Moss Park Infant School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching and thereby outcomes for all groups of pupils by ensuring that:
  • a greater number of pupils, particularly the most able, reach the higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of this academic year and that this is sustained over time
  • the differences between disadvantaged pupils and others nationally continue to diminish rapidly.
• Improve the leadership and management of the school by:
  • strengthening the middle leadership roles of subjects such as history and geography, so they have a greater impact on teaching, learning and assessment
  • ensuring that feedback given to teachers after lesson observations focuses sharply and succinctly on the progress that different groups of pupils are making
  • continuing to improve the attendance of disadvantaged pupils.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher’s passion, commitment, drive and vision have been fundamental to the rapid improvements that have been made since her appointment two years ago. She has re-energised the school. As a result, outcomes for pupils are on an upward trend. For example, there is now a strong focus on pupils’ learning outdoors and play-based learning has been introduced at key stage 1. The school is also taking part in research projects with other schools and universities to look at ways of further improving outcomes in reading and writing.
• The senior leadership team has now stabilised and is secure. Staff work well as a team and morale is high. All staff are aware of the school’s priorities and share the headteacher’s vision for the future.
• The school’s self-evaluation is accurate and honest. The headteacher is crystal clear about what the school needs to do to improve. These priorities are detailed in the school development plan, with clear lines of accountability and measurable targets.
• Procedures to manage the performance of staff and the quality of teaching are well developed. Teachers’ targets are linked to school priorities. However, feedback given to teachers after formal lesson observations does not focus sharply enough on the progress that different groups of pupils are making.
• There is a strong commitment to ongoing professional development to keep teaching skills fresh and up to date. To further enhance their professional development teachers also visit other schools to observe best practice.
• Leaders of English and mathematics have a firm grip on their subjects. They have made many changes which are improving outcomes for pupils in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils now take part in guided reading activities on a daily basis and home reading books are now changed more frequently. Reading areas, which are bright and stimulating, have been introduced in all classes across the school. To improve boys’ writing, more topics have been introduced which reflect their interests.
• With regard to mathematics, parents are now made aware of the end-of-year expectations across each year group. In addition, they attend workshops to give them an understanding of the mathematics curriculum. Such effective practice equips parents with the knowledge and skills to support and develop their children’s mathematical learning at home.
• Middle leaders of other subjects, such as history and geography, do not monitor their areas of responsibility with the same rigour as that of English and mathematics.
• Careful and thoughtful consideration is given to how the pupil premium money is spent. Senior leaders have a good awareness of the barriers to learning that this group of pupils face. The funding has been spent wisely to support pupils academically, socially and emotionally, allowing this group of pupils to take part in all that the school has to offer. Such good practice highlights the school’s commitment to equality of opportunity for all.
• Additional funding for sports in primary schools is effectively spent to provide training and development opportunities for staff and increase pupils’ participation in various sports, including martial arts, football and gymnastics.
• Funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is well spent and is monitored closely to ensure that it is making a difference. The money is used to provide additional targeted and specialist support to ensure that the specific needs of this group of pupils are well met.
• Working with her staff, the headteacher has crafted a curriculum which ignites pupils’ passion for learning. The school’s aim is to provide all pupils with a wide range of ‘wonderful memories and experiences’. Many subjects are taught through topics, while others are taught discretely. Topics are linked to pupils’ interests and are enriched by a fabulous range of trips, out-of-school clubs and visitors to the school. For example, to develop pupils’ mapping skills a pirate visited the school and told pupils that he had buried his treasure around various parts of Stretford. The task for pupils was to find the buried treasure, which they did using maps of the local area. Such innovative approaches to teaching and engaging pupils are systematic of what happens in this school. British values are firmly embedded in all aspects of the curriculum and the school’s work.
• Parents hold the school in the highest regard. They feel valued and appreciated. Parents told inspectors how much they appreciate the opportunities afforded to them to engage in play activities with their children at the start of the school day. This is affectionately known as SODA (start of school day activities). Parents would have no hesitation in recommending the school to others.
• The school website is bright, colourful and easy to navigate. It contains a wealth of useful information for parents, giving them an excellent understanding of what is happening in the school.
• The local authority know the school well and offer good levels of tailored support.

Governance of the school

• Governors bring a varied range of experience to their role. There is no question about their dedication to the school or their desire to ensure that each and every pupil achieves to the best of their ability.
• Governors are fully aware of what the school does well and the further improvements that are needed to drive the school onwards and upwards.
• Governors are knowledgeable about the quality of teaching within the school and the progress that different groups of pupils make. Salary increases are linked to classroom performance and pupil progress.
• Governors are regular visitors to the school. Although very supportive of the headteacher, they are not afraid to challenge her or make difficult decisions with regard to the budget if it is in the best interests of the school.
• Safeguarding duties are taken seriously. Governors regularly check the single central record to ensure that it is compliant and a safeguarding audit has been completed.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• All staff in the school have received safeguarding training and are knowledgeable about safeguarding procedures. They have a good understanding of the signs that may suggest that a child is at risk of harm.
• The school works well with parents and other stakeholders to ensure that pupils are safe. Detailed record-keeping and well-kept incident logs are regularly monitored so that action points are followed through swiftly.
• Appropriate checks are carried out on all staff prior to employment and the identity of visitors is closely checked. The school site is safe and secure.
• Staff have received ‘Prevent’ training and know what to look out for to keep pupils safe in relation to child sexual exploitation, extremism and female genital mutilation.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Activities are well planned and take into consideration the learning needs of most pupils. Lessons start promptly and no learning time is wasted.
• Teachers’ subject knowledge is good. They strive and succeed in making learning stimulating, active and fun.
• Teachers ask meaningful and probing questions to develop pupils’ learning and assess their understanding. This was exemplified well during a Year 2 mathematics lesson, where effective questioning was used to help pupils think more deeply about the different ways of using three numbers to reach a given total.
• Pupils’ progress is well monitored during lessons. This allows teachers to move pupils’ learning on and deal with any misconceptions in a swift and timely manner.
• Pupils, particularly boys, relish the time that they spend outdoors developing many aspects of their learning, including their mathematical skills. During the inspection inspectors observed pupils laughing with delight as they calculated how many objects they could buy from the shop for less than 50 pence. Others worked well together as they ordered a series of numbers, starting with the smallest. They then extended their learning by discussing the different strategies that could be used to add all the numbers together to reach a total. Pupils found all of these activities challenging. However, pupils, particularly those who learn more quickly, are at times given mathematical tasks which they find too easy and do not encourage them to do their very best.
• Pupils are becoming keen writers. They write for a wide range of different purposes and across subjects such as history, geography, science and design technology. However, work in pupils’ books shows that, at times, pupils are given worksheets with small boxes which prevent pupils, particularly the most able, writing at length or in greater depth.
• Pupils show a real love of reading. They read with fluency and expression. They talk with confidence about the different types of books that they like and their favourite authors. Comprehension skills are good. Reading records show that most pupils read regularly at home, although not all. However, at times, the books that pupils read in school lack challenge. Books available in classrooms and in the school library do not always appeal to pupils’ interest. Senior leaders are aware of this and plans are afoot to address this issue.
• Homework is appropriate to the age and development of the child and pupils enjoy the challenges that it brings.
• Teachers encourage pupils to take risks and consequently pupils realise that it’s okay to make mistakes. As a result, pupils are becoming resilient learners.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• The rights of the child are very well promoted and are at the heart of all aspects of the school’s work. Pupils talk very confidently about their right to feel safe, to have a good education, practise a religion of their choice and speak their own language.
• Pupils have high aspirations. They clearly value the importance of education and talked to inspectors about their hopes and ambitions to become doctors, teachers and scientists. Pupils typically commented, ‘It is important to learn so that you have a good life and a good job.’
• Pupils are highly confident, articulate and self-assured. Their joy at being pupils at this school is evident from the moment they walk through the door. Their love of learning and happy smiley faces do not falter throughout the day. They feel very safe and trust adults to look after them.
• Pupils have a good understanding of the different forms of bullying and the distress that it cause. They know that it is wrong to harass others. Pupils told inspectors that bullying at Moss Park is a rarity and behaviour logs confirm that is the case.
• Keeping pupils safe is a top priority of this school. Through assemblies and visitors to the school, pupils learn about many aspects of keeping themselves safe, including when they are on the internet. Visitors, such as the NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), teach children about healthy relationships and keeping their bodies safe. An effective filtering system is in place to ensure that pupils’ safety is assured while online.
• Pupils contribute significantly to decision-making within the school, for example as elected members of the school council. They have recently raised money to develop the outdoor play area. They also organised a ballot to name the school’s guinea pigs Coco and Susie.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils are polite and well mannered. They go out of their way to make visitors to the school feel very welcome. The school has a warm and friendly atmosphere.
• Standards of behaviour in the classroom are good. Pupils move around the school in an orderly manner and look smart in their school uniform.
• Similarly good standards of behaviour were observed in the playground.
• Attendance remains a thorny issue for the school, in relation to boys and disadvantaged pupils. Stringent procedures have been put in place, which have resulted in boys’ attendance quickly improving. However, the same cannot be said for disadvantaged pupils. Although there has been an improvement in attendance for this group of pupils, it still remains a sticking point for the school to address.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Children start school with knowledge and skills that are broadly typical for their age. However, for some children, language is a barrier. As a result of good provision, children flourish in the early years. Over time, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development has been on an upward trend. As a result, the large majority of children are well prepared for their transition into Year 1.
• As they move through key stage 1 pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result of more rigorous testing, outcomes dipped slightly in 2016, particularly in reading and mathematics. Progress in writing was strongest, with the number of pupils reaching the expected and higher standards above the national average.
• In 2016 the number of pupils reaching the expected standard in the phonics screening check was above the national average. The number of disadvantaged pupils achieving the expected standard is increasing year on year. Current school assessment information shows that 91% of disadvantaged pupils are making good or better progress in their acquisition of phonics.
• The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in science in 2016 was above the national average.
• Senior leaders keep an eagle eye on the progress that disadvantaged pupils make as they move through each year group. School assessment information shows that the difference with others nationally is diminishing quickly. However, leaders across the school recognise that more works needs to be done to ensure that disadvantaged pupils perform as well as or better than others nationally.
• School assessment information and work in pupils’ books and on display show that all groups of pupils are making good progress in a wide range of subjects, including science, history and geography.
• The needs of the most able pupils within the school are generally well met. For example, children are taught in ability groups for phonics. This ensures that activities are pitched at the correct level to drive forward children’s learning at a pace. However, at times, activities given do not challenge pupils, particularly the most able, to do their very best. As a result, learning slows.
• Taking into consideration their diverse needs, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make strong gains in their learning. This is due to high-quality support and good partnership work with outside agencies to ensure that the very precise needs of this group of pupils are met.
• Pupils who speak English as an additional language perform as well as their peers in school.

Early years provision Good

• Teaching and learning in the early years is good. The learning environment, both indoors and outside, is inviting, attractive and well resourced.
• The outdoor area provides a wide range of opportunities for children to develop skills that they cannot practise indoors. For example, they are able to explore the natural world and use wheelbarrows, bricks and tyres to engage in imaginative play.
• Activities are well planned, cover all areas of learning and take into account the interests of the children. As a result, children are happy, confident, busy and keen to learn. They show good levels of concentration and perseverance. Children’s progress is regularly monitored and assessed.
• As there is a high number of children who speak English as an additional language, senior leaders recognise the importance of carrying out initial assessments in children’s home language. They also understand the importance of using the environment to best effect to reflect the diversity of the children who attend.
• All adults are calm, kind and caring. Relationships between staff are children are respectful. Standards of behaviour are good and children feel and are safe.
• The quality of teaching is good. Teachers make effective use of questioning to develop all aspects of children’s learning. All staff are skilled at knowing when to intervene in children’s play and when to stand back to allow children to work with independence and creativity.
• Leadership and management is good. The early years leader is clear about the strengths and priorities for development for the early years provision.
• Positive relationships have been established with parents, which helps to promote security and consistency in children’s lives. Parents take an active part in their children’s learning and are kept fully informed about their children’s progress.
• At the time of this inspection, there were no breaches to the statutory welfare requirements.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 106324 Trafford 10032806 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Infant School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 3 to 7 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 232 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Hussein Fulat Mrs K Butler 0161 864 3636 www.mosspark-inf.trafford.sch.uk mossparkinf.admin@trafford.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 22–23 March 2010

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is smaller than the averaged-sized primary school.
• Children attend the Nursery class on a part-time basis and full time in Reception.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and who speak English as an additional language is above the national average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils in the school is lower than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan or a statement of special educational needs is in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils receiving special educational needs support is lower than the national average.
• In the last two years a new headteacher, deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher have been appointed.
• There is a new chair of governors in post.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning across all classes in the school. The headteacher took part in three joint observations.
• Meetings and discussions were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, middle leaders, members of the governing body, parents, staff and pupils. Informal discussions were also held with parents at the start of the school day.
• The lead inspector also met with a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read and looked at examples of their work in books and on display.
• Inspectors examined a wide range of documentation, including that relating to safeguarding, behaviour and attendance, the school’s information on pupils’ outcomes and reports on the quality of teaching.
• Account was also taken of the 11 responses to the Ofsted’s online questionnaire completed by parents. Sheila Iwaskow, lead inspector Maureen Hints Anne Seneviratne

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector