Moorfield Primary School

Moorfield Primary School Wellington Road, Newport, TF10 7QU

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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This is an outstanding school

 Pupils’ achievement throughout the school is outstanding. They make excellent progress in reading, writing and mathematics and reach high standards by the end of Year 6. They are very well prepared for secondary school.  Leaders have managed changes of staff very effectively, sustaining an outstanding overall quality of teaching.  Teachers show that they have high expectations by setting pupils very demanding tasks. They plan and teach lessons that pupils find very interesting.  Marking provides pupils with very clear instructions about how they can make their work even better.  Pupils say they are very happy and feel very safe in school. Their behaviour in class and around the school is exemplary. Pupils are very keen to learn and enjoy taking responsibility.  Pupils have many opportunities to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness.  Leaders’ checks on the quality of teaching and

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This is an outstanding school

pupils’ achievement are frequent and rigorous. Their plans to improve the school and the training given to staff have been most successful. The school is very well placed to improve even further.  The governing body provides a high level of challenge and support to the headteacher and staff. It makes sure that the school meets all legal requirements.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed the teaching in all classes. They visited 18 lessons taught by eight teachers, as well as sessions for small groups of pupils led by teaching assistants. The headteacher joined them for some of these visits.  The inspectors held discussions with pupils, the headteacher, other teachers, the Chair of the Governing Body and two governors. The lead inspector had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors heard pupils read and looked at a range of evidence, including records of pupils’ progress, safeguarding documentation, records of behaviour and the results of the school’s checks on the quality of teaching. They also examined the work in pupils’ books.  Most Year 6 pupils were in France on an educational visit. To check the quality of their teaching and learning, inspectors undertook a detailed examination of the work in their books over this

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Information about this inspection

school year, together with their teachers’ progress data. They also talked to the Year 6 pupils who were in school.  Inspectors considered the views of the 59 parents who completed the Parent View website survey. Inspectors took account of the views of 30 parents with whom they talked at the start of the school day and the several with whom they spoke on the telephone or who contacted them by email.

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Inspection team

Gerald Griffin, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Trevor Neat Additional Inspector Roisin Chambers Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an above-average-sized primary school.  Nearly all pupils are from White British homes.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium (additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, in local authority care or from a family with a parent in the armed forces) is below the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  There have been several staff changes over the past three years.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Help pupils to make even better progress, by making sure they are very clear about what they need to do next to improve the quality of their work.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children start school with levels of knowledge, skills and understanding that are typical for their age. Children make very good progress in the Reception class to reach attainment that is a little above average in all areas of learning. More-able children do particularly well. For example, by the time they start Year 1, they write interesting paragraphs using a good range of vocabulary and accurate spelling and punctuation.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 In 2013, pupils left school at the end of Year 6 with well-above-average attainment. Overall attainment has been rising over the past three years. The attainment of the current Year 6 is also well above average, and on track be even higher than 2013 levels at the end of the year.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils who left for secondary school last year made outstanding progress in mathematics. Their progress in English was not as rapid because of past staffing difficulties. As staffing stabilised, together with outstanding teaching, pupils in other years made sustained and rapid progress in English and mathematics last year and this continues for current pupils. For example, on average, pupils in Year 5 have made an extra year's progress than expected in English, and two extra terms of progress in mathematics. In Year 6, pupils on average are already well over a year ahead of expected levels.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils in Years 1 and 2 are also making outstanding progress in English and mathematics overall, and are on track to reach well-above-average attainment by the end of Year 2. The attainment of the boys in Years 1 and 2, which has been below that of the girls, has risen this year because actions taken to provide work that appeals more to boys have been successful.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils enjoy reading and do so regularly. Pupils’ skills in phonics (linking letters to the sounds they make) are very well developed. The results of the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 in 2013 were above the national average, a significant rise over the previous year when they were below average. This means that attainment in reading for younger pupils is well above average this year.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils use a wide range of vocabulary expertly to express their ideas clearly and vividly in a wide range of styles such as stories, accounts and diaries. Punctuation and spelling are accurate. Pupils apply their calculation skills quickly and accurately to solve complex mathematical problems.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs achieve well. They make similar progress to their classmates because of good teaching by well-qualified adults who know their needs well.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The number of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium in each year is very small, so it is not appropriate to report on their attainment as that would risk identifying individual pupils. The inspection looked closely at their progress in English and mathematics and found this to be as rapid as that of their classmates. This shows the school uses the pupil premium money effectively, for example to provide individuals with additional teaching to remedy any relative weaknesses in their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 More-able pupils are making outstanding progress throughout the school. For example, all those who left the Reception class with above-average attainment in 2011 reached the higher levels in the Key Stage 1 tests in 2013. Last year one third of pupils in Year 6 gained Level 6, the highest level in the mathematics test, and this proportion is set to increase this year. This year, for the first time, an above-average proportion of Year 6 pupils are on track to reach this high level in English as well.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers show that they have high expectations. They plan work, including homework, that is very challenging and deepens pupils’ knowledge and understanding.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers’ questions make pupils think deeply and demand answers of more than a few words. They make sure all pupils are involved in class discussions.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The work that teachers plan is highly engaging. Work is made relevant to pupils’ lives. For example, pupils in Year 2 were learning how to add time so that they could calculate one hour or 30 minutes later. As a result, relationships are very positive, and pupils enjoy lessons and work very hard.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 In the Reception class, children have clear, challenging targets for their work. They work well, both on their own and also cooperatively with other children. Teaching prepares children well for the more formal learning that is provided in Year 1. In observations made during the inspection, children worked very hard both inside the classroom and outdoors. In one instance, children were making very good progress in reading and writing by thinking carefully about rhyming words in a poem they had been given and how the endings of these words can be spelt differently.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Staff in the Reception class make very good use of regular and accurate assessments of children’s skills to plan challenging next steps in their learning. Their assessments of the standards attained at the end of the year have recently been independently checked for their accuracy.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers give pupils many opportunities to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. For example, pupils in Year 3 and 4 reflected maturely about trust and being trustworthy while preparing a piece of persuasive writing.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching assistants give very valuable support, especially to disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs and those eligible for the pupil premium. For example, they know their needs very well and keep notes on pupils’ progress, which are used by the teacher for future planning.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Marking gives pupils extremely clear guidance about how to improve their work. This is especially effective because pupils consistently show the teacher they have understood their comments by correcting errors. This is making a significant contribution to pupils’ outstanding achievement.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Learning sometimes slows when some pupils are not really clear about what they need to do next in the lesson to improve the quality of their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils feel extremely safe in school. They understand how to keep themselves safe, for example when using the internet.  The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Behaviour in lessons and around the school is excellent. In all classes, learning proceeded without interruption because the teachers did not have to manage any misbehaviour.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say that bullying is rare, and pupils are confident that staff would resolve any incidents effectively. Older pupils understand its different forms, such as cyber-bullying, and how to respond to them. Pupils feel very well looked after and supported by adults.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils have very positive attitudes towards learning. They need little or no supervision when working on their own. They readily respond to teacher’s comments in their books to show that they understand how to improve their work. They ask teachers demanding questions to make sure their work is of a high standard. They take great pride in their work; their books are neat and tidy. Older pupils take an appropriate level of responsibility for their own progress by comparing their current work to their challenging targets and making sure their progress towards them is good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are keen to accept responsibilities around school too. In the Reception class, children take responsibility for collecting the resources they need for their chosen activities. Older pupils enjoy taking responsibility as members of the school and eco council and by collecting money for charity.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Attendance is above average this term, as it has been over recent years. This reflects pupils’ enjoyment of learning.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher, other leaders and the governing body show their high expectations by setting very challenging targets for teachers and pupils. These targets are enthusiastically embraced by the staff, who work very successfully to achieve them. Staff morale is high.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The leader of the Reception class has successfully trained teaching assistants in the skills of accurately assessing children’s capabilities and planning work in all areas of learning. The leadership of the teaching of pupils who have special educational needs is good. This is making sure that the help and guidance provided for these pupils are effective so that they make similar progress to their classmates.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Teaching is improving because of the effective work of leaders. They make rigorous checks on teaching and the quality of learning. The follow-up actions from these observations successfully tackle any weaknesses and improve teachers’ skills. For example, specific training has been successful in improving the teaching of phonics.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders have made good use of support from the local authority, especially in confirming standards across the school and improving management skills.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The way subjects are taught strongly promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, the school provides many opportunities for pupils to reflect on right and wrong, their feelings and respect for others. In an assembly seen, pupils were reflecting on the differences between their own lives and that of a child in rural Kenya, and the need to generously support those who are less fortunate than themselves.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Pupils have two lessons of physical education a week that they thoroughly enjoy. These make an important contribution to their healthy physical development. Leaders are spending the new primary school sports funding very well. For example, it is used to improve the teaching of physical education, pay for coaches to broaden the range of lunchtime and after-school sports clubs and increase pupils’ participation in school games.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The large majority of parents expressed positive views about their children’s education. However, several parents understandably expressed concerns about the effect of the turnover of staff on the continuity of their child’s learning. Inspectors looked into this matter carefully and concluded that leaders have worked very hard to establish a stable team of outstanding teachers, which is now the case.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school provides a wide range of workshops for parents to help them support their child's learning at home.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Leaders have a very clear commitment to combating discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity. This is shown in the outstanding progress made by all groups of pupils from all backgrounds. The school fosters excellent relationships with other schools to improve pupils’ life chances even more.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Child protection training for staff is thorough, and leaders implement child protection policies rigorously. The school completes all statutory checks on the suitability of staff to be employed.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  The governors have a highly accurate picture of how well the school is doing compared with other schools through their regular visits to see the school at work and their clear understanding of data on pupils’ progress. They use this information very well to ask leaders searching questions about its performance. For example, they are taking a keen interest in the progress of younger boys in writing and the way in which a change of topics that have greater appeal to boys may improve their progress. Governors check that the management of teachers’ performance is rigorous. Only those teachers who have met the challenging targets set by the school, including those for pupils’ progress, are considered for pay increases and promotion. Governors make sure that the school is spending the pupil premium funding on those eligible for it, and that it brings benefits through higher achievement.

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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 123435 Local authority Telford and Wrekin Inspection number 427090

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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 Foundation Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 265 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sarah Payne Headteacher Su Plant Date of previous school inspection 28 November 2008 Telephone number 01952 386470 Fax number N/A Email address su.plant@taw.org.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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