Mayfield Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Mayfield Primary School Warwick Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB4 3HN

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Outcome

Mayfield Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this large, diverse primary school are happy and safe. Pupils from the on-site deaf support centre are well integrated into school life. Other pupils benefit from their inclusion, including by learning some signing (British Sign Language) and the appreciation of diversity. There is a strong feeling of teamwork among staff, pupils and parents.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the varied learning opportunities provided for them. The local environment, including museums and university facilities, is used regularly to supplement and reinforce learning in the classroom. Outdoor learning opportunities are included for all. Pupils appreciate this variety, which helps them to understand what they have been taught. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school’s wide enrichment offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well. Staff have high expectations for pupils, particularly those needing additional support. Pupils benefit from an ambitious curriculum, although in a few subjects the work provided does not always closely match their needs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in and around the school. They work well together and support one another. Pupils are tolerant and accepting of individual needs. Relationships between adults and pupils are respectful and supportive.

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

Leaders have embedded a well-planned curriculum, which is led by knowledgeable and skilled subject leaders. Teachers are well trained in the subjects they teach. This ensures they provide the appropriate resources that help pupils to remember what they have been taught. For example, in mathematics, fluency and mastery are practised. Mathematics vocabulary is promoted at every opportunity. A topic-based approach to other subjects, such as history, maintains and develops pupils’ interests and engagement. 21 and 22 March 2023

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These topics build on pupils’ prior learning and make effective links between subjects that help pupils develop a sound understanding.

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In the main, assessment is used well to establish what pupils already know and can do. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, teachers are not aware of pupils’ specific starting points. When this happens, pupils do not move on to learning more challenging content or knowledge when they are ready to do so. Sometimes, pupils must wait for others to catch up before moving on to learn more-complex concepts. This means pupils sometimes do not learn the most ambitious aspects of the curriculum when they should.

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Children make a strong start in the early years. Adults carefully plan engaging activities that develop children’s curiosity and independence. Adults are knowledgeable in choosing the best methods to ensure children are well prepared for key stage 1. The extensive outdoor area is well designed and used effectively to make sure that children enjoy and engage well with learning.

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Reading has a strong focus at Mayfield. Phonics is taught daily. Children in Reception learn the basics needed for reading well. Phonics and early reading continue in Year 1 and beyond until pupils are confident and fluent readers. Any pupil falling behind and needing extra support is quickly identified and gets skilled, daily interventions. This ensures that they catch up quickly. Reading for pleasure is promoted. High-quality texts are widely available in ‘reading spines’ chosen for each year group.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified early, supported appropriately, and achieve well. Pupils with SEND learn the full curriculum. Teachers adapt learning appropriately to support pupils with SEND when this is needed. Pupils with SEND are fully included in all activities.

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Leaders have established a calm and orderly environment. Pupils’ behaviour is good, both in lessons and at breaktimes. Routines and expectations are well established, starting in the early years. Low-level disruption is rare and dealt with quickly when it happens. Pupils know and understand what bullying is and know how to respond or escalate concerns when necessary. They are confident that adults will listen and support them.

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Beyond the taught curriculum, a broad range of opportunities are provided for all. These include sporting, musical, cultural and community clubs, and residential projects. Pupils speak animatedly about these activities, such as a visit to King’s College Chapel to hear the choir rehearse, and a research project working with a university. These activities are well attended and broaden pupils’ horizons.

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Leaders consider staff workload carefully. Leaders listen to and act on staff views. There is a strong team ethos exemplified by one staff member who said, ‘We are all equal – all in it together.’ 21 and 22 March 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are vigilant and swift to identify pupils at risk of harm. They are confident to follow the school’s policies and procedures. Child protection is led by a knowledgeable team of leaders who know their pupils and families well. Leaders liaise effectively with other safeguarding agencies and partners where necessary.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors ensure that safe recruitment practices and robust record-keeping are in place. Leaders’ and governors’ rigorous monitoring of systems ensure pupils are kept safe. They ensure policies and procedures follow the latest guidance. Pupils learn about keeping safe, including when online, and where to seek help if needed.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Occasionally, teachers do not use assessment to identify when pupils are ready to learn more-complex knowledge or challenging content. This means some pupils who demonstrate secure prior knowledge are not able to extend their learning when they are ready to do so, which slows their progress. Leaders need to ensure that staff use assessment effectively to support all pupils to move on to learn more ambitious content as soon as they are ready to do so.

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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 March 2017. 21 and 22 March 2023

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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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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. 21 and 22 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10241549 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Paula Ayliffe and Sarah Stepney co- headteachers Website www.mayfieldcambridge.org

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21–22 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The percentage of pupils with SEND in receipt of an education, health and care plan is well above average. Most of these pupils have speech, language and communication needs or a hearing impairment.  The school has a specially resourced provision run by the local authority on site for pupils with a hearing impairment. Pupils who attend this provision and are included on the school roll.  One registered alternative provider of education is used by the school.

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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.  Senior staff met with the inspector and undertook some inspection activities with her, including both headteachers, subject leaders and the inclusion team. The chair of 21 and 22 March 2023

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governors and two other governors met with the inspector to discuss the work of the governing body.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding documentation, including records, policies and the single central record of statutory checks carried out on all staff, governors, volunteers, and contractors was checked by the inspector. The inspector also discussed the policies, procedures and actions taken to keep pupils safe with relevant personnel.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, and history. For each deep dive, the inspector 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 views of 116 parents who responded to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, were considered, along with 110 free-text comments. Additional submissions by

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letter or via emails were also considered. The inspector also spoke to some parents before the start of the school day to gather their views.  The inspector met with a large group of school council representatives from Year 1 to Year 6 to gather their views on the school.  To gather their views, the inspector spoke with staff over the course of the inspection. There were no responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  The inspector held a meeting with the local authority representative who is linked with the school.

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Inspection team

Jacqueline Bell-Cook, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 March 2023

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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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