Moulton School

Inspection of a good school: Moulton School School Lane, Moulton, Northwich, Cheshire CW9 8PD

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Outcome

Moulton School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to attend this school, where everyone feels valued for who they are. Pupils forge strong relationships with caring staff. This helps pupils to feel safe in school. Pupils know that there are adults who they can go to for support and help if needed. Many parents and carers share pupils’ positive views about the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils treat each other with kindness and respect. They are keen to praise their classmates when they do things well. Pupils show empathy when discussing topics with their peers who may have different viewpoints. They enjoy taking on additional responsibilities in school, such as being a road safety officer or school councillor.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils, including children in the early years, behave well in lessons and around the school. Children in the early years settle into school quickly. Pupils were confident that staff would sort out any rare incidents of bullying promptly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders expect pupils to achieve well. Pupils benefit from a well-designed curriculum. They take pride in their learning. Pupils persistently strive to receive awards in recognition of their achievements. Most pupils, and children in the early years, are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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

Leaders have ensured that pupils receive a suitably broad and ambitious curriculum. They have trained staff to be effective subject leaders. As a result, subject leaders have carefully designed their curriculums to consider the context of the school and pupils’ needs. Leaders have made sure that the knowledge children gain in the early years provides secure foundations for future learning. Subject leaders’ well-ordered curriculums enable pupils to build on their prior learning from the early years to Year 6. This helps pupils to learn well over time. 4 and 5 October 2022

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They use their expertise to help pupils to learn and remember important knowledge and vocabulary. Teachers explain new information clearly, including to children in the early years.

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Teachers make careful checks of pupils’ learning. This provides teachers with useful information to identify which pupils may need the delivery of the curriculum adapting. However, some teachers do not adapt the delivery of the curriculum well enough for a few pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). On occasions, some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they should.

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Leaders have made reading a priority throughout the school. They have ensured that there is a wide range of high-quality texts for pupils to enjoy. Pupils said that they love visiting the school library.

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The teaching of phonics begins as soon as children enter the early years. Children are exposed to a language-rich environment. Staff have been trained to deliver the phonics curriculum well. Children and pupils remember the sounds that they have learned. They practise reading these sounds in closely matched books. Staff support any pupils who find reading more difficult to catch up quickly.

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Leaders and staff are quick to identify those pupils with SEND, including in the early years. They liaise with external agencies when necessary to ensure that pupils with SEND receive appropriate pastoral support. Pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers.

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Staff support children in the early years to develop positive learning behaviours. Pupils behave well in lessons. When there is any low-level disruption, this is well-managed by staff and little learning time is lost. Pupils listen to their teachers and show respect towards each other. The school environment is calm and orderly.

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Many pupils attend school every day. However, a small number of pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This means that some pupils develop gaps in their learning due to the curriculum input that they have missed.

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Leaders have ensured that the wider personal development curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to learn how to stay safe in their local area. Pupils learn about healthy relationships. They also talked knowledgeably about different religions and cultures. Pupils said that they can attend the Rainbow Club, which is a safe space where they can explore their identity.

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Governors have an accurate view of the school. They successfully hold leaders to account to ensure that pupils are building their knowledge across the curriculum. Staff enjoy working at this school. They appreciate the regular training opportunities that they receive. Leaders and governors are considerate of the well-being and workload of staff.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 4 and 5 October 2022

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Leaders have ensured that staff are well trained to recognise when pupils may be at risk of harm. There are clear systems and procedures in place for staff to report any concerns that they have about a pupil’s welfare. Staff carefully record all concerns, no matter how small, in a timely manner.

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Leaders engage effectively with external agencies when the need arises. They are tenacious in securing the most appropriate support for potentially vulnerable pupils and their families.

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Pupils talked knowledgeably about online safety, water safety, fire protection and stranger awareness.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that all staff are adapting the delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND. Consequently, a few pupils with SEND do not learn the curriculum as well as they should. Leaders should check that staff are adapting the curriculum activities effectively and offer guidance for staff where necessary. This will ensure that all pupils with SEND achieve equally well.  A small number of pupils are persistently absent. These pupils miss important learning and wider opportunities. Leaders must ensure that these pupils receive the support that they need to improve their attendance.

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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 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.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2013. 4 and 5 October 2022

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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.

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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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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. 4 and 5 October 2022

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School details

Local authority Cheshire West and Chester

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School details

Inspection number 10226212 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 29 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of alternative provision for any pupils.

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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 her evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher and members of the senior leadership team. She met with five members of the governing body through a virtual meeting. The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. She considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils. The inspector spoke with parents and carers before school to gather their views and opinions about the quality of education that leaders provide.  The inspector examined a range of safeguarding documents. She made checks on staff recruitment and spoke with staff to check how well they understood their safeguarding

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responsibilities. The inspector also explored staff’s views about their workload and well- being.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school. She spoke with pupils to gather their views about behaviour and safeguarding in their school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. She met with subject leaders, visited lessons and spoke with teachers. The inspector spoke with pupils and looked at examples of their work.

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Inspection team

Bev Dolman Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 October 2022

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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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