In April 2019 Old Moat Primary was inspected by Ofsted and judged to be "good".
Below is a summary of key findings from the report. To view the full report, please refer to the downloads section on the right hand side of this page.
Ofsted Report 2019
Summary of key findings for parents and pupils
As part of this inspection, I focused on several lines of enquiry. The first was to see whether attendance had improved for all pupils. I also looked at whether persistent absenteeism had reduced, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders are meticulous in their monitoring of attendance. Thorough systems ensure that the attendance of all groups of pupils is monitored effectively. Swift intervention is implemented where required, to work with pupils with poor attendance. Leaders work closely with external agencies to provide help and support for families. As a last resort, parents are fined when necessary. As a result of actions taken, the proportion of pupils who are absent or persistently absent from school has reduced this year and is currently in line with the national average, especially for pupils with SEND.
My next line of enquiry concerned outcomes for children in early years who are supported by pupil premium funding. This enquiry was because the proportion of children who achieved a good level of development was significantly below the national average. Children get off to a good start in school in early years. They learn in a vibrant and well-resourced environment, where they grow in confidence and become independent, inquisitive learners. Children listen to adults eagerly and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. Adult- and child-initiated activities help to develop children’s basic reading and mathematical skills and foster a love of learning. For example, in a reading activity, the teacher asked the children to go on a hunt for different words. The children excitedly read their text, shouting out when they found the words. Children are keen to share their learning. Several of the Reception children explained how I could make a flower with them. They used their phonic skills effectively to read the labels on the activity.
Leaders have identified the barriers to making good progress for children who are supported by pupil premium funding. For example, leaders know that many of these children have difficulties with language and communication when they start school. Consequently, additional staff have been employed to teach small groups and provide one-to-one sessions. Speech and language programmes have been implemented. Additional resources have also been purchased to improve provision further. From very low starting points, these children make good progress. Despite this, leaders are determined that even more children who are supported by pupil premium funding will achieve a good level of development.
I also explored how effectively leaders ensure that pupils who are supported by pupil premium funding achieve at the expected and higher standards in writing in key stage 2. Leaders have used the funding for disadvantaged pupils creatively. There are additional staff who teach smaller writing groups and provide individually taught lessons. Writing is taught well across key stage 2. The work in the books of pupils who are supported by pupil premium funding demonstrates that they make good progress.
In 2018, the progress that pupils made in their writing improved, including for those who are disadvantaged. This is because strategies to improve the teaching of writing have been effective. However, further time is needed to embed these approaches so that pupils’ progress is as strong as it is in reading and mathematics.
Parent View
Parents can give their opinions of Old Moat through the parent view section of the Ofsted website here.
Academic Results
The school's latest statutory academic results can be found here. There is a document on teh downloads page which provides fyrther information about EYFS, KS1 and KS2.
