Mayflower Primary School

Inspection of Mayflower Primary School Evington Drive, Leicester, Leicestershire LE5 5PH

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 8 and 9 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Mayflower Primary School is a happy school. Everyone is made to feel welcome here. As the school day begins, pupils are greeted cheerfully by their teachers. Pupils talk about their school with affection. They like their teachers and hold their school leaders in high regard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All of the adults in school have high expectations of how pupils should behave. Pupils live up to these expectations. In lessons, they listen carefully and work hard. At playtimes and lunchtimes, their good behaviour continues. The school is a harmonious place in which to work and play.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school. They are clear about what bullying is but do not really worry about it. Pupils are confident that an adult in school will listen if they ever feel that they are being bullied, and make it stop.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious that pupils will make a positive difference in their school and local community. Pupils also learn about their rights and responsibilities as global citizens. Nevertheless, leaders have not ensured that the curriculum for all subjects is sequenced as well as it could be, and are not checking closely enough how well pupils are recalling what has been taught.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are delighted with the work of the school. They appreciate the efforts that leaders make to include them in their children’s education. Parents recognise the high level of care and support each pupil is given.

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better?

While pupils learn a broad range of subjects, leaders have not ensured that the quality of education is good across the curriculum. Curriculum plans have been written for all subjects. These plans identify the end points that pupils need to reach. However, many curriculum plans do not break this down into the small steps of learning that pupils need to make in order to reach the end points. Leaders have not thought carefully enough about the order in which pupils learn new knowledge.

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better?

Not all subject leaders have a strong overview of the subject they lead. Some subject leaders have not been given the time or opportunity to develop their subject fully. Others do not have the skills they need to lead a subject effectively. Subject leaders do not know if teachers are expertly delivering the curriculum or how well pupils are remembering key learning.

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better?

Many teachers have good subject knowledge and communicate new learning effectively. In history, Year 4 pupils retain important knowledge about the Romans. They discuss how the Roman army was successful because they were well trained and had good battle tactics. In Year 5, pupils use their knowledge of World War II to order the events that led to ‘Kindertransport’. 8 and 9 November 2022

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Leaders are ambitious that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are included in all aspects of school life. However, in lessons, pupils with SEND do not consistently get the help they need to access the curriculum. The support they are given is not always successful in supporting them to achieve the intended learning.

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The early years curriculum has been designed to prepare children well for the next stage in their education. The topics chosen engage and excite them as they learn. Children access a wide range of age-appropriate activities. They develop curiosity about the world. For example, children observe what happens as a pumpkin rots over a period of time. They are enthusiastic about finding sticks to make a kite.

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Early reading is taught systematically. Staff deliver phonics lessons with confidence and precision. They check that pupils remember new sounds. Pupils who need it get extra help to keep up. The books pupils read are matched closely to the sounds they know. Pupils who are at the earliest stage of reading are confident to read aloud. Children in the early years do not start to learn phonics quickly enough. They do not start to use phonics to read and write as early as they could.

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Leaders prioritise pupils’ personal development. Pupils develop positive attitudes to all aspects of school life. They embrace the opportunities they are given to take on additional responsibilities. For example, pupils can stand to be elected as ‘young consultants’ or volunteer to lead a club for their peers. The curriculum is enhanced through visits and visitors to school. For example, pupils recently had a visit from the great-grandson of a suffragette. Pupils have a well-developed understanding of equality. They are adamant that everyone deserves to be treated with respect.

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Governors are committed to the school and the pupils. They have worked hard to ensure that they have the skills they need to hold leaders to account. Staff are proud to work at the school. They all agree that leaders consider their well-being and workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders regard safeguarding pupils as having the utmost importance in the school. They are determined that no pupil should be left exposed to harm. Staff are trained to spot the signs that a pupil may be at risk. They report their concerns without delay. Records of concerns are detailed. Appropriate action is taken to ensure that pupils and families are given the help they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe. They have a number of different ways of letting an adult in school know if they are worried or upset. 8 and 9 November 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have not designed a well-thought-out curriculum. The key knowledge that pupils need to know and remember is not precisely identified or sequenced. Teachers decide for themselves what pupils need to learn in order to reach the identified end points. Leaders should ensure that all curriculum plans are complete and sequenced to ensure that pupils’ knowledge builds over time.  Many subject curriculum leaders do not lead their subjects strategically or with confidence. They do not have a clear overview of their subject and are not always well equipped to offer support to colleagues. Leaders should ensure that subject leaders have the skills and time to develop a curriculum that will support pupils to know and remember more, and to systematically check how well teachers are delivering the intended curriculum.  Children in the early years do not start to learn phonics quickly enough. They do

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

not learn to read as early as they could. Leaders should ensure that pupils get off to a prompt start when learning phonics.  Pupils with SEND are not consistently provided with the support they need in lessons. Leaders do not routinely ensure that the curriculum is designed and implemented so that pupils with SEND know and remember more. As a result, pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that a clear strategy is developed and communicated effectively to all staff, to ensure that every identified pupil with SEND gets the help that they need.

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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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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. 8 and 9 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10242223 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 September 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school provides an on-site breakfast club.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) carried out this graded 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders. This included the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator.  The lead inspector met with four members of the governing body, including the chair and vice-chair of the governing body. She also held a telephone call with a representative from the local authority. 8 and 9 November 2022

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in six subjects: early reading, English, mathematics, history, modern foreign language, and design and technology. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils from the lessons visited and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To inspect safeguarding, the lead inspector met with safeguarding leaders and reviewed a range of documentation relating to this aspect of the school’s work. Inspectors also spoke to staff about the school’s arrangements for keeping pupils safe, and to pupils about how safe they feel in school.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around the school and at playtime and lunchtime.  Inspectors reviewed the school’s website. They also looked at a range of documentation provided by the school, including the school improvement plan, school policies, SEND records and documents relating to the work of the

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governing body.  Inspectors considered the views of parents about the school through responses to Ofsted Parent View and free-text service. They spoke to parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors reviewed responses to the staff and pupil online surveys, and spoke to groups of pupils and staff to gather their views about the school.

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Inspection team

Caroline Poole, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Steve Tague Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 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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