Moat Community College

Moat Community College Maidstone Road, Leicester, LE2 0TU

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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.  From low starting points, students make good progress. The proportion of students achieving five GCSEs at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, has risen and is now in line with the national average.  Achievement in science, the school specialism, is among the very best nationally.  Overall, across the range of subjects, students eligible for the pupil premium now attain as highly as their classmates.  Teaching is typically good. Teachers use good subject knowledge and a variety of methods and resources to motivate students. There are examples of outstanding teaching.  Attendance is good because the school is a happy community where students enjoy their learning and feel safe. Students’ behaviour is good. They respond well to leaders’ very clear expectations.  Senior leaders make sure all groups of students have an equal opportunity to succeed. Since the last inspection, leaders, including

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

governors, have driven improvements in achievement, teaching and behaviour, with exceptional improvement in mathematics.  Governors have a good understanding of the school’s performance and actively seek to be as well informed about all aspects of its work as possible.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 More-able students are not always challenged enough in lessons, particularly regarding their use of spoken and written English.  Students do not always develop the skills learnt in literacy, especially in writing, by practising them in other subjects.  The effectiveness of teachers’ marking varies between subjects, and does not always help students to improve their work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 43 lessons, five of which were observed jointly with senior leaders.  Inspectors held meetings with senior and subject leaders, groups of students, the Chair and other members of the Governing Body, and a representative from the local authority who supports the school’s work.  Inspectors considered the views of the 14 parents who responded to Parent View, the online questionnaire, and the school’s own surveys of parents. They analysed the results of the 44 replies to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors looked at the school’s data on students’ progress, lesson plans, minutes of meetings and records relating to behaviour, safety and attendance. They also reviewed the school’s checks on how well it is doing and school improvement plans.

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Inspection team

Lisa Fraser, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Robert McDonough Additional Inspector John Greevy Additional Inspector Christopher Crouch Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than most secondary schools.  Almost all students are from minority ethnic backgrounds. Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Somali are the largest ethnic groups.  Almost all students speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of students eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for students who are known to be eligible for free school meals, looked after by the local authority or from service families, is above average.  The proportion of disabled students and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school has a science specialism.  A small number of students in Years 10 and 11 spend part of their time studying at Leicester College.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make more teaching outstanding by:  ensuring that more-able students are challenged in lessons, especially in their use of a high standard of English in spoken and written work  helping students to develop their literacy skills, particularly in writing, by practising them across the range of subjects  sharing the most effective practice in marking more widely across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students enter the school with skills in reading, writing and mathematics which are significantly below national averages. In 2013, the proportion of students achieving five or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, rose sharply and is now in line with national average; this represents good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s projections for the current Year 11 indicate that students will have made or exceeded expected progress by the end of the year in both mathematics and English. Data for students in other year groups indicate that they are also achieving well.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In science, achievement is consistently among the very best nationally, reflecting well upon the school’s specialism. Students make outstanding progress and standards are well above average because teachers have excellent subject knowledge and know their students well. Some students are entered early for their GCSE examination and this has proved extremely successful.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2013, the proportion of students making expected progress in mathematics improved dramatically and was much higher than average. This is a result of the good senior leadership focus on improving mathematics. For the first time, selected students were entered early for their GCSE examination and this resulted in an above-average proportion of students exceeding the progress expected nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In English, students’ examination results reflected broadly average progress. In the English lessons observed, students made good progress. However, senior leaders acknowledge that students are not always encouraged enough to use and develop their literacy skills, particularly writing skills in other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled students and those who have special educational needs make good progress because leaders identify students’ specific needs accurately. As a result, appropriate help and guidance is provided to help students catch up.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupil premium funding is spent on a range of initiatives, including one-to-one tuition. Senior leaders are fully committed to ensuring equality of opportunity. Their efforts to reduce gaps in attainment between students eligible for the pupil premium and their classmates have had an excellent impact and these students now make better progress in English. Overall, students eligible for the pupil premium now attain as highly as other students.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Year 7 ‘catch-up’ funding is being used effectively to pay for a primary-trained specialist teacher, to provide extra phonics lessons (linking letters to the sounds they make) for some, and the ‘leap into literacy’ initiative (a reading and writing support programme) for others. As a result, students’ attainment in English is rising.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Students make good progress in many subjects, particularly in media and Spanish. Girls attain higher standards than boys, reflecting their higher starting points. Senior leaders are aware of the gender gap and training for teachers focuses on developing strategies to improve boys’ achievement. More-able students achieve well, but do not make as much progress in English as other students because they are not always sufficiently challenged to use a high enough standard of English in their verbal and written responses across the range of subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The attendance and progress of the small number of students who study away from the school are monitored carefully to ensure they achieve well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good overall. Examples of outstanding teaching were seen in mathematics and history, and a small minority of lessons required improvement. This closely matches the school’s own view of teaching.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Students make good progress in most subjects because teachers plan lessons carefully, using a variety of resources and strategies that cater for the wide range of students’ abilities. For example, students in a Year 9 history lesson made outstanding progress in their understanding of the assassination of Kennedy as a result of the teacher’s sophisticated use of information technology, including the use of multimedia clips.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In English, mathematics and science, teachers’ strong subject knowledge enables them to make learning easy to understand for all groups of students by skilfully adapting the work at different levels of difficulty. As a result, students’ achievement is good and sometimes outstanding. For example, in a Year 10 mathematics lesson students made outstanding progress when using indices to simplify algebraic expressions because the teacher’s explanations were straightforward and clear.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Relationships between teachers and students are consistently positive. Students enjoy discussing their ideas and cooperate well when working in pairs or groups. Teachers’ good encouragement gives students confidence that they can succeed. In science, students are often given the opportunity to develop their numeracy skills and this supports students’ good achievement in mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking in English is effective in raising standards because students regularly receive clear advice about what they need to do to improve their work, and teachers make sure they act upon it. However, this is not the case in all subjects.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In subjects other than English, students are not given enough help to improve their reading and writing skills. Teachers do not always show high enough expectations of the standard of more- able students’ spoken and written English.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of students is good in lessons; around the school, behaviour is also good, despite the cramped conditions and upheaval resulting from the current building works. Students are respectful of each other and of staff; they are particularly welcoming to visitors and respond quickly to staff requests.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is good because students enjoy their learning. The school’s own surveys confirm that parents feel their child is happy at school. In lessons, students’ attitudes to learning are consistently positive. Students understand the school’s expectations of their behaviour and respond well to the system of rewards; this contributes strongly to their good progress. Corridors are tidy and there are few examples of litter.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep students safe and secure is good. Students in all year groups say they feel safe at school. They have a good understanding of the different forms of bullying and say that it is rare. Where bullying occurs, students are confident the school takes appropriate action and all feel that there is always a member of staff they can talk to about any concerns they have.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Fixed-term exclusions have been high in the past but are reducing as a result of new systems for managing behaviour. There have been no permanent exclusions for several years.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Students are actively encouraged to think about how to keep safe. For example, during a tutorial session led by an outside speaker, Year 7 students made thoughtful observations when considering different aspects of road safety. Students are encouraged to believe they can help others and make a difference. Students recently raised money for a charity helping teenagers suffering from depression, and in November the school council sold poppies to students who wished to commemorate Remembrance Day.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders have created a learning environment where both students and staff feel happy and secure. As a result, students have very positive attitudes to learning, and achievement is rising as a consequence. The school is in a strong position to improve even further because leaders at all levels, including subject leaders, have the support of both staff and parents, as indicated by responses to the survey and online questionnaire.

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The leadership and management are good

 School improvement plans identify appropriate priorities and leaders’ assessment of the school’s strengths and areas for development is accurate. The systems used for managing staff performance are robust and take account of a range of information, in addition to lesson observations. Any teacher whose students are not performing well is supported to improve their skills. Leaders cite examples where support has improved the quality of teaching to securely ‘good’ and sometimes ‘outstanding’.

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The leadership and management are good

 Training for staff is well focused on both individual and whole-school needs. Teachers are appreciative of the range of opportunities on offer, which is enhanced by the good training programmes offered by the local authority. Newly qualified teachers receive a comprehensive support package, including input from outside trainers and good links with universities.

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The leadership and management are good

 Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Good assemblies encourage students to reflect upon life in Britain and links with schools in India and Yemen broaden their horizons. Last term students in Year 10 enjoyed opportunities on a residential visit to develop their team building skills while learning archery, quad biking and raft building. Many students have participated in the modern languages department’s visits to France and Spain.

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The leadership and management are good

 The range of subjects is appropriate and meets students’ needs. In Year 10, students have the opportunity to undertake two weeks’ work experience to develop their skills for the workplace. Students are well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Almost all students go on to further study, work or into training as a result of the good careers advice they receive.

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The leadership and management are good

 Good input from the local authority to support mathematics has contributed to the recent improvements in results.

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The leadership and management are good

 All statutory requirements relating to safeguarding are met.  The governance of the school:  Since the previous inspection, the governing body has been restructured in order to enable all governors to have a more detailed knowledge of all aspects of the school’s work. Governors have a good understanding of published data such as the Data Dashboard and know how the school performs in comparison with other secondary schools nationally. Governors know about the quality of teaching and use rigorous systems to manage the performance of senior leaders. The governing body has been actively involved in tackling underperformance and ensures that teachers’ pay rises are linked to students’ good achievement. Governors continually seek to support the school further by attending regular training.

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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 120292 Local authority Leicester Inspection number 440447

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Secondary School category Community Age range of pupils 11–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1051 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jo Hollings Principal Nigel Boyd Date of previous school inspection 16 March 2011 Telephone number 0116 262 5705 Fax number 0116 251 0653 Email address office@moat.leicester.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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