Moorlands CofE Primary Academy

Inspection of Moorlands CofE Primary Academy Moorland Way, Belton, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR31 9PA

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good

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The headteacher of this school is Ryan Freeman. This school is part of the Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies 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), Oliver Burwood, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Beverly Tilman. The headteacher is responsible for this school and one other. 21 and 22 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming here. They learn how to show respect for one another by being polite, welcoming and helpful. This helps to ensure that the school is a friendly and calm place to learn and make friends. Staff are caring and get to know pupils well. Pupils feel safe and listened to.

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What is it like to attend this school?

High expectations are embedded across all aspects of school life. Pupils achieve well, particularly in early reading. In every subject, pupils grow in confidence. They benefit from a well-sequenced curriculum and staff’s commitment to helping them remember important knowledge and skills.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is calm and orderly. Pupils understand the school’s rules and routines. This helps to keep lesson disruption to a minimum. Pupils feel motivated by praise and rewards. This includes earning points for their house teams.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils can get involved in a range of interesting activities, such as the graphic novel club and the choir. Helping pupils to discover and embrace empathy is a big part of the school’s personal development offer. Pupils learn how to respect differences and celebrate diversity. They become more open-minded and understanding of the world around them. Pupils also take on a range of responsibilities, such as becoming a ‘reading champion’.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has introduced a new, ambitious curriculum. The school provides teachers with resources, time and guidance to design lessons that help pupils to learn well and remember more. The school regularly checks how well the curriculum is being delivered. Leaders use this information to make decisions about how to further improve the curriculum. This strengthened curriculum has helped to ensure that pupils are prepared well for the next stage of education.

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

Teachers model and explain new concepts clearly. This helps pupils to understand what they are learning. Teachers also ensure that pupils have suitable opportunities to practise their learning. This helps pupils to improve in confidence and build their knowledge securely. Teachers regularly check how well pupils have learned the curriculum. However, in some subjects, teachers do not always use the information from these checks to inform their teaching. As a result, pupils occasionally miss out on opportunities to revisit knowledge or deepen their understanding further.

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

As soon as pupils join the Reception Year, the school’s intensive approach to early reading provides them with a swift and successful introduction to the joys of reading. Pupils quickly learn the sounds that letters make. There is plenty of practise and effective additional support for those who need it. Reading lessons introduce pupils to a range of stories and poems. As a result of the school’s work, reading becomes a source of pleasure for pupils, and they look forward to sharing their reading interests with others. Consequently, many pupils become confident and fluent readers. 21 and 22 January 2025

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The school ensures that pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can access the full curriculum. The school has appropriate systems to collect, share and analyse information about pupils’ individual needs. This supports the school to identify and meet pupils’ specific needs from an early stage. This enables parents and carers, and teachers to easily access and contribute information about pupils’ needs.

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A typical day in the nursery or the Reception Year involves plenty of stories, songs, rhymes and discussion. This helps children to learn new words and gain a deeper understanding of the stories they encounter. Children learn stories off by heart. Activities are well-chosen, helping children to practise important skills such as counting and writing.

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The school’s approach to behaviour emphasises consistency and fairness. Pupils know what is expected of them. The school analyses patterns of behaviour. Leaders combine this information with their knowledge of pupils’ needs to create effective support strategies for those pupils who need extra help. The school is keenly aware that some pupils do not attend school as often as they should. The school works closely with families to identify and successfully overcome barriers to attendance.

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The school is rightly proud of its work to develop pupils’ personal development. The school carefully chooses activities and projects that support pupils’ character. This is helping pupils to understand different faiths, cultures and people. The school’s curriculum is augmented by a range of well-chosen trips and visitors. For example, visits from emergency service representatives teach pupils about safety.

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Trust and school leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and priorities for development. Staff have opportunities to collaborate with, and learn from, experts in areas such as special educational needs, mathematics and the early years. Leaders have facilitated networks of support across the two schools in the federation. Staff feel, and are, 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 some subjects, teachers do not always use the information from checks on learning to inform their teaching. As a result, pupils occasionally miss out on opportunities to revisit knowledge or deepen their understanding. The school should ensure that teachers further develop their teaching strategies in these subjects so that pupils, including pupils with SEND, can learn more and remember more. 21 and 22 January 2025

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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). 21 and 22 January 2025

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School details

Headteacher Ryan Freeman (executive headteacher)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 December 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is federated with Peterhouse Church of England Primary Academy.  The school is part of the Diocese of Norwich Education and Academies Trust.  The school runs a nursery for three- and four-year-old children.  The school runs before- and after-school care.  The school does not use alternative provision.  This is a Church of England school. The most recent Section 48 inspection took place in January 2018. The next Section 48 inspection will be within 8 years of this date.

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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 21 and 22 January 2025

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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.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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.  The lead inspector held meetings with the CEO, the deputy CEO, the academies group executive principal, a trustee and the chair of the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, religious education, physical education and art. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with staff, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during breaktimes and in lessons.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central

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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.  The lead inspector reviewed a wide range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with a range of staff and pupils during the inspection. The lead inspector considered responses made by parents to Ofsted Parent View, including free- text responses.

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Inspection team

Hannah Stoten, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Rob Edwards Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 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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