Matthew Moss High School

Inspection of a good school: Matthew Moss High School Matthew Moss Lane, Marland, Rochdale, Lancashire OL11 3LU

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Outcome

Matthew Moss High School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Charlotte Leach-Rogers. This school is part of the Watergrove 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), Mark Moorhouse, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Gary Walczak.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Matthew Moss High School feel safe and happy. For example, their membership of tutor groups with pupils from different year groups helps them to feel valued members of the school community. Pupils build strong relationships with staff, and they have adults who they can speak to in school if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations across the ambitious curriculum. Most pupils are dedicated to their studies, and they behave well in their lessons. Pupils in Years 10 and 11 told inspectors that they appreciate being able to attend school at additional times, including Saturdays. Pupils enjoy these opportunities where they have a safe space to study, access to a range of resources and personalised tutoring. In the main, pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well prepared for their lives beyond school. They receive suitable information about further study and careers that broadens their horizons. For example, pupils were inspired by a ‘girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)’ careers event.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of opportunities to build their interests, talents and leadership skills. For instance, pupils can represent the school on a variety of sports teams, take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award or complete cycling schemes to improve their road safety skills. 24 and 25 April 2024

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

The school has a suitably broad and balanced curriculum with high aspirations for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This includes an opportunity for all pupils to study the English Baccalaureate suite of subjects in key stage 4.

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

The curriculum is well established across most subjects. The school ensures that teachers know what pupils should learn and when this content should be taught. In a small number of subjects, recent changes have been made to strengthen curriculums further. In these subjects, with the support of the trust, the school is in the process of ensuring that these changes are implemented successfully. The schools’ recent renewal of the curriculum has had a positive impact on pupils’ achievement.

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

Teachers have strong subject knowledge and they use this to design effective learning activities. In most subjects, teachers identify and address gaps in pupils’ learning effectively. However, in a small number of subjects, teachers do not check what pupils have learned consistently well. As a result, in these subjects, some pupils’ recall of prior learning is not as secure.

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

The school has systems in place to identify and remedy gaps that pupils have in their reading knowledge. As a result, pupils who find reading difficult are supported to become confident and fluent readers over time. During the mixed-age form time, pupils work together to read and discuss texts. Older pupils model reading strategies for their younger classmates and this contributes to the positive reading culture across the school.

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

The school identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND effectively. Staff value the information and training that they receive to support pupils with SEND well. As a result, staff make sensitive adaptations that enable pupils with SEND to progress through the curriculum well.

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

The school has recently renewed its behaviour policy. In lessons, pupils meet the high expectations for behaviour, and disruption to learning is rare. However, outside of lessons, staff’s expectations of pupils’ behaviour are not consistently high. Some pupils are slow to respond to requests from staff and this can result in some lateness to lessons.

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

Most pupils attend school regularly. When needed, the school works thoughtfully with pupils and their families to improve attendance, engaging with other agencies as necessary. Despite this, some pupils do miss out on learning due to lateness to school. The school has renewed its processes to address pupils’ punctuality. However, these are in the early stages.

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

The school supports pupils’ wider development through its bespoke ‘change curriculum’. Pupils learn about relationships, keeping safe and healthy and equality issues. They are confident to discuss their learning with peers and adults. 24 and 25 April 2024

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Pupils receive a wealth of information about their next steps, including work experience and college visits. They are well informed about the different routes that are open to them when they leave Year 11.

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Trustees, together with the local governing body, have a secure understanding of the school’s priorities for further improvement. They play an active role in supporting senior staff, including those who are new to their roles. Recent changes have been managed well, and staff feel well supported with their workload and well-being.

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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, the school’s development of the curriculum is at an earlier stage. In these subjects, teachers do not use assessment strategies as effectively as they could. As a result, some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge, which are not swiftly addressed. The school should ensure that teachers are supported to use assessment strategies as intended so that they can remedy pupils’ forgotten or missed learning quickly.  The updated behaviour policy is not applied consistently well during social times or to address punctuality. As a result, some pupils do not conduct themselves as well as they should between lessons. The school should ensure that it has the same high expectations of pupils’ behaviour throughout the school day and that staff are suitably equipped to apply the behaviour policy effectively.

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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 predecessor school, Matthew Moss High School, to be good in April 2018. 24 and 25 April 2024

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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). 24 and 25 April 2024

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School details

Headteacher Charlotte Leach-Rogers (acting headteacher) Website www.mmhs.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Matthew Moss High School converted to be an academy in October 2019. When its predecessor school, Matthew Moss High School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is part of the Watergrove Trust.  The school makes use of two registered alternative providers and 14 unregistered alternative providers for a small number of pupils.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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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. 24 and 25 April 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, science, physical education and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and members of staff.  The lead inspector met with the CEO of the trust, members of the trust, trustees and members of the governing body. They also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils from Years 7 to 11 about their experiences of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  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

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extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Eleanor Overland, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rochelle Conefrey Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 April 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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