Mill Hill Community Primary School

Mill Hill Com Primary School Crosby Road, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL6 1AE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Requires improvement 3 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 This is a good and improving school because since the previous inspection pupils’ progress has accelerated. Pupils now achieve well. As a result, standards attained by pupils at the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 have risen, especially in mathematics and writing.  The strong and purposeful leadership given by the headteachers and governing body provide a clear direction for further development.  Middle leaders share the vision of the senior leaders and together they have successfully tackled the areas for improvement from the previous inspection.  Effective leadership in the early years ensures provision is good. This, together with good-quality teaching, enables children to make good progress from their starting points, which are generally below typical for their age when they enter Reception. Children are well prepared for learning in Year 1.  The local authority continues to provide good support to this school.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make consistently good progress across the school.  Teaching over time and in most subjects has improved and is now consistently at least good. Pupils, therefore, make good progress in English and mathematics and in other subjects across the curriculum.  The curriculum is creative and skilfully adapted to meet the needs and interests of pupils. It successfully promotes their understanding of traditional British values preparing them well for life in modern Britain.  Pupils behave well and the school’s work to keep them safe is good.  This is a happy school where pupils thrive and parents feel welcome.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough pupils make more progress than expected in lessons. This is because they do not take enough responsibility for their own learning and do not work at a fast enough rate in lessons.  The school’s website is not updated effectively to ensure parents are fully informed of changes within the school.  Pupils’ progress in reading is not always as good as it is in writing and mathematics. This is because pupils have insufficient opportunities to practise their higher-order reading skills across the curriculum. The profile of reading in the school is not always high enough.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited all classes and carried out observations jointly with the two headteachers.  Discussions were held with the headteachers, governors, senior and middle leaders, a representative from the local authority and a group of parents.  Inspectors observed the school’s work, scrutinised a range of documentation including information on pupils’ progress and looked at the work in pupils’ books.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and talked to these children about their learning.  They took account of the feedback from staff questionnaires, the 11 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View) and responses to a recent internal school parent questionnaire.  Inspectors spoke to members of the school council, formally and informally to pupils about their experiences at school and listened to their views. They also visited an assembly.

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Inspection team

Maureen Coleman, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Mill Hill Community Primary serves pupils between the ages of 4 and 11.  The headship has recently changed to a shared role between the previous headteacher and deputy headteacher.  It is smaller than an average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils who receive support through the pupil premium is above average. (The pupil premium is additional funding provided by the government to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.)  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The school has received the Active Mark and Primary Talk awards.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this school

 Children in the Reception class attend full time.  The school is designated as an Enhanced Mainstream School (EMS) for Communication and Interaction. This is a local authority service embedded into the school and provides support for schools in the local area.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that a higher proportion of pupils make more progress than expected in order to raise standards even further by:  raising the profile of reading and adopting a variety of approaches to the teaching and development of pupils’ reading skills  giving pupils more opportunities to practise their higher-order reading skills in different subjects so that the good progress made in reading in some year groups is extended to all pupils  ensuring that pupils take more responsibility for their own learning and work at a faster pace in lessons.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure the school website is effective in keeping parents fully informed of school developments by updating information on a regular basis.

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The leadership and management are good

 Under the strong leadership and guidance of the headteachers the school has made rapid progress over the past year.  Governors and middle leaders share the headteachers’ vision and together they have created an ethos and culture where pupils thrive.  The curriculum is well planned and is relevant to pupils’ needs. Leaders at all levels make sure that pupils’ progress is carefully checked and that they have equality of opportunity to succeed in everything they do.  Pupil premium funding is used well to provide good support for disadvantaged pupils to help them catch up with their classmates. The provision of individual programmes of study for these pupils is having a good impact on their attitudes to learning and on the development of their literacy and numeracy skills.  The sports premium funding is used well to enhance the curriculum by providing opportunities for school staff to shadow sports specialists. This enables the school to offer an extended range of sporting

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The leadership and management are good

opportunities resulting in more pupils engaging in sport activities.  Leaders’ monitoring and evaluation of pupils’ attainment and progress across the school are thorough, secure and well recorded. They effectively and accurately identify when any pupils fall behind and provide the necessary support to help them catch up with their work.  The leadership of teaching is good and all staff benefit from training and support. However, the teaching of higher-order reading skills in some year groups is not always as good as it should be.  Pupils’ personal qualities develop well. They learn about different faiths, cultures and religious festivals. This helps the school to foster good relations with everyone and tackle discrimination in all its forms. Indeed, this, together with the experience pupils gain when they take part in the democratic process of electing school councillors, prepares them well for life in modern Britain. The school promotes pupils’

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The leadership and management are good

spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.  Attendance continues to improve and is now above average. The school works closely with families to monitor any absence.  Parents appreciate the support they receive from school. The termly pupil progress meetings based on individual mentoring files are highly effective in keeping parents well informed about their child’s progress, attitudes to learning and attendance. However, parents are not always kept fully informed through the website of changes to the school staffing structure and activities that take place before and after school.  The local authority provides good support to the leadership of the school and recognises the significant improvement the school has made over the past year.  Child protection and safeguarding arrangements are effective, thorough and fully meet requirements. They ensure there is a good understanding of all aspects of keeping pupils safe.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  There is good governance of the school. Governors share the vision and drive of senior leaders and are committed to moving Mill Hill Community Primary School towards outstanding status.  They use their own professional skills well to make regular checks on the school’s performance data in relation to other schools and thus identify areas of strength and areas for development accurately.  Governors visit the school regularly to gain first-hand information. They meet with the headteachers to discuss the quality of teaching, pupil progress and attainment and how well the school fosters good relations and tackles any discrimination. Furthermore, they challenge the school to secure the best opportunities for all pupils.  Governors monitor the spending and impact of pupil premium and sport funding closely. They are also clear about the link between teachers’ classroom performance, pupils’ achievement and salary

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The leadership and management are good

increases. They monitor performance management arrangements closely and ensure that teachers only receive financial reward if their pupils meet their achievement targets. Governors are fully aware of the systems in place to tackle any underperformance.  School finances are well managed and governors ensure that safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures meet statutory requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. As a result of well-established and effective behaviour management and trusting relationships with staff, the school is a calm and purposeful place in which to learn.  The balance of academic and personal care given to pupils is seamless and impressive.  Staff, parents and pupils confirm that behaviour has continued to improve since the previous inspection. Older pupils enjoy being role models for younger children and are courteous and considerate to everyone.  In lessons, pupils are attentive and eager to learn. They take a pride in their books and take account of comments and guidance given by teachers to improve their work.  Pupils are very aware of the school’s high expectations for their behaviour. Instances of bullying, including homophobic, racist and other forms of bullying based on prejudice are rare.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  The school teaches pupils diligently about how to keep themselves safe and about all forms of bullying. They are especially well informed about internet safety.  Attendance continues to improve and is now good.  Pupils say they feel safe and there are sensitive and effective systems in place to support pupils who need additional emotional or social support.  Parents speak highly of the school. They value the regular ‘drop-in sessions’ and opportunities to attend adult education sessions at the school. One parent, expressing the views of many, commented, ‘The school is a happy, safe place for my children where they are well cared for and expected to work hard.’

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The quality of teaching is good

 The standard of work in pupils’ books and their improving rates of progress demonstrate that teaching in literacy and mathematics is typically good and on occasions outstanding. Staff are a strong team. They work well together and they develop excellent relationships with pupils, fostering good attitudes to learning.  In mathematics, pupils are given imaginative and creative tasks to entice them to use and apply their mathematical skills to problem-solving activities.  In literacy, pupils enjoy a wide range of opportunities to practise and develop their writing skills. Although phonics (the sounds that letters and combinations of letters make) is taught well and progress in reading is good in some year groups, this is not extended to all pupils. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to read widely or to use their higher-order reading skills in subjects other than English. Indeed, the profile of

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The quality of teaching is good

reading is not always high enough across the school.  Effective use of pupils’ progress information means teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do are usually accurate. However, sometimes they are not high enough and pupils are not given opportunities to take responsibility for their own learning, resulting in them not working fast enough in lessons and not reaching higher levels of attainment, particularly in reading.  Support staff are highly skilled. They enhance pupils’ learning and manage behaviour well. Different groups of learners, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, make good progress. This is as a result of timely and effect support programmes of study which are well matched to their individual needs.  Since the previous inspection, leaders have focused on improving the quality of feedback given to pupils. There is now a consistent approach to marking across the whole school. As a result, pupils say they are

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The quality of teaching is good

very clear about the next steps they have to take to improve their work.  Classrooms, and general areas around the school, are positive environments with attractive displays which celebrate pupils’ work and effort.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Achievement is good because all pupils now make at least good progress in writing, mathematics and communication skills, and a significant proportion make good progress in reading.  Progress and attainment in reading, although improving overall, are not consistent across all year groups.  In 2014, attainment in all subjects improved by the end of Key Stage 2, but remained below national standards. However, pupils in the current Year 6 class are working at levels above the national average for reading, writing and mathematics.  In reading and writing, disadvantaged pupils’ attainment at the end of 2014 was a year behind other pupils in school and a year and a half behind non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. In mathematics they were a year behind other pupils within school and nearly two years behind non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.  The current attainment in reading for these pupils is now in line with their classmates. In writing, they are

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The achievement of pupils is good

four months behind other pupils in school. In mathematics, their attainment is three months ahead of other pupils within school. This data, supported by inspection evidence, show that disadvantaged pupils are making good progress and that gaps in attainment have closed rapidly since 2014. Indeed, the achievement of disadvantaged pupils in mathematics is now higher than the achievement of other pupils in school.  As a result of accurate and early identification of their needs, together with good teaching in small groups and one-to-one support, the current progress made by disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is now similar to other pupils within school.  The most able pupils are beginning to make faster progress and current school data show that the number of pupils on track to reach the higher levels in the national tests is rising.

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The early years provision is good

 Children generally enter the early years with skills and abilities which are below those typical for their age, especially in language and communication. From their varying starting points, children make good progress which enables them to achieve a good level of development by the time they leave Reception. They are therefore well prepared for learning in Year 1.  Different groups of children, including disabled children and those who have special educational needs, make good progress in all areas of learning, especially in their speaking and listening skills.  The early years is well led and managed and as a result, children settle quickly and begin to learn straight away.  The quality of teaching is good overall and sometimes outstanding. Children are eager to learn and respond quickly to instructions and requests made by staff.  The imaginative and interesting range of activities is instrumental in engaging and capturing children’s

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The early years provision is good

interest and enthusiasm. The ‘Bug Café’ provides a rich language environment to support their communication skills and early writing skills very well indeed.  Exciting equipment is used to make learning fun and to extend children’s knowledge and understanding of the world.  Teaching assistants provide good support and high expectations from all adults pervade all activities within the setting.  Leaders ensure children are kept safe, feel secure and are well behaved.  Good communication and relationships with parents support children’s well-being and learning effectively.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 121330 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 462217

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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 156 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Sheila Sutton Headteacher Mr Stephen Hanscombe / Mrs Annie Croft Date of previous school inspection 1 May 2013 Telephone number 01609 772382 Fax number 01609 777617 Email address admin@millhill.n-yorks.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 and 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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