Milton Primary Academy

Inspection of Milton Primary Academy Leek Road, Milton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST2 7AF

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 January 2022

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 25 and 26 January 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ vision is to create a safe, stimulating environment, ringing with the sound of children’s laughter. Pupils enjoy coming to school because staff create such an environment for them. The school has a pleasant atmosphere. Pupils trust and respect their teachers. They get on well with each other and feel safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff want pupils to enjoy learning and to be successful. ‘Together we achieve our best’, is the school motto. The curriculum prepares pupils well for secondary education. It offers a wide range of opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their lessons and behave well in class. They play well with each other at break and lunchtime. They have lots of equipment to play with in the playground. Staff supervise pupils well and make sure that the playground is safe. Pupils know that bullying is not acceptable. They said that it is not a problem at the school. They know that adults in the school would deal with it well if it happened.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Many parents appreciate the school’s community spirit and how it has supported pupils through the COVID-19 pandemic.

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better?

Leaders and teachers have designed a curriculum that helps pupils progress well through the years. In the Nursery and Reception classes, staff prepare children step by step for learning in key stage 1. Teachers support children’s language development. They make sure that children have the numeracy and literacy skills they need to have a successful start in Year 1. In key stages 1 and 2, pupils study all the national curriculum subjects. The curriculum also supports their personal development.

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better?

The way teachers plan lessons helps pupils remember what they learn. In science, for example, teachers make sure that pupils can make the link with previous learning when they start a new topic. In history, pupils visit places related to the topics they are learning. Pupils find lessons interesting. They behave well in class and work well on their own and in groups to complete the tasks teachers give them. They make good progress.

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better?

In all subjects, teachers have set ways to check pupils’ progress. In most subjects, these systems work well. But in a few subjects, the way teachers check pupils’ progress in lessons is not precise enough. This means that teachers do not always know how well pupils are learning.

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better?

Leaders have made reading a top priority for the school. In Nursery, staff focus on developing children’s vocabulary and their interest in books and stories. Staff teach phonics from the start in the Reception class. They make sure that children who find 25 and 26 January 2022

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reading difficult get support. Extra phonics sessions help those children to keep up with others. The school has introduced a new phonics scheme to ensure that all pupils are fluent readers by the end of Year 2. Staff are enthusiastic about the new scheme, and children respond well to it. Teachers read stories to their class at the end of the day. The school encourages parents to ensure that their children read every day at home.

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The personal development of pupils is at the heart of the school’s curriculum. Pupils learn about people’s rights and responsibilities in society. They experience what democracy means through the school’s pupil parliament. They learn about different cultures and faiths. Staff teach pupils about career choices and encourage them to think about their future. The school runs 20 different clubs, including creative writing, singing, recorder and running. Participation in these clubs is high, and rising. Pupils can also represent the school in different sports. Pupils said that the many trips and visits they do help them with their learning.

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Leaders and staff make sure that all the pupils can progress to the best of their ability and enjoy all aspects of the school life. They support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. The special educational needs coordinator works with staff to identify the best ways to support pupils with SEND. Together they adapt materials for lessons, make activities accessible and organise individual support.

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Staff value the way leaders work with them. They appreciate that leaders listen to their views and ensure that their workload is manageable.

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Trustees provide effective governance for the school. They know the school well, and make sure that pupils and staff benefit from the collaboration between the schools that are part of the trust.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that staff receive effective training and remain vigilant. All members of staff know what they need to do when they have concerns about children. Leaders are determined and efficient when dealing with external agencies and families to protect children.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and trustees know how to deal with concerns about staff. They are trained in safe recruitment.

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Safeguarding

Staff teach pupils how to manage risks, including when they use social media and the internet. They also teach them about respecting each other and avoiding inappropriate behaviours and abusive language. 25 and 26 January 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are inconsistencies in the way teachers assess the progress of pupils in some subjects. This means that, at times, learning is not adapted in the light of classroom assessments, and pupils do not make as much progress as they could. Leaders should ensure that staff are confident about using appropriate assessment to check what pupils know and remember, and then adapting learning as appropriate.

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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. 25 and 26 January 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10212198 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Milton Primary Academy converted to become an academy as part of the Learning Village Academy Trust in September 2017. When its predecessor school, Milton Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall.  The headteacher was appointed as head of academy in January 2020, and as substantive headteacher in September 2021.

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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. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, who is also designated safeguarding lead (DSL), the assistant headteachers and the special educational needs coordinator. The lead inspector spoke with the chair of trustees, another member of the board of trustees and the chief executive of the multi-academy trust. 25 and 26 January 2022

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, science, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors checked safeguarding arrangements and school records. The inspectors discussed safeguarding policies and case studies with the DSL. They talked to teachers and other staff about the safeguarding training they had received and how they put this training into practice.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaks and lunchtimes, and talked to parents at the start and end of the school day.  The inspectors considered responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online inspection questionnaire, including written responses. They also considered responses from staff and pupils to their online inspection questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Patrick Amieli, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Eve Morris Her Majesty’s Inspector 25 and 26 January 2022

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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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