Moorside Primary Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Moorside Primary Academy Chester Road, Moorside, Consett, County Durham DH8 8EQ

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Outcome

Moorside Primary Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The executive headteacher of this school is Helen Louise Templeton. This school is part of Advance Learning Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Kelvin Simpson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Alan Boddy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This small school provides a warm, welcoming and safe environment for pupils and their families. All are treated with kindness and respect. The school goes the extra mile to make sure pupils’ social, emotional and mental health needs are met well. Pupils’ individual needs and circumstances are known, considered and addressed by staff. Pupils behave well in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s calm learning environment and engaging curriculum ensure pupils’ academic needs are met increasingly well. Pupils are proficient readers and mathematicians by the time they leave key stage 1. The school’s formal curriculum is enhanced by a rich range of educational experiences beyond the classroom. These experiences include working with three local universities, publishing books on online safety and experiencing exciting residentials. Pupils’ confidence and competence grow as they progress through the school. They are prepared thoroughly for the demands of secondary schooling.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, from the two-year-olds in the early years to the oldest pupils in Year 6, take on roles of responsibility willingly. The youngest tidy up when asked. Eco-warriors make the school more energy efficient. Pupils in Year 6 lead outdoor dance sessions at breaktimes. They contribute to their school and wider community well. 18 February 2025

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

The school has developed a new curriculum since joining the trust. Pupils benefit from the emphasis on basic skills in English and mathematics. They recall and use their learning well in these subjects. The content in other curriculum subjects is well thought through, interesting and linked closely to the local area. However, on occasion, pupils find it difficult to recall their previous learning in these subjects. They do not use their learning in one subject in other curriculum areas as a matter of course.

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

Pre-reading skills are taught every day in the early years. Formal daily phonics sessions are well established in the Reception class and key stage 1. Staff deliver the school’s phonics programme confidently and knowledgeably. Pupils new to the country, who speak English as an additional language, learn to read quickly. The school’s provision for early reading is strong.

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

The two-year-old children thrive when working with their key workers and peers in their small-group dedicated space. They practise their language and communication skills regularly. They join in with nursery rhymes and refrains with gusto. In this space, they follow established routines well, such as when offering and sharing their snacks. At times, the two-year-olds are somewhat overwhelmed when working and playing with the three- and four-year-olds in the main early years unit.

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

The school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has been revitalised since joining the trust. Pupils with SEND experience the same curriculum as their peers. The curriculum adaptations that teachers make are aligned closely to the targets in individual pupils’ SEND plans. The school uses the government’s additional pupil premium funding for disadvantaged pupils well. For example, its free-to- attend breakfast club provides a nutritious and calm start to each school day.

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

Pupils’ attendance has risen by 2% in two years and is now above the national average for primary schools. The school’s expectations of pupils’ behaviour are well established. Pupils understand the sanctions and rewards that are applied consistently by adults. Pupils enjoy building up behaviour rewards to spend at the ‘Moorside shop’. Most self- regulate their behaviours well.

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

The school’s curriculum for pupils’ personal, social and health education (PSHE) is well sequenced and comprehensive. In PSHE, managing money and careers education are woven throughout the curriculum. The school is ambitious for its pupils and encourages them to ‘aim high’. Pupils have a thorough knowledge of how to work and play safely online. They know about the major world religions but have not visited many places of worship. Pupils understand the rule of law and know what is right and wrong. They experience democracy through their school council elections. Pupils have a growing appreciation of each other’s individual differences.

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

The school evaluates its strengths and areas that require further development accurately. School improvement initiatives, including the innovative use of artificial intelligence, are introduced with due regard to the workload and well-being of staff. The school’s 18 February 2025

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commitment to staff training and development is creditable. Early career teachers are supported extremely well by knowledgeable colleagues. Members of the local academy council challenge and support the school in equal measure.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in subjects other than English and mathematics is recently established and not embedded consistently. Pupils do not have a firm grasp on, and recall of, the knowledge and vocabulary they have been taught in these wider-curriculum subjects. The school should continue to embed the well-sequenced curriculums and provide meaningful opportunities for pupils to retrieve and use their curriculum knowledge and vocabulary.  At times the two-year-old children are overwhelmed when learning and playing alongside older children in the early years. When this happens, they do not use and develop their language and communication skills as well as they could. The school should ensure there are opportunities for the very youngest children to develop their language and communication skills across age-appropriate learning and play contexts.

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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 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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Moorside Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in March 2016. 18 February 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). 18 February 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Moorside Primary Academy is one of 22 schools in the Advance Learning Partnership multi-academy trust.  The school has provision for eight two-year-old children.  Two registered alternative provisions are used by the school.  Moorside Primary Academy converted to become an academy school in March 2016. When its predecessor school, Moorside Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, in January 2020, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness.

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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. 18 February 2025

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 Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher.  The lead inspector held discussions with the chair of trustees, the chair of the academy council, the CEO and the trust’s leader of school improvement. In addition, the trust’s strategic leader of children’s services, strategic leader of history and strategic leader of SEND observed some inspection activities.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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 culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Belita Scott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Dawn Foster Ofsted Inspector 18 February 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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