The John Moore Primary School

School report The John Moore Primary School

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Columbine Road, Walton Cardiff, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, GL20 7SP

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils make good progress from their different starting points and leave at the end of Year 6 with high levels of attainment in English and mathematics.  Pupils’ talent and achievement in music, art and sport are well celebrated.  Pupils feel safe in school and behave well.  The school is a vibrant place where pupils and staff share positive working relationships. Pupils enjoy attending The John Moore, which they described as ‘a work hard, play hard’ school. Attendance is well above average at the school.  Leaders make regular, effective checks on teaching and pupils’ achievement which makes sure teaching is consistently good.  Governors support and challenge leaders effectively. They know how good the teaching is and how well pupils are doing, and they hold staff to account for pupils’ achievement and safety.  The early years provision is good with excellent opportunities to learn outdoors. The majority of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

children leave Reception well prepared for Year 1.  The local authority has worked well with the school, keeping leaders up to date and providing support for mathematics and the evaluation of teaching.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well in lessons and assemblies and through links with other schools.  A very large majority of parents would recommend the school to others.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally teachers do not adequately explain to pupils what it is they are learning or set them suitably challenging work.  Marking is not used consistently to improve pupils’ work and presentation of work.  New middle leaders do not fully use the available assessment data to track pupils’ progress closely so that they do as well as possible.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in all classes and across a range of subjects. They looked at pupils’ work in lessons and separately with the headteacher.  Inspectors held formal and informal discussions with pupils. They listened to pupils reading and observed them at break, lunchtimes and in assembly.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, subject and key stage leaders and those responsible for special educational needs and child protection. They also met with representatives from the local authority and the governing body.  The 116 responses to the online, Parent View survey were considered, along with comments made to inspectors by parents during the inspection.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation. This included records of pupils’ attainment and progress, information about the monitoring of teaching and the management of staff performance, the school’s development plans and self-evaluation summary, the minutes of governing body meetings, and

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Information about this inspection

information provided on the school’s website. Behaviour logs, accident logs and safeguarding information were also scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Najoud Ensaff, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The John Moore Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for pupil premium funding (extra money for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children in the care of the local authority) is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government’s floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics.  The school has increased in size this year. Children in the early years attend full time and an additional Reception class was opened in 2014.  The teacher responsible for literacy, the early years and Key Stage 1 was on extended leave at the time of the inspection and two other members of staff had taken over responsibility for these areas.  Most pupils at the school come from White British backgrounds. There are very few pupils from minority

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Information about this school

ethnic heritages or who speak English as an additional language.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all teachers:  routinely set work which is at the right level of challenge for pupils so that they are always fully engaged  make sure that pupils always understand what they are learning  require pupils to present their work neatly and respond to feedback from teachers.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure that all middle leaders, including those new to their roles, make the best possible use of the school’s assessment information to track pupils’ progress so that pupils always do well.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and other leaders expect high standards and this expectation is shared by staff.  The school’s leaders know its strengths and weaknesses. They plan effectively for school improvement, setting measurable milestones for improvement linked to their evaluations of the school’s performance.  The school works effectively within a local cluster of schools to widen opportunities for pupils.  The local authority gives effective support, keeping leaders and other staff up to date with educational developments. In 2014, the local authority helped the school to find external consultants for mathematics and leadership. As a result, there were tangible improvements in the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement in mathematics, particularly in Key Stage 2. The local authority also helps the school by verifying its judgements about the quality of teaching.  Middle leaders know the strengths and weaknesses of their areas of responsibility. Alongside senior

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The leadership and management are good

leaders and governors, they take part in regular checks on teaching and learning. Senior leaders recognise that middle leaders new to their posts do not yet use assessment information as fully as they might to help raise pupils’ achievement in their areas.  The pupil premium funding is used effectively to help disadvantaged pupils to make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The use of the primary sport and physical education funding is carefully planned. Leaders set clear goals which ensure that these funds are used to improve the skills of teachers and to increase the range of sports on offer to pupils. This has a positive impact on pupils’ physical well-being and on their achievement and participation in sport.  Subjects are well planned around themes so that pupils enjoy a broad and balanced range of subjects. Pupils learn about a range of faiths and cultures in religious studies lessons and thematic assemblies and

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The leadership and management are good

through links with schools in Spain and Kenya. They learn about the workings of democracy through participation in the school council. Pupils understand the difference between right and wrong and demonstrate tolerant attitudes to others and an acceptance of difference. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Leaders successfully promote equal opportunities, with pupils from a range of backgrounds achieving well at the school. Discrimination is not tolerated and the very few incidents reported to the headteacher are effectively dealt with.  The school is a cohesive community where pupils and staff share positive, working relationships. Some pupils summarised what many clearly thought when they said that The John Moore is ‘a caring school’. A very large majority of parents said that they would recommend the school to others.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils are effective and meet statutory requirements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have high aspirations for pupils’ achievement and are increasingly active in supporting and challenging the school’s leaders.  Governors know how good the teaching is and how well pupils are achieving because of the good quality information provided for them by senior leaders. They have had good training in the interpretation of data and ask searching questions about, for example, achievement in mathematics and the way in which additional funding is being used.  Governors ensure that suitable procedures are in place to manage staff. They understand the link between salary progression and staff performance and know how any underperformance is tackled.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils conduct themselves well in lessons. Only occasionally, when the work they are set is not challenging enough, do a very small number of pupils lose attention.  Pupils respond quickly to staff instructions and are polite, respectful and friendly.  Parents, staff and pupils all reported that pupils’ behaviour is usually good. Pupils said that a few boys take football too seriously and can get a bit boisterous in the playground.  Inspectors saw that pupils behave very well at break times. Clearly established routines, supported by the visible presence of the headteacher, ensure that pupils behave well in the dining hall and around the school. Pupils were seen playing and talking happily together outside, despite the wet and windy conditions.  Behaviour logs indicate that over time pupils behave well and that any rare incidents or accidents are responded to appropriately.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils feel safe and their parents agree that they are safe.  Pupils understand how to keep safe in the event of a fire, when travelling to and from school and when cycling. Older pupils understand how to keep safe when using the internet.  Pupils understand what bullying is. They know about different kinds of bullying, such as name-calling, physical bullying, racist bullying and homophobic bullying. They say rare instances of bullying are sorted out by staff. Pupils feel able to talk to staff and ‘peer mediators’ about any problems that occur.  Most parents who responded to Parent View believe that their children are well looked after.  The minutes of staff and governing body meetings show that leaders and staff work together to ensure that pupils are kept safe.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Classrooms are well organised with readily available resources and guidance for pupils on walls and tables. Pupils’ work is well celebrated through lively displays in classrooms and around the school.  Pupils have positive attitudes to learning with several describing school as ‘exciting’ and ‘fun’; working relationships with staff are positive.  The good teaching of reading ensures that pupils are able to apply their phonics (letters and the sounds they make) skills successfully and to read with fluency and understanding. Pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 reported that they like to read and that they read regularly both at home and in school.  Pupils have good opportunities to write in different ways in different subjects. They also learn spelling, punctuation and grammar effectively. This year, there is a concerted focus by teachers on spelling.  In Year 5 and 6 pupils are taught maths in groups made up of pupils of similar ability from both year

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The quality of teaching is good

groups. In other classes pupils are taught maths with groups of pupils of similar ability within their own year groups.  Pupils are taught mathematics in groups made up of pupils of similar ability. They have good opportunities to apply their mathematical understanding to practical problems in mathematics and science.  Teachers generally set work at the right level and encourage pupils to think deeply by using effective questioning and checking on how well pupils are learning. For example, in a Years 5 and 6 mathematics lesson, pupils were set appropriately challenging work on decimals, fractions and percentages. The teacher used questioning well both to check pupils’ understanding and to extend their knowledge. Occasionally, the work set in lessons is too easy, or it is not explained clearly enough to pupils. As a result the pace of learning slows for a few pupils.  Teachers promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. For example, in music

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The quality of teaching is good

lessons for pupils in Years 4 and 5, pupils were encouraged to think creatively by making links between their work in music and what they were doing in other subjects. In a Year 6 personal and social education lesson, pupils discussed the rights and wrongs of recreational drugs.  Teachers regularly mark pupils’ work. They provide helpful comments which show pupils what they have done well and what they need to do to improve. Sometimes, teachers do not insist on the highest quality of presentation from pupils. Occasionally they do not ensure that their feedback is routinely followed up by pupils correcting and improving their work.

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is good

 Over time, pupils of all backgrounds make good progress from their starting points. They leave at the end of Year 6 with high levels of attainment and well prepared for the next stage in their education.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress. This is as a result of effective guidance in class from additional adults and other support, all of which is carefully monitored by the special educational needs leader.  The most able pupils make good progress and their attainment continues to rise. The proportion of pupils attaining higher levels in reading, writing and mathematics increased in 2014. Evidence gathered during the inspection shows their performance is improving so that it is better than that found nationally.  Leaders have rightly identified pupils of middle ability as a group who are not doing as well as they can because the work set for these pupils is not always as challenging as possible. Disadvantaged pupils make

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is good

good progress. These pupils attain better than other pupils nationally. Those in Year 6 last year left the school with attainment which was at least one term ahead of other pupils nationally in mathematics and writing and over one year ahead of other pupils nationally in reading. Their attainment is at least in line with that of their peers in school in all subjects.  This is because the effectiveness of support for these pupils is checked carefully and the inclusion leader tracks the progress of disadvantaged pupils very closely to ensure that they achieve consistently well.  The progress that pupils made in mathematics across Key Stage 2 improved in 2014. Current data indicate that pupils’ progress across all key stages continues to improve in reading, writing and mathematics. For the past two years, pupils have performed better than others nationally in the Year 1 phonics screening check.  The work in pupils’ books provides evidence of their good progress. Over time, there are clear

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is good

improvements in pupils’ spelling, punctuation and structure, as well as in their ability to apply their mathematical and measurement skills to increasingly complex problems. Older pupils were confident that they had improved their understanding of metaphors and knew how to plan their ideas for narrative writing. Most parents rightly believe that their children make good progress at the school.

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is good

 Children start school with skills and knowledge in communication, mathematics and social development which are a little below those typically found in Reception. Good teaching then helps them to develop skills in a good range of learning areas, such as art, literacy, mathematics and knowledge and understanding of the world.  When they leave Reception, the proportion of children who have achieved a good level of development is above average. Children enter Year 1 well prepared for new learning.  Children have excellent opportunities to learn outdoors as part of a woodland project. This helps them to learn how to keep safe outside and promotes their communication skills and their physical, personal, emotional and social development. Children were very keen to share with inspectors their mud painting and experience of building a paper balloon outdoors.  Children interact well together, enjoy their learning and behave well. They are helped to keep safe by

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is good

adults.  The work in their learning journals reveals children improving their communication skills and understanding of the world. Their literacy and numeracy books track their good progress in writing and number work. Children’s writing develops well with, for example, improvements in letter formation and sentence writing over time. One recent example included the words ‘dog’ and ‘shop’ correctly spelt.  Children’s work in their mathematics books shows their good progress, with children increasingly able to compare the sizes of animals and put numbers in order. Children at a higher level of development demonstrated that they were able to add up objects while others could write numerals correctly.  The early years leader, who is new to the role, has a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. She undertakes suitable checks on teaching but recognises that the assessment information she has available could be used more comprehensively to support the

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is good

development of children’s knowledge and skills in all areas of development.

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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 131783 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 453206

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 240 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Cait Clucas Headteacher Sally King Date of previous school inspection 11−12 July 2007 Telephone number 01684 291661 Fax number 01684 291662 Email address admin@johnmoore.gloucs.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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