Moorside Community Primary School is celebrating a fantastic turnaround in their fortunes following their recent Ofsted report.
The school on the East Lancs Road in Swinton were judged good overall with two outstanding judgements for leadership and management and for personal development, behaviour and welfare.
This comes just two years after the school was labelled as ‘requires improvement’ in their previous inspection in February 2014. However, now the school, according to the report, has been “transformed to a place in which all pupils thrive and where standards are high”.
The Ofsted report was further glowing in its praise, stating that “the quality of care, guidance and support that the pupils receive is an outstanding feature of the school’s work” and that “pupils value the improvements at the school and behave impeccably at all times”. It also highlighted the support from parents, adding that they are “overwhelmingly positive about the school. They are fully behind the changes that have been made.”
The excellent report comes at the end of significant changes at the school, which moved into new premises in September 2013 and has almost doubled in size from 335 pupils to more than 600, while more than 50 additional members of staff have been recruited as a result of the rapid rise.
Headteacher Steve Lawler-Smith took up his post just three months before the move into the three-storey building on the campus they share with Moorside High School. The report said his “drive and ambition are at the heart of the high expectations which permeate all aspects of the school’s work”.
Mr Lawler-Smith stated: “This report marks the end of a long, and at times very challenging, journey for Moorside Primary School over the past three years. We are delighted with the positive outcome which has publically highlighted the wonderful work that happens here.
“We always talk about ‘Team Moorside’ at our school. This report is testament to the dedication and devotion that all of the staff show towards the children. It is an incredible achievement that they have helped to move Moorside from a school judged as requiring improvement to one that has been awarded two outstanding marks in this report.
“It is more remarkable that these improvements have happened against a backdrop of many changes since we moved into our new building in 2013. We have nearly 300 more pupils than we did at that time – that is like the addition of another primary school full of pupils.
“That has brought its own challenges but the report is something to celebrate how we have managed those. The Moorside community now has a primary school that they can be very proud of.”
Photo: Headteacher Mr Steve Lawler-Smith and children.
