Moredon Primary School rated 'Good' in first Ofstead report since 2008

Moredon Primary School has not had a full visit from inspectors since 2008, in which it was rated Outstanding.

After carrying out an interim assessment in 2011 and officially converting the school to an academy in 2013, Ofsted experts finally returned for a new top-to-bottom inspection in September this year.

The Moredon Road education facility has been rated Good in all areas – quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision.

The authority’s report states that, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections.

Its judgements are based on the current inspection framework and reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection of the predecessor school.

The report said: “Leaders have very high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils are proud to be part of the school and strive to do their best. Strong routines mean that learning begins without delay.

“All pupils, including those in the early years, understand that they are at school to learn. Most are very keen to do so. Staff are very clear about what behaviour they expect.

“The reading curriculum is rigorous. The very youngest children learn to love books and to begin to know some letters. Any child falling behind is identified quickly and helped to keep up. All pupils read often. Staff read to pupils in a way that captures their interest and builds a love of reading.”

The only room for improvement is that sometimes "the curriculum and support for pupils to learn it are not precise enough, so not all pupils learn as rapidly as they could".

Principal Claire Leach said: “We have a crucial role serving our local community in Moredon, Swindon, and we are very proud that we are able to deliver a good education for our local community.

“There’s always room for improvement, and we are really buoyed by the positive content of this report to continue pushing forwards, developing confidence and capability in every child who joins Moredon.”

Moredon Primary School Principal Claire Leach (Image: Moredon Primary School)

The school is a member of the White Horse Federation.

Executive director Simon Cowley added: “Reflected in this report, staff and the community at Moredon Primary School have reinforced their school’s reputation as an exceptional setting for any child to receive primary education.”