Moira Primary School

Inspection of Moira Primary School Blackfordby Lane, Moira, Swadlincote, Derbyshire DE12 6EX

p.1

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 7 and 8 January 2025

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Moira Primary School is a warm, welcoming and inclusive school. Staff go to great lengths to care for pupils. They model kindness and respect. Pupils appreciate that the adults in school keep them safe. They love their school. They say, ‘It’s fun’ and ‘There is lots of laughter.’ Parents and carers are also full of praise for the school. One parent, whose comment was typical of many, said, ‘My children feel like they belong to a family at Moira.’

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has established a culture of high expectations for all. The school’s vision that pupils will be healthy, kind, curious, adventurous and creative is well on its way to being fully realised. Pupils are friendly and polite. The school is a purposeful and calm place in which to learn and play.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from all that the school has to offer. They have lots of opportunities to take on positions of responsibility, such as reading champions, behaviour buddies or representing their peers on the school council. Pupils enjoy trips that bring learning to life. For example, they visit the Houses of Parliament, go on a residential to Boggle Hole and visit a nearby museum and country park to learn about local history.

p.2

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

Since the last inspection, the school has worked with determination to make significant improvements to the curriculum. The curriculum is now broad and ambitious. The key knowledge that pupils learn is precisely identified. The curriculum is designed with care, so that pupils’ knowledge and understanding deepen over time. This begins in the early years, where children gain a firm foundation for later learning. For example, in geography, pupils study themes such as place, physical and human processes and environmental impact. By the time pupils reach Year 6, the work in their books demonstrates that they have a clear understanding of complex geographical concepts, such as virtual water, rare earth elements and waste management.

p.2

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

The school ensures that all pupils access the curriculum. No time is wasted in identifying pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Each pupil with SEND has carefully considered targets and strategies that staff use to support their learning. This helps pupils with SEND to overcome barriers to learning and means they progress through the curriculum in the same way as their peers.

p.2

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

Teaching staff deliver the curriculum effectively. They follow agreed lesson structures that help pupils to remember the intended learning. Lessons begin with a check to make sure that pupils remember prior learning. Staff present new concepts clearly and ask questions to reinforce the learning. The tasks provided are purposeful and well matched to the intent of the curriculum.

p.2

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

Reading is at the heart of the school’s work. Phonics is taught by expert staff. Children in the early years learn the foundations of early reading. Pupils continue to make good progress through the phonics programme as they move into Year 1. Staff carefully identify pupils who struggle to keep up. These pupils receive effective extra help. For a small 7 and 8 January 2025

p.2

3

number of pupils, the books they are given to read are too hard. This means they are not able to read these texts with sufficient fluency.

p.3

3

Pupils are provided with plenty of opportunities to read high-quality texts, including books that promote diversity. Story time is a treasured part of the school day. For example, children in the early years were fully engaged with a story about a bear who came to babysit, and they appreciated the humour in the text.

p.3

3

The school has clear expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attendance. Most pupils live up to the high standards of behaviour the school expects. Nevertheless, there are still a few occasions when the school behaviour policy is not consistently followed. This means that some pupils’ behaviour is not as strong as it could be.

p.3

3

The school provides pupils with a well-considered personal development offer. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in an age-appropriate way. They learn about different relationships, faiths and cultures. This helps them to understand the importance of respecting and valuing difference and diversity.

p.3

3

The governing body has supported leaders in identifying the right priorities to improve the school. Staff are proud to work at the school and agree that their workload and well-being are considered by leaders. They support each other and work well as a team.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s systems to promote pupils’ positive behaviour are not consistently applied. Occasionally, expectations of pupils’ behaviour are not high enough, and there are a very small number of incidents where pupils’ learning is briefly disrupted. The school should ensure that staff follow the school’s behaviour policy consistently to ensure that all pupils behave well and show respect for everyone throughout the school day.  For a small number of pupils, the books they are given to read are not matched closely enough to the sounds they know. This means they struggle to read with sufficient fluency. The school should ensure that pupils are given books that match the sounds they know so that they can read the text accurately and with confidence.

p.3

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. 7 and 8 January 2025

p.3

4

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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 January 2025

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Chair of governing body Suzanne Uprichard

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 October 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the headteacher and two assistant headteachers have been appointed to their posts.  The school provides before- and after-school clubs.  The school makes use of one unregistered alternative provision.

p.5

Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 7 and 8 January 2025

p.5

6

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and two assistant headteachers. The lead inspector met with five members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. She also held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and music. 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 reviewed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to pupils reading to a member of staff.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

p.6

6

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 during lessons, around school and at social times. Inspectors also spoke to pupils to gather their views about the school.  Inspectors reviewed the responses to the online survey for staff and met with a range of staff. They also took account of parents’ responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, and met with parents at the start of the school day.

p.6

Inspection team

Caroline Poole, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Tim Leah Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 January 2025

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7