Setting

David Nightingale Headteacher Moorfield Community Primary School Cutnook Lane Irlam Salford Greater Manchester M44 6GX

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School

Following my remote inspection with Steve Bentham, Her Majesty’s Inspector (HMI), of your school on 27 and 28 January 2021, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken to provide education to all pupils during the current circumstances.

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School

This monitoring inspection was conducted under section 8 (2) of the Education Act 2005 (as amended) and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for visiting schools while routine inspections remain temporarily suspended. It was additional to the usual monitoring process for schools that are judged to require improvement.

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School

Following changes to government guidance and the imposition of COVID-19 (coronavirus) lockdown restrictions, this monitoring inspection was carried out remotely. As such, the range of evidence available to inspectors was narrower than would normally be the case during an on-site inspection. As a result, this letter provides a more limited level of assurance than our usual monitoring reports.

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School

The inspection took place because the school has received three successive judgements of requires improvement. The school’s most recent section 5 inspection took place in June 2018.

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School

Having considered all the evidence and taking into account the impact of COVID-19 on the school, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

to provide education in the current circumstances. Ofsted

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted Leaders and those responsible for governance should take further action to:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 refine assessment methods so that teachers have a better understanding of how well pupils are remembering what they learn in their lessons

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 adjust the curriculum plans as necessary, across subjects other than English and mathematics, so they are more specific about what pupils will learn and when.

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Context

 The vice-chair of governors took over as chair of governors in November 2020. The previous chair of governors still serves on the governing body.

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Context

 In the autumn term of 2020, about half of the pupils across all year groups had a period of remote education. At one point, this included all pupils in Year 5 and Year 6.

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Context

 At the time of the inspection, approximately a quarter of all pupils were attending school. About a third of the vulnerable pupils and approximately half of the pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) were receiving education in school.

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Context

 At the time of the inspection, leaders were not managing any significant staffing issues. A small number of staff were self-isolating because of COVID- 19.

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Main findings

 Before the pandemic started, you were building curriculum plans that identify the exact knowledge that pupils will learn and the order in which they will learn this content. As a result, pupils learn well and build on what they know in most subjects. However, in a few areas, such as languages and some aspects of science, there is more to do to make sure plans reflect the knowledge that pupils need and the sequence in which they will learn.

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Main findings

 You and subject leaders have adapted the curriculum further so that, as far as possible, pupils working at home learn the same knowledge as those who are in school. Many pupils use the school’s online system to take part in lessons across all subjects. There are similar paper-based resources for those pupils who need them. Your actions have made sure that pupils are receiving effective education in the current circumstances.

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Main findings

 You show ambition for all pupils to read accurately. Several recent initiatives aim to help pupils become competent and fluent readers. Pupils get a chance to read high-quality books in depth. This is improving their fluency and understanding. You have appropriately adapted the reading provision to enable pupils who are working at home to keep up. For example, teachers effectively use videos to help children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 to learn and practise phonics.

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Main findings

 In mathematics and science, subject leaders have mainly suitable plans to ensure that all pupils can build their knowledge. They appropriately adapt learning activities for pupils learning at home. For example, teachers successfully adjust as many investigations as they can for pupils to do at home with materials that they are likely to have. In most subjects, you have suitable ways of finding out how much pupils know by the end of a topic or a unit of work. However, your current checks on how well pupils are doing do not give enough information about their day-to-day progress. This means that sometimes it is not clear if pupils understand some parts of what they are learning.

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Main findings

 You make providing education for vulnerable pupils a priority. You have strong relationships and frequent contact with parents and carers. Staff communicate regularly with pupils who are learning at home. Staff match learning in reading, for example, as closely as possible to the reading curriculum in school. Staff have online face-to-face contact with pupils, where possible, to support how they learn specific sounds.

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Main findings

 You make sure that staff know how to support pupils with SEND. Staff have a secure grasp of how to adapt what they are teaching to meet the range of pupils’ needs. For those pupils with SEND who are learning at home, you find the best way of enabling them to do their work.

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Main findings

 Governors are well informed about the actions that you and other leaders have taken to provide an education in the current circumstances. They ensure that they regularly receive reports from you about the education that pupils are receiving. Minutes from meetings showed that governors ask questions about a range of matters.

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Main findings

 The local authority has helped leaders in developing the curriculum and has found support for them, when needed. Over time, leaders have become less reliant on this support. As a result, they have been able to adapt the curriculum well in the current circumstances.

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Evidence

This inspection was conducted remotely. Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, other senior leaders and subject leaders, pupils, staff, governors and a representative of the local authority to discuss leaders’ actions to provide education to all pupils during a national lockdown.

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Evidence

Inspectors also heard pupils from Year 1 and Year 2 read. They looked at curriculum plans, minutes of meetings of the governing body, and a small sample of pupils’ work. They also watched pre-recorded lessons that teachers created for pupils receiving remote education.

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Evidence

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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