Moorhouse Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to raise achievement in the early years so that by the end of Reception, more children achieve a good level of development and are ready for work in Year 1.
• Improve outcomes further, especially in reading and grammar, punctuation and spelling, by the end of Year 6 by:

making sure that any previous gaps in learning in grammar, punctuation and spelling are fully setting more challenges and opportunities for in-depth thinking in reading addressed.

• Further develop new assessment systems in subjects other than English and mathematics to sharpen next steps in learning.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

• The school is well led and managed by the headteacher, her able deputy and the assistant headteacher. They have a shared ambition to provide the very best for every pupil. Their drive and commitment has ensured that significant improvements have been made in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, so that outcomes for pupils are better than at the last inspection.
• Senior leaders have established a regular system for checking the quality of teaching and learning. This gives them a clear picture of what has to be done next in order to improve. However, although there are good systems in place, the good and sometimes outstanding progress made by pupils is not yet fully consistent across the school, especially in reading and grammar, punctuation and spelling.
• Middle leaders support senior leaders well through their involvement in the school’s monitoring process. This means that there is a clear picture across the school of the quality of provision and teaching in all subjects.
• English and mathematics leaders are passionate about the subjects they lead. Assessments are detailed and thorough, showing precisely what each child has to do next to improve. As a result, senior leaders and staff quickly pick up on pupils who are not doing as well as they should and additional support is put in place to help these pupils make better progress. However, new assessments in some other subjects, including geography and history, are not as well developed. Consequently, pupil progress in these subjects is not measured as sharply and this limits clarity as to what pupils’ next steps in learning should be.
• There is a robust system in place to manage the performance of staff, with clear targets aimed at improving outcomes. Staff are keen to develop their skills further. They feel valued and want to do the very best for the pupils. Training is matched well to need and staff have good opportunities to take part in professional development through a local collaboration of schools. Staff appreciate the chance to share their practice, learn from each other and observe outstanding practice in other schools. Teaching assistants are provided with good training opportunities to help them support pupils in their learning and to deliver tailored intervention programmes.
• Well-designed topics provide a rich and varied curriculum. This is supported by numerous visits and visitors. The school makes particularly good use of opportunities in the local area to support learning. For example, pupils visit the local Touchstones, Pioneer and Co-operative Museums to broaden their learning in history and personal development. Opportunities to play musical instruments, such as the ukulele, African drumming and involvement with the Hallé Orchestra, contribute well to pupils’ enjoyment of school and their social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. There are good opportunities for pupils to apply their reading, writing and mathematics skills across a range of subjects to enhance their learning and progress. A wide range of clubs, including a daily breakfast club, support pupils’ learning and enjoyment of school.
• The school provides interesting ways for pupils to develop their understanding of fundamental British values. In addition to their work in lessons, each class creates an assembly on a topic such as tolerance or respect. Following a class-led assembly on democracy, a prospective parliamentary candidate worked with pupils in school to help them learn more about this. Pupils also hold their own elections to select members of the school council. Learning about different faiths and cultures helps pupils to understand the world they live in and the importance of these values.
• The school has a strong commitment to equal opportunity for all, which very significantly reduces the risk of discrimination. The varied curriculum and range of opportunities offered by the school enable all groups of pupils, including those who have special educational needs or disability, or who are disadvantaged, and also the most able, to achieve good or better outcomes. The senior leadership team and well-regarded pastoral manager work with pupils and their families to remove barriers to learning and are committed to ensuring that everyone has the best possible chance to succeed.
• Governors and senior leaders ensure that pupil premium funding (additional government funding) is used well to support disadvantaged pupils. Additional adult support and targeted interventions provide extra help for those who need it. The range of additional clubs and activities outside the classroom help to support pupils’ personal development and well-being. The impact of this is evident in the narrowing of the gaps in attainment and progress between this group and others across the school.
• Good use is made of the extra funding available to promote physical education and sporting activities. Specialist coaches support teachers in developing their skills, most recently in dance and cricket. Resources have been used to further enhance the provision available by offering new opportunities such as karate, boxing and hoola-hoop sessions. Pupils also now take part in more competitive sport, including athletics, football, cycling and netball, which helps them to develop a healthier lifestyle.
• Since the last inspection, the local authority has provided effective support to help move the school forward and improve outcomes for all groups of pupils. Work with the local collaborative network of schools has also provided support and challenge for the school on its journey to becoming a good school.
• Parents and carers appreciate all that the school does to ensure that their children are happy and the vast majority agree that their children feel safe in school. Although the small number of completed questionnaires showed that a small proportion of parents expressed some concerns, all parents spoken to during the inspection were happy with everything the school has to offer.
• The governance of the school

Since the last inspection, governors have been supported by the local authority in a review of governance. As a result, governors have carried out an assessment of the capacity of the team and have a good understanding of their skills. This has led to training, which has helped to improve their understanding of how to hold leaders to account. Governors know the school well and take their roles seriously. They have a good understanding of the progress pupils are making and need to make, including the progress of different groups. They are focused on improving the school and check the school’s performance regularly. Governor minutes show that they ask challenging questions of school leaders to ensure that they are accountable. Governors ensure that pay progression is dependent on sufficiently good performance and have high expectations of staff who are paid to take on extra responsibilities. Governors are proud of the school’s improvement since the last inspection, but are equally aware that there is room for further improvement. They monitor progress towards the school’s planned actions and come into school to find out for themselves. Governors have a firm grasp of the school’s finances and lead the school in deciding how to spend additional money, such as that used to support disadvantaged pupils.

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All adults who work with pupils are checked to ensure their suitability. Staff have a secure understanding of the indicators of abuse and neglect and procedures to follow should they be concerned about a child’s welfare.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

• The quality of teaching and learning has improved since the last inspection. It is now good. Observations of teaching and learning and scrutiny of pupils’ work across a range of subjects showed that pupils make consistently good progress. Teachers and teaching assistants have benefited from focused, professional development opportunities and support, which have enhanced their skills and subject knowledge.
• Senior leaders, teachers and teaching assistants have created an environment that encourages pupils to learn with confidence and independence. Pupils are not afraid to make mistakes and understand that learning from these helps to improve skills and deepen their understanding.
• Skilful questioning is used consistently well to check pupils’ understanding, clarify misconceptions and make them think for themselves.
• Well-planned lessons carefully build on what pupils already know. For example, in a Year 5 lesson, pupils were expected to improve the quality of their writing by changing main clauses and subordinate clauses, which they had learned about previously. Teachers regularly check where pupils are up to and all make effective use of the school’s marking policy. This gives pupils clear guidance on next steps in learning. Daily time is allocated for pupils to read and respond to teachers’ comments. This provides good opportunities for pupils to check and improve their work, clarify misconceptions or try next-step challenges. Teachers are then able to plan work appropriately to move pupils on swiftly.
• Where pupils are struggling with their learning, teachers and school leaders have an effective range of learning activities to help them catch up. As a result, most pupils make good progress.
• For those pupils who have special educational needs or disability, the support they are offered is thorough and of a good quality. Leaders have refined procedures to ensure that the right pupils are identified as having such needs. Support is put in place quickly and pupils’ needs are addressed well, resulting in most making good progress in lessons and over time.
• In mathematics, teachers ensure that pupils have the opportunity to try out new learning in the context of solving real-life problems. There are growing opportunities for pupils to reason and think for themselves. In a Year 6 mathematics lesson, pupils were challenged to solve problems using multiple operations where they needed to sequence tasks involving brackets and the four rules of number. They discussed their thinking with a partner and used their shared reasoning to find a solution.
• A focus on writing has led to improved progress. The legacy of previous underachievement means that although good progress is being made across the school to improve pupils’ skills in grammar, punctuation and spelling, they are not yet reaching the expected standard by the end of Year 6. There are now good opportunities to reinforce and apply these skills in writing, including in areas of the curriculum other than English.
• Good teaching in phonics is helping pupils in Key Stage 1 gain confidence and fluency in reading. At Key Stage 2, school leaders have identified and prioritised reading as an area for improvement. A range of additional opportunities are being provided to support pupils in making more rapid progress in developing their reading and comprehension skills. In addition to daily reading opportunities, these include intervention programmes and one-to-one support. Pupils are taken to the local library and are encouraged to borrow books from school. The impact of this can be seen in the good, and sometimes better, progress pupils are now making in most classes.
• Teaching assistants across Key Stages 1 and 2 are deployed effectively. Their open-ended questions and challenges make a good contribution to the progress of pupils with whom they work.
• Teachers use assessment information well in English and mathematics to provide work that is appropriately targeted. Teachers are well aware of how different groups are learning in lessons and in some lessons adjust their plans to make sure that everyone does well. Occasionally, however, there are examples of pupils not moving on to a next-step challenge soon enough. Assessments in other subjects are not yet as rigorous. New systems are being implemented and trialled in some subjects and these have still to be embedded. Consequently, they do not yet clearly show next steps in learning. The school are aware of this and are addressing it through joint working with the local collaborative network of schools.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare is good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They get on well with each other and have built up warm and trusting relationships with all adults who work at the school. Parents are very appreciative of the work of the school’s pastoral manager, who works alongside senior leaders to support the needs of pupils and their families and eliminate barriers to learning. Most parents agree that their children feel safe in school and value the very good level of care and support that the school provides.
• Moorhouse Primary School is a happy community where pupils enjoy coming to school. In nearly every lesson, pupils can be seen to be working together, taking turns and discussing their work sensibly. This contributes well to the good progress they are making.
• Pupils make a positive contribution to the life of their school and local community. They take on responsibilities, which they clearly enjoy, as members of the school council, as monitors and in tending the school garden. Pupils take part in community events such as the local carnival, singing at a home for the elderly and carrying out kind acts for members of the local community. Weekly awards are given for kind actions in the weekly ‘Stars’ assembly and parents are invited to share these celebrations.
• The school works hard to provide additional activities to support the children in personal development and welfare. Breakfast club gives pupils a safe and sociable start to the day, ensuring that they enjoy a healthy breakfast. There is a good range of other after-school clubs, which also enhance pupils’ personal development.
• Through assemblies, personal, social and health education, and a curriculum rich with opportunities to develop well-being and cooperation, pupils learn how to stay safe, eat healthily, look after themselves and consider others. For example, pupils visited Rochdale’s Co-operative Museum to learn about the town’s heritage and enhanced their learning about the value of cooperation.
• The school provides a good range of activities, including off-site visits to help pupils learn how to stay safe. As a result, pupils were able to tell inspectors about road, rail, water and internet safety. They know about the different forms of bullying, including using racist or homophobic language, but say that these are rare and the school deals with any incidents effectively. Pupils hold strong views on the importance of understanding difference and other people’s points of view and were eager to share their thoughts about ‘different families but the same love’.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. There have been significant improvements in behaviour since the last inspection and, as a result, the school is a calm, orderly and purposeful place to learn. In most lessons observed, and in other settings such as assembly, the dining room and at playtimes, pupils behave well.
• Staff manage pupils’ behaviour well. All staff are thoroughly familiar with the behaviour policy, which places a significant emphasis on praise and modelling by staff of appropriate behaviour. Implementation of the school’s behaviour policy is carried out consistently throughout the school by all staff. Consequently, pupils fully understand the school’s system of rewards and sanctions.
• Pupils are well mannered and show a genuine interest in others. They are polite, considerate and respectful. They open doors for adults and each other and are considerate of each other’s welfare.
• Pupils’ enjoyment of school is reflected in their good attendance and low levels of persistent absence. They understand the importance of regular attendance and the difference this makes to how well they learn.
• Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. At the start of most lessons very little time is wasted because pupils are ready and keen to learn. They take pride in their work and presentation of work in books is mainly of a good standard.

Outcomes for pupils are good

• Since the last inspection, senior leaders have put in place a range of actions which are ensuring that pupils throughout school are now making accelerated progress.
• Children come into early years with skills and knowledge that are below those typical for their age. For some children, these skills are significantly below those typical for their age. They face major challenges in their personal, social, emotional and physical development and in their communication and language skills. Children make good progress in relation to their starting points. The number of children achieving a good level of development has doubled since the last inspection and, as a result, a greater proportion of children are now better prepared for their transition into Year 1. However, this is still below the national proportion of children achieving a good level of development and senior leaders are working rigorously to continue to close the gap.
• During their time in Key Stage 1, pupils continue to make good progress across different subjects. The strong emphasis on the teaching of phonics from an early age equips pupils with skills to sound out unknown words. Consequently, there is accelerated progress in reading. The results of the phonics screening check show that a higher proportion of pupils than national meet the expected standard. Pupils’ attainment by the end of Key Stage 1 has improved since the last inspection to a point slightly below that of other pupils nationally, although writing still lags behind reading and mathematics. This, however, is good progress from the children’s starting points.
• Pupils continue to make good progress in Key Stage 2. Most Year 6 pupils in 2015 reached expected levels of attainment for their age in writing and mathematics. However, reading and grammar, punctuation and spelling were below national outcomes.
• Scrutiny of the school’s own information about the progress of each class and different groups of pupils shows accelerating progress in 2014/15 and currently, with a significant proportion of pupils across the school now making better than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The quality of work and progress in pupils’ workbooks also show the same good progress in other subjects as in their English and mathematics workbooks.
• Outcomes for the most-able pupils are good in relation to their starting points. This is because they are set challenging work, which allows them to make good progress.
• Additional support and challenge for low-attaining pupils to help them catch up with their peers is proving successful. This is evident from the good progress seen in their workbooks and inspectors’ observations of intervention programmes.
• Pupil premium funding is used effectively to support disadvantaged pupils. As a result, the gap between other pupils in school and other pupils nationally has narrowed since the last inspection. The progress of disadvantaged pupils within the school is closely monitored, with current information showing similar progress overall to other pupils in the school.
• Outcomes for pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds are good, having been positively affected by the effective support put in place by the school to overcome any language barriers.
• Well-targeted support is provided by teachers and teaching assistants for pupils with special educational needs or disability. As a result of these timely interventions, this group of pupils make good progress and achieve well, given the complexity of their individual needs.

Early years provision is good

• Early years staff have a major challenge to support and enable children to make rapid progress towards catching up with what is typically expected for their age. Children start the early years with skills and knowledge below what would typically be expected for their age and some are significantly below, especially in communication and language, and personal, social and emotional development. However, in 2015, by the end of Reception, over half the children had met the early learning goal in communication and language and over two thirds in personal, social and emotional development. This shows the good progress made by the school, even though the number of children reaching a good level of development is still below that seen nationally.
• Teaching is good over time, as the good progress children make in the early years demonstrates. Learning journeys reflect the broad curriculum and children’s good progress. Effective teaching demonstrates clear modelling of language and open-ended questioning, which promote learning and personal development. For example, when children were experimenting with sand and water a teaching assistant encouraged them to think for themselves and explain their answers by asking, ‘What do you think might happen if you put more sand in there?” In a Nursery phonics session observed during the inspection, clear teaching and high expectations meant that the children made good progress. They joined in songs and actions enthusiastically and were eager to take home the sheet to help them practise the new sound they were learning. Throughout the session the teacher reinforced good looking and good listening and the children responded well to these high expectations. However, a small number of instances were seen in the Reception class where support required to help children who have social and emotional problems prevented others making the progress they could have.
• During small-group sessions and when children are choosing their own learning, phonics skills are consistently reinforced. Children are able to sustain concentration for extended periods because tasks are interesting and the wide range of opportunities provided stimulate their interest. Electronic assessments capture the moment well and are used effectively to measure children’s progress.
• The indoor area is attractive and well resourced. It encourages children’s independence and stimulates their interest. The excellent outdoor set-up is a large and very well-organised space, providing a range of interesting opportunities for children to explore and experiment for themselves and with friends. These include the use of a den-making area, with a wide range of natural resources, and a large mud kitchen where children can use their imagination and develop their language skills.
• Children share warm relationships with staff, who work hard to promote children’s self-esteem and personal development. Children are safe and well cared for in a secure environment. There are no breaches of the statutory welfare requirements.
• Leadership of early years is good. The early years leader has an accurate overview of the strengths and areas that need to be developed and has a clear action plan in place to address these. For example, to narrow the gap between boys and girls, specific activities have been set up to engage boys’ interest. The progress of disadvantaged children is also closely monitored in order to narrow the gap with non- disadvantaged children.
• There are positive relationships between parents and staff which support the school in accelerating children’s progress. Transition arrangements are thorough, with home visits made before a child starts Nursery or Reception. Close working with the Sure Start Centre has created opportunities for pre-school activities to focus on communication and language and children’s social and emotional development in preparation for starting Nursery. Arrangements for transition into Year 1 ensure that children’s next steps are carefully identified and addressed in order to further accelerate progress.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number

105788 Rochdale 10002211 This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

Type of school School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Number of pupils on the school roll

Primary Community 3–11 Mixed 223

Appropriate authority

The governing body

Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address

Keith Swift Ms Helen Brougham 01706 642742 www.moorhouse.rochdale.sch.uk office@moorhouse.rochdale.sch.uk

Date of previous inspection

17–18 December 2013

Information about this school

• The school is a slightly smaller than average-sized primary school.
• The school offers full-time early years provision in the Reception class. Nursery children attend the shared provision on a part-time basis in the mornings.
• Year 1 to Year 6 are taught in six classes.
• The number of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with special educational needs or disability is below the national average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through the pupil premium is nearly double that found nationally. (Pupil premium is additional funding provided by the government for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.)
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• Governors provide a breakfast club for pupils who attend the school.
• Since the previous inspection there have been several staffing changes, including the appointment of a new deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher.
• The local authority has provided support to the school since the last inspection and work has been carried out as part of a local collaboration among schools.
• There is a Sure Start Centre on the same site as the school.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed lessons in all classes and in a range of subjects, including a joint observation with the headteacher. They visited an assembly, listened to pupils read, talked about their enjoyment of reading and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They also observed a number of small groups working with teaching assistants.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms and assessed the school’s promotion of social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. They observed pupils in the playground, as they moved around school, during lunchtimes and at breakfast club.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher, special educational needs coordinator, early years leader and curriculum leaders.
• An inspector met with three members of the governing body. A meeting was also held with a school improvement representative from the local authority.
• A group of pupils discussed their opinions about the school and their learning with inspectors. Inspectors also spoke informally with pupils in the playground and at lunchtime.
• The inspectors took account of 26 staff questionnaires. There were 15 responses to Ofsted’s online parent survey (Parent View) and inspectors had conversations with a number of parents at the start of the school day.
• Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including minutes from meetings of the governing body. They scrutinised information on pupils’ outcomes across the school, the school’s evaluation of its own performance, its development plan and external views of the school. Behaviour and attendance records and information relating to safeguarding were also scrutinised.

Inspection team

Gillian Burrow, lead inspector Margot D’Arcy

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector