Moat Primary Academy

Inspection of Moat Primary Academy Juniper Avenue, Matson, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL4 6AP

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 February 2024

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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 Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Katrina Spendlove. This school is part of Greenshaw Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), William Smith, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Anne Spackman. 20 and 21 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this welcoming school. It is a school that cares deeply for the pupils. Pupils appreciate the warm relationships they have with the adults, who help them. Pupils trust that they will keep them safe. However, the school continues to face challenges with pupils’ attendance and punctuality. Staff work tirelessly to promote regular attendance and punctuality but are aware that they need to keep working with parents and carers to ensure that this continues to improve.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The learning attitudes of ‘believe, engage, succeed, try’ shine out across the school. Pupils understand the behaviour adults expect of them. They know that they are expected to work hard with their learning. They know the difference between right and wrong. Pupils strive to meet these high expectations and behave sensibly in lessons and during social times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to learn and, overall, they achieve well. However, in some subjects, the knowledge teachers want pupils to learn is not always covered. This means that in these subjects, pupils are not acquiring all the knowledge they need.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are eager to take on wider responsibilities. They are enthusiastic about their roles as school captains, library monitors and ‘restorative stars’. Such roles help to develop pupils’ social and leadership skills.

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better?

The new school leaders are ambitious for the school. Together, with the support of the trust, they have worked with determination to strengthen the quality of education. They accurately identify the improvements needed. The school is working quickly to eradicate the legacy of underachievement to ensure that pupils receive a good education. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), have access to a broad curriculum that excites and motivates them to learn well. Adaptations are made to support pupils with SEND to follow the same curriculum as their friends, learn effectively and experience success. However, in some subjects, the curriculum is not fully implemented. This means that pupils do not gain the depth of knowledge they need across all subjects.

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better?

Learning in the pre-school and early years provides children with a firm foundation on which to build. Children learn how to cooperate, play together and to learn independently as they develop their early reading, writing and mathematics. Their wider experiences during early years are carefully planned to prepare them well for key stage 1 and beyond.

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better?

Reading is a high priority across the school. The implementation of the school’s phonics programme is secure. Reading is taught skilfully. Children in early years are quickly introduced to nursery rhymes and stories. These early experiences help to foster a love of books from the start. Children learn phonics from the beginning. Reading books closely match the sounds that children know. This is helping them to 20 and 21 February 2024

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get off to a great start with their reading. Any pupils who are finding reading tricky get the right help to catch up and keep up. Staff promote a love of reading. Pupils thoroughly enjoy hearing adults read well-chosen books that extend pupils’ vocabulary and enhance their understanding.

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Behaviour in and around the school is good. Pupils are keen and demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. When reminders are necessary, the school helps pupils to make good choices and learn from their mistakes. Pupils know that they are expected to attend school regularly and the importance of being on time. However, pupils do not attend as regularly as they should, and a few are often late. The school is working with parents to promote good attendance and improve punctuality, but knows that there is more work to be done.

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The school provides pupils with extensive opportunities for personal development. Staff are passionate about making sure that every pupil can experience clubs, visitors, visits and trips. For example, pupils can join a range of sports clubs, such as for lacrosse and cricket. The residential trip to experience life on a farm is a highlight for older pupils. They learn about the importance of teamwork and responsibility by, for example, learning to herd sheep and caring for the animals. Pupils comment on how such visits help them to learn about the lives of others and ‘to be grateful for what we have’.

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Pupils have a strong understanding of democracy and show respect for other people’s points of view. They learn how to debate issues through the ‘mock trial’ in which they participate. This helps develop their knowledge and understanding of the rule of law.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, the curriculum is not fully embedded. As a result, pupils, including those with SEND, do not gain the knowledge they need to achieve well in these subjects. The trust needs to complete the process of embedding the planned curriculum effectively in all subjects.  Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough, and too often, pupils are late. As a result, they do not build their knowledge well over time and have gaps in their learning. The trust needs to ensure that the attendance strategy and work with parents are effective in ensuring that pupils attend with more regularity and punctually, so that they learn more successfully over time. 20 and 21 February 2024

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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). 20 and 21 February 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 14 and 15 September 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher has been in post since 1 September 2022.  The school is part of Greenshaw Learning Trust. The school joined the trust in November 2023, having previously been in Phoenix Learning Alliance.  The school has an on-site pre-school provision.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 20 and 21 February 2024

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, the assistant headteachers and staff.  The lead inspector met the CEO and trust leaders.  The lead inspector spoke with governors and the chair of the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also sampled pupils’ work in science.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 reading to an adult. The lead inspector visited story time in Reception and Years 1 and 6.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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

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culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered key documentation, including school development plans and minutes of governors’ and trustees’ meetings.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. The inspectors met with school leaders to discuss and scrutinise how they respond to behaviour incidents and pupils’ attendance.  Inspectors considered the responses to the staff survey and Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors spoke with parents at the end of the day.

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Inspection team

Jen Southall, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Marie Thomas His Majesty’s Inspector 20 and 21 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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