Moston Fields Primary School

Moston Fields Primary School Brookside Road, Moston, Manchester, M40 9GJ

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Overall effectiveness

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

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

 Between Years 1 and 6, pupils’ achievement requires improvement.  Pupils in Key Stage 1 do not yet make good progress from their starting points on entry to Year 1 in reading, writing and mathematics. By the end of Year 2, standards are much lower than average.  Pupils in Key Stage 2 do not make good progress in mathematics. Standards in mathematics lag behind those in reading and writing and by the end of Year 6 are significantly below average.  The quality of teaching is not consistently good. Work provided for the most able pupils lacks challenge. Too few pupils reach the higher levels of attainment, especially in mathematics.  Achievement is hampered because pupils are not all able to read and understand their individual literacy and numeracy targets.  Pupils are not given the opportunity to use and apply their skills in mathematics to solve problems in all classes. Pupils are not always helped to

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

deepen their understanding of the relationship between numbers.  Leaders are yet to ensure that pupils achieve equally well across the school and subjects. Efforts of leaders and managers at all levels to improve teaching and pupils’ achievement since the previous inspection have not yet resulted in consistently good teaching and achievement.

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The school has the following strengths

 Leaders have identified the correct priorities for the school’s improvement. Their actions are beginning to bear fruit.  Children in the early years make good progress because they are taught well.  Pupils’ achievement in reading and writing is improving as a result of better teaching, especially in Key Stage 2. Pupils in Key Stage 2 now make good progress in these subjects.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They are polite, sensible and have positive attitudes to their learning. Pupils feel safe in school and have confidence in their teachers to sort out any concerns and worries they may have.  The school’s provision for supporting disadvantaged pupils is improving quickly.  Governors provide effective support. They have a strong sense of purpose to drive the school forward and challenge leaders to do so.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 12 parts of lessons and also visited classrooms for short periods of time. One lesson was observed jointly with a senior leader.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils, senior leaders and teachers with responsibility for leading and managing subjects and key stages. A meeting was held with a group of governors and a representative from the local authority.  Results from 35 online questionnaires (Parent View) were taken into consideration during the inspection. Results from a questionnaire undertaken by the school before the inspection were also considered. In addition, an inspector spoke with parents on the second day of the inspection. Eight questionnaires submitted by staff have been taken into consideration.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s data showing pupils’ progress; documents relating to the school’s own view of its performance; the school

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Information about this inspection

improvement plan; records relating to attendance and documents relating to safeguarding. Inspectors also looked at pupils’ work.

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Inspection team

Pritiben Patel, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Inspection team

Prydwen Elfed-Owens Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils are White British. Other pupils from a wide range of other heritages, especially Black or Black British.  The proportion of pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs is below average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium funding is well above average. The pupil premium is additional funding given to schools by the government to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  More pupils than usual join the school part-way through the year and in year groups other than in the Nursery or Reception classes.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectation for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this school

 The breakfast club is open from 8am until 9am daily.  Staff and pupils moved into a new building on a different site in January 2014.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ achievement in reading and writing at Key Stage 1 and mathematics between Years 1 and 6 by improving the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better, ensuring that:  the most able pupils are challenged in all lessons  pupils have greater opportunities to use and apply their skills in mathematics to solve problems  pupils are helped to deepen their understanding of the relationship between numbers in mathematics  all pupils understand their individual targets to help them achieve well in their learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management at all levels by ensuring that leaders monitor, take action and evaluate all aspects of their areas of responsibility so that they have greater impact on improving teaching and pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders are yet to ensure that pupils achieve well between Years 1 and 6. Although some improvements are evident, the school has not improved at a good rate since the previous inspection. Instabilities in staffing, including staff absences at senior leadership level, as well as the additional work and challenges resulting from the school’s move into its new premises this year have hampered efforts to improve the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement so that they become good.  The headteacher is supported by an able deputy headteacher. Together they ensure that this is a happy and harmonious school where staff work well together as a team and ‘go the extra mile’ to meet the needs of both vulnerable pupils and their families. They ensure that pupils behave well and are kept safe.  Since the previous inspection, some improvements are evident. Achievement in reading and writing in Key Stage 2 for example, is now good. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the Year 1

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The leadership and management requires improvement

phonics check (the sounds that letters make) has also improved. More pupils are coming to school more often.  The accountability of middle leaders has greatly improved. Middle leaders now monitor the quality of teaching in their areas of responsibility, such as by observing lessons and by checking the quality of pupils’ work. They provide training for other staff in school. However, these improvements have not yet resulted in improving the overall quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement to a consistently good level.  The performance of every pupil is carefully tracked and pupils that need additional support are given it. Pupils who are at risk of not making expected progress are identified and supported. Meetings are held with class teachers and they are now more rigorously held to account for the progress of pupils in their care. Although leaders make sure that all pupils are included in all that is on offer, the school is yet to

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The leadership and management requires improvement

ensure that its work to promote equality of opportunity is fully effective. Variances between the achievement of pupils in key stages and subjects remain.  Leaders are making changes so that disadvantaged pupils do better than in the past. Disadvantaged pupils are encouraged to attend the breakfast club so that they are in school and ready to learn. They receive additional support in literacy and numeracy and an additional teacher has been employed in Key Stage 1. The previously wide gaps in the achievement of disadvantaged pupils compared to others in the school are narrowing. Even so, leaders are yet to ensure this group of pupils achieve well overall.  The performance of teachers is now being managed with greater rigour. The strengths and areas of weakness in teaching are identified. Plans are put in place for staff that require support to improve their teaching, including though training and coaching. Teachers are given clear targets to achieve, linked to

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The leadership and management requires improvement

pupil progress and their performance is also linked to pay awards. However, these improvements are yet to reflect in the overall quality of teaching in the school.  Changes to the curriculum are helping to ensure pupils make better progress. Topics, such as Pirates and Anglo Saxons, are helping to engage and capture the interest of boys. The curriculum now places a stronger emphasis on developing pupils’ literacy skills especially to use and apply them in work other than in English in Key Stage 2. However, further revisions are required to the curriculum in mathematics. Opportunities for pupils to use and apply their skills to solve problems and to deepen pupils’ understanding of the relationship between numbers are not yet fully developed.  Pupils are effectively prepared for life in modern Britain. They learn about the importance of Remembrance Day as well as individual rights and responsibilities.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 There are different opportunities for parents to get to know about the school’s work and get involved in activities. Weekly newsletters are sent home, parents attend events such as ‘Phonic Bingo’ in the early years and there are a variety of workshops held for parents in reading and numeracy. Parents are invited to participate in outdoor visits. Although a small number of parents do not have a positive perception of the school, which senior leaders are working to address, most would recommend the school to others.  The primary school sports funding is used effectively so that pupils experience a broader range of activities. Staff receive specialist support in delivering gymnastics. There is a real focus on improving the health and fitness of both pupils and their families. For example, families are asked to share the physical activities they participate in outside of school and these contribute to the sports display.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority keeps a close check on the performance of the school and the achievement of pupils. They broker in support in areas such as mathematics and Key Stage 1. Partnerships have been developed with schools locally so that staff can share best practice with one another.  Arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements and are effective.  The governance of the school:  Governors bring a wide range of expertise to the school and are very ambitious for its success. They are actively working to further improve their effectiveness and have an action plan in place to do so. They are supportive and have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas that require improvement.  Governors attend meetings about pupils’ progress. As a result, they understand how well pupils’ achieve, including in relation to performance data. They challenge senior leaders when necessary, for

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The leadership and management requires improvement

example, in relation to pupils’ achievement in mathematics. Governors contribute to the school’s evaluation of itself and check that actions in the school’s development plan are implemented.  Governors know how the pupil-premium is being used and the gaps in the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and their peers in school. They ensure that school finances are healthy.  Governors know about the quality of teaching and how it is being improved. They contribute to the performance management of the headteacher and staff. They have a very good understanding of how performance is linked to pay and how good teaching is rewarded.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite, helpful and conduct themselves well around school. Most pupils have a very positive attitude towards their learning and are eager to do well. Occasionally, pupils need gentle reminders to stay on task in lessons. They conform quickly when asked to by their teachers to continue with their work.  Pupils enjoy school and this is shown in their attendance, which has improved and is now average.  Staff at all levels are very caring towards pupils. The Attendance Officer and Parent Support Advisor are very effective in supporting vulnerable pupils and their families so that they can benefit from all that the school offers.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good overall. They learn how to manage their feelings and relationships in assemblies. For example, they explore the importance of saying sorry when they make mistakes. Pupils learn about different cultures, for example they learn about the Christian and

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Behaviour

Muslim faiths in Religious Education lessons. They learn about different countries such as India via topic work. Pupils say that racism is not a concern for them and this was exemplified when a pupil explained to inspectors, ‘It doesn’t matter what other peoples colours are, we are the same’  There are different opportunities for pupils to take responsibility. There is an elected school council who are spokes persons for their class and ensure that the views of their peers are known by staff. The older pupils are Playground Buddies and look after the younger pupils at lunchtimes as well as helping with playground equipment. Pupils also participate in fundraising for charities such as Children in Need.  Breakfast club is well attended and pupils enjoy coming. They are engaged well in playing games.  The ‘Chill Room’ helps pupils to reflect and share any concerns they may have with an adult in a calm

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say they feel safe. They have confidence in their teachers and comments such as, ‘teachers help you’ and ‘we get the support of our teachers’ were typical.  Pupils know about different types of bullying and say that it is ‘very rare’, for them to experience it in school. They say that if it were to happen staff would address it very quickly. There have been no permanent exclusions. There has been one fixed-term exclusion this academic year.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in different situations. For example, pupils discuss stranger danger in assemblies. They know what to do if they come into contact with unsuitable material when using the internet. Pupils understand the importance of fire drills in school and why the register is taken by staff once the fire drill has been activated.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although teaching is becoming stronger, particularly in reading and writing in Key Stage 2, it still requires improvement overall because it is not consistently good between Years 1 and 6.  The teaching of mathematics requires improvement across the school. Pupils’ mathematics books show that although some pupils are given opportunities to use and apply their mathematics skills to solve problems this is not the case for all pupils in all classes. This has a negative impact on their progress in mathematics. Teachers do not always help pupils to understand the relationship between numbers and thereby deepen their understanding of mathematics. In Key Stage 1, pupils learning about halving numbers were able to partition numbers effectively but did not understand that the end number was half of the original number they started with. This hampered their progress.  The teaching of reading and writing is improving. Staff have received additional training in the teaching of

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

phonics. Pupils are given opportunities to apply their skills in phonics to their reading and writing and pupils are now taught in small groups according to their abilities. As a result, achievement is improving and reflects in the higher proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics check.  Better teaching in Key Stage 2 has helped to significantly improve pupils’ achievement in reading and writing. Teaching now provides a strong focus and making sure that pupils are well supported to improve their handwriting, spelling and punctuation. This is now paying dividends in Key Stage 2. Regular opportunities are provided to read and a careful check is made that pupils understand what they are reading about.  Pupils are given individual targets for what they need to do to improve their skills in literacy and numeracy. However, the achievement of pupils is hampered because they are not all able to read and

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

understand their targets.  Interesting tasks are usually planned for pupils and take into account their varying abilities. However, the teaching of the most able pupils is not consistently good. They are not yet challenged well enough. Work during some parts of lessons is sometimes too easy. When all pupils were asked to list key words and phrases to describe a character in the same way in a Key Stage 2 literacy lessons, the vocabulary skills of the most able pupils were not developed well enough.  Strong relationships are a strong feature of all lessons and this creates a happy and positive climate for learning. Teachers are enthusiastic about teaching and this impacts well on pupils’ engagement. Teachers also use praise well. As a result, pupils are well motivated and focus intently on completing the work set for them.  As a result of a whole-school focus, the quality of marking has improved. The approach to marking is now

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

consistent across the school and is understood by pupils. Pupils are very clear about what the different coloured stickers stand for when teachers use them. ‘Response Time’ was used very effectively in a Key Stage 2 literacy lesson where the teacher asked pupils to respond to her marking. Pupils say that ‘Response Time’ helps them ‘to use better words’.  Homework is set regularly and helps pupils to further develop their skills and understanding.  Teaching assistants now provide better support for pupils and help pupils to work things out for themselves with appropriate guidance.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Between Years 1 and 6, pupils’ achievement requires improvement. Pupils do not make good progress in Key Stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics. In Key Stage 2, progress in mathematics, requires improvement. Progress is uneven because inconsistencies in teaching across the school have not yet been ironed out.  Despite some improvement in the attainment of pupils reported from teacher assessments in Year 2 in 2014 in reading and mathematics, overall standards in reading, writing and mathematics are significantly below average. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected Level 2 is below average, especially in writing. The higher than usual proportion of pupils that join the school partway through Key Stage 1, often with lower starting points impacts negatively on the overall standards reached.  Recent instabilities in staffing, as well as some weaker teaching has also had a negative impact of pupils’

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

achievement in Key Stage 1. School data and inspection evidence, however, shows that attainment is on a rising trend. The proportion of pupils that achieved the expected standard in the Year 1 reading screening check in 2014 for example was average and higher than results in 2013. More pupils in Year 2 are working at the expected levels than previously. Even so, pupils’ achievement requires improvement because pupils’ progress from their previous starting points is not yet good.  Achievement in Key Stage 2 is now good in reading and writing but requires improvement in mathematics. In Year 6 in 2014, the proportion of pupils who made expected and more than expected progress in reading and writing compared favourably to schools nationally. The proportion of pupils reaching the Level 4 and the proportion reaching Level 5 in these subjects increased significantly on results reported in 2013. Lessons specifically tailored to help pupils’ improve their punctuation and writing, along with good

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

opportunities for pupils to read on a daily basis and complete tasks to develop their understanding have contributed to this improved achievement.  This improvement was not seen in mathematics, however. Standards in mathematics remained significantly below average. Although this represented expected progress for most pupils, too few pupils did better than this. Although the school’s current projections show that attainment in mathematics in Year 6 in 2015 is set to increase, achievement in mathematics between Years 1 and 6 requires improvement. Pupils are not consistently given the opportunity to use and apply their skills to solve problems. Pupils do not gain a good understanding of the relationship between numbers and thereby deepen their understanding of mathematics.  The achievement of the most able pupils requires improvement. They are not consistently challenged in their learning. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher Level 3 at the end of Year 2 is low and

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

declined in 2014 compared to the previous year. Although a higher proportion of pupils reached the higher Level 5 at the end of Year 6 in 2014 compared to 2013 overall, the proportion is still below average, especially in mathematics.  In Year 6 in 2014, the overall attainment of boys lagged behind that of the girls. School initiatives aimed at improving the achievement of boys across the school since the previous inspection are starting to pay dividends. For example, the proportion of boys reaching Level 4 in writing in 2014 was much higher than the proportion that did so in 2013. In Year 1, boys are now more engaged in their learning because activities are more suited to their needs.  The achievement of disadvantaged pupils, although improving, is not yet consistently good. In 2014, wide gaps existed between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils compared to non-disadvantaged pupils both in school and nationally. In reading and in writing, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils was about

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

three terms behind others in the school and four terms behind non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. This gap was even wider in mathematics, being three terms behind others in the school and five terms behind non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. School data and inspection evidence shows a strongly improving picture, especially in reading and writing where there is now just over one term’s difference in the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and non-disadvantaged pupils currently in Year 6. Although the school’s provision for supporting disadvantaged pupils is improving quickly, this is yet to result in good achievement because teaching, especially in mathematics, is not yet good.  Pupils who are disabled or have special educational needs are carefully assessed before they are put on the register. They make similar progress to their peers. Plans to support individual pupils are in place and are regularly monitored. Pupils receive one-to-one and small group support in literacy and numeracy to

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

help them improve their progress.  Pupils from black, mixed and other heritages make similar progress to their peers. A close check is kept on their performance.

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The early years provision are good

 Children start the Nursery with knowledge, skills and understanding below what is typical for their age. Not all the children who start the Nursery go on into the Reception Year. Similarly, about a quarter of the children who started the Reception class in 2013 had not attended the Nursery and some of these children have had no pre-school experience. However, from their starting points, children throughout the early years make good progress. Usually, the majority of children reach a good level of development and are ready to move into Year 1.  Teaching is good. Staff work together well as a team. They have good questioning skills to develop children’s understanding and carefully plan activities that are meaningful and exciting for them. For example, children greatly enjoy making houses from straw based on the story of ‘The Three Little Pigs’.  There are many opportunities for children to choose activities which interest them. Staff use these

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The early years provision are good

opportunities as a starting point to further children’s knowledge, skills and understanding.  Staff are highly caring towards the children. This helps children to settle in quickly and has a positive impact on their self-esteem and personal development. Children are safe, behave well and enjoy their learning.  Leadership is good. Staff check the progress that children make on a regular basis and have worked successfully on developing their understanding of assessment. There are a range of opportunities for parents to participate in their children’s learning via workshops and `learning journeys’, which record children’s developing skills.  The environment is bright and stimulating for children and all areas of the curriculum are covered well. Staff have identified that boys lag behind girls in their progress. As a result, the outdoor area has been developed to engage boys and improve their performance.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 105427 Local authority Manchester Inspection number 452013

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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 340 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Hayes Headteacher Ron Peden Date of previous school inspection 17 October 2013 Telephone number 0161 6811801 Fax number 0161 6818923 Email address admin@mostonfields.manchester.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 and 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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