Mandale Mill Primary School

Inspection of Mandale Mill Primary School Thorntree Road, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees TS17 8AP

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 11–12 February 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They are happy and friendly. Pupils are very welcoming and go out of their way to look after each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is good. Pupils are clear that bullying is unacceptable. Any bullying is rare and is taken very seriously. Pupils’ emotional health and well-being are important to staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say they feel safe. They say that kind, friendly staff look after them well. Relationships between adults and pupils are positive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers make learning enjoyable and have high expectations for every child. Pupils enjoy coming to school and are curious and excited to learn new things. As a result, attendance is good.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The early years is well led and managed. Consistent rules and well-practised routines help children to settle quickly. Children read, write and build their understanding of number from the start of Reception. They leave Reception well prepared for Year 1.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy responsibilities such as being part of the eco group or sports leaders. They take these roles seriously. Pupils are proud of the actions they have taken to make changes to their school and for their local area, for example, taking part in a litter pick and raising money for a local food bank.

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better?

The headteacher wants the absolute best for all pupils. Leaders are determined that all pupils will succeed. They offer the correct balance of support and challenge for all. Teachers encourage pupils to have high expectations of themselves. Pupils know the standards they are capable of reaching.

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better?

Leaders and teachers have worked carefully to plan a challenging curriculum for pupils. As a result, pupils attend well as they want to take part in the opportunities that are available to them. Some subjects still need further work by sharing the good practice that is in school. However, it is clear that leaders are already putting actions in place to make sure that all subjects will be at the same good standard.

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better?

The headteacher understands that pupils previously in Year 6 have not achieved well enough in national tests. This is because teaching was not good enough then. However, leaders have worked hard to make sure that teaching is at a good standard now. As a result, pupils across the school, including those in upper key stage 2, are currently making good progress. 11–12 February 2020

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the right support in lessons so that they achieve well.

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In the early years, many children enter with little knowledge of sounds, letters or numbers. From the very start, staff make sure that those children who need to catch up do so quickly. Children read, write and work with numbers every day. Number, rhyme and story times are frequent. Cosy reading areas and mathematical activities are exciting. In Reception, children learn to form letter and number shapes accurately right from the start. Children count and use mathematical words with improving confidence. They are well prepared for Year 1.

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Pupils enjoy and value mathematics. Learning in mathematics is carefully planned. Staff make sure that pupils know their number facts, including multiplication tables, by heart. Pupils use their number knowledge to solve increasingly tricky mathematical problems.

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Pupils are able to talk about their learning in subjects other than English and mathematics. In Year 4, pupils can explain confidently how to carry out fair tests in science. In physical education, pupils in Year 1 know different types of jumps and rolls they can use when doing gymnastics. By Year 5, they are using this knowledge to make a sequence of movements using a springboard and box. Pupils remember important knowledge as they move from one year to the next.

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Leaders give reading full priority and want every pupil to learn to read, regardless of their needs or abilities. Reading and phonics are taught well. By the end of Year 1, pupils achieve well in the national phonics screening. Staff choose texts and books carefully. They read aloud to pupils daily. Adults’ lively expression and enthusiasm are catching. Pupils learn and know a set of familiar stories inside out by the end of each year. Many pupils said that they enjoy reading.

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Pupils’ personal, social and emotional development is a particular strength of the school. Pupils develop a respect for other faiths and cultures. They take part in activities to develop their resilience and teamwork. The needs of pupils and families who may be vulnerable are identified and managed extremely well. Staff build strong partnerships with external agencies. They are quick to seek the right support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is an extremely strong culture of safeguarding in school. Pupils’ welfare and safety are of the utmost importance to all staff.

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Safeguarding

Staff have ensured that pupils have a very strong awareness of how to keep safe. The curriculum helps pupils to stay safe. Pupils can explain when it is not appropriate to share personal information online and why they must report any worries they have. 11–12 February 2020

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Staff are very well trained and understand that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility.

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Staff know their pupils and their families very well and take prompt action when they have concerns. This makes sure that families get the help they need.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The headteacher has accurately identified those leaders who are effectively developing their subject areas to have a positive impact on pupils’ achievements. Leaders should continue to ensure that this expertise is shared across the whole school to develop an effective curriculum in all subjects, leading to appropriate outcomes for all pupils.  The school’s curriculum is not yet sufficiently coherently planned and sequenced in some subjects. However, it is clear that leaders are already taking the actions needed to improve this. For this reason, the transition arrangement had been applied in this case.

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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. 11–12 February 2020

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School details

Website http://www.mandalemill.stockton.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1–2 November 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is below the national average. The proportion of pupils who receive support for their special educational needs is below the national average.  The school has a Nursery class and provides full- and part-time places. 11–12 February 2020

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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 looked closely at reading, mathematics, science, physical education and design and technology. This involved talking with senior leaders, meeting with subject leaders and teaching staff, talking with pupils and looking at pupils’ work. We also visited lessons with the headteacher and deputy headteacher and listened to pupils read.  We met with the headteacher, governors, including the chair of the governing body, local authority adviser, senior leaders, teachers, teaching assistants and non-teaching staff.  We met with pupils formally to gather their opinions and held informal discussions across both days of the inspection. We also took into account the 38 responses to the Ofsted online pupil survey.  We met with parents on the school playground. We also took into account the views of 46 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including free-text commentaries.  We considered the views of staff through the 32 responses to Ofsted’s survey and

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Information about this inspection

in face-to-face discussions.  We observed pupils’ behaviour in classrooms, moving around school and on the playground.  The school’s website and documentation were examined, including curriculum plans, SEND information, safeguarding information and behaviour and attendance logs.

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Inspection team

Anne Vernon, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Dent Ofsted Inspector 11–12 February 2020

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