Moorside Primary School & Nursery

Inspection of Moorside Primary School & Nursery Harrogate Road, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 1SU

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 27 and 28 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Moorside Primary School and Nursery lies at the very heart of its community. Pupils enjoy attending school. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), establish positive relationships with staff. They describe their teachers as ‘caring’ and ‘kind’. Parents are effusively positive about the school. One parent captured the views of many in saying: ‘Our children are so lucky to start their education at Moorside. The school is a credit to itself and the community.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from wider opportunities, including Lego and craft clubs. Pupils enjoy educational visits in the local area, including a recent visit to Fountains Abbey as part of a history topic. Each class enjoys, and benefits from, the on-site forest school provision.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and for what pupils can learn. Pupils enjoy the praise they receive for their good behaviour. They treat their teachers and each other with respect. They talk politely and confidently to visitors, enjoying opportunities to talk about their school. Pupils say that they feel safe and they know they can share any concerns with staff.

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better?

The school prioritises reading. Pupils enjoy reading and talk enthusiastically about the books they read and their favourite authors. Pupils enjoy visits to the school library. Phonics sessions support pupils to gain the knowledge and skills they need to read new words. In key stage 2, pupils’ reading books are well suited to pupils’ reading needs and interests. However, in key stage 1, some pupils have books that are too difficult and not well matched to their phonic ability. This means that they struggle to practise and reinforce what they have learned.

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better?

The school has ensured that staff are well trained. Staff have a good understanding of the subjects they teach. Teachers assess pupils’ knowledge regularly to check for understanding. They use this information to make sure that lessons are matched to pupils’ ability. The needs of pupils with SEND are carefully considered and adjustments are made to enable these pupils to successfully access the same curriculum as their peers.

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better?

The school has created an ambitious curriculum that fully meets the expectations of the national curriculum. In core subjects, these ambitions are realised and pupils achieve well. In foundation subjects, curriculum plans set out what pupils should learn and when, identifying some key facts that pupils should learn and remember. In some subjects, these facts, while interesting, are not the most useful in helping pupils to remember the important aspects of what they have been taught. This means that some pupils are not consistently well prepared for the next phase of their learning in all subjects. For example, some pupils spoken to about their learning in history could remember that Henry VIII had six wives, but not recall that he was the king. 27 and 28 September 2023

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Pupils who need extra help with reading and mathematics, including those with SEND, benefit from support in intervention sessions. These sessions are carefully organised so that pupils keep up with their peers and do not miss out on other learning. The school works effectively with external agencies, either to enhance the support given to individual pupils, to enrich the curriculum, or to help pupils understand how to keep themselves safe outside of the school environment.

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Pupils study a well-sequenced curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education. They learn about positive relationships, mental health and the benefits of diversity. Pupils learn about British values. They respect difference and say that it is important to show respect: being kind is always the priority. In the early years, children learn about personal space and keeping healthy.

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The early years is warm and welcoming. Children are settled quickly into school and no time is wasted in introducing the children to phonics and early mathematics. Early years staff are calm and gentle as they introduce the youngest children to new rules and routines. The environment is bright and inviting. Resources are carefully positioned so that children have access to the equipment they need.

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Leaders, including governors, have a shared ambition for the school and its pupils. They fulfil their roles effectively. Leaders work with external experts to consider different ways to improve all aspects of the school’s work. They ensure that staff complete training. Subject leaders visit lessons, check pupils’ work and consult with pupils and staff so they can check the subjects they lead. Staff say that there is a focus on working together. Staff feel that leaders are supportive of their well-being and appreciate the efforts made to reduce workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school has not defined precisely the important knowledge that they want pupils to learn. Consequently, some pupils struggle to retain their learning and, therefore, cannot build on this over time. The school should review some aspects of the curriculum to ensure that there is greater clarity for teachers about what pupils should know and remember at each stage of their learning, across all subjects.  In key stage 1, some pupils are given books to read that are not closely matched to the phonic sounds that pupils already know. This means that pupils sometimes struggle to practise what they have learned. The school should make sure pupils’ reading books are well matched to the phonics pupils know. 27 and 28 September 2023

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘ disadvantaged pupils ’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 27 and 28 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 17 and 18 May 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has both a breakfast and after-school club.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, looked at pupils’ books, spoke to teachers and spoke to pupils about their learning. 27 and 28 September 2023

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 An inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2, 3 and 4 read to an adult.  An inspector visited both the breakfast and after-school club.  Inspectors met with groups of staff and pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in class, around the school and during social times. They held discussions with leaders about behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, the local authority adviser and members of the governing body.  Inspectors gathered parents’ views by considering responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and by talking to parents during the inspection. They also

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evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Jane Wilson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Baines Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 September 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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