pupils follow the advice they are given on how they should improve their work.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress. They start school with below average levels of attainment and, by the end of Year 6, the standards they reach are broadly average. Standards are rising and all pupils make good progress, which is better than has been the case in recent years.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children in the Nursery and Reception classes make good progress. They start school with lower than expected skills. By the end of the Reception Year, most children have achieved the expected skills for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ reading skills are broadly average. They link letters and sounds well to read words they do not recognise. The least able pupils sometimes struggle to read, but they use the method they have been taught determinedly, knowing that it will eventually help them to read.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards in writing are average. Pupils use a wide vocabulary, write sentences with several ideas, and link sentences together well to produce long pieces of meaningful work. However, the overall effect is sometimes spoiled by careless spelling and untidy writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils have secure mathematical skills. They carry out mental calculations accurately which they use regularly in their mathematics lessons. For example, Year 6 pupils carried out mental calculations quickly and accurately, firstly when they worked out the lengths of unmarked sides in irregular shapes and, secondly, in calculating the areas of the shapes.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. Their progress has improved recently, and continues to do so, because staff provide accurate support and enable pupils to work independently to gain competence and confidence in new-found skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The pupils with hearing impairment make good progress. This is because they are supported well in lessons and when they are withdrawn from lessons for specialist support.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding make good progress. They make good progress, and better progress than similar pupils did in recent years. Funding is used well. It is used to provide support for pupils when they are seen to be making slower progress than they should, and to provide resources, especially books, to help these pupils where they need it. As a result, these pupils attain standards in line with their classmates, and so notably higher than similar pupils in other schools.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Past differences in achievement by different groups of pupils have narrowed considerably. Inadequate progress in recent years has been eliminated. Pupils of different abilities and backgrounds make good progress. Boys and girls make similarly good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good and usually accurately matched to what pupils need to learn. Where pupils have learning difficulties, teachers provide support and materials designed to help pupils make good progress by breaking learning down into small achievable steps. Teachers provide extension work for the most able pupils that help them make fast progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Lessons are generally well organised, with plenty of time for pupils to learn new ideas and to practise what they learn to make sure they have a thorough understanding of new knowledge and skills. For example, in a Year 5 English lesson on persuasive writing, pupils learned about how clauses can make sentences more interesting or informative. They then applied this effectively to writing about a bicycle in order to encourage someone to buy one.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Where learning is best, teachers ask searching questions and encourage pupils to discuss their ideas. This shows where pupils have a good understanding and when they need challenging work to extend their knowledge. It also shows where pupils do not understand well enough, and teachers then provide support to help them learn.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants provide good support for pupils, especially for less able pupils. They plan lessons thoroughly with teachers so that their work with pupils helps them learn well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ marking is generally good. It usually tells pupils how well they are doing, how to improve and what the next steps in learning are. Most pupils know the standards they reach and how to make more progress. However, some do not, and marking does not always give a clear picture of the standards pupils reach. Sometimes, teachers do not make sure that pupils follow the guidance they give in their marking.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Occasionally, pupils do not settle to working by themselves quickly enough, so they do not have enough time to develop a secure understanding or to practise their learning. Sometimes, the ends of lessons are rushed so that teachers do not have enough time to check that new ideas have been learned.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In most subjects, teachers provide opportunities for pupils to improve and strengthen their English and mathematics skills and this work well. The school links subjects together where it can to make learning interesting. For example, work on the times of Henry VIII was carried out in English, history and art and resulted in good-quality work from many pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Nursery and Reception classes is good. Teachers make sure that children use the inside and outside learning areas well. Teachers and other adults provide many opportunities for children to develop their literacy and numeracy skills, and to gain independence and confidence in their own skills. They encourage children to work and play together, and this promotes their social and emotional skills well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. After a period of a high level of exclusions, the school has introduced a behaviour system that all staff use well. Pupils know what is expected of them. There have been no exclusions in the last year, and the school is a calm place where pupils and adults are respectful and considerate towards each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have good attitudes to learning and enjoy being in lessons. Good relationships between pupils and adults contribute effectively to learning. Pupils listen to each other, respect each other’s opinions and work very well together. In tasks where they have to produce group ideas or answers they collaborate well. This makes a significant contribution to promoting their moral, social and cultural development.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of what is right and wrong. They remember past incidents of bullying, and that they were dealt with well, and that there is very little bullying now. They know about different forms of bullying, that sometimes there is rough behaviour and that this is not the same as bullying.  They know how to keep themselves safe, and are particularly alert to the risks of the internet, texting and mobile phones. Pupils say they are rarely worried about anything, but if they were they could go to any adult for help.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils readily take on responsibilities. Some are house captains and organise activities. Others are on the school council to represents pupils’ views, and older pupils look after younger pupils. They carry out their responsibilities well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ attendance is average, but has increased steadily over recent years. The proportion of persistent absence has decreased because the school is rigorous in checking on absence and working with families to improve attendance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher provides excellent direction for the school to improve. After some disruption to school development caused by several changes at senior level, leaders have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and work well together, with determination, to raise the standards achieved by pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school acts quickly to deal with weaknesses. It has introduced new rules on what is acceptable behaviour. This has led to a purposeful atmosphere for learning in all classes because all teachers work in the same way and pupils know what is expected of them.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has dealt with past inadequate leadership and teaching rapidly. It provides good- quality training to help improve teaching, and effective support for those inexperienced in leadership roles. Teachers’ targets to help them improve their work are linked directly to pupils’ progress and to the school’s priorities for improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides good support. It is effective in supporting teachers in gaining subject leadership skills, improving teaching and in teaching reading.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has made important improvements to make learning enjoyable by linking subjects together through topics, and through a wide range of visits and visitors. The school provides a wide range of sports and other out of school activities, which are well supported by pupils. Assemblies, and the personal, social and health education programme help pupils to develop good relationships and understand their own feelings. In this way, these promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders are determined that all pupils make good progress. No form of discrimination is tolerated. The past gaps in the progress made by different groups of pupils have narrowed considerably. In the light of improvements in pupils’ progress, their behaviour and the quality of teaching, the capacity for further improvement is good.

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The leadership and management are good

 Most parents are pleased with the school, and communications with homes are good. The school seeks parents’ opinions and works hard to deal with their concerns.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is committed to school improvement. It has good systems to make sure that its members are well informed and up to date with the information and skills they need to help the school improve. It asks searching questions about pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching. It knows how the performance of the school’s pupils compares with other schools. It checks that teachers have targets to help them improve their teaching, and that their salaries are related to their performance. It makes sure that spending is directed towards raising standards and checks the impact of pupil premium funds in speeding up pupils’ progress. The governing body ensures that all safeguarding regulations are met and that the school has effective procedures to check on the suitability of staff who are appointed.

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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 117269 Local authority Hertfordshire Inspection number 401660

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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 304 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Gareth Tranter Headteacher Gareth Linwood Date of previous school inspection 27 May 2010 Telephone number 01438 222300 Fax number 01438 222301 Email address admin@mossbury.herts.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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