South Moreton Primary School

Inspection of a good school: South Moreton Primary School High Street, South Moreton, High Street, South Moreton, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 9AG

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Outcome

South Moreton Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s recently refreshed values of resilience and well-being, and global citizenship, underpin pupils’ everyday experiences. Pupils’ personal development is at the heart of their learning supporting them to develop kindness, tolerance and genuine respect for each other and the wider community. Pupils told inspectors, ‘This is a school where we feel valued, and we know our views will be listened to.’ Pupils clearly thrive at South Moreton.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff quickly get to know each pupil as an individual, nurturing warm relationships so they feel safe and secure at school. Pupils behave well here, and any unkindness or inappropriate behaviour is rare. Pupils value the school rules and know how to respond should anyone say or do anything that makes them feel uncomfortable. They trust staff to resolve any worries they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils clearly develop a love of reading, enjoy their learning and relish discussing their work. They develop strong language skills and a sense of curiosity which helps them learn across a range of subjects. Learning is enriched through a wide selection of trips, visits and guest speakers. Teachers and teaching assistants share their infectious enthusiasm and help pupils to really enjoy school.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders’ ambitious and detailed plans for reading, writing and mathematics make it clear what pupils have to learn and in what order. Staff use these, together with their strong subject knowledge, to ensure that learning builds on what pupils already know and can do. Staff use assessment well to design stimulating and thought-provoking lessons that are typically well matched to pupils’ starting points. Consequently, over time all pupils are supported well to achieve success in English and mathematics.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Reading is promoted well at South Moreton. Right from their first days in Reception, children develop a thirst for learning their letter sounds and shapes. Staff provide a rich 6 October 2021

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learning environment with an engaging range of play activities, helping children to develop new vocabulary and communication skills. Detailed plans enable staff to hone and refine pupils’ reading skills as they progress through key stages 1 and 2. These strengths in reading underpin pupils’ success as writers.

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Recently, leaders have made improvements to the curriculum across all subjects. For example, the enthusiastic and knowledgeable subject leaders of science, design technology and languages have designed better-quality plans and teaching resources. Senior leaders and the Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust (ODST) know that some of the newer subject plans need time to become fully embedded. In addition, in some subjects refinement is still needed to clarify how pupils’ knowledge, skills and vocabulary develop from early years up through key stages 1 and 2. Consequently, there is still some variability in how well pupils are supported and challenged in some foundation subjects across the school. Through their work with ODST, and local subject networks, leaders are supporting staff with the training and resources needed to make the required changes.

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Leaders know how to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and ensure that their needs are well met in English and mathematics lessons and through the wider aspects of the curriculum in areas such as personal development. However, leaders are less well informed about the effectiveness of the provision for these pupils in some subjects other than English and mathematics. Consequently, sometimes the level of challenge for pupils with SEND requires further refinement to better meet their needs.

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The committed team of local governors supports the headteacher’s vision for the school and has supported leaders and staff remotely over the past year. However, unfortunately, governors have had limited on-site visits due to the pandemic. This means that they have not had sufficient opportunity to become familiar with all the curriculum developments across the school.

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Pupils’ behaviour at school is typically first class. They play happily with their peers at breaktimes and are considerate of others and polite. Pupils value the school’s rewards and routines and so any disruption during lessons is rare. South Moreton Primary School endows pupils with curiosity, communication skills and confidence. They are well prepared for their next stages of education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding leaders have up-to-date expertise in all aspects of safeguarding. Suitable checks are made on all adults who work with the children in school. Leaders maintain meticulous records and oversee an effective package of staff training. Staff act swiftly should any pupils require extra help, sourcing appropriate support from external agencies should it be necessary. 6 October 2021

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Staff know their pupils and the local community well. Teachers ensure that developing pupils’ resilience and well-being is at the heart of the curriculum. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe outside of school and when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The school’s curriculum is not yet sufficiently well planned and sequenced in some subjects, and further adaptation is needed in some areas to better meet the needs of pupils with SEND. However, it is clear that leaders have already taken action to improve the curriculum and to train staff where required. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There have been some significant enhancements to the curriculum in the foundation subjects, but some of these plans are still new. In some subjects, the identification and sequencing of key aspects of knowledge and vocabulary from early years to Year 6 still requires refinement. This will help staff meet the needs of all the pupils in their class more accurately, particularly those with SEND, across the full range of subjects.  While they are knowledgeable about standards in English and mathematics, governors are not well informed about the quality of provision across other subjects. Consequently, they haven’t been able to systematically challenge and support continued school improvement across the whole curriculum. Training is required to help them to better support and challenge subject leaders.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, also called South Moreton Primary School, to be good on 5–6 November 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection. 6 October 2021

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 6 October 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200846 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 and 6 November 2013

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Information about this school

 South Moreton school converted to become an academy school in 2017 and joined the Oxford Diocesan Schools Trust. When its predecessor school, with the same name, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The headteacher took up post in April 2018 and the assistant headteacher joined the school in September 2020.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Deep dives were conducted in reading, mathematics and science. As part of these, inspectors met with leaders, visited lessons, talked to pupils about their work and met with teaching staff to talk about their approach to designing and delivering the curriculum. In addition, plans were reviewed and meetings with leaders were held to discuss provision in languages and design technology. 6 October 2021

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 Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, SENCo and other members of teaching and support staff.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s policies and practices and met with safeguarding leaders to evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding. The school records of the recruitment checks made on adults working in the school and records of safeguarding incidents were scrutinised and discussed. The views of pupils, parents and staff represented in meetings and the responses to Ofsted surveys were considered.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body and also with the CEO and a representative of ODST.  A meeting was held with a group of pupils to discuss their work and views about different aspects of their school. Inspectors also held informal conversations with pupils at break and lunch time.

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Inspection team

Matthew Newberry, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Laurie Anderson Her Majesty’s Inspector 6 October 2021

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regulates and inspects to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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