Moorfield Primary School

Moorfield Primary School Lyndhurst Avenue, Hazel Grove, Stockport, Cheshire, SK7 5HP

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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 exceptionally rapid progress in their learning in Year 6 because of very effective teaching.  School tracking data show that, from when most pupils join school until they leave, they make good progress with many exceeding the progress expected of them.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are exceptionally well supported by staff in lessons, resulting in good progress. In a few instances, some of these pupils make outstanding progress in their learning.  Pupils from the special educational resource base unit are very well integrated into school life and, as a result of good teaching, make good progress.  In lessons, high quality teaching results in the majority of pupils making rapid progress in their learning.  All pupils are given equal opportunities to learn because school leaders wisely use the extra funding for those children who are looked after

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

by the local authority and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  All pupils behave well; they are extremely polite and courteous to each other and to their teachers and they feel safe.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are good.  School leaders have a good understanding of what the school does well. They have successfully improved the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement since the previous inspection.  Accurate plans for school improvement are well informed by reliable information collected by the headteacher and other senior leaders.  The headteacher and members of the senior leadership team are challenged robustly by well-informed members of the governing body to explain any shortcomings in teaching and pupils’ learning; this has resulted in recent improvements to the accuracy of assessments.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The proportion of outstanding teaching is currently too small to help pupils make extremely rapid progress in their learning.  School leaders are not currently using pupils’ tracking data sharply enough to promote outstanding progress for all pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 26 lessons or part lessons, two of which were joint observations with the headteacher and two with a deputy headteacher. In addition, the inspectors listened to pupils read and observed teaching assistants working with pupils both in and out of lessons.  Discussions were held with groups of pupils, parents, and teachers, two members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and a focus group drawn from the local community and businesses.  Inspectors took account of the 59 responses made by parents to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View). Information from letters from parents and 35 staff questionnaires was also considered as part of the inspection.  The inspectors observed the work of the school and scrutinised plans for improvement as well as documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  A wide range of other evidence was also looked at by inspectors, including pupils’ current work

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Information about this inspection

in books from all classes and the school’s own data and monitoring records of how well pupils progress in their learning.

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Inspection team

Declan McCauley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Fiona Dixon Additional Inspector Pamela Hemphill Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an above-average-sized primary school.  A smaller-than-average proportion of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium which provides additional government funding for children who are looked after, those from service families and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  A below-average proportion of pupils are supported through school action. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  Many pupils, particularly disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, join the school in year groups other than the Reception Year.  Certain year groups contain large proportions of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs. This takes up to 18 primary-aged pupils with a wide range of social and emotional learning

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Information about this school

difficulties, who come from a wide area. They are taught in the two Kaleidoscope classes. One class contains pupils up to Year 2 and the other contains pupils up to Year 6.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching to further speed up the rate at which pupils learn by:  creating more opportunities for pupils to find out and work out things for themselves  ensuring all marking identifies how pupils can improve further  enabling pupils to reflect on, and respond appropriately to, marking to help improve their work  helping all teachers teach lessons which promote rapid learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Sharpen school leaders use of pupils’ attainment and progress data in order to raise pupils’ achievement to outstanding by:  developing a more precise system so that progress data are more easily accessible to all staff  increasing all school leaders’ understanding of which pupils are making and exceeding the progress expected of them and why.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 From pupils’ individual starting points, which are overall below those expected for their age, children make overall good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Years 1 to 6 because of good teaching. When pupils leave Year 6, the standards they attain in English and mathematics are in line with the national average.  School data show that pupils achieve well in literacy and mathematics. Progress is particularly fast in Year 6, where the majority of pupils exceed the progress expected of them in English and mathematics because of exceptionally strong teaching.  In lessons, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress in their learning because teachers and teaching assistants know the pupils well and plan to meet pupils’ individual and very specific learning needs.  Pupils in the Kaleidoscope classes make rapid progress because of the highly specialised teaching which supports their very wide-ranging learning difficulties in a very caring and

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The achievement of pupils is good

nurturing environment.  Throughout the school, all pupils have equal opportunities to learn well because of the carefully designed curriculum, effective teaching and well-targeted support.  Pupils are taught to read fluently and they talk with enthusiasm about their passion for reading and enjoyment of books. Pupils explain they enjoy their literacy and mathematics lessons and report they learn well because their teachers expect their work to be the best they are capable of producing.  In lessons, pupils eligible for support from the pupil premium learn well and make good progress because they benefit from additional support and from working in specifically focused learning groups. Their attainment is now nearer to that of all pupils in English and mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Where teaching is at its best, teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve; they plan lessons which make learning fun and exciting.  All teachers use questioning well to help them understand what impact their teaching is having on pupils’ learning. They phrase their questions carefully to challenge pupils’ thinking and extend their learning. Many teachers appropriately adapt their teaching according to how well pupils are learning during a lesson.  In most lessons, learning proceeds at a fast pace. Pupils are encouraged by teachers to attempt learning activities which challenge them further so they can learn even more.  Teachers and pupils use information and communication technology well in lessons. Pupils in one of the Kaleidoscope classes were observed very successfully producing a complex presentation using a piece of software. The overall quality of teaching for pupils in these classes

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The quality of teaching is good

is good being characterised by the matching of learning activities well to pupils’ individual needs.  Teaching assistants support learning very well in lessons and when working with small groups of pupils. The additional support given to pupils helps them to make good progress in their learning.  In lessons, teachers create many opportunities for pupils to talk with a partner about their learning so that pupils can increase their understanding in a wide range of subjects.  In 25 of the 26 lessons observed during the inspection, the quality of teaching was good and in one lesson it was judged outstanding. For achievement to improve further, more teaching would need to be outstanding.  A few teachers give pupils opportunities to become independent learners and direct their own learning but, as yet, this is not the norm.  Pupils take a pride in their work and teachers mark pupils’ books regularly. High quality marking

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The quality of teaching is good

which identifies the next steps in learning can be seen in a few pupils’ books, but this is inconsistent throughout school. A small number of teachers allow pupils to reflect on marking and consider how they should respond to what they are being asked to do to improve. This is not evident throughout the school.  Occasionally, the rate at which pupils learn slows down when teachers do not direct pupils sufficiently and they sit awaiting further instructions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The vast majority of pupils behave very well around school and in lessons. They are very well mannered, polite and respectful towards each other and towards all adults. In lessons, their positive behaviour and attitudes to learning mean lessons proceed well with only a very occasional minor disruption.  Pupils are very caring of each other. This can be seen by the way in which they look after pupils from the Kaleidoscope classes and integrate them into their games at break times.  Parents, pupils and teachers all agree that behaviour is good.  In a personal, social and health education lesson, pupils were taught exceedingly effectively to consider how they should respond to someone who was aggressive and what strategies they may be able to use to resolve difficult situations without escalating the level of aggression.  Pupils know about different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying, and how to keep

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

themselves safe, because teachers effectively promote good behaviour and safety in lessons and through special projects. Discrimination of any type is not tolerated by pupils or teachers.  Pupils report that the small number of bullying incidents are dealt with fairly but firmly and resolved rapidly and to their satisfaction.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and their attendance is above the national average.  In lessons, teachers work very closely with teaching assistants to manage well the very occasional instances of minor disruption caused by a very small minority of pupils, so that they do not have a negative impact on the learning of others in the classes.  School leaders have done much to ensure the school site is well secured and pupils feel safe at all times around school. Gates are locked and members of the public cannot access the areas where pupils are working or playing during the day. Pupils say they feel confident they are safe

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

at school.  Pupils have much responsibility throughout the school. One school librarian explained with pride how he looked after the younger pupils in the library and taught them the skills necessary to enable them to find books on specific subjects.

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The leadership and management are good

 All school leaders share a strong desire to ensure the best for all pupils. As one senior leader explained, ‘through giving them a right good foundation for their future learning’.  The quality of teaching is checked thoroughly by the headteacher and members of the senior leadership team. Curriculum teams lead their areas of the curriculum with enthusiasm and much success. Teaching is well led and improving.  Plans to improve the school further are well designed and supported strongly by the systematic way in which leaders’ checks on quality and their evaluation of the school’s performance are carried out. However, leaders acknowledge that the sharper use of pupils’ attainment and progress data is required in order to raise pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching from good to outstanding.  The curriculum is well enhanced by the many opportunities pupils have to learn practically on visits out of school, to places such as Castleton, and by listening to visitors talking about areas

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The leadership and management are good

about which they are knowledgeable. The curriculum meets the needs of all pupils well, especially disabled pupils and those with special educational needs in the Kaleidoscope classes.  The Kaleidoscope provision is very well led and managed. This leads to these pupils achieving very well.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very well supported by the rich and diverse curriculum, which has been developed well by school leaders.  The school works exceptionally well with parents and involves them fully in a cohesive partnership to support and enhance their child’s education.  School leaders, including governors, have worked successfully on validating and improving the accuracy of teachers’ assessments throughout the school.  The local authority supports the school well and is helping school leaders to improve the school further.  The governance of the school:  Governors have a clear understanding of how well pupils achieve and they are aware of the

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The leadership and management are good

school’s strengths and areas that are slightly less strong. Governors have a good understanding of their responsibilities in school. They regularly hold the headteacher and other senior leaders to account for the school’s performance. They know and check on how well pupil premium funding is supporting pupils in their learning. They make sure that rewards for teachers’ work are linked closely to the achievement of pupils and the standards expected of teachers. Governors ensure statutory requirements are met with regard to keeping pupils safe.

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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 134883 Local authority Stockport Inspection number 413097

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 405 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Lawrie Smail Headteacher Jenny Curzon Date of previous school inspection 21 July 2010 Telephone number 0161 483 4521 Fax number 0161 456 2902 Email address headteacher@moorfield.stockport.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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