Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Eastwood Interim Headteacher Moorfield Community Primary School Cutnook Lane Irlam Salford Greater Manchester M44 6GX

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Community Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 25 April 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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Community Primary School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in January 2016. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. At its section 5 inspection before the one that took place in January 2016, the school was also judged to require improvement.

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Community Primary School

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection in order to become a good school.

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Community Primary School

The school should take further action to:

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Community Primary School

 make greater use of the skills of staff to support colleagues in improving their teaching  further improve pupils’ progress across subjects by making greater use of new assessments of pupils to adapt teaching  improve information published on the school website to at least meet government requirements on the publication of information about the curriculum.

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Evidence

During the inspection, I held meetings with you and other senior leaders. I met with a representative of the local authority and with two members of the governing body to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. I looked through a range of documentation, including the school’s reviews and plans for improvement. With you, I toured the school to observe pupils’ learning and talk to them about their work.

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Context

Since the inspection there has been a change in leadership at the school. A new deputy headteacher joined the team in September 2016. The previous headteacher resigned in the spring term 2017. You joined the school as interim headteacher in March 2017. Two teachers and one teaching assistant are on extended leave of absence. One temporary teacher is covering staff long-term absence. The chair and vice-chair of the governing body are new to their roles since the previous inspection.

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Main findings

Plans to improve teaching and learning are well on their way to making a positive difference. Leaders are supporting staff carefully to raise their expectations of pupils’ capabilities and to make sure lessons are engaging and interesting. The quality of teaching across subjects in the school is improving as pupils, including the most able, are given greater challenge in their work. In summer 2016, the proportion of Year 6 pupils attaining the expected standard was above average in mathematics, reading and writing. You are not complacent and have planned clearly how, in the months ahead, you will sustain and strengthen these improvements in all year groups.

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Main findings

Across classes you have established clear, positive expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils are enjoying lessons and demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. For example, in mathematics, pupils in different year groups told me that they are enjoying the increased opportunities to solve problems, explain their ideas and debate solutions with their classmates. Staff are giving increased attention to the quality of classroom and corridor displays of pupils’ work to celebrate achievement.

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Main findings

Challenged and assisted by the local authority, leaders’ arrangements to check on the quality of staff’s work and set targets for teachers are much improved. Staff are clear about how they should improve their teaching and how success will be judged. Staff welcome the increased opportunities you are providing for them to link with other schools through local network meetings and to visit other schools to see examples of good and better learning in action.

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Main findings

Leaders now work much more collaboratively to review the work of the school. For example, the geography coordinator has a clear understanding of how she is improving the curriculum to make sure that pupils do not move year groups with gaps in their learning. Nonetheless, not all teachers’ skills are used fully to support the work of their colleagues.

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Main findings

Leaders have established a clear and successful new way to assess pupils’ learning. Staff are now much more confident and able to identify how much progress pupils are making in their classes. The system is being used well by staff to refine their work following completion of blocks of teaching. Leaders recognise that teachers now need to make full use of such information during lessons.

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Main findings

Leaders and governors have worked well together to change the culture and ethos of the school. Improvements are now developed in full consultation with staff, matched with advice and training. Leaders pay extensive attention to making sure that staff are valued for their work and fully included in debate as to how they and their colleagues can raise standards further. As a result, teaching and pupils’ progress is improving and staff morale is high. There is a united view that there are no obstacles to the school improving to good but that they need to continue with their push to improve teaching and learning over the months ahead. Staff comments indicate that they strongly support the vision and work of the new deputy headteacher and the interim headteacher.

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Main findings

Some poor attendance at meetings hampered the governing body’s ability to fully help the school. However, this matter has now been addressed. New governors with valuable extra expertise and the capacity to attend and participate in meetings have been added to the governing body recently. Following the previous inspection, the governing body did not act promptly to commission a national leader in governance to conduct an external review. However, this was undertaken in summer 2016 and has since set the governing body on a clear path of improvement. Governors now have a good knowledge of the work of staff and leaders. The governing body’s improved skills are being used increasingly well to hold staff and leaders to account for the work of the school. The capacity of the governing body to improve further is good because there is effective leadership from the new chair and vice-chair. Nonetheless, systems to check that the governing body publishes all required

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Main findings

information on the school’s website are not well established. Consequently, there is not enough information published about the curriculum at Moorfield.

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External support

The local authority has given the school much support, advice and challenge over the past year. The honest feedback provided has helped leaders and governors to understand what weaknesses have been tackled successfully, as well as what more remains to be achieved. As a result, leaders and governors have increased the pace of improvement. You continue to link well with the positive and perceptive support available through the local authority. You make full use of this external view of the school’s work in evaluating and refining school priorities. Staff and governors are benefiting from the regular opportunities to debate with local authority officers about improvement. Together you are considering key questions about teaching and pupils’ progress. This support is raising the quality of education in the school and ensuring that leaders, governors and staff are equipped with the skills to fulfil their roles.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Salford. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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