Moorside Primary School

Moorside Primary School Holdsworth Street, Swinton, Salford, Greater Manchester, M27 0LN

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils do not make consistently good progress from their starting points, particularly in writing and mathematics, because the quality of teaching is not consistently good.  Pupils have too few engaging and interesting opportunities to practise their skills in writing. In mathematics, they have too few opportunities to deepen their understanding through solving problems.  Teachers do not always give pupils, especially the most able, work that stretches them and helps them to achieve higher levels.  The pace of lessons is sometimes too slow to keep pupils engrossed in their learning.  Pupils fail to learn quickly when teachers’ explanations and demonstrations are not clear enough.  Teachers’ marking does not consistently show pupils how to improve their work.  The new leadership team in the school has not had enough time to ensure that improvements already made are sustained and that they are effectively raising standards further.

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The school has the following strengths

 The new headteacher, who is supported well by the deputy headteacher and other senior leaders, has quickly identified what needs to be done to improve the school. He is highly ambitious for the school. Actions taken have already led to early improvements in teaching, achievement and behaviour.  The governing body is both supportive and challenging. Governors are, therefore, helping to drive improvements.  Senior leaders have successfully created a culture where pupils want to learn and where staff want to do the best for the pupils.  Teaching assistants provide valuable support for pupils in lessons and in small groups.  Pupils feel safe and well cared for in school. They get on well together and their behaviour is good.  Parents are very supportive. They appreciate the changes that have taken place and have confidence in the leadership of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching and learning in 17 lessons, including three observations carried out jointly with senior leaders. The inspectors listened to pupils reading and observed the teaching of early reading skills. They observed teaching in small support groups. They also looked at examples of pupils’ work to obtain a view of teaching and learning over time.  Discussions took place with pupils, parents, the Chair of the Governing Body and four other governors, a representative from the local authority, senior and middle leaders, and other staff.  The inspectors took account of 58 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, two letters from parents and 34 staff questionnaires.  The inspectors looked at a range of documents, including data on pupils’ progress across the school, the school’s view of its own effectiveness and its development planning, records of the quality of teaching and learning, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and

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Information about this inspection

documentation in relation to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Christine Potter, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Douglas Scholes Additional Inspector Peter McKay Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is broadly average. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and children who are looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school provides a breakfast and after-school club.  Since the last inspection, the school has had significant changes to the senior leadership team. A new permanent headteacher was appointed in June 2013 to replace two successive interim

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Information about this school

headteachers, and a new deputy headteacher was appointed in September 2013. The three assistant headteachers have been appointed since January 2013. There is a new Chair of Governors and there have been many other changes to the governing body.  The school moved into a new building in September 2013 and there was a very large and unexpected rise in the number of pupils on roll. There have, therefore, been several new appointments to the teaching staff.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better, by:  making sure that lessons move at a pace which keeps pupils engrossed in their learning and helps them to make better progress  ensuring that teachers’ explanations and demonstrations are always clear enough so that pupils know exactly what they are aiming for  improving teachers’ marking so that it always shows pupils exactly how to improve their work, gives them time to respond to this, and ensures that their responses are followed up by teachers.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve achievement for all pupils, particularly in writing and mathematics, by:  giving pupils plenty of interesting and exciting opportunities to practise their skills in writing  making sure that pupils have more opportunities to deepen their understanding and extend their learning in mathematics through solving problems and doing investigations  having high enough expectations of what pupils, especially the most able, can achieve, and giving them work which challenges and stretches them, and helps them to achieve higher levels.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that the school continues to improve, with leaders and managers at all levels checking that improvements are sustained and that they are effectively raising standards further.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ achievement requires improvement because their overall progress is not yet good. Children’s starting points when they enter the Early Years Foundation Stage are generally typical for their age. Most pupils make steady progress across the school in reading, writing and mathematics. They reach standards which are broadly average at the end of both Key Stages 1 and 2. However, not enough pupils make progress which is better than this, particularly in writing and mathematics.  The school knows that there is a lot to do to make up for past underachievement. Its own data for the autumn term of 2013 show that, in a short space of time, pupils’ progress has improved in reading, writing and mathematics in all year groups. A lot of teaching that is especially tailored to help pupils make up lost ground is helping to speed up the progress of pupils in Year 6, from low starting points in September 2013. However, at this stage, it does not look as if there has

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

been time for these pupils to catch up enough, in order to show a marked improvement in this year’s Key Stage 2 test results.  Progress in writing is improving. This is because there is a more structured approach to teaching writing. Pupils are now more aware of what they need to do in order to write in different styles, and are developing greater understanding of aspects of grammar and punctuation. They confidently talk about how techniques such as ‘alliteration’ and ‘personification’ can improve their writing. However, progress in writing still lags behind that in other subjects. Pupils are not given enough opportunities to practise their skills in writing when the reasons for doing so, and the content, interest them.  Pupils’ work shows that they are now making better progress in basic mathematical skills. However, they have too few opportunities to deepen their mathematical understanding and extend their learning further through solving problems and doing investigations in situations that

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

they can relate to in real life.  The progress of the most able pupils, in particular, is not always sufficiently rapid. Teachers do not always have high enough expectations of what they can achieve. They sometimes do not give them work that challenges and stretches them enough, to help them achieve higher levels.  Pupils make better progress in reading than in writing and mathematics. The school has invested in a structured programme for teaching early reading skills. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage were learning quickly and also having a lovely time as they searched in a treasure chest for objects to match words and ‘yakked’ at each other to learn a new sound. Older pupils said how much they enjoy reading.  Pupils make steady progress in subjects other than reading, writing and mathematics and reach broadly average standards.  Published data show that disabled pupils and those with special educational needs did not

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

previously make as much progress as other pupils did. Pupils who need extra help are now being identified at an early stage. They are supported in small groups and through special programmes. They usually make good progress in lessons and there are signs that their progress overall is improving.  In 2013, pupils in Year 6 known to be eligible for free school meals were approximately three terms behind other pupils in reading and over one term behind in writing and mathematics. However, the progress of these pupils has improved since September 2013. The school is making much better use of the pupil premium funding to target the needs of individual pupils. Therefore, gaps between their achievement and that of others are closing. This demonstrates the school’s commitment to ensuring equality of opportunity.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although teaching has improved over the past few months, up until this year, it has not been consistently good enough to ensure that pupils made good progress. There are still some elements of teaching that require improvement. This is due in part to significant and rapid changes in staffing.  Not all lessons move at a pace which keeps pupils engrossed in their learning. Sometimes pupils have to take part in activities which are all at the same level, or wait for other pupils to complete tasks, before they can move on. This, therefore, slows their progress.  Teachers do not always give pupils clear enough explanations and demonstrations to show them exactly what they are aiming for and to speed up their learning.  Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly. The school has introduced new systems aimed at providing greater consistency in marking and helping pupils to improve their work more effectively. However, as yet, not all teachers are marking in this way. Their comments do not

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

always show pupils exactly how to improve their work. In most classes, teachers give pupils ‘green pen’ time to respond to their comments, but they do not consistently follow up pupils’ responses.  Good relationships and the use of praise and encouragement are strong features of all lessons and most pupils are keen to do well. They say that teachers make their lessons interesting and use a range of resources to help them learn. They particularly like it when they have opportunities to use laptops to find out new things or to present their work in different ways.  The new senior leadership team has made the development of teaching assistants’ skills and involvement in lessons a key priority for improvement. Teaching assistants are now fully involved in planning for different groups of pupils. For example, a small group of pupils in a Year 5 mathematics lesson made good progress in their understanding of division, because of the

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

teaching assistant’s careful explanations and skilful questioning, which enabled her to check their understanding and quickly correct any misconceptions.  Some teaching is good. This is where teachers’ expectations are high. For example, pupils in Year 6 sorted clauses and connectives, and explored different ways in which they could be combined to make a range of complex sentences. They enthusiastically discussed the range of possibilities with each other. They were completely absorbed in the task and achieved well.  Teachers plan their lessons carefully so that tasks build on pupils’ previous learning. Their questions help them to make sure that pupils understand what they are doing. Pupils say that having clear ‘steps for success’ helps them to know what is expected of them and to check how well they have done. Newly introduced systems across the school are giving pupils a greater involvement in assessing their own learning in lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. The school is a happy place and pupils are polite and welcoming. They are considerate of one another as they move around the school, and are mostly sensible and careful on staircases. They are proud of the new building and look after it well. They say how well they get on together, and pupils from all different ages and backgrounds could be seen playing together. No one was left out.  Most pupils have positive attitudes to learning and are keen to join in and do well in lessons. Just sometimes, if the pace or level of challenge in lessons do not keep them engrossed in their learning, they lose interest. Some off-task chatting and fidgety behaviour does then occur.  There are very clear systems for managing pupils’ behaviour, which they feel are fair and work well. Pupils usually respond very quickly to teachers’ warnings that their name might be moved down on the behaviour chart and they are very keen to avoid more serious sanctions. Pupils say

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

how much behaviour in school has improved. Parents report that their children are noticeably happier than previously.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. The school has had to be particularly rigorous in carrying out risk assessments to ensure pupils’ safety within the new building and surrounding play areas.  Pupils feel safe in school, and pupils and parents agree that bullying is extremely rare. Pupils have a good understanding of different types of bullying and learn how to keep themselves safe in different situations. They were particularly keen to talk about what they need to do if they come across anything unsuitable on the internet.  Pupils know that any concerns that they may have will be dealt with quickly by the adults in school. They also say that they can often resolve differences themselves, through ignoring or calmly asking others to stop doing things that are upsetting them. ‘Worry boxes’ are available in

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

several areas in the school and pupils value these, knowing that they can use them if they feel really upset about anything.  Attendance has improved and is now good for all groups of pupils. Pupil ‘governors’ have surveyed others in their class to suggest ways attendance can be improved. The recently appointed inclusion officer has been working successfully with particular families who are having difficulty getting their children to school regularly and on time.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because pupils are not yet making good enough progress, given their starting points. Leaders at all levels have not yet had time to check that what they are doing is securing sustained improvements to the quality of teaching and achievement and raising standards further.  The new headteacher is providing strong leadership. He knows exactly what needs to be done to move the school forward and demonstrates the drive and determination to succeed. He is supported well by the governing body, deputy headteacher and other senior leaders. They have done a lot to move the school forward in a short period of time, while also dealing with huge changes to staffing and pupil numbers, and moving into a new building.  Leaders have taken decisive action to improve the quality of teaching. They carry out regular checks through watching lessons and looking at pupils’ work. They give teachers very clear

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The leadership and management requires improvement

guidance and support them where necessary, to ensure that their teaching improves. They have set them clear performance management targets based on how well pupils in their classes are doing.  Senior leaders have recognised the leadership potential of other staff. There is now a new team of middle leaders, who are receiving appropriate training to help them to carry out their roles. They have clear action plans which are helping the school to improve in specific areas, such as in reading and phonics.  All staff who completed the staff questionnaire were extremely supportive of the new leadership. They are enthusiastic about improving their skills in order to do the best for the pupils.  The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and is enriched by a range of extra clubs such as drama, cookery and choir. The school has purchased two minibuses, so that pupils are able to go out on more visits and broaden their experiences of the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

world around them. These have already included visits to a synagogue and a Hindu temple.  The school has not yet received its full allocation of the primary school sport funding. It has used the funds so far to improve opportunities for pupils to take part in a wider range of sporting activities, from mountain-biking to basketball. These have proved very popular and many more pupils are now taking part in physical activities than previously. Future plans include training for staff to develop their skills in teaching sports and physical education.  Parents are very positive about the school. They say that staff are very approachable and know individual pupils well. They feel that the school is improving. They know that there is still some way to go, but are very supportive and have confidence in the new leadership team.  The local authority provides strong support for this improving school.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Governors are very supportive of the school. Many of them are fairly new to the role, but they have made sure that they know how well the school is performing. They have clearly defined areas of responsibility, such as pupils’ behaviour, progress and safeguarding. They come into school regularly to check on their areas, record their observations carefully, and ask challenging questions where they need further clarification or assurance that pupils are doing well enough. They have discussions with pupil ‘governors’ and enjoy seeing things from their perspective. They are very aware of the challenges faced by the new leadership team, recognise the improvements that have already taken place, and know what still needs to be done. They have supported the headteacher in making difficult decisions to eliminate weak teaching. Although the newly established performance management cycle is not yet complete,

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The leadership and management requires improvement

they are adamant that decisions relating to pay progression will be linked to teachers achieving their targets. They ensure that pupil premium funding is now being spent well, and is helping to improve the achievement of eligible pupils. They ensure that safeguarding requirements are met fully and have made sure that appropriate actions have been taken to keep pupils safe and secure in the new building.

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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 105910 Local authority Salford Inspection number 426097

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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 475 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stacey Corlett Headteacher Stephen Lawler-Smith Date of previous school inspection 18 October 2011 Telephone number 0161 9211295 Fax number Not applicable Email address moorside.primaryschool@salford.gov.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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