Moorpark Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school This is a good and improving school. Clear improvements have been made since the last inspection and a tangible drive to continually improve exists within the school.

Leaders, including governors, and all staff have a sense of ambition for the pupils and for the community the school serves. Increasing proportions of pupils are making good progress because teaching, learning and assessment, over time, are at least good. Pupils' outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics have risen steadily and standards are at least in line with national averages.

The headteacher is the driving force behind the improvements. Her leadership is outstanding.... She has successfully built a team of effective senior leaders.

As a result, capacity to secure further improvements in the school is good. Assessment is accurate and is helping teachers to plan the next steps in learning. Pupils respond very well to the constructive verbal and written feedback they receive and this helps them to improve their work.

Teaching assistants work well in partnership with teachers. They provide effective support for individuals and groups of pupils because they have good subject knowledge and are well briefed by teachers. Pupils are valued as individuals and have opportunities to voice their opinions about school life.

They are confident, friendly and sensible. They feel safe at school and trust the adults. Teaching is characterised by activities that have a real-life purpose, and often includes practical activities and trips.

Pupils respond well to this. They work hard in lessons, enjoy their learning and take pride in their successes. As a result, they enjoy school and attendance is good.

The curriculum is well thought out. It is effective in supporting pupils' personal development and prepares them well for life in modern Britain. Governors are knowledgeable about the strengths and weaknesses of the school and provide a good level of support and challenge.

It is not yet an outstanding school because : Pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their mathematical skills outside of mathematics lessons. In addition, the teaching of logic and reasoning is not yet fully developed. Sometimes, the tasks that are designed to provide extension and challenge to pupils are not demanding enough, particularly in mathematics.

Some pupils are not expected to take responsibility for improving their spelling and are over-reliant on adults. A small number of pupils with special educational needs or disability are not making good progress.

Information about this school

This school is slightly smaller than the average junior school.

The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is above the national average, as is the proportion who are eligible for pupil premium funding. The pupil premium funding is additional funding provided by the government for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and children looked after by the local authority.

The school meets the government's floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' progress and attainment in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6. Since the last inspection the school has received support, brokered by the local authority, from a national leader of education who is the executive headteacher at St Wilfrid's and St Peter's Primary Academies. The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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