Moat Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this welcoming school.

It is a school that cares deeply for the pupils. Pupils appreciate the warm relationships they have with the adults, who help them. Pupils trust that they will keep them safe.

However, the school continues to face challenges with pupils' attendance and punctuality. Staff work tirelessly to promote regular attendance and punctuality but are aware that they need to keep working with parents and carers to ensure that this continues to improve.

The learning attitudes of 'believe, engage, succeed, try' shine out across the school.

Pupils understand the behaviour adults expect of them. They know that they are e...xpected to work hard with their learning. They know the difference between right and wrong.

Pupils strive to meet these high expectations and behave sensibly in lessons and during social times.

Pupils are keen to learn and, overall, they achieve well. However, in some subjects, the knowledge teachers want pupils to learn is not always covered.

This means that in these subjects, pupils are not acquiring all the knowledge they need.

Pupils are eager to take on wider responsibilities. They are enthusiastic about their roles as school captains, library monitors and 'restorative stars'.

Such roles help to develop pupils' social and leadership skills.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The new school leaders are ambitious for the school. Together, with the support of the trust, they have worked with determination to strengthen the quality of education.

They accurately identify the improvements needed. The school is working quickly to eradicate the legacy of underachievement to ensure that pupils receive a good education. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), have access to a broad curriculum that excites and motivates them to learn well.

Adaptations are made to support pupils with SEND to follow the same curriculum as their friends, learn effectively and experience success. However, in some subjects, the curriculum is not fully implemented. This means that pupils do not gain the depth of knowledge they need across all subjects.

Learning in the pre-school and early years provides children with a firm foundation on which to build. Children learn how to cooperate, play together and to learn independently as they develop their early reading, writing and mathematics. Their wider experiences during early years are carefully planned to prepare them well for key stage 1 and beyond.

Reading is a high priority across the school. The implementation of the school's phonics programme is secure. Reading is taught skilfully.

Children in early years are quickly introduced to nursery rhymes and stories. These early experiences help to foster a love of books from the start. Children learn phonics from the beginning.

Reading books closely match the sounds that children know. This is helping them to get off to a great start with their reading. Any pupils who are finding reading tricky get the right help to catch up and keep up.

Staff promote a love of reading. Pupils thoroughly enjoy hearing adults read well-chosen books that extend pupils' vocabulary and enhance their understanding.

Behaviour in and around the school is good.

Pupils are keen and demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning. When reminders are necessary, the school helps pupils to make good choices and learn from their mistakes. Pupils know that they are expected to attend school regularly and the importance of being on time.

However, pupils do not attend as regularly as they should, and a few are often late. The school is working with parents to promote good attendance and improve punctuality, but knows that there is more work to be done.

The school provides pupils with extensive opportunities for personal development.

Staff are passionate about making sure that every pupil can experience clubs, visitors, visits and trips. For example, pupils can join a range of sports clubs, such as for lacrosse and cricket. The residential trip to experience life on a farm is a highlight for older pupils.

They learn about the importance of teamwork and responsibility by, for example, learning to herd sheep and caring for the animals. Pupils comment on how such visits help them to learn about the lives of others and 'to be grateful for what we have'.

Pupils have a strong understanding of democracy and show respect for other people's points of view.

They learn how to debate issues through the 'mock trial' in which they participate. This helps develop their knowledge and understanding of the rule of law.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some foundation subjects, the curriculum is not fully embedded. As a result, pupils, including those with SEND, do not gain the knowledge they need to achieve well in these subjects. The trust needs to complete the process of embedding the planned curriculum effectively in all subjects.

• Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough, and too often, pupils are late. As a result, they do not build their knowledge well over time and have gaps in their learning. The trust needs to ensure that the attendance strategy and work with parents are effective in ensuring that pupils attend with more regularity and punctually, so that they learn more successfully over time.