Millfields Community School

School report Millfields Community School Hilsea Street, Hackney, London, E5 0SH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  A large majority of pupils make good progress in English and mathematics.  Teaching is mostly good. There are good relationships between staff and pupils.  Teachers and teaching assistants offer great care and support to pupils who are disabled and have special educational needs.  Pupils’ books are marked regularly, with detailed comments from teachers, which help pupils improve their work.  Pupils in the Autism Resourced Provision Unit are integrated well into lessons and there are various support systems in place to ensure that they make good progress.  Pupils enjoy learning, behave well and feel safe in school.  Pupils attend school regularly and enjoy the many extra activities before or after school.  The school has improved since the previous inspection. Leaders know what they need to do make it even better.  Leaders, with the effective support of governors, have made teaching more effective

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

and, as a result, pupils are making better progress.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ progress is not as rapid in mathematics as it is in English in Key Stage 2. Pupils are not given enough opportunities to apply what they have learnt to real-life experiences.  Some teaching, especially in mathematics, does not challenge pupils of higher ability.  Teachers’ planning does not always build effectively on pupils’ skills in mathematics to help to make rapid progress.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 23 lessons, of which three were joint observations with the senior leadership team. The team also observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and in lessons. Various support groups within the school were also observed.  Meetings were held with the local authority’s School Improvement Partner, three governing body members and staff. There were several pupil interviews to get pupils’ opinions about behaviour and safety in the school.  Inspectors considered parents’ views of the school through discussions, documentation and the 61 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View). There were an additional 111 paper responses from parents because they could not get on to Parent View.  The team observed sessions in the Autism Resourced Provision Unit and examined different support groups within the school.  The team examined a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ current

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Information about this inspection

progress and planning and monitoring documentation. The inspectors looked at pupils’ work, behaviour records and attendance figures.

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Inspection team

Janice Williams, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Gillian Bosschaert Additional Inspector Sibani Raychaudhuri Additional Inspector Steve Nelson Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than the average-sized primary school. The school has an Autism Resourced Provision Unit for ten pupils.  The number of pupils known to be eligible for extra support, funded by an initiative known as pupil premium, is above the national average.  A large majority of pupils are from minority ethnic groups, mainly of Turkish, Black African, Black Caribbean, and a variety of other White European backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average. Some pupils have autistic spectrum disorders and a few pupils have communication needs or behavioural difficulties.  The school meets the current government floor standard, which sets the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school gained the Unicef Rights Respecting level 2 status in October 2010 and also holds the Healthy Schools, Quality in Extended Schools, Quality in Study Support and Investor in People awards.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching from good to outstanding, especially in mathematics in Key Stage 2, in order to quicken pupils’ progress by:  ensuring pupils use and apply what they have learnt in mathematics in real-life situations.  providing pupils of above average ability with work that is hard enough for them and makes them think, especially in mathematics  plan consistently to build on pupils’ existing skills in mathematics to help them to make even faster progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The achievement of pupils is good because all groups make good progress in English and mathematics, although progress in faster in English than it is in mathematics.  Children enter Nursery with skills that are below expectations for their ages in communication and language, personal and social development and mathematics. Pupils make good progress in Nursery, but not all children continue into Reception. As a result, the same level of skills is evident at the beginning of Reception because new children join the school at that point.  In Reception, children make good progress in all areas of learning to reach broadly average standards by the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, about one fifth of the children do not continue to Key Stage 1.  In Key Stage 1, pupils make rapid progress in English and mathematics, including those whose first language is not English and those entitled to the pupil premium. The Year 1 pupils last year

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The achievement of pupils is good

made outstanding progress in reading, writing and mathematics. In Year 2, Black Caribbean and African pupils last year did particularly well in reading.  In Key Stage 2, over the last two years, pupils’ progress in English has improved significantly year on year, with some pupils making rapid progress. Progress is good overall in mathematics, although it has been more variable across year groups.  Most pupils whose first language is not English, including those from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, make good progress and there are no groups underachieving.  Those entitled to the pupil premium receive very effective support which enables them to make good progress and close the gaps with all pupils nationally.  Pupils with disabilities and special educational needs, including those in the Autism Resourced Provision Unit, make similar progress to their peers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is good and extremely strong in English throughout the school. It is more variable in mathematics in Key Stage 2. Pupils make good progress overall, but this variation means that progress is more rapid in English than mathematics.  Teachers’ marking is a strength of the school. Pupils’ books are marked regularly with good indications to pupils about how they might improve their work. In some classes, there are extended dialogues between the teacher and the pupils. In some books there are several responses from both teacher and pupils to a piece of work. Pupils say that these strategies really help them to improve.  In the Nursery, good teaching with stimulating resources helps children to match words to objects and play with great enjoyment. They link their learning together well. For example, children were able to smell flowers that are grown in the garden, use tissue paper to make their

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The quality of teaching is good

own flowers and paint them. They used the outdoor area well to observe insects found in the garden using a magnifying glass.  In Reception, children enjoy many indoor and outdoor activities to sustain their interest. The school uses its outdoor space well by creating many playground games. While some children played outside, others made their own numbers from zero to 10 using play dough, and there were additional activities that allowed the children to put objects on, or inside, a three- dimensional structure. As a result, children learned about different positions and worked independently on the various activities.  Pupils from the Autism Resourced Provision Unit are supported well and great care is taken by teachers and teaching assistants to ensure that they are included in all lessons and make good progress. In the separate provision there is a well resourced soft play area and sensory room which provides a calming area for the pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In Key Stages 1 and 2, English lessons are interesting and offer many opportunities for pupils to become creative, but pupils do not confidently use more complex punctuation marks to improve their writing skills. Teachers use assessment information in planning for the needs of all learners, but in mathematics some teachers do not always build successfully on pupils’ prior learning to enable them to make rapid progress. As a result, the pace of learning is not quick enough.  In some lessons the higher attaining pupils are not provided with work which is hard enough for them. This is especially the case in mathematics in Key Stage 2 where these pupils are not always challenged to use their knowledge to solve problems from real-life situations and this restricts their progress rates.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour and safety are good over time. Pupils enjoy discovering new knowledge and are willing to learn without much help from teachers.  Teachers know their pupils and there are good relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils call teachers and senior leaders by their first names, but still maintain a high level of respect for all staff.  In Nursery and Reception, children listen to their teachers well and carry out instructions. There is a strong emphasis on good behaviour and health and hygiene. Children’s social and physical skills are developed through the many focused activities that stimulate reflection and discussions. As a result, children are excited about their learning.  In the playground, pupils play together well. Many adults supervise playtimes to ensure that pupils are kept safe. At the end of playtime, pupils’ good behaviour is further seen in the orderly manner in which they line up, ready to learn.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In lessons, pupils work well together in groups to discuss or solve problems. They behave responsibly by being polite and caring towards each other. Pupils listen carefully to their peers and adults. All pupils are treated equally.  Pupils are aware of the different forms of bullying such as physical, verbal and cyber bullying. They know how to keep themselves safe when using the internet. Pupils report that there are a few incidences of bullying, but the school tracks and monitors this very carefully. Pupils are aware of the different ways in which they can report bullying, such as writing comments in the Worry Box, The Wellbeing Book and speaking to an adult. Most of the pupils interviewed say that they feel safe at school, and most of the parents interviewed and most of those who responded to Parent View also say that their children are safe at the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership and management are good because they share a common vision and ambition for improvement. They know the school’s strengths and work effectively for improvement whenever weaknesses are identified. As a result, the school has improved significantly from its previous inspection.  Leaders use data about pupils’ progress very effectively to ensure that all groups of pupils make good progress and to hold teachers to account for the progress of their pupils. As a result, all pupils have equal opportunities to achieve well.  Leaders have been successful in improving the quality of teaching since the previous inspection through monitoring, effective professional development and by encouraging teachers to learn from one another.  Leaders hold pupil progress meetings with teachers to identify pupils making less than expected progress and pupils who are exceeding the expected progress. From these meetings, further

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The leadership and management are good

support is identified for pupils and effective interventions put in place.  The local authority has worked closely with senior leaders and teachers to identify best practice in teaching, marking of pupils’ books and teachers’ planning. Leaders have effectively ensured that the good practice is seen by all.  The school has spent some of the pupil premium funding effectively in supporting pupils with physical and emotional growth and development by employing counselling, speech and language therapy services. An element of the funding has been spent on one-to-one tuition to develop pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills and to offer extended services such as early morning and after-school clubs. As a result, all pupils entitled to the pupil premium make at least expected progress and enjoy coming to school. They benefit from the many clubs and activities in school.  Leaders and governors ensure that teachers are accountable for pupils making good progress

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The leadership and management are good

and that pay is very closely connected to pupils’ achievement.  The governance of the school:  Governors effectively support and evaluate the school’s work. They have a clear understanding of how the school compares with other schools nationally because pupils’ achievement is discussed regularly. They hold leaders to account for the performance of the school. Governors manage the budget effectively. They have ensured that the funds provided through the pupil premium is spent on the correct priorities. They monitor its impact carefully to ensure that these pupils make as much progress as others. Governors are aware of the quality of teaching in the school and know that the teaching of mathematics is not as strong as English. They ensure that the systems for performance management for both teachers and leaders are matched closely to pupils’ achievement. Governors have ensured that all safeguarding requirements are fully met and effective.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 100231 Local authority Hackney Inspection number 404716

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 627 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Erica Lanigan Headteacher Jane Betsworth Date of previous school inspection 9−10 December 2010 Telephone number 02089857898 Fax number 02089856966 Email address jbetsworth@millfields.hackney.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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