Moorfield Primary School

Moorfield Primary School Inspection report

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111188 Unique Reference Number Halton Local Authority 310529 Inspection number 21 May 2008 Inspection date Steve Isherwood HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 5 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 241 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr D Curzon Chair Mr A Williams Headteacher 15 March 2004 Date of previous school inspection School Way School address Moorfield Road Widnes Cheshire WA8 3HJ 0151 4243108 Telephone number 0151 4203379 Fax number

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5-11 Age group 21 May 2008 Inspection date 310529 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors. The inspector evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: pupils' achievement, the quality of teaching and learning, and the effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation. Evidence was gathered from the school's judgements about attainment on entry, test results, teachers' records, observations of teaching, scrutiny of pupils' current work and discussions with the headteacher, staff, pupils, governors and the local authority. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average school, situated in a residential area close to the town of Widnes. Pupils are drawn from a wide range of social backgrounds and the vast majority are of White British heritage. A smaller proportion of pupils than normal are entitled to a free school meal and a smaller than average percentage has a learning difficulty and/or disability. When children start school, their attainment is generally in line with that expected for their age. The school has gained several awards including the Basic Skills Quality Mark, PE Activemark, Healthy Schools Standard and awards in Financial Management and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Moorfield Primary School, 21 May 2008

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Grade: 2

Moorfield is a good school with some outstanding features. It is well placed to improve further. Pupils' achievements are good. They reach above average standards in their work and make exceptionally good progress in their personal development and well-being. Pupils behave very well and are caring and considerate towards each other. They always try their best and are keen to succeed. They enjoy school a great deal, which is demonstrated by their excellent attitudes to learning and by their enthusiasm for the wide range of opportunities that the school provides. Even when activities are less engaging they work hard and concentrate well in lessons. They have an excellent awareness of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise and a balanced diet. The school takes exceptionally good care of every child. Academic guidance is good. All required checks, systems and procedures are in place to safeguard the

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Grade: 2

pupils' well-being. Pupils say they feel safe and have great trust in their teachers. Parents' questionnaires overwhelmingly endorse this view. One parent's view was typical of many: 'My child is very happy, well cared for and has come on in leaps and bounds.' Others commented: 'The school is warm and friendly; teachers are caring and enthusiastic and act as excellent role models for the children.' One of the most striking features about the school is the quality of relationships. Pupils speak highly of their teachers and enjoy their work. Teachers know the pupils and their families very well. This means that pupils are confident to approach any member of staff and recognise that they have responsibilities towards other pupils and the adults in the school. Older pupils take good care of younger ones and through the work of the school council, pupils are confident in making decisions and showing initiative. They raise substantial funds for charities and develop

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Grade: 2

a strong social conscience. The school has gained an enviable reputation in the community and has forged outstanding partnerships with other schools and agencies. Pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress overall from the moment they enter the school. By the time they leave in Year 6, the proportion reaching the level expected at age 11 is consistently above average in English and mathematics and exceptionally high in science where pupils make outstanding progress. A significant factor in this achievement is that teaching is good overall with elements of excellent practice. Nevertheless, pupils' achievements are not uniformly good. Progress in Years 3 and 4 is slower and pupils lose some ground compared to the promise they had shown in previous years. This is because there are pockets of inconsistency in teaching and learning which means that the level of challenge for some pupils is not high enough. As a consequence, some pupils, particularly

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Grade: 2

the more able and those who fall just above average, are not achieving as rapidly as they should. Progress picks up as the quality of teaching improves in Years 5 and 6. In the very best lessons, learning comes to life with an Aladdin's cave of stimulating activities that challenge and spur pupils to make excellent progress. Pupils are given every opportunity to discuss and share their ideas with others. Expectations are high; the pace of learning is brisk, pupils are engrossed in their work and new learning builds well on pupils' prior knowledge. For example, in an outstanding history session in Year 5, pupils were proud to invite their parents to a 'World War Two Tea Dance' in the school hall. The atmosphere buzzed with excitement. Activities were very well chosen and included singing songs about being evacuated to the country and hand jiving to Glen Miller music. In addition, one boy gave a very good impression of the Prime

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Grade: 2

Minister of the time, Neville Chamberlain, informing the population that the country was now at war while an air-raid siren sounded in the background. 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Moorfield Primary School, 21 May 2008 The success of the school is underpinned by good leadership and management. The new headteacher is leading the school down the right path after a period of much change, and he benefits from the effective support and leadership of senior management in their various areas of responsibility. Since his appointment he has generated a strong momentum for improvement and has successfully ensured that the views of all stakeholders are taken into account in establishing a clear vision for the school. As a result, morale is improving, teamwork is strong and staff are forward thinking and reflective. As a group, they actively seek ways to improve further the current position, particularly in improving the quality of learning for all pupils and

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Grade: 2

in promoting more creativity in the curriculum. There is clear agreement on the strengths of the school and where further improvements are required. For example, senior leaders are well aware of the need to quicken the pace of learning for some pupils in Years 3 and 4 and the fact that some aspects of teaching and learning could be more consistent. Plans to tackle these issues are already in place with stronger members of staff moving classes to provide support and guidance on elements of good practice in teaching and learning. The school's rapid response to potential underachievement is a strong feature of its work. For example, senior leaders have correctly identified that the achievement of pupils in mathematics could be stronger and has implemented action to raise achievement further over the last year. These actions are bearing fruit, with increasing numbers of pupils achieving more highly across the school.

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Grade: 2

The governing body plays a key role in shaping the school's direction and in holding it to account. Its members are well informed, extremely committed and offer good levels of support and challenge. They are confident in asking difficult questions and are involved in evaluating the school's performance and planning for improvement. As a result, and along with its other strengths, the school has good potential to be even better.

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Grade: 2

The good provision in the Foundation Stage gives children a good start and ensures that they achieve well. When children enter the school their skills and levels of learning vary but overall are typical for their age. Within a short period they settle quickly into a well structured learning environment where learning activities are well targeted on key learning goals that match well with their stages of development. For example, in one session children made good progress in their physical development by running races and playing games with a racquet and a ball. Elsewhere, children had the opportunity to chalk on a wall, and choose things to do from boxes of carefully selected literacy and numeracy activities. In contrast, a group of other children were challenged in their thinking about what happens when they poured water through a plastic tube into different containers. Staff have high expectations and children are very well cared

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Grade: 2

for. As a result, children show positive attitudes, become engaged in their learning and have the confidence to initiate activities for themselves. Staff continually assess how well children are achieving and use the information to plan further challenges. This means that by the start of Year 1, most children are achieving and exceeding the levels expected of them and have made good progress. Parents are kept well informed and are encouraged to become actively involved in their children's learning. The coordinator provides good leadership and gives clear guidance and help to support colleagues.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the consistency of teaching and learning to accelerate pupils' progress 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Moorfield Primary School, 21 May 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Moorfield Primary School, 21 May 2008

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 of 9 Inspection Report: Moorfield Primary School, 21 May 2008

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 of 9 Inspection Report: Moorfield Primary School, 21 May 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you all very much for the friendly way in which you helped me when I visited your school recently. I really enjoyed chatting to you in the playground, in your classrooms and in the interview with the school council. You told me how much you enjoy coming to school and having spent the day with you, I can understand why. You go to a good school that is such a happy and safe place to be. I was really pleased to see how well you behave at all times and how well you sang in the school hall. You made a good attempt at singing 'What have you done today to make you feel proud?' It's a tricky one isn't it? I particularly liked your singing of 'Our God is a great big God'. I could see from your faces that you really enjoy singing this one. I could also see how well all the adults in school look after you really well, and your parents told me this too. You told me that you enjoy your work and that your teachers help you to learn well by making

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

your lessons interesting and often fun. I could see this with my own eyes when some of you in Year 3 were learning to draw in the style of Quentin Blake, when those of you in Year 2 were discussing why objects float or sink and when pupils in Year 5 were dancing with their Mums and Dads and your headteacher at the 'World War Two Tea Dance'. Mr Williams and all the staff work very hard to make the school as good as it can be and I am confident that it will continue to improve. To help with this, I have asked them to ensure that all of you make good progress in your work and that more of your lessons are like the very best ones I saw when you were very enthusiastic about your learning. You can help them by telling them what makes lessons interesting and what helps you to learn. Keep trying hard. I wish you and your families all the best for the future. 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Moorfield Primary School, 21 May 2008

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