Millbrook Park Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Millbrook Park Primary School School House Lane, London, NW7 1JF

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Inspection dates: 15 and 16 November 2022

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Outcome

Millbrook Park Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy coming to school every day. Pupils are proud of their school community. They thrive in an environment where they feel valued as individuals.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s inclusive ethos helps everyone to feel welcome. Leaders have high expectations for all, including those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff work together to ensure they get the best outcomes for every pupil. Leaders take pupils’ pastoral care seriously. Staff ensure that pupils develop in confidence and are ready for the next stages of education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in class. They play together cooperatively during breaktimes. Staff encourage pupils to understand the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. If bullying incidents occur, adults deal with them swiftly. Pupils are safe here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders offer a wide range of extra-curricular clubs, such as chess, choir, drama and Spanish. These help to encourage pupils to develop their own interests. Pupils have many opportunities to help others, such as being peer mentors and serving on the school council. Children in the early years are taught about the importance of helping others, including looking after the school guinea pigs.

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

Leaders show commitment to encouraging pupils to become lifelong learners. Leaders have put in place an ambitious curriculum. Children leave the Reception Year very well prepared for future learning in Year 1 and beyond. Typically, leaders’ curricular thinking enables pupils to build on knowledge sequentially over time. For example, in mathematics, pupils have accurate calculation strategies that help them to solve different problems. Children in early years build strong knowledge and understanding in counting, measuring and understanding about shapes. However, staff’s confidence and subject knowledge is not as strong in a few subjects. In these subjects, teaching does not build securely on pupils’ prior learning. This leads to gaps in pupils’ understanding. 15 and 16 November 2022

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In many subjects, such as art and history, pupils build secure knowledge and understanding. Children in the early years know how to mix using primary colours. Pupils build on these strong foundations in art to understand about tones, shading and water colours as they progress through the school. In history, Year 6 pupils understood about World War Two and its impact on the local area. However, in some subjects, teaching does not routinely check what pupils have remembered as well as in other subjects. As a result, in these subjects, pupils do not develop their subject-specific understanding securely.

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Leaders and staff work closely to identify any pupils who might need extra help, including those with SEND. They ensure that pupils with SEND receive timely and appropriate support. These pupils have effective support from knowledgeable staff, who meet their needs well.

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Pupils are polite and respectful to adults. In early years, children are taught to follow routines and instructions. They use and share equipment sensibly. Teachers ensure that lessons are not affected by low-level disruption.

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Reading is treated as a high priority. Leaders ensure that staff are well trained. They support pupils to become fluent and accurate readers from an early age. Phonics teaching is introduced to children from the start of Nursery. Leaders use pupils’ assessment information rigorously to identify and support pupils who need to catch up. Books that pupils read are closely matched to the sounds they know. Pupils take great delight in talking about their favourite books. They enjoy regular visits to the school by writers and reading patrons. Pupils read a wide range of high-quality texts by different authors.

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Leaders cater exceptionally well for pupils’ enrichment experiences. Visits and opportunities to learn about the world around them are planned in detail for all pupils. For example, Year 3 visited the local church and graveyard. The school uses its woodland areas on a daily basis to help young children and pupils to learn about and respect the environment.

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Staff are positive about leaders’ consideration for their workload and well-being. The trustees and local governing body are well informed and committed to the development of the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel well cared for at school. They are taught to understand and respond to different risks, including when online. Pupils know what to do if they feel uneasy about online communications or while using social media.

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Safeguarding

All staff receive regular and up-to-date safeguarding training. Leaders act swiftly and appropriately to keep pupils safe from harm. They know how to identify and report any 15 and 16 November 2022

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concerns about pupils’ welfare. Leaders, including members of the governing body, carry out their responsibilities effectively to keep pupils safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, staff have varying levels of subject knowledge and confidence. This leads to inconsistencies in how well staff implement the curriculum and does not consistently build on what pupils learned previously. Leaders need to develop staff subject expertise across all subjects. They should help subject leaders to improve their support and guidance to teachers to enable pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding over time.  In a few subjects, teaching does not routinely identify and address any gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding. As a result, sometimes, pupils struggle to develop their subject-specific knowledge and understanding. Subject leaders should ensure that all teachers use pupils’ assessment information accurately to clarify misconceptions and secure their understanding.

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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 school to be good in 7–8 June 2017.

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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. 15 and 16 November 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. 15 and 16 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10240343 Type of school Primary

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School details

Headteacher Olivia Claxton Tracy Styman (acting co-headteachers) Website millbrookparkschool.ldbsact.org

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7 and 8 June 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Millbrook Park Primary School is part of the London Diocese Board for Schools Academies Trust (LAT).  The previous headteacher left the school at the end of the previous academic year. Two acting co-headteachers were appointed in September 2022.  A new substantive headteacher has been appointed and takes up post in January 2023.  The most recent section 48 inspection, which is an inspection of the school’s religious character, took place in March 2017.  The school uses no alternative providers.

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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 and has taken that into account in his evaluation.  The inspector met with the acting co-headteachers, and other leaders, including subject leaders. The inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of the local governing body. He also met with a representative of the London 15 and 16 November 2022

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Diocesan Board. The inspector spoke to the chief executive officer of the multi- academy trust to which the school belongs.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, considered the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector considered the curriculum in other subjects.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of documentation related to safeguarding. This included the single central record of pre-employment checks.  The inspector considered the views of parents, pupils and staff, including through responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Sean Flood, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 November 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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