Mossfield Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Mossfield Primary School Mossfield Road, Swinton, Manchester M27 6EH

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 October 2023

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Outcome

Mossfield Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this welcoming and friendly school. They arrive at school each day enthusiastic to learn and play with their friends. Pupils value being part of a diverse community. They like finding out about where in the world their friends are from. Pupils make everyone feel welcome.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that the school sets high standards for their achievement. They welcome this challenge. They are attentive in lessons and work hard. This helps pupils to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand that the school’s rules are there for the benefit of everyone. They follow these rules and behave well. As a result, the atmosphere in school is calm and respectful, starting from when children join the early years. Pupils enjoy positive and happy playtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils relish taking part in a wide range of trips and visits. These help to deepen their learning and broaden their experiences. For example, pupils learn how to rock climb and canoe when on a residential stay. Pupils also benefit from listening to the many visitors who are invited into school. This includes people who talk about different jobs in Careers Week. This helps pupils to think positively about their futures.

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

The school has designed a broad and ambitious curriculum. It has thought carefully about the important knowledge that pupils need to learn in each subject. This knowledge has been broken down into small steps from the early years to Year 6.

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

In the main, teachers have strong subject knowledge. This helps them to design learning activities that support pupils to learn new knowledge and skills well. Teachers check pupils’ understanding in lessons and quickly address any misconceptions that arise. This means that pupils achieve well in most subjects. However, in a small number of subjects, teachers’ subject knowledge is not strong enough to ensure that curriculum content is 17 and 18 October 2023

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delivered as effectively as intended. In these subjects, pupils are less secure in their learning.

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The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly. It puts appropriate support in place for these pupils. Teachers are well trained to adapt learning activities where necessary. This means that pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as their peers. Pupils with SEND progress well through the curriculum. They, and other pupils, listen carefully to their teachers and engage positively in lessons.

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Pupils learn to read through a well-thought-out phonics curriculum. This begins when children join the Reception Year. Teachers regularly check how well pupils are learning to read. They put support in place to help any pupils in danger of not keeping up with the phonics programme. The books that pupils read are carefully matched to the sounds that they have learned. The school’s actions have ensured that most pupils develop into fluent, confident readers by the end of Year 2.

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Pupils have a range of opportunities to contribute to school life. For example, they can apply to be prefects who help at lunchtimes. The school ensures that pupils develop their understanding of different religions and cultures. This helps pupils to respect others’ beliefs. Pupils also learn about differences between people. They know that they should not judge people because of their preferences or how they look. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online. They also understand what makes a healthy relationship.

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The school is mindful of staff’s workload and well-being when making decisions. The school worked with staff to agree a new approach to marking pupils’ work. This helped to reduce staff’s workload and made staff feel valued and well supported in their roles.

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The parents and carers who shared their views said that they can approach the school with any concerns. The school actively works with parents to further their children’s education. For example, it holds workshops to help parents to support their children with early reading and phonics at home.

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Governors know the school well. They support the school and challenge where necessary for the benefit of pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, teachers do not have the subject-specific knowledge to deliver the intended curriculum as well as they should. This means that pupils’ learning is less secure in these subjects. The school should ensure that teachers gain the subject knowledge they need in these subjects to deliver the intended learning. 17 and 18 October 2023

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2018.

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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’ 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). 17 and 18 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 18 and 19 September 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make any use of alternative provision.  At the time of this inspection, the school was being led by an acting headteacher.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  During this inspection, the inspector met with the acting headteacher and a wide range of other staff.  The inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector met with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector spoke with pupils about their work and wider school life. 17 and 18 October 2023

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record and took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils. The inspector considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and in lessons.  The inspector considered the views of parents submitted through Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. She also spoke with parents at the school gate.  The inspector carried out deep dives into early reading, mathematics and history. She spoke with the staff who lead these subjects, visited lessons and spoke with teachers. She also spoke with pupils about their learning and viewed examples of their work.  The inspector also spoke with subject leaders and pupils in a range of other subjects.  The inspector observed pupils in Years 1 to 3 reading to a familiar adult.

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 The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Liz Davidson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 October 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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