Mauldeth Road Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Mauldeth Road Primary School Mauldeth Road, Withington, Manchester M14 6SG

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Outcome

Mauldeth Road Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils, including children in the early years, are happy, polite and respectful of others. They are sociable and interact kindly with one another. Pupils told the inspector that they feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ achievements. Pupils follow a broad and suitably ambitious curriculum. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve highly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand and demonstrate the school’s shared values of kindness, courtesy and cooperation. They are proud of their school, and they enjoy attending each day. Pupils behave well during social times. Leaders deal with any incidents of bullying swiftly and competently. Children and pupils look forward to exploring learning outside and in the school’s yurt.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They value how their children are cared for as individuals by staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have designed a wide range of activities to develop pupils’ interests. For example, pupils enjoy the different sporting clubs on offer, such as gymnastics and cricket.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that pupils are well informed about their next steps at secondary school. For instance, former pupils returned to school recently to talk about their career paths during an ‘aspirations week’ for pupils in Year 5.

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Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum, which staff deliver well. In many subjects, including reading and mathematics, leaders are clear about what pupils need to know and the order in which it should be taught. However, in a small number of subjects, leaders have not identified the key knowledge that pupils should learn. In these subjects, pupils do not secure as deep a body of knowledge as they do in other subjects.

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Teachers use their strong subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum with clarity for pupils. They routinely check on pupils’ understanding and swiftly tackle their misconceptions. Staff do not introduce new concepts until they are sure that pupils have understood their learning. Any gaps that arise in pupils’ knowledge over time are addressed quickly by teachers. As a result, the work that pupils produce is of a high quality. They take care with their work, and they are eager to succeed.

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Leaders have prioritised pupils’ speech and language development from the Nursery class to Year 6. Children in the early years benefit from a carefully planned curriculum. They settle well and are prepared effectively for the demands of Year 1.

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Reading is the focal point of the curriculum. The abundance of high-quality texts on offer capture pupils’ interests. Leaders have succeeded in creating a school where pupils love to read. Children begin learning phonics in Nursery. Leaders have ensured that there is a consistent approach to the delivery of the phonics curriculum. This helps pupils to read with confidence. Staff use assessment strategies well to identify those pupils who need further help. Those pupils who struggle with reading are given extra support from staff. This helps them to catch up quickly. As a result, almost all pupils can read fluently and accurately by the end of Year 2.

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Leaders quickly identify the additional needs that pupils with SEND may have. Staff put in place effective support to help these pupils to successfully access the same curriculum as their peers. Parents of pupils with SEND spoke highly of the support that their children receive.

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Leaders have carefully designed opportunities to widen pupils’ experiences. Pupils learn how important it is to respect and celebrate the differences between people. They are welcoming to all people, showing respect for those of race or religion different to their own. Pupils’ achievements in extra-curricular activities are celebrated regularly in assembly. Pupils learn about democracy, and they are keen to elect school councillors to represent their class.

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Staff regularly remind pupils about the high expectations for behaviour. Consequently, learning in the classroom is seldom disrupted. Strong and respectful relationships between staff and pupils contribute to the serene atmosphere in the school.

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Staff told the inspector how leaders consider their well-being and workload. Staff feel supported, and they enjoy working at the school. Governors are informed well about the quality of education for pupils. This helps them to hold leaders to account effectively.

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The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Leaders have created a strong safeguarding culture. They have ensured that staff are trained effectively in how to spot the signs that may indicate that a pupil is at risk of harm. Staff know the procedures to follow for reporting any such concerns. Leaders act on these concerns in a timely manner.

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Leaders secure help from other agencies for those pupils and their families who may need it. Pupils learn about keeping healthy and what to do in an emergency. They learn how to keep themselves safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of foundation subjects, leaders’ curriculum thinking is not as well developed. In these subjects, leaders are not clear enough about the knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember. As a result, pupils do not secure as deep a body of knowledge as they do in other subjects. Leaders should ensure that they are clear about the knowledge that pupils should learn so that pupils can build successfully on what they know already.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2014.

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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. 21 and 22 March 2023

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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 10269036 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 13 February 2018 under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make use of any 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 met with the headteacher, the assistant headteachers and other leaders. The inspector spoke with representatives of the governing body. The inspector also held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector checked the school’s safeguarding procedures. The inspector met with leaders, staff and pupils to evaluate the culture of safeguarding.  The inspector conducted deep dives in early reading, music and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample 21 and 22 March 2023

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of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils about their work and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspector reviewed documentation pertaining to behaviour, attendance and the school’s self-evaluation.  The inspector observed behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtime.  The inspector spoke to pupils about their views of the school, behaviour and bullying.  The inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s parent questionnaire, Parent View, including any free-text responses. The inspector also spoke to parents before the start of the school day to gather their views.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

Jenny Jones, lead inspector His Majesty’s 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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