Old Moat Primary School

Old Moat Primary is a happy and caring school where children are able to develop the skills and knowledge required to be confident and successful learners. Through excellent teaching and an exciting curriculum we foster the learning habit while providing high quality support of children's individual needs.

The education landscape has altered almost unrecognisably. Federations, academies, free schools have all appeared (sometimes, it seems, from out of nowhere) and it can be hard to keep up. Schools and groups of schools have greater freedoms but also more accountability.We operate in a competitive environment where we are preparing children to compete locally, nationally and also internationally. We know that budgets will be tighter and educational expectations will be higher. Put simply, we have to achieve more with fewer resources.

We aim to provide full time nursery places for children who are aged three from 1st September to 31st August of the previous school year. Children cannot be admitted to our nursery until they are three. We aim to have all our children admitted to nursery full time by the third week of September.Parents and carers should contact our Admissions Manager, Melanie Wilkinson, if they wish to place their child’s name on our nursery waiting list.

Children’s names need to be on the Nursery Waiting List by the end of February, the school year before they are due to start in Nursery.Parents and carers will receive a letter during the Easter Holiday if their child has been offered a place.Parents and carers need to accept this place by the deadline on the letter. Once the place has been accepted a transition programme will be organised for your child. This is run by the Nursery Team.

Manchester local authority is responsible for admissions of all reception places, including children already attending our Nursery. The local authority forms must be completed by parents on-line, parents can request a paper form.This must be completed by the nominated date in December the year before your child is due to start Reception. A late application could result in your child not getting a place at the school of their choice.Children who have a Nursery place at Old Moat do not automatically get a place in Reception at Old Moat.

The evidence from the first few years of our federation has shown that by working with other schools, we are able to benefit from greater purchasing power and also use the best ideas to raise standards: there has been a rise in standards in both schools since the federation was formed 2012. Each school is unique, and must be accountable to their local community making effective use of public funds. In a climate of change, we must retain a strong ethos and sense of purpose while nourishing a truly collaborative spirit.

These rapidly developing times, with all the technical and cultural challenges we come across, offer our children (and staff) both exciting opportunities and, at times, striking challenges.We are in a good position to face these challenges with energy and optimism. The governors have a strong track record of making the right changes to improve outcomes. We are a strong federation with an outstanding and a good school.

As we plan for the introduction of the new National Curriculum we continue to focus on developing the whole child, presenting them with a broad and balanced curriculum, knowledge, skills and range of experiences.We know that from evidence that success in life does not only depend on academic achievement. We want all our children to have a rewarding and enriching experience with us, and to leave us equipped to succeed in whatever they want to do.We would like all our children, irrespective of background or special need, to be prepared for success in their future lives.We will achieve this by nurturing and developing their achievement, their experiences and their skills.

Our schools will be consistently above the national average for attainment and progress and in the top 5% for all schools. We will enable all children to achieve their academic potential irrespective of their background or special need. There will be no ceiling on a child's ambition as we will develop the academic skills of our most able children and build a culture where being smart is cool.

We will provide all children with experiences that are normally only achievable for affluent children. All children will have the opportunity to learn a foreign language, play a musical instrument, participate in high quality sport, visit places of local and national interest and become proficient in the use of technology.

The Pupil Premium is additional to main school funding and it will be used by this school to address any underlying inequalities between children eligible by ensuring that funding reaches the pupils who need it most.

We are proud to say that we are a school that’s sharply focused on the future. We’re at the forefront of new developments in ways of teaching and using modern technology as a tool for learning. Our 21st Century approach isn’t about gigabytes and Google though. Old Moat is different because of the ways we use new technology and educational theory to make every child’s experience here as effective and enriching as possible.

Old Moat Primary School aims to create and maintain a safe learning environment where all children and adults feel safe, secure and valued and know they will be listened to and taken seriously. Our school is committed to the principles outlined in ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ and implements policies, practices and procedures which promote safeguarding and the emotional and physical wellbeing of children, young people and staff. We adhere to the ‘Signs of Safety’ strategy.