Morley Meadow Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Morley Meadow pupils are rightly proud of their new school.

They are happy and attend regularly. Leaders are determined that all pupils will succeed. They provide pupils with an ambitious curriculum and with appropriate support to succeed.

Pupils rise to leaders' high expectations with enthusiasm. They try hard and persevere, even when they find some learning tricky.

Pupils' behaviour is good.

Incidents of bullying are rare and are managed well by caring staff. Staff understand and use the school's behaviour system consistently. Pupils say that staff treat them with fairness and respect.

Consequently, pupils feel safe.

Pupils' attit...udes to their learning are strong. They enjoy representing their school and carry out their responsibilities with maturity.

Pupils particularly enjoy being 'super 6's' and 'sports crew'. Parents praise the way leaders communicate with them. They particularly appreciate the extra reassurance they receive from staff when their children start school.

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

Leaders have ensured that pupils receive a good education despite some recent, significant challenges. They have managed the complexities caused by COVID-19 and the move to a new location with determination. Leaders, including trustees and governors, have not allowed anything to divert them from their core purpose of providing a high standard of education and care for all pupils.

Children get off to a strong start with reading as soon as they start school. Teachers ensure that children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 have books that match their reading ability. Older pupils who remain at the early stages of reading receive timely and effective support to catch up to their peers.

Consequently, most pupils read fluently.

Leaders' efforts to improve pupils' vocabulary, due to gaps caused by COVID-19, are paying off. A growing number of pupils use sophisticated language.

Leaders know that further work is needed to improve pupils' writing. Pupils in key stage 2 learn spelling patterns and rules. However, they do not apply this knowledge to their writing well enough.

This leads to a repetition of spelling mistakes. In key stage 1, some pupils do not use punctuation accurately. This means that, too often, the quality of their writing does not meet leaders' high expectations.

Leaders understand the school's strengths and weaknesses and use this information skilfully to prioritise further improvements. They are aware that delays caused by COVID-19 mean that some subject curriculums still need attention. In some subjects, such as history, leaders have identified suitably ambitious content.

Occasionally, however, teachers do not ensure that the activities they give pupils meet leaders' high curriculum ambitions. This results in pupils gaining a superficial, rather than deep, understanding of some important historical knowledge.

From early years to Year 6, leaders have sequenced the mathematics and art and design curriculums well.

Leaders ensure that pupils are equipped with the prior knowledge needed to be successful. Most teachers use assessment effectively. For example, in art and design, teachers make timely checks to ensure that pupils remember important knowledge, such as the work of great artists.

Pupils speak about this with confidence and conviction.

When learning is matched well to pupils' needs, such as in mathematics, they achieve success. However, in the Reception class, staff have not used their assessments to make suitable adaptations to the curriculum.

This means that some children do not get the help they need to develop their personal, social and emotional and communication and language skills. Leaders know this and are considering ways to tackle these inconsistencies.

Leaders identify pupils' additional needs quickly and liaise with professional agencies effectively.

Teachers take pupils' individual starting points into account when adjusting the curriculum to meet pupils' needs. They adapt the curriculum appropriately, without lowering their expectations. Pupils enjoy an inspiring curriculum that is well matched to their precise needs.

They say they find their work 'just right'. Consequently, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities flourish.

Pupils learn many aspects of the personal, social and health education curriculum very well.

This helps pupils to make informed choices about staying safe and being healthy. In lessons, pupils listen carefully and collaborate well. Poor behaviour does not prevent pupils' learning.

They show kindness and respect to others who have views that differ from their own.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff know what to do to keep pupils safe.

They supervise pupils effectively and ensure that the new school's learning environment is well organised and secure. Staff have received appropriate training so that they are alert to any signs that a pupil might be at risk of harm. They use the school system effectively to report any concerns.

The dangers of radicalisation and extremism are shared with pupils in assemblies and throughout the curriculum. Leaders work effectively with a wide range of agencies to support pupils and their families. Processes and systems for staff recruitment are fit for purpose.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The English curriculum is not yet equipping all pupils with the knowledge and skills they need to apply their spelling and punctuation when writing. This means that some pupils go through school with a number of misconceptions. Leaders need to assure themselves that there is a high-quality writing curriculum in place so that pupils learn to spell and punctuate correctly.

• Curriculum leaders, in a minority of subjects, have not ensured that the curriculum is being implemented in line with their high expectations. Consequently, some pupils' knowledge is shallow. Leaders must check that staff are implementing the curriculum with sufficient ambition.

• Leaders are aware of the need to adapt some aspects of the early years curriculum. Currently, some children are not receiving the precise support they need to thrive. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum is adjusted to better meet children's personal, social and emotional development and communication and language needs.

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