Moorpark Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Moorpark Junior School Park Road, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST6 1EL

p.1

Outcome

Moorpark Junior School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Moorpark Junior School is a special place to be. Pupils know the school’s values of ‘reach, believe, explore, achieve’ and many have aspirational plans for their life after school. This is because they are taught about the wide range of exciting opportunities the world has to offer.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are determined to give pupils the very best opportunities and have created an inspirational environment. There are beautifully themed areas that make pupils feel valued and enjoy being in school. For example, there has been investment in excellent- quality musical equipment and specialist teaching in music and languages. Pupils have contributed to many areas of the school, such as the school garden and the outdoor art boards. Leaders and teachers have reviewed what pupils will be taught and when. They have also made sure that books and reading are at the heart of all lessons. As a result, pupils become more knowledgeable.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that the school is a friendly place and, if there is bullying, teachers help them to sort things out. Pupils treat each other well in social times and lessons are calm and orderly.

p.1

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

Leaders have worked hard on the curriculum. They have revised the curriculum in many subjects so that pupils are equipped with important knowledge that they will need in the next stage of their learning. As a result, pupils’ knowledge is building steadily over time. Leaders rightly identify that there are a few curriculum subjects that still need work on sequencing the content of learning, for example geography.

p.1

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

Leaders have made reading a high priority across the school. Most classrooms have a themed reading area that pupils love. Subject leaders have thought carefully about which high-quality texts will help pupils gain a wide range of background knowledge that they 4 and 5 October 2022

p.1

2

can use in other subjects. This is contributing strongly to pupils’ comprehension, and pupils, especially those in older year groups, are becoming great readers.

p.2

2

Some pupils arrive in school having not quite mastered the necessary knowledge of phonics to enable them to read well. These pupils have regular phonics lessons to help them catch up. Teachers make sure that pupils are given books that are well matched to the sounds they are learning. However, sometimes, adults do not ensure that pupils sound out words correctly. Leaders have not checked rigorously enough on the teaching of reading.

p.2

2

The school has a higher proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) than the national average. Leaders have very strong processes for transition, monitoring pupils’ developing needs and sharing this information with teachers. However, on occasion, adults do not transfer this information consistently into their classroom practice. This means that sometimes, pupils with SEND do work that does not match the ambitious aims of the curriculum, so they do not make as much progress as they might.

p.2

2

Pupils relish the leadership opportunities they can get involved in at school, wearing their leadership badges with pride. For example, pupils are subject ambassadors, school ambassadors, school journalists or members of an eco-committee.

p.2

2

Those responsible for governance have a passion for pupils learning about the locality of Stoke-on-Trent. They support leaders’ decision-making to take pupils on a range of trips to places, including stately homes and the canals, or to go climbing. Pupils value these experiences, and teachers make sure that these educational visits support pupils’ learning of the curriculum. Leaders also offer a wide range of events that bring the school together as a community and contribute to it being a fun place to be. For example, pupils enjoy cinema days, discos and raising money for charities.

p.2

2

Leaders have been successful in reducing staff’s workload in recent years, for example by making changes to the school’s assessment system. Staff value the feeling of being in a team and enjoy working at the school.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.2

Safeguarding

All staff are well trained to identify pupils at risk of harm. They are knowledgeable about local needs and report anything that could be concerning. This means that leaders piece together all the relevant information about pupils so that they know when support is needed. Pupils know a lot about keeping themselves safe because they have been taught well to understand risks. They know about e-safety and know who and how to report any issues. Leaders are proactive in helping pupils keep safe. Leaders take steps to build into the curriculum, as necessary, any important emerging safeguarding topics that arise. 4 and 5 October 2022

p.2

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, teachers do not adapt the implementation of the curriculum well enough to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders should make sure that the curriculum for pupils with SEND is implemented in a way that enables them to make consistently strong progress.  Leaders do not make sure that they monitor the teaching of reading rigorously enough. As a result, the teaching of phonics is not as effective as it should be in helping pupils master new sounds. Leaders should ensure the teaching of reading, specifically phonics, is effective so pupils who have fallen behind can catch up quickly.

p.3

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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

p.3

Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school to be good in June 2016.

p.3

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.3

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.3

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. 4 and 5 October 2022

p.3

School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

p.4

Information about this school

 Moorpark Junior School converted to become an academy school in July 2018. When its predecessor school, Moorpark Junior School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

p.4

Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history.  For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also spoke to leaders about their general approach to developing their curriculum and the curriculum in geography, music and English. 4 and 5 October 2022

p.4

5

 To inspect safeguarding, the inspector scrutinised safeguarding records, including checks on staff, spoke to leaders responsible for safeguarding, evaluated safeguarding training, spoke to staff and discussed safeguarding with pupils.

p.5

Inspection team

Dan Owen, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 October 2022

p.5

6

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.

p.6

6

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.6

6

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.6

6

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.6

6

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.6