Moira Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Staff care for pupils very well. Pupils are happy and feel safe.

There is a strong sense of community, where everyone belongs. Pupils are very proud of their school.

Pupils know and value the importance of respect.

For example, they understand the importance of being respectful of each other and of people's differences. Younger pupils joyfully celebrated 'being thankful' in their harvest festival. Staff and pupils live out the school's values of 'being healthy, kind, curious, adventurous and creative'.

Staff have recently raised their expectations of behaviour. Pupils behave well. They conduct themselves politely.

Pupils, parents and carers ...say that bullying is rare. If it happens, pupils are confident that staff will help sort it out quickly.

Teachers' expectations are higher in some subjects than in others.

Pupils learn well in physical education (PE). They learn less well in some other subjects. The curriculum is not as ambitious as it should be in some areas.

Pupils gain from a range of opportunities that support their personal development, including through community projects and charity fundraising.

The vast majority of parents are very positive about the school. Typically, one commented, 'My children love being part of Moira Primary School.'



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

The quality of education is improving. Senior leaders have developed a broad curriculum that reflects the ambition of the national curriculum. Leaders are developing ambitious subject curriculums.

For example, the mathematics, science and religious education curriculums build pupils' key learning over time.

Leaders have established high expectations in some subjects and classes. For example, pupils respond well to high expectations in PE.

In mathematics, teachers make sure that pupils learn important concepts in a logical order. This ensures that most pupils build their mathematical knowledge and understanding well over time.

Leaders have not considered well enough how teachers can best support pupils to learn well across all subjects.

In some, including in music, teachers do not consistently check pupils' learning in a timely way. They do not always identify quickly enough pupils' errors or misunderstandings. As a result, there is inconsistency in how well pupils learn in these subjects across different classes.

Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

Leaders ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive sensitive support. Staff know these pupils' needs well.

Staff make adaptations to help pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as other pupils.

Children start to learn to read as soon as they arrive in Reception. Staff are well trained to deliver the school's chosen phonics scheme.

Books match the sounds pupils learn. Pupils learn to read accurately and fluently. Leaders ensure that older pupils learn to read with understanding.

Teachers introduce pupils to a wide range of authors and books. Pupils speak with confidence about reading.

Children get off to a great start when they join the early years.

Leaders have developed an ambitious and well-thought-through curriculum. Children learn through activities that interest them. Teachers plan activities that fully support children's personal, social and emotional development.

Children benefit from wide-ranging opportunities that help them to grow in confidence and know and remember more. They engage well with these opportunities and with the adults who support them. Children follow well-established routines.

Staff set high expectations, that are consistently met.

Leaders promote all pupils' personal development well. Leaders coherently plan rich experiences for all.

There is a strong focus on developing pupils' confidence and character. Pupils learn about right and wrong. They learn that people may hold different values or beliefs to them.

Pupils learn about the importance of physical and emotional health, as well as age-appropriate relationships. This prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.

Senior leaders work with a clear vision, passion and determination.

They focus on the right priorities for the school. They are bringing about significant improvements. They are ambitious for all pupils to achieve their very best.

They are mindful of staff's workload and well-being. Staff value the opportunities they have for professional development. For example, subject leaders value their opportunities to learn how to lead.

Governors have not fulfilled their responsibilities as well as they should. They have not thought carefully enough about how they can best support senior leaders in their role. For example, governors have not actively supported senior leaders in their well-being.

They have not considered ways to address senior leaders' workload to support them in their work to improve the quality of education.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding.

Leaders ensure that the welfare and safety of pupils are key to their work. Staff know pupils well. They act swiftly when they spot concerns about pupils' welfare.

Staff receive regular training. They understand their responsibilities. Leaders work well with a range of external professionals to provide additional support when needed.

Leaders maintain thorough safeguarding records.

Pupils know how to report concerns they may have for their own or others' safety. They learn about potential risks and how to keep themselves safe, for example when online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Governors have not acted quickly to secure sustainable leadership capacity. Senior leaders are overworked. As a result, the school has not been able to make rapid improvement in the quality of education across all subjects.

Governors should ensure that the challenge and support they provide enable leaders to bring about the necessary improvements to the quality of education in all subjects. ? In some subjects, leaders and teachers have not given sufficient thought to the important knowledge pupils should learn, and the order in which they should learn it. At times, teachers' expectations of what pupils can learn are too low.

As a result, pupils do not routinely learn knowledge in a way that enables them to build their knowledge and skills over time. Leaders should ensure that there are high expectations around what pupils can learn. They should make sure that there is clarification regarding what knowledge should be taught and when across all subjects, so that pupils are able to know and remember more.

• Leaders have not ensured that teachers consistently and effectively check pupils' learning. Teachers do not routinely identify pupils' misconceptions, misunderstandings and errors in learning as they arise. Leaders need to ensure that all teachers understand how best to check and respond to pupils' learning in a timely manner.