Moor Park Primary School

Moor Park Primary School Moor Park Avenue, Blackpool, Lancashire, FY2 0LY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 and achieve well, particularly in English. This is because teachers are dedicated in supporting pupils’ academic and personal development.  Teaching is good. Teachers have good subject knowledge and give clear explanations which develop pupils’ understanding and skills well. Good use is made of information and communication technology (ICT) to engage learners during lessons.  Children get off to a good start in the early Years Foundation Stage because there is some outstanding practice.  Pupils behave well towards each other and the adults around school. They are eager to learn and get on with their work. They feel safe in school.  There are effective whole-school systems for assessing pupils’ progress and identifying when extra help is needed. The school works extremely well with a wide range of professionals beyond the school to guide and support pupils.  The acting headteacher together with the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

headteacher, have made recent changes which are further empowering staff to develop their skills as teachers and their roles as leaders and managers and have improved pupils’ achievement.  The Governing Body has high expectations and provides a good balance of support and challenge.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is good rather than outstanding. Occasionally, the more-able are not given work to stretch their understanding in mathematics lessons.  Leaders and managers do not always monitor closely enough how well teachers meet the needs of the more-able, and link this to the training needs of staff.  There are inconsistencies across the school in the quality of marking, especially of work in mathematics.  There are times when teaching assistants are not fully utilised in class.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 18 teachers and visited 23 lessons. In addition, inspectors made a number of short visits to lessons and listened to pupils reading.  Discussions were held with school staff, groups of pupils, senior teachers and subject leaders, a representative from the local authority and the members of the Governing Body.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a wide range of documentation including safeguarding documents, the school’s self-evaluation and development plans, local authority reports, records of pupils’ current attainment and progress, documents relating to attendance and pupils’ behaviour and pupils’ work.  There were no responses to the on-line (Parent View) prior to the inspection. Inspectors took account of 43 responses during the time of the inspection in addition to the school’s own parent surveys and a letter from a parent.

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Inspection team

Naomi Taylor, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jonathon Yodaiken Additional Inspector Kirsty Haw Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Moor Park is a larger than the average primary school.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding provided by the government to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children looked after by the local authority and the children of military personnel) is much higher than average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is above the national average as is the proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The number of pupils leaving or joining the school part-way through the year is much higher than average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well below the national average as are those who speak English as an additional language.  The Early Years Foundation Stage includes a Nursery. The school works in partnership with

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Information about this school

Mereside Primary School and Bispham Endowed C of E Primary School, these two schools deliver alternative education for a very small number of pupils who are on roll at both schools.  Before- and after-school clubs are available for pupils.  An acting headteacher was appointed in September 2012 to support the phased retirement of the current headteacher.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve teaching so that it is always good, and more is outstanding, by:  ensuring that all pupils are fully challenged, particularly the more-able in mathematics lessons  maximising the use of teaching assistants during whole-class teaching  making sure that marking, particularly in mathematics books, always tells pupils what they need to do to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that leaders and managers use the monitoring of the quality of teaching to:  check that teachers are consistently planning mathematics lessons to meet the needs of the more-able pupils  plan even more relevant training for teachers and teaching assistants and extend the opportunities beyond the school to share outstanding practice.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Links between school and home are strong and this helps children settle quickly into the school routines in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They enter the school with skills which are often below and occasionally well below, those expected for their age, particularly in literacy and numeracy. From their individual starting points they achieve well and quickly become confident learners.  Throughout Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 pupils make good progress so that by the time they leave school pupils’ overall attainment is average and for some pupils attainment is higher than this. In 2012, the proportion of pupils in Year 6 making expected progress in English and mathematics during their time in Key Stage 2 was above the national average. Even more pupils made better than expected progress in English than in mathematics and there was evidence during the inspection that this is being addressed. Almost a quarter of pupils in this year group

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The achievement of pupils is good

joined during Key Stage 2 but given their starting points these pupils also made good progress.  To address the dip in the number of Year 6 pupils achieving the higher levels in mathematics in 2012 the school has invested in another member of staff to support the current Year 6 groups. In addition, there is a weekly mathematics challenge group for girls which is well-attended and is successfully accelerating progress.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good or better progress due to timely and sharply focused help from teachers, teaching assistants and the learning mentor. Those few with English as an additional language also make good progress. A very small minority engages in learning at other schools to support their specific needs and these pupils also make good progress.  Pupils who are supported by extra funding (the pupil premium) are making progress similar to

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The achievement of pupils is good

that of their classmates. Test results show that there is no longer a gap between the standards they reach and those reached by other pupils. Extra money has been spent wisely on providing small-group tuition which is sharply focused on raising standards. Their attainment in English and mathematics is higher than that of similar pupils nationally and demonstrates the school’s strong commitment to equality of opportunity.  The school is keen to raise achievement further in writing and this was demonstrated in a Key Stage 2 English lesson where pupils were developing their stories based on an animation they had previously watched. Role play was used to act out scenes and to find alternative phrases that they could use in their writing. At the end of the lesson, pupils were very keen to read their work to the class which encouraged peer assessment and led to spontaneous applause.  There is a consistent approach to the teaching of reading across the school. The Year 2 pupils

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The achievement of pupils is good

who read to the inspectors demonstrated their ability to blend letters and sounds to work out unfamiliar words. They read with expression and could retell the story in their own words, showing that they understand what they had read. The older pupils leave school as competent readers. Their book reviews displayed around the school provide encouragement to others to read the work of particular authors and illustrates their enthusiasm for reading.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is mostly good and a small amount is outstanding. Teachers manage their classes well, creating a purposeful atmosphere so that pupils enjoy learning and do well.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage there were examples of outstanding practice. For example, children enthusiastically worked with a teacher to explore the qualities of different fruits. Excellent questioning techniques encouraged the children to think of different words to describe what they could see, feel and smell. This had a very positive effect on their speaking and listening skills and their range of vocabulary. Meanwhile, other children were independently researching and recording each other’s favourite fruit or vegetables using a tally chart and demonstrated very good progress in developing their numeracy skills.  There are many examples of good teaching in Key Stage 1. For example in a mathematics lesson, good teacher planning ensured that after a brief introduction, pupils moved into small

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The quality of teaching is good

groups to work on weighing and measuring different objects and recording their findings. They demonstrated their enthusiasm for learning and their ability to work out things for themselves. Those working with the teacher or the teaching assistant were encouraged to think hard and work out how to solve problems they were presented with. Good progress was made by all pupils, including the most-able but this is not always the case. Occasionally, the more-able are not set hard enough work in mathematics lessons.  Good use is made of ICT throughout the school to stimulate pupils’ learning.  There are good examples of teacher marking, ensuring that pupils know how to improve their work but there are inconsistencies in some mathematics books where there are ticks and crosses but no comment about how to improve their work.  Teaching assistants are mainly well-deployed to support interventions but occasionally, their

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The quality of teaching is good

skills are not fully used during whole-class teaching. For example, during the introduction of some lessons, the teaching assistants are listening to the teachers’ explanations and not always checking that the pupils they are supporting are fully understanding what is being said.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well towards each other and to adults and visitors to the school. The school describes itself as a ‘happy, caring school where everyone matters’ and inspectors found this to be the case. One parent wrote that ‘at Moor Park, nothing is too much trouble. The headteachers, teaching staff and support staff are warm, friendly and caring. Nothing else but the children matter’.  From a young age in the Early Years Foundation Stage, pupils develop an interest and enthusiasm for learning and this continues throughout the school. Pupils enjoy coming to school and this is reflected in improvements in attendance which is now average. The school has successfully reduced the numbers of pupils who are persistently absent.  Pupils say they feel safe in school and this is evident in responses from parents on the on-line (Parent View) survey and from school surveys of parents’ perceptions. Pupils are knowledgeable

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

about different types of bullying but say that it is rare in this school and would be swiftly dealt with if it occurred.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. They are successfully taught good manners, how to measure risks, how to keep safe and why and how to choose good behaviour. The older pupils are proud to be role models to the younger pupils, acting as door monitors and ensuring that pupils arrive to class promptly. The school council is pro-active in raising money for various charities.  Staff ‘go the extra mile’ to support the needs of individuals and their families who are in need of extra help. The learning mentor provides precise support for individuals and the positive relationship that is developed with pupils ensures that barriers to learning are being overcome. There are exceptionally strong links to professional agencies beyond school which also

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

effectively support pupils’ learning.  The before- and after-school clubs are well-managed and enjoyed by pupils who attend.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and acting headteacher work well together to drive school improvement. New procedures within performance management have been introduced. Staff are given challenging targets to accelerate pupils’ progress and this is linked directly to the quality of teaching and teachers’ pay.  The school has an accurate picture of its strengths and areas to be developed and because of this the local authority sees the need for only low-level support.  Good training opportunities are provided to help teachers to improve the quality of their teaching. The school recognises that these could be developed even further to see outstanding practice beyond the school.  There are whole-school approaches to lesson-planning, marking and checking on how well pupils are making progress. Occasionally, leaders and managers do not monitor precisely enough on how well activities are being planned for the more-able in mathematics lessons and make robust

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The leadership and management are good

checks on the consistency of marking.  The curriculum provides topic based activities with good opportunities to apply numeracy and literacy skills which pupils clearly enjoy.  There are robust safeguarding procedures in place which are regularly reviewed and are a strength of the school. There are exceptionally strong links to professional agencies beyond school which effectively support pupils’ personal development and their learning.  The governance of the school:  The governing body brings a breadth of expertise to the school. Governors are deeply committed to continually driving improvements at Moor Park. They ensure that the school fulfils its statutory responsibilities; all staff have been vetted and trained appropriately to keep pupils safe. They have a very accurate overview of overall provision. Governors regularly challenge staff on pupils’ progress and have a good understanding of data. This level of

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The leadership and management are good

enquiry and accountability contributes well in shaping the long term plans for the school based on how well pupils are progressing compared to other schools. Both from meetings and through visiting classes, governors are aware of the quality of teaching. They make sure that increases to teachers’ pay are based on meeting challenging targets. They have ensured that staff make effective use of pupil premium funding to ensure that all pupils make good progress, no matter when they start at Moor Park.

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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 134967 Local authority Blackpool Inspection number 412982

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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 430 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kath Rowson Headteacher Barbara Ivell Date of previous school inspection 24 February 2010 Telephone number 01253 353034 Fax number 01253 596658 Email address admin@moor-park.blackpool.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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