Millway Primary School

Millway Primary School Millway, Duston, NN5 6ES

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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.  Since the previous inspection, achievement, teaching and leadership and management have all improved as a result of strong leadership from the headteacher supported by other leaders and the governing body.  Teaching is usually good with examples of outstanding practice. Teachers have good subject knowledge and manage classes well.  Improvement is a result of thorough knowledge of what is happening in lessons and the extra support pupils receive when they need it.  Pupils make good progress throughout the school and achieve well. From starting points that are broadly average, they reach standards that are above national levels.  Pupils’ behaviour is good and their attendance is above average. They say they feel safe in school at all times.  There are effective procedures for checking the school’s performance and for identifying areas for further development.  The school’s curriculum provides a wealth of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

opportunities and activities which enhance pupils’ development and inspires pupils to learn.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding because teachers do not always check on progress early enough in lessons and make changes to secure even faster progress.  In a few lessons, pupils are not moved onto their independent work swiftly enough because they spend too long listening to the teacher.  Work set by teachers does not always meet the needs and abilities of pupils well enough to allow them to make rapid progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 22 lessons, a number of which were observed jointly with the headteacher or the deputy headteacher. In addition, the inspection team made a number of short visits to classrooms to observe one-to-one support and small group sessions.  Inspectors attended two school assemblies and listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with staff, governors and pupils.  Inspectors spoke informally to a number of parents and carers at the start and the end of the school day.  The inspectors took account of 37 responses to the online questionnaire Parent View and one letter sent to the inspection team about the support the school offers. They also analysed 30 questionnaires received from staff.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s data on pupils’ current progress, planning and monitoring documents and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Lucy Maughan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Graham Marshall Additional Inspector Najoud Ensaff Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Millway is a larger than average primary school.  The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium (which provides additional funding for pupils in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals) is below average.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is below average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The number of pupils who join or leave the school outside normal times is higher than the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement further by:  making sure all teachers check pupils’ progress throughout lessons and react promptly to any errors or misunderstandings  giving pupils more time to learn independently so that they can practise their skills  ensuring tasks and activities are always set at the right level of difficulty for different ability groups.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills that are broadly typical for their age. They make good progress in all areas of their development and are well prepared when they transfer to Year 1 for the next stage in their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress across Key Stage 1 to reach standards that are above average in reading, writing and, mathematics. In 2013, an increased number of pupils achieved the higher level of writing standards than previously.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils continue to make good progress across Key Stage 2 to reach standards that are above average. The results from the 2013 tests show that pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics is continuing to accelerate across Key Stage 2. More pupils are now reaching higher levels of attainment than in the past.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils eligible for the pupil premium are also making good progress. Funding has been well allocated and actions are having a positive impact upon standards and achievement. The gap in attainment is closing between these pupils and the others in the school. Pupils eligible for the pupil premium were on average one term behind their peers in both English and mathematics in 2013. Current school data show that in other year groups this gap in attainment has successfully closed.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported and make good progress from their individual starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 All groups of pupils achieve well in the school. There are occasional differences in the performance of boys and girls, but this does not follow any consistent trend. The progress of the small number of pupils from different ethnic backgrounds, and pupils who speak English as an additional language is also good.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Overall the more-able pupils make good progress. In the best examples of teaching these pupils receive well-targeted group support and are given work that stretches them and enables them to achieve to their full capacity.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is now almost all good or outstanding. This represents an improvement since the previous inspection. Relationships between pupils, teachers and support staff are excellent. All teachers are well organised and have clear rules and routines in place that promote pupils’ good behaviour and attitudes to learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Learning objectives are always made clear in lessons, and the extra support offered by teaching assistants is effective. This, coupled with a positive learning environment, helps pupils to make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have good subject knowledge and plan interesting lessons that build on pupils’ prior knowledge. They use questions effectively to deepen pupils’ understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most lessons move at a brisk pace. Occasionally, pupils do not have enough time to do things for themselves, and a few pupils find it difficult to sustain their concentration. This is because they are kept in discussions for too long at the start of the lesson.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In an outstanding Year 6 mathematics lesson, the teacher had excellent subject knowledge, questioned a wide range of pupils on their understanding and intervened appropriately to tackle any errors or misconceptions to move all groups forward. However, this element of tracking pupils’ progress throughout a lesson is not used consistently throughout the school for teaching to be outstanding overall.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the majority of lessons, teachers make sure that activities are varied and well-matched to pupils’ needs. However, in some lessons, tasks are sometimes either too easy or too hard so that pupils are not able to make the most possible progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking in books is of a high standard across subjects and different year groups. Teachers give pupils clear and detailed guidance on how they can improve their work, with time given for pupils to respond to comments. Pupils use these teachers’ comments well to give them a good understanding of how they can improve further.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour in lessons is typically good. Relationships are strong and expectations are clear. When the quality of teaching is outstanding, pupils work exceptionally hard and display highly positive attitudes to learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are extremely proud of their school. As one boy explained when asked what he would change, ‘We like it the way it is’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Around the school, pupils display a high standard of manners and behaviour. They treat staff, visitors and each other with courtesy and respect. On the various play areas, the pupils report they enjoy the outdoor equipment that the school provides.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of the different kinds of bullying, such as physical bullying, cyber bullying and name calling. They say such events rarely occur and are very confident that staff would deal with them quickly if they did. The views of parents and carers, staff and pupils and a scrutiny of behaviour logs confirm that behaviour has been good over time.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are clear about how to stay safe in a range of situations including when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is consistently above average, as pupils are keen to get into lessons to enjoy their learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils willingly take on a range of responsibilities and value their roles. For example, older pupils enjoy being school councillors, playground monitors and house monitors. This, in turn, helps pupils to contribute effectively to the life of the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour and safety are not yet outstanding because when pupils are not moved onto their independent work quickly enough their behaviour becomes more passive.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and other senior leaders, including governors, check all aspects of the school’s performance and are able to use this information accurately in order to drive forward continued improvement. Consequently, achievement and teaching have improved.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders check teaching and learning thoroughly by observing lessons and looking at pupils’ work and teachers’ planning. In addition, pupils’ progress and attainment are carefully tracked so that the performance of individuals and groups can be analysed. Regular meetings are held so that any underachievement can be quickly identified and tackled. Additional adults are being used very effectively to provide well-targeted support so that pupils are able to catch up quickly.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers’ performance is carefully checked through a good appraisal system. Challenging targets are set for teachers based on pupils’ progress, whole-school priorities and individual professional development. Teachers new to the profession have quickly established good practice due to the effective support offered by the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils are taught a broad and interesting range of subjects. Special events such as ‘Viking Day’ provide inspiring and memorable experiences and pupils enjoy the different themes and topics they study. The school is particularly strong in providing musical opportunities.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development underpins all aspects of the school’s work. Pupils have a clear understanding of rights and responsibilities, not only for themselves but also towards others.

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The leadership and management are good

 Achievement in sport is good with pupils gaining healthy lifestyles and physical well-being. The school is making use of the primary funding for improving sport and healthy lifestyles by employing a specialist teacher in physical education to support teachers and to enhance the opportunities for sport within the school. The impact of this appointment so far has been an increased number of pupils participating in sport.

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The leadership and management are good

 All staff promote equality of opportunity and all pupils have equal access to the numerous after- school clubs and activities. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding and child protection policies and practice meet current requirements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides light touch-support, with the school accessing other external support when needed.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are ambitious for the achievement of all pupils and take a long-term approach to planning improvement. They are well informed about the quality of teaching and what the information provided by the school is telling them about pupils’ performance. Governors regularly challenge the senior leadership team in relation to the targets that have been set for pupils’ achievement. They are familiar with the national ‘Teachers’ Standards’ and use them to help manage teachers’ performance. They know what the school is doing to reward good teachers and to tackle any underperformance. They aspire for the school to become outstanding and are actively involved in supporting the school in its improvement. The governing body oversees the arrangements for the spending of pupil-premium funding and is aware of the impact of this spending on 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 122086 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 425021

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 400 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Steven Adams Headteacher Paul Sentance Date of previous school inspection 6 March 2012 Telephone number 01604 583105 Fax number 01604 751125 Email address head@millway-pri.northants-ecl.gov.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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