Myland Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Myland Community Primary School Mill Road, Mile End, Colchester, Essex CO4 5LD

p.1

Outcome

Myland Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

There is a lot of joy in this school. Pupils like being here, and there is a strong sense of purpose. Pupils are expected to work hard and behave well, and they do. There is also time for fun and laughter. Adults listen to what pupils have to say. Pupils are taught that they can and will succeed. Pupils aspire to be the best that they can be. They are happy and feel proud to be part of the school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have excellent relationships with the adults in the school. Staff are kind and approachable. Pupils feel that they can share any concerns that they may have with members of staff. As a result, they feel safe at the school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Bullying hardly ever happens. Even so, pupils are taught what to do if it does and they learn how to stay safe in different situations. Pupils are quick to welcome newcomers.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very eager to learn. They get excited by the interesting curriculum content. They read often and widely. Topics such as the Romans are rich in new knowledge.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

The strapline of: ‘Motivating young learners and nurturing dreams through: co-operation, responsibility, honesty, friendship, respect and perseverance’ is at the heart of this school.

p.1

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

There is a relaxed but purposeful atmosphere in this school. Pupils enjoy lessons, work hard and achieve well. Pupils focus on their learning well. Their conduct and behaviour are impeccable, and their attendance is high.

p.1

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have created an ethos in the school where pupils are respectful of views, opinions and beliefs that may be different from their own. The curriculum provides opportunities to learn about different cultures. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern 26–27 February 2020

p.1

2

Britain. Older pupils have a range of responsibilities. Pupils take care of one another and take their responsibilities seriously. These pupils are effective role models.

p.2

2

Leaders are constantly seeking to improve the quality of education. A programme to review the curriculum is well under way. The curriculum is increasingly rich and vibrant in subjects such as art and history. Leaders know some subjects, such as music, will need further development. They are supporting teachers with their planning and considering the workload of staff sensitively.

p.2

2

Reading is at the heart of the school and the school’s curriculum. Staff help pupils to develop a love of reading and encourage pupils to read regularly. Teachers read well- chosen books to their classes. Pupils enjoy the class stories and their personal reading. There are effective arrangements to support pupils to catch up if they find reading difficult. In early years, phonics teaching starts at the earliest opportunity. Staff deliver the phonics programme consistently well across early years and Year 1 to develop pupils’ phonics skills. As they progress through key stage 2, pupils become fluent and expressive readers.

p.2

2

Teachers have good subject knowledge of what they are teaching, and, in most subjects, pupils remember well what they have learned, for example in history and science. Teachers develop pupils’ skills as artists well, such as how to print with different materials to a high standard. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive extra help, often with specialist input.

p.2

2

The quality of education is also good in the early years. The Reception classrooms are vibrant. Children have a wealth of carefully planned activities available. They become engrossed in activities that develop their grasp of letters and numbers. There is plenty to stimulate their curiosity of the world. During the inspection, children were learning about the work of Van Gogh and making their own versions of ‘The Starry Night’.

p.2

2

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum extends far beyond the academic. Pupils are taught about personal safety, including staying safe online. The work of the nurture group is effective in its aims to raise pupils’ confidence, self-esteem and communication skills.

p.2

2

There was a high response to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, with parents and carers making many positive comments. Pupils too had plenty of good things to say. They value their work and say that behaviour is good at their school.

p.2

2

The work of additional adults in the classroom is effective. They support the teachers extremely well and are quick to help and offer guidance to the pupils that they are working with. Leaders acknowledge that the support staff are a real asset to the school. However, a small group of support staff do not feel valued, because they feel that they have not had effective training to improve their ability to support pupils further.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 26–27 February 2020

p.2

3

Staff training for safeguarding is up to date. Staff refer any concerns that pupils may be at risk of harm promptly. When necessary, leaders work with a range of agencies to ensure that pupils and their families get the help they need.

p.3

3

All members of staff appreciate the need to keep pupils safe. There are well-understood procedures for reporting concerns. Leaders keep detailed records of these concerns and are quick to act when it is needed. The school knows the community well and works effectively with families to resolve any issues. Leaders and governors make checks and record them to show that adults who work with pupils are safe to do so.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Despite leaders setting ambitious plans for the curriculum, these plans are not yet fully implemented. Pupils are not yet experiencing a curriculum that consistently builds upon prior learning and deepens their knowledge, understanding and skills. Leaders should continue to implement their plans, so that pupils benefit from an ambitious, broad and well-sequenced curriculum.  A small group of support staff feel undervalued, because their continuous professional development is not always considered and they feel deskilled. These staff are not well motivated and they feel they are not working as effectively as they might. Leaders and governors should work to improve the relationships between themselves and support staff in order to strengthen the quality of the workforce as well as increase the morale of this group of staff.

p.3

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good/standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

p.3

Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in April 2016.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

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. 26–27 February 2020

p.3

4

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

p.4

4

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

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 26–27 February 2020

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10121439 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 27–28 April 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 Myland Community Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  There have been no significant changes since the last inspection.   The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils who receive support for their special educational needs is lower than average.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 During the inspection, I carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics and art. In these subjects, I visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work, examined teachers’ plans, heard pupils read and talked with pupils and staff about the way the subjects were planned and taught. I also looked at a few other subjects in less detail to check how they were organised and taught.  I examined external performance data about the school and looked at school documents. These included information about attendance, the school curriculum and improvement planning. I also checked the school’s website. 26–27 February 2020

p.5

6

 I asked pupils, staff, leaders and governors about safeguarding arrangements. I examined the record of employment checks on school staff and looked at other school records. I also found out about safety procedures and routines at the school.  I watched pupils’ behaviour in class, at lunch, on the playground and at other times during the day.  During the inspection, I had formal meetings with the headteacher, the school’s three assistant headteachers, the special needs co-ordinator, subject leaders, governors, a representative from the local authority, teachers and pupils. I also talked informally with pupils and staff to gather general information about school life.  By the end of the inspection, there were 79 recent responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire Parent View and 77 free-text comments. I considered these and looked at the 31 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for staff.

p.6

Inspection team

Joseph Figg, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 26–27 February 2020

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7