Setting

Mr R Peden Headteacher Moston Fields Primary School Brookside Road Moston Manchester M40 9GN

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Moston Fields Primary School

Following my visit with Jon Lovgreen and Geoff Lawrence, additional inspectors, to your school on 11 and 12 June 2009, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector to confirm the inspection findings.

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Moston Fields Primary School

The visit was the fourth monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures in November 2007. The monitoring inspection report is attached and the main judgements are set out below.

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Moston Fields Primary School

Progress since being subject to special measures – satisfactory

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Moston Fields Primary School

Progress since previous monitoring inspection – satisfactory

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Moston Fields Primary School

Newly qualified teachers may be appointed on the condition that they are provided with a high quality programme of induction and support.

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Moston Fields Primary School

I am copying this letter and the monitoring inspection report to the Secretary of State, the Chair of Governors and the Director of Education for Manchester.

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

CfBT Inspection Services Suite 22 West Lancs Investment Centre Maple View Skelmersdale WN8 9TG T 08456 40 40 40 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01695 566932 Direct F 01695 729320 hcarnall@cfbt.com Page 2

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Evidence

Inspectors investigated the school’s work by observing 20 lessons and scrutinising documents. Meetings were held with the headteacher and deputy headteacher, subject leaders, the special education needs coordinator, the Early Years Foundation Stage leader, and groups of pupils, parents and governors. Inspectors also met with the local authority’s school effectiveness officer and the School Improvement Partner.

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Context

There has been a number changes in the organisation of staff since the previous monitoring inspection in February 2009. Since Easter, Years 5 and 6 have been reorganised into two Year 5 classes and one Year 6 class.

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Achievement and standards

Pupils in Years 2 and 6 have taken national assessments and tests. The outcomes of these are not yet known. Nonetheless, secure assessments undertaken by teachers indicate that standards in Year 2 are currently below average and those in Year 6 are broadly average. This view is confirmed by the work seen in pupils’ books. Such standards would represent satisfactory progress from pupils’ starting points. Progress, however, is not consistent throughout the school. While it is good in the Early Years Foundation Stage and satisfactory with examples of acceleration in Years 1, 2, 5 and 6, it has levelled off in Years 3 and 4 and in reading. While the school has been aware of this, leaders have not been as regular or rigorous in tackling these issues as they were previously. In addition, the more able pupils are insufficiently challenged in their learning, meaning that they do not always make the progress of which they are capable.

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Achievement and standards

Progress since the last visit on the areas for improvement:

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Achievement and standards

 Raise standards in English, mathematics and science in Key Stage 2 and in reading, writing and mathematics in Key Stage 1, and increase the rates of progress for all pupils – satisfactory

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Personal development and well-being

Strengths continue to grow in pupils’ personal development and well-being. They know about healthy lifestyles and staying safe, including internet safety. They contribute increasingly well to the school community, for example, through activities such as Year 6 teaching Years 3 and 4 ‘street dance’. Indeed such is the success of this, the school competed in and won a local dancing competition during the Page 3 monitoring inspection. Pupils throughout the school are increasingly confident. They play and work well together. Behaviour, despite a very small number of concerns raised by parents, was observed by inspectors to be good.

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Quality of provision

Improvements continue to be made in the overall quality of the Early Years Foundation Stage. Outdoor provision has been enhanced considerably. Improvements in the quality of teaching see staff make good use of accurate assessments, take account of children’s interests and plan activities well matched to their needs, including the more able. The result is that children are making good progress in their learning and development.

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Quality of provision

Elsewhere in the school the proportion of teaching judged to be good or better remains similar to that reported in February 2009. Once again there is no inadequate teaching. Two lessons of outstanding quality were observed in Key Stage 1. Teaching assistants continue to be used well and this inspection highlighted some very good support, particularly in Year 5 where different techniques to produce aboriginal art were clearly explained, resulting in the pupils producing some high quality work. The majority of good teaching was seen in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Years 1, 2, 5 and 6. However, the quality of teaching is less consistent in Years 3 and 4. Consequently, the pace of pupils’ learning in these two year groups is not swift enough to enable pupils to make the accelerated progress required to overcome previous underachievement.

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Quality of provision

While teachers plan learning activities for different abilities these are not always put into practice in lessons. Work in pupils’ books highlights little difference between what is expected of average ability and the more able pupils. The result is that the more able pupils, throughout the school, are still not provided with sufficient challenge in their learning. Because there has been a reduction by leaders in the levels of checking the quality of teaching and learning since the previous monitoring inspection, there has been no strategic effort to counter this weakness.

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Quality of provision

More positively, the quality of marking continues to develop well. Teachers have an accurate picture of pupil progress and communicate this well. Pupils are clear about the use of coloured stickers in their work and what they mean. Good advice is given to pupils, particularly in the marking of literacy. However, as was the case at the previous monitoring visit, points for improvement to help pupils move to the next steps of learning are not always followed through to subsequent work.

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Quality of provision

Progress since the last visit on the areas for improvement:

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Quality of provision

 Improve the quality of teaching across the school to increase the proportion of good and better teaching – satisfactory

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Quality of provision

 Improve teachers’ knowledge and skills in assessing pupils and using this information to plan lessons better matched to pupils’ abilities – satisfactory Page 4

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Leadership and management

Rigorous steps have been taken to improve the quality of the Early Years Foundation Stage since the last inspection. Under the clear direction set by the headteacher, the Early Years Foundation Stage leader has taken decisive action to bring about necessary improvements. Although the impact of actions taken are not yet fully evident, provision, especially the outdoor environment, has improved well. In addition, improvements in the quality of teaching since the inspection of November 2007 are leading to better rates of progress for children in their learning and development.

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Leadership and management

The growing confidence and strength of the governing body to hold the school to account, coupled with the understanding of core subject leaders about what is to be done to secure improvement, demonstrate the school’s increasing capacity to stand on its own feet. However, despite this growing capacity and the school’s knowledge of its strengths and weaknesses, the focus on the areas for improvement identified in November 2007 has not been as sharp since the previous monitoring inspection. This is because the effective systems the school had put into place to ensure that rigorous monitoring and evaluation takes place have not been used as rigorously as they have been previously. As a result the good progress identified at the last monitoring visit has not been sustained.

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Leadership and management

Progress since the last visit on the areas for improvement:

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Leadership and management

 Improve governance so that governors are able to hold the school to account for the standards it achieves and the rates of pupils’ progress – good

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Leadership and management

 Improve leadership and management at all levels so that the action taken is more effective and consistent in improving pupils’ learning – satisfactory

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External support

The school effectiveness officer, local authority personnel and the School Improvement Partner have a very clear picture of the school’s strengths and what it must do to improve. They challenge the school accordingly and support it well while allowing it to develop its own capacity to improve. The induction and support provided to the newly qualified teachers has been good.

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Priorities for further improvement

 Leaders and managers should regain the rigor and regularity of their monitoring and evaluation to:

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Priorities for further improvement

- ensure pupils in Years 3 and 4 make as strong progress in their learning as pupils elsewhere in the school - provide sufficient challenge to the more able pupils in their learning.

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