Marston Montgomery Primary School

Inspection of Marston Montgomery Primary School Thurvaston Road, Marston Montgomery, Ashbourne, Derbyshire DE6 2FF

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 15–16 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They told us it is like ‘one, big family’. Everyone gets along together. We saw older pupils helping younger pupils at the breakfast club, knitting and playing games. Pupils say that there is always something to look forward to at school. They enjoy basketball and dance festivals at a local secondary school. They relish making new friends with the pupils at Long Lane Primary School while visiting exciting places, such as Rolls Royce.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and friendly. They have good manners. We heard pupils thank staff for helping them with their work. Pupils feel safe in school. Parents and carers agree. One parent said, ‘This is a great, safe school where children are nurtured and cherished.’ Pupils say that there is no bullying in school. They told us that behaviour has improved a lot. We agree.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want the best for pupils. However, these ambitions are not always realised. Some older pupils do not achieve as well as they should. In some subjects, they do not gain enough knowledge to be well prepared for secondary school.

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better?

Leaders and governors have worked hard to improve some areas of the school since the previous inspection. The quality of education that pupils receive in mathematics is now a strength. The outdoor provision for younger pupils is engaging and exciting. However, leaders and governors have not checked well enough that pupils in the junior class get a good deal. Some of these pupils have not been taught well enough over time. They do not know and remember more in some subjects.

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better?

Leaders want pupils to enjoy reading, and most do. Pupils like to borrow books from the library bus that visits each month. Teachers read exciting stories. Pupils hang on to every word. Teachers choose books linked to topics, such as ‘cold places’. Pupils recall important knowledge as they listen to stories. Younger pupils talked about the Northern Lights being called the Aurora Borealis. The school’s phonics programme is delivered consistently. However, it lacks ambition. Some pupils could be doing more and learning to read fluently at an earlier stage. The books that some pupils read are too demanding.

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better?

Leaders have set out the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to gain in all subjects and year groups. These plans show how pupils’ knowledge and understanding will build each year. They are implemented well in the infant class. The quality of education that younger pupils receive is strong. Pupils know and remember more in art, geography and religious education (RE). They told us about their study of famous artists such as Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. When we asked them about geography, they could name the seven continents and talk about the northern and southern hemispheres of the world. Younger pupils achieve well. This is not the case for some pupils in the junior class. Over time, teachers have not taught the planned curriculum well enough. Some pupils’ work is of a poor standard. 15–16 January 2020

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Younger pupils gain important knowledge and skills in writing each year. The quality of these pupils’ spelling, punctuation and grammar is improving. The work they produce is of a good quality. However, some older pupils’ writing is not good enough. Teachers do not have high enough expectations of what they can achieve.

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The science and history curriculums are taught increasingly well in both classes. Pupils’ knowledge and use of scientific and historical language is beginning to improve. However, some teachers’ subject knowledge is not strong enough. They are not always able to accurately address errors in pupils’ understanding. More needs to be done so that teachers can confidently teach all subjects of the national curriculum well.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get good help and support. Teachers adapt lessons effectively so that these pupils can access learning with their peers. Teaching assistants support pupils very well. Pupils with SEND achieve well.

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Pupils behave well. They settle quickly and are attentive in lessons. They learn about being respectful in assemblies. Pupils enjoy earning points for doing the right things. They save these up and spend them at the school shop.

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Pupils have a growing understanding of other faiths and cultures. They enjoy visits from the Derby Open Centre to learn about Islam and Hinduism. Pupils are active members of the community. They invite local residents to a ‘community lunch’ every month.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff make sure that pupils are safe while in school. They are well trained and vigilant. They know the signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. When concerns arise, they act quickly to keep pupils safe and get the right support that they need.

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Safeguarding

Leaders deal with safeguarding incidents very well. They act quickly and with tenacity to ensure that external agencies are involved at the earliest stages. They work together with these agencies to plan effective help for pupils and families. Safeguarding incidents are recorded in detail.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not fully developed an ambitious and well-sequenced phonics programme. Some pupils have not gained the phonics knowledge they need to be confident and fluent readers. Leaders must make sure that pupils’ phonics 15–16 January 2020

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knowledge builds quickly year on year. They should make sure that younger pupils are well prepared to learn new phonics content at the start of each year. They should ensure that the books pupils read are well matched to the phonics knowledge pupils have.  Leaders have set out what knowledge pupils should gain and by when in the art, geography and RE curriculums. The implementation of the planned curriculums is effective in key stage 1. This is not the case over time in key stage 2. Teachers do not teach the knowledge that leaders have planned effectively. They do not set demanding work. Older pupils have poor recall and understanding of what has been taught. Leaders must check the quality of education in these subjects more carefully and rectify these weaknesses quickly so that pupils achieve better and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  Teachers’ subject knowledge is not consistently strong across all subjects. Some

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teachers do not understand what important knowledge pupils need to learn or how best to teach it. Leaders should provide further training in a wider range of subjects, so teachers are confident to teach all subjects of the national curriculum to a high standard.  The quality of some older pupils’ writing is not good enough. Some of these pupils have not gained the knowledge outlined in the national curriculum over time. There are gaps in some pupils’ spelling, punctuation and grammar. Leaders must make sure that teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve in writing. They should make sure that teachers know what knowledge and skills pupils need to be effective writers by the end of key stage 2.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 15–16 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10110077 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Rachael Housley Bates

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School details

Headteacher Teresa Bosley (executive headteacher)

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School details

Website www.marstonmontgomery.derbyshire.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 October 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 At the time of the inspection, there were two children in the Reception Year. The early years provision was inspected alongside other key stages and as part of the quality of education judgement. No separate judgement was made for the early years.  A new lead teacher was appointed in October 2019.  The school is part of the Acorn Federation. The executive headteacher is also the headteacher of Long Lane Church of England Primary School. The schools share one governing body.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the headteacher, lead teacher, curriculum leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, the early years leader, four members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  We did deep dives in reading, mathematics, geography and art. We visited lessons, scrutinised pupils’ work, listened to pupils reading and spoke with pupils 15–16 January 2020

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and teachers about their lessons. We also examined the quality of pupils’ work in science, history and RE. We spoke to pupils about what knowledge they could remember in these subjects.  A wide range of documents was scrutinised, including those relating to safeguarding, behaviour, the school’s plans for improvement and curriculum planning. We considered information about pupils’ achievement from published information and information on the school’s website.  We took account of the 16 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. There were seven responses to the staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Steve Varnam, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Fielding Ofsted Inspector 15–16 January 2020

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regulates and inspects to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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