South Milford Primary School

Inspection of a good school: South Milford Primary School Sand Lane, South Milford, Leeds, North Yorkshire LS25 5AU

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2022

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Outcome

South Milford Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at South Milford are cheerful and welcoming. They are keen to demonstrate the ways they are ‘shining together’. Pupils bring to life the school values of being kind and respectful, listening to others, keeping everyone safe and trying hard at everything they do. Their conduct is exemplary. Staff have high expectations. In lessons, pupils remain focused on their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils are keen to take on responsibilities around the school. For example, the ‘Shine’ leaders complete a training programme and wear their ‘Shine’ leader jackets with pride. They organise activities at social times for younger children. At breaktimes, pupils play a variety of active games together. There are places to relax with friends. Pupils have a strong understanding of bullying. They trust that adults in school will help them to resolve issues. Bullying is rare. Relationships between pupils are positive and are a strength of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are positive about the school. They feel that their children ‘couldn’t be happier’ and thrive at this school. Parents believe teachers care about their children and share an enthusiasm for learning with them.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about the things that pupils need to learn from a broad and balanced curriculum. They are ambitious for pupils to achieve their best. It is clear what leaders want pupils to know and remember in the long term. Teachers make sure that learning builds on what pupils already know.

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

Teachers have the subject expertise to present information clearly. They check pupils’ learning in lessons and quickly identify any misconceptions when they arise. Teachers adapt their lessons to ensure pupils have secured the knowledge they need before they move on in their learning. In mathematics, teachers regularly revisit previous topics to 18 and 19 October 2022

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check that pupils can recall important information. For example, in Year 6, pupils had time to recap on short division to build their confidence before moving on to long division.

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Pupils are excited about their learning. They respond positively to the way teachers bring learning to life. In science, pupils were keen to talk about the experiments they had completed. Pupils use subject vocabulary confidently and can give examples to show they understand what they have learned.

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Early reading is a high priority. Leaders have provided staff with the necessary training to deliver the phonics programme well. Leaders carry out regular checks on phonics teaching to ensure it is of a high quality. They have provided information for parents so they can help their children to read at home. Children in Reception start the phonics programme straight away. They can quickly recognise the letter sounds to help them to learn to read. Pupils practise using books matched to the sounds they know. Pupils read every day and enjoy sharing stories modelled by adults. They talk enthusiastically about characters and what happens in the books they have read. Pupils are excited about borrowing books from the school library so that they can read them at home. Leaders have ensured that support is in place to help pupils who are less confident with their reading. However, in some cases, weaker readers have not secured some of the phonics sounds they need to

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same curriculum as their peers. Leaders ensure that teachers quickly identify pupils’ needs so that the right support can be put in place. Leaders train teachers to identify why pupils may need support. Teachers provide support that meets pupils’ needs. This means that pupils with SEND make strong progress in the curriculum.

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There is a planned programme for personal development to ensure pupils are equipped for life in modern Britain. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to learn about different faiths and cultures. Pupils are curious about the artefacts they use related to the different religions they study. Pupils are aware of the protected characteristics and the need for equality and respect for all. All pupils learn about the importance of positive relationships and consent.

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Pupils place high value on the opportunities for leadership, such as the junior leadership team, the anti-bullying ambassadors and digital leaders. There are many opportunities for pupils to develop their talents in sports and performance. For instance, pupils participate in events such as sports tournaments and ‘young voices’, where they sing in a concert with pupils from other schools. Leaders provide regular opportunities for pupils to learn outside of school. For example, pupils visited a local power station to learn about electricity.

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Staff are proud of their strong staff team where everyone helps one another. Leaders prioritise staff’s well-being and regularly review ways to reduce workload. Staff feel that leaders are approachable and welcome the professional development opportunities provided. Trustees and governors provide support and ensure school leaders are held accountable for the developments in school. 18 and 19 October 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding is a high priority. Leaders, including trustees and governors, ensure staff have the training they need to be able to identify when pupils are at risk of harm. They are aware of the possible risks to pupils’ safety. There are robust procedures in place for staff to pass on their concerns. Leaders take swift action to ensure that pupils are safe and to get the help pupils may need. Leaders make appropriate referrals to external agencies when concerns arise.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are confident about the ways to keep themselves safe. This includes when accessing websites and apps online. They are taught to be vigilant, and know what to do if they have a concern.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teaching does not consistently enable weaker readers to develop secure phonics knowledge. This means that some pupils struggle to read well. Leaders should ensure that staff check the articulation of sounds carefully. This will help to reinforce phonics knowledge so that weaker readers can catch up quickly.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, South Milford Community Primary School, to be good in June 2015.

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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. 18 and 19 October 2022

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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. 18 and 19 October 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 South Milford Primary School converted to become an academy school with The STAR Multi-Academy Trust in June 2018. When its predecessor school, South Milford Community Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The headteacher is new to the school since the last inspection.  The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The school offers a breakfast and after-school club.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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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 leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector reviewed documents provided by the school, including the self-evaluation and development plans. 18 and 19 October 2022

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 The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and members of the local governing body.  The inspector reviewed safeguarding documentation and records for behaviour and attendance.  The inspector met with the chief education officer and the chair of the trust.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and science. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed curriculum plans with the subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke to some pupils about their learning.  The inspector heard pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour throughout the day, including at break and lunchtime.  The inspector talked to pupils about their school. There were no responses to the pupil survey.  The inspector considered the responses received from Ofsted’s staff questionnaire and

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met with staff who carried out different roles across the school.  The inspector reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, which included free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Louise Greatrex, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 October 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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