Moorside Primary School

  • Primary
  • Local authority maintained
  • Ages 5 to 11
Ofsted: Good

Bowerham Road, Newlands, Lancaster, LA1 4HTOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)

Moorside Primary School is a primary school in Lancaster for ages 5 to 11. It is one of the 692 schools in Lancashire. It ranks 7th of 24 primary schools in Lancaster. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in April 2018.

Ofsted inspection

Inspected 18 April 2018, report published 23 May 2018

Overall effectiveness
Good
Leadership and management
Good
Early years provision
Good
Safeguarding
Met

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 December 2023

Pupils are happy at Moorside Primary School. The school's values underpin the positive way that pupils relate to one another. Pupils are kind and polite. They pride themselves on making everyone feel welcome in their school. The school has high expectations of pupils' learning. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils try their best. They typically achieve well. Year 6 pupils are well prepared for their secondary education. Pupils behave well in lessons and at playtimes. They follow the school rules. Pupils appreciate the positive praise and rewards that they receive for making the right choices. Pupils benefit from a wide range of trips and clubs beyond the academic curriculum. For example, pupils spoke excitedly about mountain climbing, sailing and caving, as well as residential trips and theatre visits. These experiences enable pupils to develop exciting new interests and find undiscovered talents. Pupils flourish in their various roles and responsibilities. These include acting as school councillors and eco-warriors. Pupils of all ages welcome being involved in projects in the local community, such as litter picking, gardening and donating food to the local food bank. This contributes to pupils' increasing understanding of what it means to be a positive citizen in modern Britain.

What the school should improve

  • In a small number of subjects, the school has not decided what pupils must learn and when this should happen. Occasionally, this prevents teachers from designing learning that helps pupils to build on what they know. The school should finalise its curriculum thinking, so that teachers know what knowledge pupils must learn and when this should be taught.
  • A small number of pupils at an early stage of learning to read are not supported effectively to catch up in phonics. This hinders how well some of these pupils develop reading fluency. The school should ensure that pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge are supported effectively to catch up with their peers as quickly as possible.

Exam results

SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25

87 pupils took the tests

Expected standard in reading, writing and maths70%

70%, 8 percentage points above the England average of 62%.

Higher standard in reading, writing and maths7%

7%, 1 percentage points below the England average of 8%.

Reading, average scaled score108

108, 2 above the England average of 106.

Maths, average scaled score107

107, 2 above the England average of 105.

Grammar, punctuation and spelling, average scaled score108

108, 3 above the England average of 105.

Pupil numbers and mix

570 pupils on roll, with places for 630

Eligible for free school meals10.2%

10.2%, 16.3 percentage points below the England average of 26.5%.

English as an additional language14.4%

14.4%, 7.2 percentage points below the England average of 21.6%.

Special educational needs support20.2%

20.2%, 5.4 percentage points above the England average of 14.8%.

Education, health and care plan1.9%

1.9%, 4.1 percentage points below the England average of 6%.

Schools near Moorside Primary School

SchoolDistanceOfstedResults
St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, Lancaster0.1 milesOfsted: Outstanding79% met the expected standard
Scotforth St Paul's Church of England Primary and Nursery School0.4 milesOfsted: Good63% met the expected standard
Bowerham Primary & Nursery School0.6 milesReport card: Expected standard to strong standard60% met the expected standard
The Cathedral Catholic Primary School, Lancaster1 mileOfsted: Good80% met the expected standard
Lancaster Christ Church Church of England Primary School1 mileReport card: Expected standard to strong standard64% met the expected standard

School details

School type
Community school
Sector
Local authority maintained
Age range
5 to 11
Gender
Mixed
Nursery classes
No
Headteacher
Mr Roger Shone
Address
Bowerham Road, Newlands, Lancaster, LA1 4HT
Local authority
Lancashire
URN
119273

School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.