St Mary’s CofE Primary School Moston

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the strong sense of community that pervades this happy school. They develop warm relationships with staff and their peers. This fosters a supportive and caring environment within the school.

Pupils feel secure and confident in school. They typically behave well, treating one another with kindness and respect.... Pupils know that they can rely on staff to help them to resolve any disagreements that may arise.

They value the certificates and rewards that they receive in recognition of their achievements.

In some areas of the curriculum, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. The school is working to address these weaknesses, including through seeking and acting on advice from external agencies.

However, much of this work is in the early stages and the impact cannot yet be measured.

Pupils are proud to take on leadership roles that benefit the school and local community. The 'urban crew' ensures that pupils keep the school tidy and safe.

Pupils visit local care homes to sing and to play games with the residents. They raise funds and increase awareness for a range of local, national and international causes.

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

The governing body works closely with the school.

It makes regular visits and is involved in many school events. However, governors have not maintained a strong oversight of all aspects of the school's development. For example, they have not ensured that the school's curriculum covers all of the learning specified in the national curriculum.

This has restricted the breadth of knowledge that older pupils develop over time.

Staff in the early years have implemented a well-designed curriculum that promotes children's learning and prepares them well for key stage 1. However, this is not the case for some subjects higher up the school.

In these subjects, the school has not determined what pupils should know and remember. This makes it difficult for staff to design learning that develops and reinforces pupils' prior knowledge. In these subjects, pupils do not learn as well as they should.

Staff typically have strong subject knowledge that enables them to deliver the curriculum well. They use appropriate strategies to check on pupils' learning and provide swift support to address any misconceptions that pupils develop.

Staff gather comprehensive information about children when they join school in the early years.

This enables them to provide appropriate support that helps children to settle in quickly.

The school identifies the additional needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately. It generally provides helpful strategies to overcome barriers that could impede pupils' learning.

However, at times, staff do not have sufficiently high expectations for the achievement of some pupils, including those with SEND. They do not provide suitable support to allow these pupils to access equally ambitious learning. This hinders the progress of some pupils through the curriculum.

Children in the Nursery class develop their communication and language skills through frequent encounters with stories and rhymes. They are well prepared to embark on the school's rigorous and effective phonics programme. Pupils use suitable books to regularly practise their reading at home and in school.

This enables them to consolidate their phonics knowledge and increase their reading fluency. Pupils who struggle with reading get the support that they need to improve.

The school keeps pupils' attendance levels under regular review.

It takes swift and effective action to intervene as soon as any pupil's attendance starts to decline. As a result, pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, are rarely absent from school.

Pupils typically live up to staff's high expectations for their behaviour in the classroom and around school.

Pupils learn strategies that help them to recognise and control their feelings, such as anxiety or anger. This helps most pupils to manage their own behaviour well.

The school supports pupils' wider development well.

It has designed a comprehensive programme of learning that covers a range of topics, including personal and online safety and the importance of health and well-being. Pupils benefit from opportunities to develop their talents, such as participating in an annual arts festival with other local schools, as well as many sports and musical activities.

Staff appreciate the steps that the school has taken to reduce unnecessary workload, for example in streamlining marking and assessment practices.

They feel happy and proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In one or two subjects, the curriculum is not as broad as it should be.

As a result, pupils miss out on some of the important learning that they need to prepare them for their next steps. The school should ensure that pupils benefit from a comprehensive curriculum that allows them to develop their knowledge across a suitably wide range of subjects. ? In some subjects, the school has not precisely identified the important knowledge that pupils should learn.

This hinders teachers in designing appropriate learning activities and makes it difficult for pupils to build on their prior knowledge. The school should ensure that teachers are clear about the knowledge that pupils should acquire in these subjects. ? At times, staff do not have sufficiently high expectations for some pupils, including those with SEND.

This inhibits these pupils from achieving all that they could. The school should ensure that all pupils access the full breadth and ambition of the curriculum. ? Governors do not have sufficient oversight of some aspects of the school's work.

As a result, they are unaware of some areas of weakness and the impact that these have on pupils' learning. Governors should ensure that they have the necessary expertise to support and challenge the school effectively.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2018.