Moreton Christ Church CofE Primary School

Inspection of Moreton Christ Church CofE Primary School Upton Road, Moreton, Wirral, Merseyside CH46 0PB

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 16 and 17 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, and their parents and carers, are proud to be part of this very inclusive school. Pupils are happy in the school. They said that it is a place which welcomes people of all faiths and no faith and which encourages all pupils to become their very best. Pupils feel safe because they trust adults to resolve any problems they may have. Staff deal with any occasional acts of unkindness or bullying swiftly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of behaviour and pupils behave well. Pupils said that teachers are friendly but can be strict when necessary. Pupils are polite to staff and to each other. At lunchtime, they enjoy playing on the spacious artificially grassed area. Pupils of all ages mix happily together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders aim to give all their pupils the best start in life, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged. Pupils enjoy lessons. Staff expect them to work hard and achieve well and they rise to these expectations. Most pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the great breadth of opportunities they have to enrich their learning through extra-curricular activities. Older pupils help lead some of the activities alongside staff. Leaders go to great lengths to ensure that all pupils, including those with disabilities or medical conditions, participate in sports, visits to places of local interest and school residential trips.

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better?

Leaders and governors have developed a broad and ambitious curriculum, which is well established. They review it regularly to ensure that it meets the needs of their pupils. Pupils, including those with SEND, study a broad range of subjects. Leaders have thought carefully about how they sequence the key knowledge of each subject.

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better?

Leaders and teachers have a secure understanding of what children in the early years need to know so that they are well prepared for the curriculum at key stage 1.

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better?

Across the school, teachers implement the curriculum effectively. They have strong subject knowledge. They know their pupils well and use a variety of ways to capture their interest. Children in the Nursery and Reception Years benefit from well- considered approaches to developing their speech, vocabulary and understanding of numbers.

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better?

Teachers check regularly to make sure that pupils understand what they have taught in each lesson. Pupils follow their teachers’ advice and conscientiously improve their work. However, in a few foundation subjects, leaders and teachers do not have as strong an overview of how well pupils are developing their subject knowledge across a series of lessons. They do not check if all pupils fully understand key ideas which are crucial for the next steps in their learning. As a result, in these foundation 16 and 17 May 2023

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subjects, teachers are not sufficiently clear about how well pupils are achieving over time or if they need to adapt future teaching to address any gaps in learning.

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Reading is a priority across the school. Most pupils said that they enjoy reading and read frequently. Teachers have thought carefully about the books that they want pupils to read, including a wide range of interesting fiction and non-fiction texts. They encourage pupils to read poetry. Recently, leaders made significant changes to the early reading curriculum. All staff have received training in the new, clearly structured phonics programme. This has helped them to teach their pupils essential phonic knowledge effectively. These changes mean that pupils, including those with SEND and those who are disadvantaged, are becoming more confident and fluent readers. Teachers identify at an early stage any pupils who are in danger of falling behind. Staff provide effective additional support for these pupils.

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Leaders accurately identify the needs of pupils with SEND. They provide staff with the information that they require to enable them to help these pupils. Staff know all pupils with SEND well and use appropriate strategies to help them to succeed.

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Children in the Nursery and Reception Years settle quickly, and learn to follow the routines and rules of the school day. They play and socialise well with each other and with adults in the well-resourced classrooms and well-equipped outside area. Vulnerable pupils benefit from a well-designed curriculum and safe environment in a nurture class. This provision helps to ease their transition to key stage 1.

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Across the school, pupils behave well. They know the rewards and sanctions system very well and enjoy winning ‘green points’ for positive behaviour. Leaders have identified the underlying reasons why a few pupils do not behave or socialise well. They use this information to help these pupils to learn to work and play alongside their peers.

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Leaders take every opportunity to provide very enriching opportunities which enable pupils to develop as well-rounded young people and to become responsible citizens. They do this through a personal development programme which is exceptionally well designed. Through the programme, pupils learn how to reflect maturely on difficult moral issues and to speak about them with insight and understanding. They enjoy celebrating cultures, societies and lifestyles which are different from their own. They embrace the diverse nature of modern Britain. They talk confidently and with understanding about healthy and safe relationships.

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Governors have a strong understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the school. They think strategically to ensure its long-term development. They use their different areas of expertise to support and challenge leaders.

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Leaders take staff’s workload and well-being into account when making decisions. Staff appreciate the professional development opportunities which leaders offer them. They like the way that leaders listen to them and find solutions for problems that they may face. 16 and 17 May 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff undertake regular training so that they remain alert to signs that might indicate that a pupil is at risk of harm. Staff follow clear procedures to report any concerns. Leaders follow these up promptly. The safeguarding team works well with outside agencies to obtain support for vulnerable pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, their personal development lessons inform them about water and fire safety and how to keep safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, checks on how well pupils build subject knowledge and understanding of key concepts over time do not give leaders or teachers enough information about pupils’ learning. This means that teachers and leaders are not always clear about how well pupils are achieving in these subjects over time. Leaders should ensure that they identify gaps in pupils’ learning over time so that staff can adapt future teaching to ensure that pupils achieve well.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents 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. 16 and 17 May 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.christchurch-moreton.wirral.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not use any alternative provision.  The school is part of the Chester Diocesan Academies Trust.  This Church of England school last received a religious education inspection, carried out under section 48 of the Education Act 2005, in November 2016.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders, middle leaders and a range of teaching and support staff. The lead inspector spoke with four members of the local governing body.  The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer of the trust and spoke with a representative of the diocese and a representative of the local authority. 16 and 17 May 2023

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 As part of this inspection, inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science, design and technology and history. They met with subject leaders, visited some lessons, looked at pupils’ work and spoke with pupils and teachers. The lead inspector observed individual pupils reading to their teachers.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils from Years 2 to 6. They also observed breaktime and lunchtime.  Inspectors checked the school’s safeguarding procedures and the checks made on staff. They met with leaders, staff and pupils to evaluate the culture of safeguarding.  The lead inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including that relating to the school development plans, self-evaluation documents, curriculum information and behaviour and attendance records.  The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.  The lead inspector also considered the views of the parents who responded to

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Ofsted Parent View. This included the comments received via the free-text facility.

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Inspection team

Timothy Gartside, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Gary Bevin Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 May 2023

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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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