Old Mill Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Old Mill Primary School Station Road, Broughton Astley, Leicester, Leicestershire LE9 6PT

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Inspection dates: 9 and 10 November 2021

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Outcome

Old Mill Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils speak highly of their fun school and ‘lovely’ teachers. They are proud to use their ‘character muscles’, such as resilience and respect, to succeed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic readers and mathematicians. All pupils enjoy learning important facts in subjects. They say that ‘Flashback Four’ and quizzes help them to remember important knowledge. For instance, older pupils recalled the importance of the Treaty of Versailles at the end of World War I. Leaders are ambitious for every pupil. Expectations are high and pupils achieve well. Pupils like to work hard. In some subjects, pupils do not always receive the demanding work they are capable of, including in history.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They enjoy earning house points for being kind and doing excellent work. Pupils get on well with each other. They enjoy ping-pong, team games and chatting with friends at playtimes. Pupils say bullying rarely happens. They know what bullying is and are in no doubt: ‘It isn’t tolerated here.’ They trust all adults to help them sort out any worries fairly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and pupils appreciate the support provided by staff. Parents know their children feel happy and safe. Opportunities to promote pupils’ emotional and physical well-being are well-considered. Parents are thankful for the support provided by the school during national lockdowns. ‘Wellness Wednesdays’ were a distinctive weekly feature.

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

Leaders and staff strive to provide every pupil with a good education. Leaders have reviewed the curriculum over the last three years and made many changes. Leaders have set out the important knowledge they want pupils to know for all subjects. This is built upon over time. Teachers regularly revisit and check what pupils remember and understand. This enables them to plan next steps and identify any extra support which pupils may need. 9 and 10 November 2021

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Leaders put reading first. Leaders have ensured phonics is taught well from the start. The books that pupils are given to read match their reading abilities. Pupils read with fluency and confidence. Pupils who are falling behind receive the right support so that they can catch up. Staff promote a love of reading and books throughout the school. Leaders ensure that high- quality reading books are carefully selected to match interesting topics across the curriculum. Pupils can put themselves in the shoes of characters in the books they read, promoting their social and moral development. Teachers read to pupils every day to expand their vocabulary as pupils acquire more knowledge.

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The mathematics curriculum is strong. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They make sure that pupils build up their knowledge in a systematic way. Teachers quickly spot and unpick any misconceptions. Pupils relish thinking hard about demanding tasks in mathematics. Pupils can describe the operations and steps to solve complex problems. They can explain how they re-evaluate what they know when they need to use different approaches.

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Teachers ensure pupils learn and revisit important knowledge and concepts across all subjects. For instance, in history, there is a clear focus on developing pupils’ understanding of chronology. Pupils can explain why weapons used in battles change over time. However, teachers do not regularly show pupils how to think through pertinent problems in some subjects like they do in maths. In these subjects, including history, teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to use the knowledge they have gained in their learning.

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All pupils follow a broad curriculum. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities have access to the same curriculum as other pupils. Teachers adapt their plans to ensure that these pupils keep up. Teachers quickly spot when pupils need more support. Leaders make sure this is put in place.

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Leaders want to bring learning to life and give pupils valuable experiences. For example, pupils enjoy residential trips, going to historical sites and learning in the woodland area. Pupils’ mental and physical well-being is given high priority. Pupils know the importance of respect, including of different beliefs. They are well prepared for each next step. Year 6 pupils are confident they will be ready for secondary school. However, they want to savour their last months here, especially after recent lockdowns. They enjoy taking on responsibilities around the school.

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Children quickly settle into the Reception classes. Relationships are very positive between children and adults. Leaders provide an engaging environment inside and outside the classroom. Children enjoy interesting activities and learn lots of new vocabulary. Leaders have set out how learning in Reception connects with learning that pupils encounter as they move through the school. Children encounter learning through studying a wide range of topics. Leaders have not yet fully identified the core knowledge and skills that children develop through studying these topics to prepare them best for their future learning.

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Trustees and governors know the school well. The trust representative told the inspector: ‘We grow our own.’ Many staff have progressed and taken on more responsibility. Staff work closely with colleagues across the trust. They value the training and opportunities they receive. 9 and 10 November 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

All staff know safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Leaders’ records show they are determined to get the right support for vulnerable pupils. Leaders work well with other agencies.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive regular training. They share information quickly because the smallest concern could be important. Staff are tenacious in following up concerns to make sure children receive the right support.

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Safeguarding

Pupils say they feel safe at school and respected by their peers. They know they can share any worries they may have. Teachers teach pupils how to keep safe, including online safety and awareness of harmful sexual behaviour. Pupils are alert to the risks and benefits of the online world.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, including history, pupils do not achieve as highly as they could. Teachers do not routinely give pupils the demanding subject work they are capable of. Leaders should make sure pupils are given demanding subject work, so they can achieve consistently well in all subjects.  Children in Reception learn about many interesting topics. Leaders have not yet fully identified the important knowledge and skills that they wish children to learn and develop through studying these topics. As a result, it is not always clear how the topics children study are developing the core knowledge and skills they need as they move into key stage 1. Leaders should ensure that plans for learning in the early years identify the core knowledge and skills children should develop across the full range of subjects, to best prepare them for their future learning.

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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 outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately. 9 and 10 November 2021

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This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, of the same name, to be good in September 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 9 and 10 November 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The board of trustees

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Symphony Learning Trust on 1 September 2017.  The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher and other leaders, including the coordinator for special educational needs and/or disabilities.  The inspector met with the chief executive officer, and the director of primaries of the multi-academy trust, the chair of trustees, the link trustee, and the chair of the local governing body.  The inspector considered a range of documents, including school policies. 9 and 10 November 2021

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. She met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and met with pupils. She listened to pupils reading to adults. She considered curriculum plans and scrutinised samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects.  The inspector met with groups of pupils. She visited the breakfast club and the playground at lunchtime.  The single central record was scrutinised as part of the inspection of safeguarding. The inspector spoke with a range of staff and pupils and considered records which the school keeps.  The inspector spoke with parents and carers at the start of the school day. She considered the 65 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including the 64 responses to the free-text facility. She also considered the 26 responses to Ofsted’s

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staff survey and 30 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Mandy Wilding, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 November 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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