Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Sir John Moore Church of England Primary School 101 Top Street, Appleby Magna, Swadlincote, Derbyshire DE12 7AH

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school’s work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They appreciate the unique opportunities that their setting provides, including access to their own Victorian classroom and museum. They value the wide range of activities and opportunities on offer, including learning outside and ‘Welly Wednesday’ in the early years. Beekeeping, along with harvesting and selling their own honey, are particular favourites.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that they are expected to think and act with their ‘head, heart and hands’ so that they can ‘climb to new heights’. They know why it is important to show ‘GRIT’, through a growth mindset, resilience, independence and teamwork. They do their very best to live up to these high expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils pay good attention in lessons. However, the school’s curriculum is at an early stage of renewal and implementation. As such, there are weaknesses in the quality of education that pupils receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Typically, pupils behave well. They are motivated by the rewards on offer, including the popular reward points. They look forward to the celebrations assembly and sharing in each other’s successes. They understand what happens in the event of poor behaviour. However, they say that the reminder and warning systems rarely need to be used. 8 January 2025

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

The school has a relatively new leadership team in place. It is supported by a newly formed and strengthened governing body. Together, they have begun to bring around improvements at the school. They have secured improvements in the curriculum, safeguarding and premises. However, there is much to be done to ensure that the quality of education is good enough and that the school works cohesively with its community.

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

Work has begun to strengthen the school’s curriculum. The early years curriculum is well organised and fit for purpose. In key stages 1 and 2, some subjects have been reviewed and improved. In these subjects, the curriculum is well organised and builds cumulatively over time. However, these improvements are very recent. They have not yet begun to have an impact on how well pupils learn and remember what they have been taught. Other subjects remain underdeveloped.

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

The school has prioritised reading. Children are taught phonics from the beginning of the Reception Year. The phonics programme makes clear which sounds pupils should know at each stage of their education. The programme is taught consistently. Any pupils who begin to fall behind are quickly identified and helped to catch up. The books that pupils read are closely matched to the sounds that they know. Pupils soon become fluent readers. Beyond phonics, pupils read regularly. They develop an appreciation of books. One pupil summed this up when they said: ‘Reading is like going on an adventure in your head.’ The reading curriculum is well designed. It helps pupils to develop vocabulary and comprehension skills. It supports them to become fluent readers. However, as with some other subjects, this is at an early stage of implementation. It has not yet had the chance to have a full impact on what pupils know and can do.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. The school knows these pupils well. In class, they get the help that they need. The school has strengthened the way in which it identifies SEND. It does this accurately.

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

Pupils enjoy attending school. Attendance rates are positive. Levels of persistent absenteeism are low. The school has recently reviewed its behaviour policy. Pupils and staff report that it has brought around improvements. However, the school does not check on trends and patterns of behaviour closely enough. This means that they do not know how effectively the new policy is working.

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

Pupils benefit from a range of experiences and activities that contribute to their personal development. Pupils are proud to represent their school in a wide range of sporting activities. The school makes sure that no one misses out on these. Pupils are proud of the roles that they take on, including school councillors, class representatives and being part of the ‘SJM collective’, which helps to plan and deliver collective worship. Pupils are inclusive. They know that everyone should be treated equally and with respect.

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

The school does not have a positive enough relationship with some of its parents and carers. Too many raise concerns about the school. They would not recommend it. Until recently, the governing body did not have in place robust enough procedures for hearing 8 January 2025

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and addressing parental concerns and complaints. It now does. However, this has not been in place long enough to address the full range of concerns that the school community has.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

In a small number of cases, safeguarding records do not show the decisions and actions that the school has taken to keep pupils safe. This means that, in these cases, records are incomplete.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum is not fully planned and sequenced. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The school should ensure that, across all subjects, the curriculum is fully planned, sequenced and makes clear what pupils are expected to know and remember.  Some parts of the curriculum are relatively new. In these cases, it has not had an impact on what pupils know and remember. Pupils’ recall of recently studied content is inconsistent. The school should ensure that the curriculum is fully embedded so that it results in pupils knowing and remembering content.  The school does not understand trends and patterns of pupils’ behaviour well enough. This means that it cannot be sure how well changes to the provision are working. The school should ensure that it uses patterns in behaviour to check on the impact of its provision, including the recently implemented behaviour policy.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Until recently, the school has not had robust enough procedures for hearing and addressing parental concerns and complaints. The school should ensure that it continues to implement its recently adopted policy for hearing and addressing issues raised to ensure that the school listens to and has the support of the community that it serves.  In a small number of cases, safeguarding records do not make clear the decisions and actions that the school has taken to keep pupils safe. This means that records are incomplete. The school should ensure that it consistently records the decisions and actions taken in relation to safeguarding concerns. 8 January 2025

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in February 2020.

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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). 8 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 February 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been significant changes in leadership since the last inspection. The headteacher and deputy headteacher took up posts in September 2023. A new chair of governors took up post in May 2024. Many governors are new to post.  The school is part of the Diocese of Leicester. The most recent section 48 inspection of this Church of England school, which is an inspection of the school’s religious character, took place in January 2023. The school’s next section 48 inspection will be within eight school years.  The school does not use any alternative education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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. 8 January 2025

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 The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders, the special educational needs coordinator and groups of staff and pupils.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at curriculum documentation for a range of subjects.  An inspector met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair.  The inspectors took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey. They considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. An inspector held a telephone conversation with a parent of a former pupil at their request. The inspectors took account of an email from another parent.  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 reviewed school documents, including those relating to governance, behaviour and attendance. An inspector scrutinised the school’s plans for improvement and its assessment of the school’s effectiveness.  An inspector spoke informally to pupils at breaktimes and with parents at the end of the school day.

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Inspection team

Vic Wilkinson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Natalie Hackett Ofsted Inspector 8 January 2025

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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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