Setting

Mrs Sandra Peck Moorhill Primary School Moorland Road WS11 4NX

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School

Following my visit to your school on 17 December 2013, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the findings of my visit. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in October 2013. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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School

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection. The school should take further action to:

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School

 improve pupils’ abilities to peer and self-assess  include more precise targets that can be used by governors to regularly check on the improvements being made to pupil progress, particularly for students eligible for free school meals  further increase the opportunities middle leaders have to be involved in evaluating the quality of teaching

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with you and other leaders, three members of the Governing Body, a representative of the local authority and a representative of the Coo-operative Trust. The school improvement plan, information related to the tracking of pupil’s progress and the minutes of the governing body meetings were evaluated. Short visits were made to five lessons to observe teaching. Serco Inspections Colmore Plaza 20 Colmore Circus Queensway Birmingham B4 6AT T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T : 0121 6799163 Direct email : lewis.mackie1@serco.com

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Context

There have been no changes in context since the previous Section 5 inspection.

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Main findings

Teaching is providing pupils with more opportunities to solve problems; for example, pupils enjoyed identifying the areas of the pens being constructed to house Father Christmas’s reindeers. Pupils’ speaking is being effectively promoted through increased expectations about what they say. For instance, Key Stage 1 pupils are expected to use full sentences when responding to questions. The school is taking further steps to improve reading. Older pupils in Key Stage 2, who did not experience the effective teaching of letters and sounds that now takes place in Key Stage 1, are receiving increased additional support to plug the gaps that exist in their knowledge. Well advanced plans exist for the launch of a new initiative that aims to accelerate the progress pupils make in their reading. The range of books is to be increased and pupils will be rewarded for reading more. Teachers are asking more probing questions so pupils have to explain their ideas more. Marking is

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Main findings

increasingly a strength but the school has recognised that there is scope for involving pupils more in evaluating their own and each other’s work so that they are clear about they must do to really excel. Only a few classrooms have the ‘visualiser’ technology that allows pupils’ work to be displayed so everyone in the class can evaluate the content.

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Main findings

Attendance has improved this term; it is now at the national average. This improvement is due to the very rigorous approach that is taken when any absence occurs. In addition, the school is ensuring pupils take a pride in attending school and there is a healthy competition between classes, as to which has the highest attendance. The school is also giving more attention to teaching pupils a highly positive set of values with the result that pupils’ behaviour is improving.

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Main findings

Senior leader are ensuring staff have more opportunities to influence decision- making. The leaders responsible for English, mathematics and special needs are very enthusiastic and have a reasonable awareness of the strengths and weakness in their areas of responsibility. At the moment, they have relatively limited opportunity to evaluate teaching. Appropriate assessment information is analysed to assist the school’s self-review. Improvement plans address all the issues identified at the section 5 inspection, although not enough key indicators are included that governors can use to check regularly the progress the school is making in raising achievement, particularly for pupils eligible for free school meals. Governors take their responsibilities very seriously and recognise that they need further training to enable them to undertake their monitoring role more effectively.

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Main findings

Ofsted may carry out further visits and, where necessary, provide further support and challenge to the school until its next section 5 inspection.

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External support

The school benefits from working in partnership with other schools that are in the Co-operative Trust. This has provided staff with valuable training in questioning and meeting the needs of the more able. The training planned for the governing body is also appropriate. The local authority has usefully established regular opportunities to review the progress the school is making. They have agreed to keep HMI informed about the outcomes of these reviews.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children’s Services Staffordshire.

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