Blackshaw Moor CofE First School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 7 December 2023

Blackshaw Moor CofE First School is a small school with a big ambition for its pupils. Inspirational staff, supportive parents and carers, and special pupils come together in a caring and nurturing environment. Values of courage, trust, compassion, friendship, truthfulness and respect are more than just words at Blackshaw Moor; they are what guides this community each day. Expectations for what pupils will learn while at Blackshaw Moor are high. Teachers know pupils well and work hard to ensure that lessons and experiences enrich their lives. Pupils learn well. Most quickly acquire and understand the important knowledge they need. A strong Christian ethos underpins relationships across the school. Staff are attentive and responsive to pupils when they need help. Pupils respond in kind and take care of each other. Pupils told inspectors that 'Everyone lives by our school values, they really do.' Consequently, behaviour is positive in lessons and at all other times. Every moment matters at Blackshaw Moor. An exciting range of school clubs, such as cooking, computing or young farmers, enrich experiences. Trips to the seaside or the zoo develop pupils' understanding of the world. School and worship councils and ambassador roles foster a sense of responsibility.

What the school should improve

• Some pupils are not routinely taught to understand new vocabulary in their reading and given opportunities to talk about what they have read. This slows their development into confident, fluent readers who love reading. The school needs to ensure that all pupils are provided with consistent opportunities to learn the meaning of new vocabulary in their books and to discuss and answer questions about what they read.
• In some lessons, the curriculum does not precisely match what some pupils know and can already do. This makes learning harder as they do not have the prior knowledge and need to access the current learning. The school needs to ensure that the curriculum is precisely adapted to what the pupils already know, can do and remember from previous lessons in order to enable them to make the best possible progress over time
• For some pupils, there is not yet a clear enough understanding of the precise nature of their special educational needs and/or disabilities. This, in turn, means that the provision to meet those needs is not focused precisely on what they need to overcome potential learning barriers. The school needs to ensure that they continue to refine their systems for assessment of SEND so that all staff have a clear understanding of the needs of the pupils and what provision should be put in place.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)