Moorbrook School

Overview

Moorbrook School is described as a “welcoming” environment where pupils are “happy” and settle in quickly. The report highlights that staff are “kind and compassionate,” supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to achieve well and gain qualifications for further study or work. The school successfully prioritises pupils’ social and emotional development, helping them build resilience and confidence.

Strengths

• Staff are trained to use “effective strategies that promote positive behaviour,” helping pupils manage their emotions and follow rules.
• The curriculum has improved since the last inspection, with clear identification of “key knowledge and subject-specific skills” in each subject.
• Reading support is effective, enabling many pupils with gaps in phonics knowledge to “catch up quickly with their peers.”
• Pupils benefit from a “wide range of trips and visits,” including outdoor activities and cultural outings, which help develop new interests and talents.
• Governors “support the school well” and are well informed about the curriculum, while staff workload and well-being are considered.

Areas to improve

• Staff should better check that pupils have “successfully embedded prior knowledge” before introducing new content, as occasional gaps hinder secure learning.
• The school must improve how it evaluates curriculum delivery in a small number of subjects to ensure weaknesses are “identified and acted on in a timely manner.”

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”