Moorside Primary School

Inspection of Moorside Primary School Beaconsfield Street, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE4 5AW

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 2 and 3 November 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Moorside Primary is a friendly and welcoming school. The staff create a warm and secure environment in which children can thrive. The staff are attentive to children’s needs. They are careful to maintain measures to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school serves a very diverse community. Pupils speak over 30 different languages. The school is truly multicultural. Pupils are very kind and considerate of one another. They are fully integrated and play together happily at social times. The staff who supervise them enjoy joining in their games. Pupils are very polite and respectful of the staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They say that there is little bullying. If it happens, they know they should report it and they trust adults to sort it out. A great deal of work is done to support pupils who struggle to manage their behaviour. As a result, these pupils improve their behaviour over time. The school is inclusive. Extensive efforts are made to identify and help pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Parents and carers are very pleased with the support their children have received.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The youngest children make a good start in early years. Provision is well organised. Children quickly get into good routines. Their language skills develop well because of the well-planned activities. The youngest children join the older pupils at lunchtime. This helps them to feel involved in the life of the school.

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better?

Over the last 18 months, senior leaders have reviewed the curriculum and put in place coherent and ambitious planning. They have identified what should be taught in each subject and have sequenced this knowledge carefully. Teachers, many of whom are new to the school this year, have begun to deliver the new curriculum plans. In English, mathematics and science, teachers have the subject knowledge to implement these plans effectively. However, in other subjects, some teachers are not translating planning into effective sequences of lessons. In some cases, little of the planned curriculum has been taught. At times, content taught is disconnected and is not leading towards clear end-points. Pupils’ understanding in subjects such as art, geography, and design and technology is therefore too shallow.

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better?

Teachers face some considerable challenges. Many pupils join the school or leave midway through the year. Too many pupils are persistently absent. Disruptions to learning caused by the pandemic and ongoing staff sickness absence are further factors. As a result, teachers are still recapping knowledge that pupils should have secured last year. However, in some lessons, pupils have grasped the knowledge being recapped and are ready to move on. 2 and 3 November 2021

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The school’s approach to teaching early reading is well established. Leaders have resourced the programme well. There is an extensive range of books aligned tightly to the reading programme. Children are taught phonics from the start of Reception Year. Some teachers have received only basic training in the programme and lack the expertise to deliver phonics teaching with expertise. Teachers carefully match reading books to the phonics pupils have been taught. Leaders know which pupils have fallen behind, but plans to give them extra help are being disrupted by staff sickness absence. Several pupils in Year 3 are still not reading fluently.

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Leaders have successfully improved provision in early years. New staffing is in place. The learning environment has been improved. Curriculum planning has been refreshed. Teaching of national curriculum subjects extends down into the well- planned learning activities in the Reception classes. Children have settled quickly and are flourishing. They learn together confidently, maintaining their concentration. Adults are successfully developing children’s vocabulary and confidence with language.

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Most pupils are keen to learn. They display very positive attitudes and relish the task when provided with challenges. They take pride in their handwriting. Behaviour in lessons and at social times is good. Every effort is made to meet the emotional needs of pupils with more challenging behaviour. Senior leaders and experienced teaching assistants support less experienced teachers very effectively. As a result, the school is calm and orderly across the day.

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Senior leaders and governors are determined to provide a broad education that goes well beyond the academic. In personal, social and health education, a broad range of topics is covered. Pupils have a good grasp of equalities and children’s rights. They are taught about democracy and the rule of law. There are carefully planned opportunities for pupils to take on roles within the school community. Pupils learn to debate issues and respect the opinions of others. They are articulate and confident to express their views.

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Together, the governors and the senior team have recruited a staff team with real potential. However, some aspects of leadership and management need refinement to ensure that this potential is realised. Currently, leaders do not have a well- planned programme of professional development for their staff. In addition, leaders are not systematically checking whether the planned curriculum is being implemented properly. Senior leaders currently carry many responsibilities. This detracts from their focus on their core business of developing the quality of education. Leaders take care to manage teachers’ workload and have fostered a strong team spirit.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

School leaders and the wider staff care deeply for pupils. They are constantly vigilant and aware of the needs of each child. All members of staff get to know 2 and 3 November 2021

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families well and go the extra mile to support those that are more vulnerable. Swift action is taken to protect any child at risk of harm. Leaders keep details records of the steps they take. The curriculum teaches pupils about potential risks to their safety. For example, pupils have a well-developed understanding of the risks they may face when online. Members of staff supervise pupils attentively, ensuring that pupils are dismissed safely at the end of the day.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

◼ Teachers are implementing the planned curriculum successfully in English, mathematics and science. However, some teachers lack the subject knowledge to implement the curriculum as well in the wider curriculum. Leaders need to ensure that teachers get the ongoing professional development they need to strengthen their subject knowledge across the wider curriculum. ◼ The school has an established phonics programme. Aspects of the programme are working successfully. However, teachers and support staff who are newer to the school have not had the training they need to deliver phonics teaching with expertise. Leaders should ensure that this training is provided and all relevant staff are supported to develop the necessary expertise to teach early reading. ◼ Senior leaders have done much to develop curriculum plans that are ambitious. However, they need to systematically monitor how well these plans are being

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

implemented, so that weaknesses are identified and addressed more quickly.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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.

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How can I feed back my views?

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

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 2 and 3 November 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Pauline Piddington

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Date of previous inspection

14 and 15 September 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005, deemed section 5

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Information about this school

◼ Since the previous inspection, the federation with Westgate Hill Primary School has been dissolved. The school is now a member of the West End Schools Trust. ◼ Several teachers left the school at the end of the last academic year. There are several teachers new to the school this year, including some who are early career teachers. ◼ The school includes a playgroup for two-year-old children. Children can attend either for mornings or for afternoons. There is also Nursery provision for up to 39 children, who can attend for 15 hours a week. ◼ The school does not place any pupils with alternative education providers. ◼ The school runs a breakfast club.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 2 and 3 November 2021

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This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

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◼ Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. Inspectors also met a representative of the local authority and the school improvement partner. An inspector also met members of the governing body, including the chair and vice-chair. ◼ Inspectors undertook deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. ◼ Inspectors also looked at a wider selection of books from across the wider curriculum and a sample of books from the most-able pupils. ◼ An inspector met with leaders who coordinate provision for special educational needs and checked the quality of support plans for pupils with SEND. ◼ Inspectors also met with leaders of the early years provision. ◼ Inspectors looked at the school’s record of vetting checks made on adults who

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work in the school. Inspectors also discussed safeguarding arrangements with leaders, teachers and pupils. ◼ Inspectors considered the 11 responses to Ofsted’s survey, Parent View, and the 17 responses to the staff survey. An inspector also met some parents and some members of staff separately to gather their views of the school. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Chris Smith, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Cathy Lee Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 November 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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