Milford Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Milford Junior School Glenthorne Avenue, Yeovil, Somerset BA21 4PG

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Inspection dates: 30 and 31 January 2024

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Outcome

Milford Junior School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Claire Laverty. This school is part of Huish Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Nicholas Heath, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jackie Bachrach.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They are cared for well and enjoy being part of a warm, welcoming community. Staff provide strong pastoral care and relationships are positive. Pupils know there is always someone to help them if they are worried.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils come to school eager and ready to learn. They follow an interesting curriculum that inspires them to do their best. The school fosters pupils’ love of learning through the memorable experiences it provides. Visits to heritage sites, such as Stonehenge, and residential trips enhance pupils’ learning in the classroom.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. As a result, pupils behave well and respect each other. They show positive attitudes to learning and conduct themselves well around the school. Pupils reflect on their behaviour and think about how to be successful learners. They are proud to receive rewards, such as their ‘values wristbands,’ which celebrate the school’s values of aspiration, collaboration and resilience.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs and sporting experiences. For example, some pupils are part of the school council and others train as peer mentors. Pupils take such responsibilities seriously and are good role models to others.

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

Pupils learn an ambitious and carefully sequenced curriculum. The school identifies and arranges the order in which pupils learn important knowledge and skills. The work the school has done to strengthen the curriculum for current pupils means that published outcomes do not reflect the quality of education that the school now provides. The school 30 and 31 January 2024

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has also had to manage significant upheaval due to the closure of its original site. This, too, had a negative impact on published outcomes in the previous academic year.

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Teachers have secure subject knowledge. Teaching supports pupils to understand and remember important concepts and use subject-specific vocabulary confidently. In most subjects, teachers use assessment to routinely check that pupils have learned what is intended. However, in some subjects, the use of assessment is not fully developed. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge which are not identified and rectified.

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When starting the school, leaders check how well pupils can read. Those pupils at the early stages of learning to read follow a well-planned phonics curriculum. Staff use assessment to spot pupils who find reading difficult. If pupils struggle, they receive the support they need to catch up. Pupils talk enthusiastically about their favourite books and authors.

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The school prides itself on its inclusive culture. It has an increasing number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school accurately identifies pupils’ individual needs. Staff adapt their teaching in response which supports pupils with SEND to learn the curriculum successfully.

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Some pupils do not attend school regularly. This hampers their learning because they miss crucial curriculum content. The school knows the reasons why pupils do not attend well and works with families to reduce absence. However, there is further work to do to support pupils to catch up with the work they have missed.

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Pupils value the diversity of their school community. They enjoy sharing experiences about their own culture. Pupils see difference as something to celebrate. Pupils understand about important topics such as tolerance and democracy. They play an active part in their community. For instance, they work with the local police to develop their sense of civic pride and help them understand the rule of law.

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Leaders know the school’s strengths and where to make improvements. Trustees fulfil their responsibilities effectively. They are supportive and appropriately challenging of leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers’ use of assessment is not fully developed. Therefore, gaps in pupils’ knowledge of the curriculum are not identified and remedied. The school should ensure that staff use assessment to check pupils’ understanding of the curriculum and use this insight to inform their future planning. 30 and 31 January 2024

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 Some pupils’ attendance remains low. As a result, they miss out on important learning and, therefore, have gaps in their knowledge. The school must continue to improve pupils’ attendance and support those who have fallen behind due to absence.

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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, Milford Junior School, to be good in July 2016

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 30 and 31 January 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Huish Academy Trust.  Milford Junior School converted to become an academy in September 2019. When its predecessor school, Milford Junior School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The headteacher has been in post since 2018.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.  The school is currently housed in temporary accommodation. In 2022, the school building was closed. Pupils were then educated in three neighbouring school sites before temporary accommodation opened in early 2023.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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 30 and 31 January 2024

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taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with leaders, including the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, the chief executive officer and members of the trust and school boards.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with staff, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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 The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. The inspector also spoke to parents.

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Inspection team

Paul Walker, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 30 and 31 January 2024

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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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