Moorland Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 5 December 2023

Pupils are confident and proud of their school. They know the school's 'Respect' values well and explain how these are taught in assemblies and within the curriculum. Pupils thrive through roles and responsibilities such as school councillors and 'well-being ambassadors'. These roles help them to develop empathy and care towards each other. Pupils are committed to the school's vision of 'Together we can'. One pupil summed this up, saying, 'We feel responsible for each other, and our words and actions matter.' Pupils value diversity. There is a strong commitment to inclusion and equality throughout the school. In lessons, pupils are motivated and have positive attitudes to their learning. This starts well in Nursery and Reception. Pupils take turns and respond well to adults' instructions. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Pupils are polite and respectful towards staff and each other. They value the house point system and 'Moorland Marvels' certificates in recognition of positive contributions to school life. Pupils respond very well to the newly developed curriculum. They enjoy their learning. However, despite recent improvements, some curriculum subjects are not yet securely embedded. This means pupils do not yet learn as well as they should.

What the school should improve

• Some of the books that the weakest readers take home to help them learn to read are not precisely matched to the sounds that they have learned, and pupils do not always read to adults regularly enough. This means that some pupils do not progress in reading as quickly as they should. The school should ensure that staff check how well pupils are learning to read and provide reading books that help pupils to develop accuracy and fluency more effectively.
• While recent changes to the curriculum are having a positive impact, pupils' outcomes are not yet consistently good enough. The school must implement the curriculum effectively and ensure that staff check what pupils have learned so that pupils build on their prior knowledge and learn well across all subjects.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who are persistently absent is too high. As a result, these pupils do not have the opportunity to take part in all of the opportunities that the school offers. The school should continue to ensure that its efforts result in swift action to help those pupils most at risk to attend school regularly.

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