Mugginton CofE Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mr Joseph Green Headteacher Mugginton CofE Primary School Weston Underwood Ashbourne Derbyshire DE6 4PL

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Short inspection of Mugginton CofE Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 1 November 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in December 2013.

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Short inspection of Mugginton CofE Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Since your appointment in January 2016, you have ensured that standards in reading, writing and mathematics have remained high. You have set high expectations and there is an ambitious culture for staff and pupils to succeed. Your school action planning is appropriate and concise. There is no doubt as to what is to be done, when and by whom. You have consistent approaches to areas such as planning and the presentation of work in pupils’ workbooks. These ‘agreed essentials’ are known by staff and are evident in the documents and books I scrutinised.

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Short inspection of Mugginton CofE Primary School

You have a strong and dedicated team in place. Staff are open and honest regarding their practice. They are keen to learn from other schools. You are well supported by the experienced and appropriately trained governing body, who hold you to account for your actions.

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Short inspection of Mugginton CofE Primary School

The pupils are polite, confident and very well behaved. They work hard. Their attendance is well above the national average. There were no persistent absentees or pupil exclusions last year. Pupils told me unequivocally that there is no bullying at the school and that other pupils behave well both in lessons and when playing outside at break and lunchtimes. Pupils have a good understanding of equality. One pupil told me ‘It doesn’t matter where somebody comes from or what they look like. We judge people on if they’re kind.’ Pupils welcome the range of educational visits and sporting activities on offer. They spoke enthusiastically regarding recent trips to London, Derby Theatre and the local ploughing match. They particularly enjoy learning outside during ‘Forest Friday’. The ‘Mugginton Mile’ is a weekly run around Mugginton village. It is a popular way of pupils keeping fit and healthy. Pupils unanimously told me they are happy and feel

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Short inspection of Mugginton CofE Primary School

safe. They have a particularly strong knowledge of road safety and e-safety.

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Short inspection of Mugginton CofE Primary School

The school is warm and welcoming. Classrooms are bright and stimulating. Pupils’ work in a wide range of subjects is proudly on display around the school. You and the staff know pupils and families well. As one parent said, ‘There is a real family atmosphere. The older children take time to make younger ones feel welcome and included.’ Many parents share this view. Parents also told me that communication between school and home is very good. We agreed that parents of children in the early years are not yet as involved as they could be with their children’s ongoing assessments. The vast majority of parents responded to the online Parent View questionnaire. Without fail, every parent said they would recommend Mugginton to other parents. Indeed, a number of pupils have joined the school recently, from outside the usual catchment area.

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Short inspection of Mugginton CofE Primary School

In 2017, the proportions of key stage 1 and 2 pupils who achieved the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics were above national averages. Current assessment information indicates that large numbers of pupils are making good progress. The majority of pupils are working at age-related expectations (with some above) in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils eligible for pupil premium funding and those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well and are making good progress. We agreed that a next step for the school would be to increase the proportions of pupils who make better than expected progress, particularly in mathematics.

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Short inspection of Mugginton CofE Primary School

You have a strong system in place for assessing pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Frequent meetings with staff ensure that any pupil who is falling behind is identified swiftly. Pupils are therefore quickly given the help they need to catch up. Teachers carefully plan activities to meet the needs of individual pupils. Skilled teaching assistants support pupils’ learning well. They promote pupils’ self- confidence by allowing some activities to be completed independently.

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Short inspection of Mugginton CofE Primary School

You have received good support from the local authority school improvement adviser. This has ensured that judgements you have made around, for example, the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress are accurate.

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Short inspection of Mugginton CofE Primary School

You have ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Rigorous checks are undertaken on adults before they start working at the school. Staff and governors have received appropriate training in safeguarding. This includes safer recruitment and the ‘Prevent’ duty. This has ensured that a strong safeguarding culture exists within the school. There is a robust system for staff to report concerns they have regarding pupils’ welfare. Records kept by the school show that incidents of poor behaviour are extremely rare. There have been no racist or homophobic incidents. There is a good range of advice for parents regarding keeping children safe online on the school’s website.

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Inspection findings

 You have successfully tackled the improvement areas identified at the last inspection. Accurate assessment now leads to pupils being given work that matches their ability. Pupils told me that their work was ‘just about right’ and they enjoyed being challenged. Pupils are now given increased opportunities to use and apply their mathematical skills in real-life problem-solving situations. This is particularly evident when planning stalls and activities for the Christmas bazaar.  The most able readers have a good choice of books that challenge and stretch them. Pupils read to me confidently and fluently. They could answer questions about the story and characters and predict what might happen next. Pupils are regularly challenged in mathematics. For example, in the key stage 1 class a pupil started a lesson by successfully halving numbers. They were then quickly moved on to successfully finding one quarter and three quarters of numbers.

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Inspection findings

Some of the most able key stage 1 pupils occasionally attend lessons in the key stage 2 class in order to challenge them further.  Children in the early years get off to a strong start. Adults are aware of the importance of using the online assessment tool frequently. This ensures that next steps in children’s learning are planned carefully. The indoor and outdoor environments have improved significantly since the last inspection. Appropriate resources have been purchased and they are readily available for children to access. Children are sustained and engaged in well-planned activities. For example, using the topic of ‘Bonfire Night’ children were enthusiastically moulding fireworks using salt dough. They were also working collaboratively to make a bonfire using wood and tissue paper. A group were successfully ordering numbers to 10 on a number line. There were opportunities for children to practise writing. Adults have received appropriate training in the teaching of

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Inspection findings

phonics. They have benefited from visiting other settings to share good practice.  You have ensured that there is a broad and balanced curriculum. Inspection evidence, including an examination of pupils’ workbooks, indicates that progress in art, music and science is particularly strong. You share your excellent knowledge of Japanese in weekly lessons. Pupils told me they enjoy this. Pupils are aware of other faiths and places of worship different to their own. They are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that they:

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Next steps for the school

 increase the proportions of pupils who make better-than-expected progress, particularly in mathematics, by holding teachers and teaching assistants rigorously to account for the achievement of all pupils in their class  further improve the partnership with parents in order to enhance children’s achievement in the early years.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Derby, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Derbyshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I held meetings with you, the three teachers, members of the governing body, including the chair, and the school improvement adviser. I visited both classrooms with you and examined a range of pupils’ books. I spoke with pupils informally during lessons and formally during an interview. I observed pupils’ behaviour around the school, at the start of the school day and during lessons. I met with parents at the beginning of the school day. I took into account 35 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey. There were no responses to the pupil or staff surveys. I examined a range of documents, including safeguarding records, the single central record, the latest achievement information for the school, the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans, records of meetings of the governing body and information relating to pupils’ attendance and behaviour.

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