Moons Moat First School

Moons Moat First School is a small, inclusive first school that is meeting the expected standard in most areas, with safeguarding standards met. Leaders have developed a broad, well-sequenced curriculum, and pupils generally achieve well, including in phonics and the Year 4 multiplication tables check. The school is particularly strong in its inclusive practice, with a high proportion of pupils receiving SEN support and a purposeful Launch Pad provision that helps pupils with SEND progress well from their starting points. Pupils are safe, cared for and benefit from a coherent personal development programme. However, two areas need attention. Attendance remains below the national average, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, and persistent absence is too high; leaders' strategies have not yet had sufficient impact. Behaviour is generally good in classrooms, but inconsistent staff approaches lead to pockets of poor behaviour. Early years provision is inconsistent: although children are well cared for and reading is taught well, adult interactions and activity planning do not always focus on the key knowledge children need, leaving some children less well prepared for key stage 1. The school benefits from visible, ambitious leadership and committed governors who know the school well. Staff are supported through professional development, and leaders take wellbeing and workload into account. The school serves a community with well-above-average deprivation, and its inclusive vision and strong pastoral support are notable strengths. Inspectors identified next steps to improve early years learning opportunities and to raise attendance.

Strengths

• Inclusive and caring ethos with strong pastoral support.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND, including tailored Launch Pad provision.
• Broad, well-sequenced curriculum with clear whole-school teaching approaches.
• Strong phonics teaching and well-matched reading books.
• Pupils perform above the national standard in the Year 4 multiplication tables check.
• Leaders have a clear and accurate understanding of the school's strengths and areas for improvement.
• Committed governors are well informed and offer effective support.
• Personal development programme supports safety, relationships and independence.
• Pupils behave well in classrooms and enjoy learning.
• Pupil premium strategy is suitable and well applied.
• Pupils are well prepared for transition to middle school.
• Staff wellbeing and workload are considered by leaders.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance remains below the national average, including for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• Too many pupils are persistently absent.
• Leaders' attendance strategies have not yet had sufficient impact on attendance rates.
• Behaviour management is not consistently applied, leading to pockets of poor behaviour.
• Early years provision is inconsistent; adult interactions do not always support children to progress.
• Early years activities sometimes do not focus on the key knowledge children need to learn.
• Some children in early years are not as well prepared for key stage 1 as they could be.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Moons Moat First School attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 3.2% of pupils at Moons Moat First School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Moons Moat First School had 15.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 32.9% of pupils at Moons Moat First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Moons Moat First School received £8,636 and spent £9,914 for each of its 169 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £304,000 (£1,799 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Redditch · Worcestershire local authority: places and applications

What is Moons Moat First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Moons Moat First School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Moons Moat First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Moons Moat First School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Moons Moat First School have?

Moons Moat First School has 170 pupils on roll.

What age range does Moons Moat First School cover?

Moons Moat First School for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Moons Moat First School?

Moons Moat First School is at Cleeve Close, Church Hill, Redditch, Worcestershire, B98 9HR.