Milking Bank Primary School

Milking Bank Primary School Aintree Way, Milking Bank, Dudley, DY1 2SL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils achieve well in all subjects and leave Year 6 with standards that are well above average.  Most teaching is at least good, and some is outstanding. Teachers have high expectations for pupils’ achievement and behaviour.  Lessons are motivating. They capture pupils’ imagination and interest, which ensures that they enjoy their learning.  The activities and additional adult support provided for pupils who find learning difficult are very effective in helping them to achieve well.  Pupils behave extremely well. They are considerate and kind. Pupils are very co- operative and supportive towards each other. All feel safe in school.  The school’s leaders, including governors, have a clear and accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses in teaching. They have responded well to the dip in achievement in 2012 by improving teaching so that progress is now accelerating again.  The governors are dedicated and committed to

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

the work of the school. They are well informed about the school’s performance and confidently challenge the headteacher on this.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Leaders have not used the pupil premium funds well enough to ensure that all pupils eligible for this support achieve as well as others.  The existing outstanding teaching is not shared enough to improve the quality of teaching across the school and ensure pupils make outstanding progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed all teachers and saw 27 lessons, 13 of which were seen together with the headteacher or another senior leader.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in their books and observed them at play and in assemblies. Inspectors met with several pupils formally and had informal discussions with others about their work and school life.  Meetings were held with governors, a representative of the local authority and staff.  Inspectors took account of the 64 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and spoke to parents at the start and end of the school day. The inspectors also took into account the 37 staff questionnaires returned.  Inspectors reviewed many documents, including the school improvement plan, information on pupils’ achievement, records relating to pupils’ behaviour, and records of governing body meetings.

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Inspection team

Geoffrey Dorrity, Lead inspector Additional Inspector David Driscoll Additional Inspector Janet Watts Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average primary school.  The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The remainder come from a wide range of minority ethnic backgrounds, the largest group being of Indian heritage.  Few pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional funding for pupils who are in the care of the local authority, known to be eligible for free school meals, or from families with a parent in the armed forces.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is low. The proportion supported through school action plus or a statement of special educational needs is below average.  There is a before- and after-school club, and a holiday club on the school’s site. These are not managed by the school’s governing body and so are subject to separate inspections.  The headteacher provides support to other local schools.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make better use of the funds available through the pupil premium to accelerate the progress of all eligible pupils so they reach the same standards as others.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of all teaching to that of the very best, by providing more opportunities for staff to learn from the examples of outstanding practice across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most pupils make good progress as they move through the school. Pupils leave with standards that are well above average in reading, writing and mathematics. They are well prepared for secondary school. This includes pupils from all ethnic backgrounds.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children make good progress in the Nursery and Reception classes, from levels expected for their age. Most children enter Year 1 with skills and understanding that are above the levels expected for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Records of pupils’ progress show that most groups of pupils are now doing well in all subjects, and especially so in reading and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are confident and fluent readers because reading is taught very well. They have an excellent understanding of the sounds letters make and use this to decode unfamiliar words well. The school is successful in developing pupils’ love of reading across a wide range of literature.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 High levels of adult support and close monitoring ensure that disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make at least the same progress than their fellow pupils, and sometimes it is even more rapid.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The few pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium did not do as well as others in 2012. They made less progress and were around a year behind other pupils in English and four terms behind in mathematics. The school’s leaders were slow to target the resources available effectively.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupil premium funding is now used effectively in Year 6. Here, there is focused support in lessons and these pupils are beginning to show accelerated progress. However, this is less evident in the rest of the school where historically funding has been used to ensure that pupils are able to go on educational visits. The headteacher and governors have identified this as an area for improvement, and have appointed additional staff to address it from September 2013.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers plan carefully so that activities are usually very well matched to the different abilities of pupils. In the best lessons, especially in literacy and mathematics, pupils are challenged to deepen their thinking and understanding through highly-skilled questioning from teachers, and by listening to and learning from each other.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teachers provide high-quality feedback on how pupils can improve their work. In the best examples teachers carefully comment on what pupils have done well and what they need to do next to get even better. This becomes a dialogue with the pupil, who responds to the teacher’s comment and the teacher builds on this in his or her reply. Where such marking is less evident pupils’ progress is slower.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils know their targets for learning, and use these effectively in lessons. For example, a pupil writing in Year 6 completed a sentence, then referred back to their targets and reviews and amended their writing accordingly.  Teaching in the Nursery and Reception classes is good, with a good mix of adult-led and child- chosen activities.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive good one-to-one and group support from adults. Adults have an excellent understanding of individual pupils’ difficulties. They question these pupils to encourage them to think for themselves and adjust resources well to ensure that they succeed.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In lessons where learning is good, rather than outstanding, teachers do not always get the most out of all groups. For example, they often give the same task to the whole class as a starter, and this is occasionally too easy for the most able pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are extremely positive. From the nursery onwards, all understand that they need to concentrate and work hard. Behaviour is almost always exemplary in lessons and around school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Relationships are strong. Pupils respond well to each other and to adults. They are thoughtful, caring and kind to one another. They support each other well and demonstrate excellent manners to all members of the school community.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils feel very safe and know that adults will help them if they have any difficulties or issues which they cannot resolve themselves. Parents and carers agree that the school keeps their children safe; it provides a safe and secure environment that is valued and appreciated by all pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils understand about various forms of bullying, including cyber- and prejudice-based bullying, and can explain the impact of these on individuals. There are no incidences of any forms of bullying in school records.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils are proud of their achievements, and their school. They are given opportunities from an early age to develop their confidence in performing publicly, at class assemblies and in public venues playing as part of an orchestra.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Older pupils take their extra responsibilities seriously. They enjoy being monitors and look out for the younger pupils. The school records show that there are very few incidents at play-time.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Attendance is consistently well above the national average and pupils are unfailingly punctual.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher knows the strengths of his school well, and identifies accurately where there are areas for improvement. His high expectations and commitment are shared by all staff and governors, and they demonstrate that they have the capacity to improve the school further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher is well supported by the senior leadership team. Their roles have been strengthened through careful delegation by the headteacher and through appropriate training. They are now fully accountable for pupils’ achievement and for improving the quality of teaching in their respective key stages, or areas of responsibility.  Checks on teaching provide a clear and accurate picture of its quality. All teachers receive valuable feedback so they know what they need to do to improve their practice. However, they do not always have the opportunity to observe and learn from the examples of outstanding teaching evident in the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Although initially slow to respond to indications of a decline in achievement, leaders now check the progress different groups of learners make accurately and frequently. This is used to identify where specific support is required to prevent any pupil from falling behind. However, although the pupil premium has recently been targeted at eligible pupils in Year 6, and they are demonstrating accelerated progress, this has not been as effectively focused across the rest of the school. Such pupils have not fallen further behind their peers, but have not made up ground either. Additional staff have now been appointed to better support these pupils in the future.

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The leadership and management are good

 There is no discrimination evident in the school and leaders show a commitment to ensuring all pupils have equal opportunities. However, they are not yet ensuring that pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium reach similar levels of attainment to other pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The management of teachers is effective and discretionary pay rises have to be earned. Teachers are held accountable for the progress of the pupils they teach, and for the subject areas they lead.

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The leadership and management are good

 Good leadership and management of the Nursery and reception classes make sure that children have a good start to their school life.

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The leadership and management are good

 The way subjects are taught meets the needs of a wide range of pupils and builds effectively on their previous learning. Pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is promoted outstandingly well. For example, visitors include those from Egypt to promote the understanding of other cultures, and a grandparent, when studying Katy Morag, to promote respect for different ages. The school has links with a school in the Gambia and supports an orphanage in Albania. Pupils have many opportunities to reflect in lessons and assemblies, which they do with great maturity.

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The leadership and management are good

 All children learn Spanish from Year 3 and have opportunities to learn a musical instrument from Year 4. The school has an orchestra and choir which regularly perform in joint concerts with other schools.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school fosters good relationships with parents and other agencies. Parent and toddler groups, story groups and parenting classes are provided in partnership with the local children’s centre. Before- and after-school and holiday clubs use the school, delivered by partners. The school run ‘Daisy Chain’, a weekly session for parents and children to attend before they start nursery to support children’s transition from home.

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The leadership and management are good

 Strong professional relationships with other agencies support pupils who may have physical disabilities to ensure they have full access to the curriculum, and for those who may find learning more difficult than others.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides ‘light touch’ support to this good school, and uses the headteacher and other lead staff in supporting other schools in their improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors have an in-depth understanding of the school’s performance, through the use of a range of data and frequent reports from the headteacher. They are clear about what the school’s priorities are, and what needs to be done to achieve them. Governors have a good grasp of the quality of teaching from carrying out focused visits to the school and interrogating the senior leadership team. They have a broad overview of salary progression, and are developing more detailed knowledge of how targets are set for individual teachers. Governors ensure that the school meets most statutory requirements, including those for safeguarding, although the school’s website does not contain all the required information. They manage the budget well, although they recognise that they have been slow to ensure effective use of pupil premium money in bringing about improvements in pupils’ achievement.

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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 103834 Local authority Dudley Inspection number 412356

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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 478 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Andy Cook Headteacher Richard Mason Date of previous school inspection 20 September 2010 Telephone number 01384 816695 Fax number 01384 816696 Email address rmason@milking.dudley.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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