Moore Primary School

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

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Mrs Eileen Smith Headteacher Moore Primary School Lindfield Close Moore Warrington Cheshire WA4 6UG

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Short inspection of Moore Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 10 January 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since it was judged to be good in September 2013.

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Short inspection of Moore Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. You, other senior leaders and the governors are accurate in your evaluation of the school’s performance. You have appropriately identified relevant priorities to drive the school forward. You are quick to address any potential weaknesses in the quality of teaching so that pupils continue to benefit from consistently good and effective teaching. The parents are overwhelmingly supportive and positive in their views of the school. A view, typical of parents, stated that the school was ‘a small close-knit school, valuing my child’s contribution’.

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Short inspection of Moore Primary School

Pupils are articulate and are able to discuss confidently the recent work completed on anti-bullying. I spoke to a group of pupils who have taken on the role of ‘peer mentors’ and regularly give up their time to help the children on the infant playground. The behaviour of the pupils continues to be a strength of the school. They are polite, well-mannered and friendly.

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Short inspection of Moore Primary School

Since the previous inspection, senior leaders have taken effective action to ensure that teachers typically provide work that matches and challenges pupils’ abilities. Together we spent time in lessons and looked at pupils’ work. We saw that teachers set challenging work, ensuring that the most able pupils are given opportunities to extend their learning. You and your senior leaders regularly monitor the quality of work in pupils’ books. At present the findings of your monitoring activities are effectively shared with individual teachers. However, strengths and areas for improvement are not used to inform future whole-school development priorities. Through observing in lessons it was clear to see that teaching assistants are now deployed effectively. You rightly state that teaching assistants are a valuable resource. Senior leaders have carefully timetabled their deployment. Teaching assistants support individual pupils and groups when needed. Throughout the day

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Short inspection of Moore Primary School

they are used to deliver a range of interventions to groups of pupils. These interventions are evaluated termly, and are resulting in pupils making good progress from their starting points.

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Short inspection of Moore Primary School

As a result of your actions since the previous inspection you are now providing the pupils with exciting opportunities to find things out for themselves. For example, pupils in Year 5 apply their science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills to build load-bearing bridges to cross a gap between two desks. Pupils in Year 2 apply their STEM skills to build a tall tower using only straws and play- dough. You have ambitious aims to promote this work further through a new STEM after-school club.

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Short inspection of Moore Primary School

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding policies and procedures are fit for purpose and that records are detailed and of a high quality. Pupils said that they felt safe in school, that incidents of bullying and name-calling are rare and any that do occur are dealt with quickly. Staff have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding. All staff and governors receive regular training and staff recruitment procedures are robust. You work well with outside agencies and seek guidance where needed. You monitor attendance and follow up absences diligently. Governors are aware of their safeguarding responsibilities and have ensured that the appropriate monitoring and filtering requirements are in place on the school’s computer systems.

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Inspection findings

 In this inspection, I followed three particular lines of enquiry. The first was to find out what actions you and your leadership team were taking to ensure that more pupils reach the higher standards in mathematics and writing by the end of key stage 1. You and your leadership team have put a new teaching team into key stage 1. The most able writers and mathematicians are now identified early and are provided with a wide range of challenging activities to drive their learning on. In-school tracking and monitoring shows that greater proportions of pupils are working towards the higher standards in writing and mathematics in comparison to previous years.  You have provided the staff with specific training in the delivery of mathematics. You identified that providing pupils with investigative opportunities was an area that was not as strong as the other areas of the mathematics curriculum. You have acknowledged that in the past the pupils did not have enough opportunities

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Inspection findings

to work independently. Inspection evidence confirmed that current pupils are benefiting from having more opportunities to practise their problem-solving skills.  Handwriting was a contributing factor that stopped more pupils reaching the higher standards in writing at the end of key stage 1. This has been addressed through daily handwriting sessions. The quality of pupils’ presentation is high. The work in books for pupils in Years 1 and 2 shows sustained and measurable progress from their starting points.  During this inspection I looked at what leaders were doing to ensure that progress and attainment in mathematics by the end of key stage 2 matched the successes that have been achieved in reading. Reading and mathematics attainment have both been above the national average for pupils leaving key stage 2 over the last two years. However, pupils’ progress in mathematics has not been as fast as in reading. You have made significant changes to the way

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Inspection findings

that you plan mathematics lessons. You have identified the specific areas that need to be addressed. Your recent monitoring of the quality of teaching in mathematics shows that the teaching is strong; this view was agreed in partnership with the local authority advisor. The evidence in pupils’ books that we looked at showed many pupils making expected progress and a growing number working towards higher standards. Challenges are embedded into daily routines and work is carefully matched to the ability of pupils.  The final area that I focused on during this inspection related to the quality of writing at Moore Primary School. The progress of writing appears to have stalled by the end of key stage 2. I wanted to find out how writing is promoted across the curriculum and what opportunities the pupils have to write. Throughout the school, pupils have regular opportunities to assess each other’s work and

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Inspection findings

improve their writing. Year 1 pupils are skilfully supported by the teacher and teaching assistant to make informed vocabulary choices to improve their writing. Pupils in key stage 2 use self-assessment ladders to challenge themselves to make their writing even better.  During the inspection every class was involved in a whole-school writing and arts project. This project is run alongside other schools in the local authority that you work closely with. Each class was working on the same text. The work that pupils were completing was appropriate for their age. Through visiting lessons, looking at pupils’ books and looking at the work on display around school, it is very clear to see that the quality of writing in the school is strong. Pupils have opportunities to write across the curriculum. For example, they write about robots in design and technology, and they write about the Stone Age and the Great Fire of

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Inspection findings

London as part of their history work. Pupils write in a range of genres, developing skills specific to the tasks they are set. The pupils’ work is well celebrated across the school.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 teachers continue to stretch and challenge pupils so that a greater proportion attain the higher standards in writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 1  they make better use of their checks on the quality of teaching to inform future whole-school development priorities. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Halton. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection I met with you, the deputy headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team. I held a meeting with a representative from the local authority who works with your school. I met with members of the governing body. I spoke to pupils during lessons and around school.

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Information about the inspection

You and I visited classes where we observed teaching and learning, looked at pupils’ work and spoke with pupils. I spoke with parents as they brought their children to school. I took account of 83 responses to Parent View, the Ofsted online questionnaire, including 82 free-text responses. I also considered the responses of 13 staff to Ofsted’s online questionnaire and 75 responses to the pupil survey.

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Information about the inspection

I looked at a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation and information about pupils’ attainment and progress. A check of the school’s single central record was carried out. I evaluated safeguarding procedures, including policies to keep children safe, safeguarding checks and attendance information. I undertook a review of the school’s website.

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