Melton Primary School

Inspection of Melton Primary School Melton Road, Melton, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 1PG

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Inspection dates: 29 and 30 September 2021

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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 Good 29 and 30 September 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Melton Primary are enthusiastic learners. They benefit from a curriculum that excites their interests and extends their knowledge across a broad range of subjects. Pupils are achieving well and are well prepared for their next stage of education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities that are available, including sports and music. Pupils enjoy gardening, cooking and learning yoga. From the moment they join the school, pupils develop their understanding of the world, and their responsibilities towards themselves and to others. Pupils easily demonstrate the school’s values. They learn to understand and respect those who have different backgrounds or attitudes to themselves.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They are thoughtful and considerate of others. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive. Pupils know that adults care about them. Pupils’ well-being is a priority as well as their achievement. Pupils develop strategies that help them overcome challenges they may face. Bullying is rare. If it does happen, then adults deal very promptly with incidents. Pupils are confident that adults listen to their concerns and help resolve any worries they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents are very positive about the school. They appreciate the caring approach of staff and the ‘well-rounded’ education their children receive.

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better?

Leaders have carefully considered the knowledge and understanding that pupils should develop in each subject so that they can achieve well. The curriculum for early reading and mathematics is well established. Teachers plan lessons that enable pupils to build on what they have learned before. In mathematics, pupils are developing fluency in calculations. Teachers check that pupils’ understanding is secure before they move on to new learning.

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better?

There is a clear and systematic approach to teaching synthetic phonics. Daily phonics sessions enable pupils to practise and secure their phonics knowledge. Leaders choose books for pupils to read that are well matched to the phonics they are learning. Less fluent readers have regular reading support to help them catch up. Staff are most effective when they support pupils to apply their phonics knowledge to help them read. Leaders recognise there is more work to do to check that the additional reading support that adults deliver is consistent and of high quality across the school. This is so that pupils can develop their independence and confidence as readers and catch up quickly when needed.

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better?

In the early years, children practise their skills in listening and speaking through songs, games and practical activities. They learn new routines quickly and are settled into school life. In the Reception class, children are taught how to form their 29 and 30 September 2021

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letters correctly in writing. They also develop their mathematical understanding quickly and well. However, adults do not have the same insistence on pupils developing their fluency in handwriting as they progress through the school. This results in older pupils not having the skills they need to write clearly and legibly.

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Where staff are confident in their subject knowledge, pupils achieve very well. In history, for example, pupils ask questions and make comparisons well. Pupils recall historical facts accurately and develop a strong sense of chronology. Older pupils explain that through history we can learn from the mistakes of the past to make better choices for the future. The curriculum also supports pupils to make connections in their learning. For example, in science, pupils explain how understanding the porousness of materials is important to the construction industry. Staff receive training and guidance to help them develop the knowledge they need to teach the curriculum well. Staff are still developing their confidence in teaching some aspects of the curriculum, such as composition in music and scientific enquiry.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. Staff are well informed about how best to support pupils’ individual needs. Teachers make appropriate adjustments to the curriculum so that pupils with SEND learn well alongside their peers.

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Leaders promote a love of reading. Class readers are carefully chosen to engage pupils’ interests and extend pupils’ knowledge of the subjects they are studying. Stories help pupils deepen their understanding of what it was like to live in the past. Pupils discuss and develop their knowledge of how characters in texts might be feeling, or why characters have chosen to act in a particular way. They use this knowledge to understand their own and others’ emotions. Pupils can talk about this in a mature way.

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Leaders’ focus on promoting positive mental health and well-being has increased since the pandemic. Pupils are learning techniques that help them manage their emotions. Staff work well with pupils to help them resolve disagreements or worries.

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Governors are well informed. Governors assure themselves through regular visits, and by talking with staff and pupils, that leaders’ work to improve the school is making a positive difference for all pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. Staff are knowledgeable about the signs of potential abuse. All staff receive regular training. This keeps safeguarding at the forefront of everyone’s mind. Staff are vigilant. They are confident in the school’s procedures for reporting safeguarding concerns, which leaders follow up promptly. The processes for checking the suitability of staff who work in the school are robust. Pupils learn how to keep themselves and others safe, including online. Families are supported well to access the help they need. 29 and 30 September 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Although staff are well trained in phonics, support for weaker readers is not carried out consistently well across the school. This means that some pupils who receive additional support for their reading do not catch up as quickly as they could. Leaders should refine their guidance for staff who are supporting weaker readers so that these pupils regularly practise and apply their phonics knowledge when they are reading aloud to an adult in school.  Staff receive guidance and support to develop their knowledge in areas where they lack subject expertise. Staff are still developing their subject knowledge and confidence in some areas. Leaders should ensure through their regular monitoring that the curriculum is implemented consistently well in all subjects to enable the best possible outcomes for pupils across the curriculum. This includes developing pupils’ fluency in handwriting.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 29 and 30 September 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10199549 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 23 and 24 September 2015, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher and two new assistant headteachers have been appointed.  There is a new chair of governors and members of the governing body.  Children were admitted to the new nursery class in September 2021.  There is an on-site breakfast club and after-school club, which are run by the governing body.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation. 29 and 30 September 2021

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and senior leaders, including the SENCo. We also met with the chair of governors together with members of the governing body. We spoke with a representative from the local authority on the telephone.  We carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science and history. This included meeting with subject leaders, with teachers, visiting lessons, talking with pupils, and looking at pupils’ work.  We looked at the school’s single central record of pre-employment checks. We reviewed the school’s procedures for reporting, recording and following up safeguarding concerns. We looked at the procedures in place to tackle bullying. We looked at records of bullying and behaviour incidents.  We observed pupils at playtime and around the school. We talked with pupils and with staff about the procedures that are in place to manage pupils’ behaviour and prevent bullying. We also considered pupils’ attendance.

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 We reviewed the 61 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online parents’ survey, including 25 free-text comments. We spoke with parents at the start of the school day. We considered the 31 responses to the pupils’ survey and feedback received through the staff’s survey from 23 members of staff.

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Inspection team

Katherine Douglas, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Charlie Fordham Her Majesty’s Inspector 29 and 30 September 2021

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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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