Moorlands Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Moorlands Primary School Moorlands Road, Mount, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD3 3UH

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Outcome

Moorlands Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everybody at Moorlands Primary School strives to be the best they can be. This comes directly from leaders who are passionate about pupils achieving well. Pupils are keen to learn and lessons are rarely interrupted. Pupils attend well and know why good attendance is important. As a result, by the end of Year 6, pupils are well equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to be successful in secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Recent changes to the behaviour policy have been positive. Pupils talk openly about how the new approach has helped them to improve their behaviour choices. Pupils now feel even happier in school and there is nowhere they feel unsafe. Bullying at the school is rare. Parents and pupils all say that bullying does not tend to happen but, if it does, teachers deal with it quickly. The school’s approach to supporting pupils’ mental health is effective and pupils know who to go to for support.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides opportunities for pupils to develop their leadership skills. They know about different ways of getting these roles and can talk about application forms and interviews or democratic elections. House captains and the school council can talk about how they have made the school better.

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

The school has developed an ambitious curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Subjects are mapped out across year groups, starting in Reception, and are enhanced with wider opportunities that bring the curriculum to life. Pupils find this approach enjoyable and it helps them to remember what they are taught. For example, in art, pupils work in collaboration with local artists to celebrate the rich culture and history of their local area. They are inspired after attending carnivals and create artwork to celebrate great British events, such as the King’s Coronation and the Queen’s Jubilee. These closely mapped experiences then lead to further opportunities, such as going to London to see their work exhibited outside the Tower of London. 7 and 8 February 2024

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Subject knowledge of teachers is strong and they benefit from working alongside specialists, who come in to support the curriculum. Teachers use assessment well to understand gaps in pupils’ knowledge and plan sessions to address them. Teachers start each lesson with an activity that ensures pupils can connect their learning to what they already know and see how it will help them understand the things they will be taught in the future.

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Teachers are passionate about reading and pupils learn to read as soon as they start school. The school has worked hard to implement the phonics scheme and made sure the books pupils learn match the sounds they are taught. Phonics teaching for most pupils ensures they get off to a strong start. However, the weakest readers in the school are not always able to use the right sounds when trying to read words. Some adults do not appropriately correct them. This means that these pupils are not given the help they need to read unfamiliar words.

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The school prioritises the inclusion of all its pupils across all subjects. This includes pupils with SEND. Teachers make good use of the information they receive and ensure the curriculum is appropriately adapted to meet the needs of their pupils.

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The school provides pupils with a wide range of opportunities to develop their character, talents and interests. Their approach to pupils’ development is one of the school’s strengths. Starting in early years, pupils learn about how to keep themselves both physically and mentally healthy. They understand how healthy relationships are formed and the importance of respecting each other. Pupils can talk at length about how to keep themselves safe in the local area and when they are online.

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Pupils enjoy supporting local charities and learn about the importance of making and saving money. They are excited about ‘the fiver challenge’, where they must make as much money as they can for their chosen charity using their enterprise skills. They benefit from a wide range of activities beyond the classroom, such as forest school and after- school clubs. Pupils have mature attitudes when discussing issues, such as discrimination. They freely discuss how they develop their spirituality through appreciating the natural world and how they are respectful of different cultures.

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The reputation of the school is strong. Parents, staff and pupils could not speak more highly of the school. Governors are visible and they know the school well. They can talk about the current strengths of the school and what they must do to improve. They provide an appropriate balance of support and challenge.

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Teaching staff say that the school takes full account of the main pressures on them and that they feel very well supported at all times. Early careers teachers have a comprehensive programme of support within the school. Bullying and harassment of staff is ‘unheard of’ and would not be tolerated at this school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 7 and 8 February 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The weakest readers do not always use pure sounds when segmenting words they are unfamiliar with. Some adults do not always correct them. As a result, these pupils are unable to appropriately blend the sounds to read the words. The school should ensure that staff receive the support they need to be able to correct pupils who do not use the correct pure sounds when segmenting and blending unfamiliar words.

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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 January 2015.

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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). 7 and 8 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23 January 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: reading, mathematics, art and design technology. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning, looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke to teachers about their teaching.  The lead inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult. 7 and 8 February 2024

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 Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, other leaders and the special educational needs coordinator.  The lead inspector held meetings with the chair, and representatives, of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, around the school and at lunchtime. Inspectors spoke to pupils about pupils’ behaviour.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead, looked at the single central record of recruitment checks, looked at safeguarding records and talked to governors, pupils and staff. They considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text responses. Inspectors also took account of responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil

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Inspection team

Simon McCarthy, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

John Davie Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 February 2024

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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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