Setting

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

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Mr Meic Griffiths Executive Headteacher Moatbridge School Eltham Palace Road Eltham London SE9 5LX

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Moatbridge School

Following my visit to your school on 2 February 2018, 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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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Moatbridge School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in January 2017. 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 2017, the school was also judged to require improvement.

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Moatbridge School

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

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Moatbridge School

The school should take further action to:

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Requires improvement: monitoring inspection visit to Moatbridge School

 improve pupils’ literacy skills so that they make accelerated progress in reading and can access more challenging work across the curriculum  develop professional training for classroom-based and administrative staff so that they can improve their teaching and run the school management systems, as appropriate, to ensure pupils’ personal and academic well-being.

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Evidence

During the inspection, I held meetings with you and the head of school, the deputy headteacher and a staff group. I met with three governors, including the chair of governors, and a representative of Greenwich local authority to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. You accompanied me on visits to classes to look at the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning and progress. I spoke to pupils in classes about their work, looked at books and met with the school council to discuss their views of the school. During the meetings we discussed the actions taken since the last inspection and reviewed information about pupils’ progress, attendance and behaviour.

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Context

Since the last inspection there have been significant changes to the school’s leadership. You, as the executive headteacher, and the head of school, both took up your posts from 1 January 2018 following the resignation of the previous headteacher. You are also the headteacher of a successful primary school in Greenwich local authority, whose pupils have similar needs to those at Moatbridge School. The head of school has extensive experience in inclusion and secondary education. Your leadership roles have been brokered by the governors and the local authority.

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Context

Two members of staff have resigned and a process of recruitment is under way for these posts.

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Main findings

Governors have initiated fundamental change and acted decisively to appoint a new executive headteacher. They have also added significantly to the school’s leadership capacity with the appointment of a head of school. Governors fully understand the need for continued rapid improvement. Building on the improvements last year, the school development plan has been revised, and actions, agreed by governors, are under way.

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Main findings

You and the head of school work successfully as a team. Together you have a strong vision of teaching and learning and what the provision for pupils should look like. You are fully focused on improving the school, and during my visit we saw how you and your staff are having a positive impact on pupils’ learning, progress and behaviour.

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Main findings

The school has some skilled classroom practitioners and there is a range of strengths in teaching. Teaching is characterised by strong relationships between pupils and adults. Teachers and teaching assistants set high expectations for pupils, and pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They are enthusiastic and increasingly resilient learners. Pupils are rightly proud of their achievements, and pointed these out to me, displayed on noticeboards, during the visit.

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Main findings

In mathematics, Year 11 pupils tackle challenging work, using algebraic expressions to calculate the perimeter and area of rectangles. Pupils are confident in applying their methods successfully to solve problems, and said that they enjoy mathematics. They are motivated to do well. For example, almost all Year 11 pupils voluntarily attended a Saturday revision session for a statistics module.

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Main findings

In science, pupils demonstrate high levels of motivation and interest. They have developed excellent practical and measuring skills and know how to work safely in a laboratory. In Year 10, pupils skilfully added different carbonates to acid to investigate and compare the reactions. Other pupils compared rates of cooling of hot water in different containers. Pupils can explain their predictions and why repeating results increases their reliability.

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Main findings

In English, Year 7 pupils were captivated by a story read to them by the teacher. They listened to the song ‘Space Oddity’ by David Bowie and used it to make links between the characters, the plot and their own feelings. All pupils enjoyed the activity and explained how much they like English. One pupil described it as ‘new and adventurous’.

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Main findings

Some inconsistencies remain in teaching, for example in teachers’ planning to meet the range of needs. In particular, teachers’ questioning of pupils is haphazard and not directed at individuals. This means that pupils often talk over each other and are unable to listen and learn from each other’s responses.

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Main findings

The impact of teaching is limited by the range of pupils’ reading skills. While some pupils’ reading age is equivalent to their chronological age, others are several years behind where they should be. Although their reading improves, it does not do so rapidly enough to close the gap. You and your senior team agree that this is a key priority.

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Main findings

Pupils’ behaviour has improved since the last inspection. Exclusions, which were historically very high, declined in 2016/17 and are continuing to fall. The new headteacher has introduced clear procedures, and teachers’ expectations of pupils are rising. Pupils are learning how to self-manage their behaviour, for example by using a time-out system; staff support them well. Pupils who spoke to the inspector were unanimous in their view that their behaviour was getting better. When asked to reflect on why this was so, a pupil said, ‘because teachers have learned how to respond’. Pupils’ attendance, which was historically low, is also rising. You have identified a need for further training for staff so that the school management computer system can be used more effectively to collate and analyse information to support pupils better.

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Main findings

During the inspection, almost all staff in the school came to talk to me about their views of the school and the impact of the changes. Staff are fully supportive of your leadership and new expectations. They greatly appreciate the one-to-one meetings and the focus on their own professional development. They say that they feel valued and part of the team. They are confident in the future because what you say will happen, does happen.

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External support

The local authority have worked successfully in partnership with governors to secure new leadership for the school. The local authority is fully committed to continuing its support for the leadership through regular visits to check that systems of accountability are working successfully.

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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 Greenwich. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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