Millway Primary School

Inspection of Millway Primary School Millway, Duston, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN5 6ES

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 6 and 7 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, and children in the early years, are happy and safe in this school. They know and understand the importance of the school’s values to ‘listen, respect and persevere’. Pupils often reflect on these values in whole-school assemblies. They know that staff expect them to behave well and make good behaviour choices. Pupils play together happily during playtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has ambitious aims for pupils’ understanding of diversity. Pupils’ cultural development is prioritised. The school makes sure that ‘diversity’ is a golden thread through the curriculum. Pupils learn about a broad range of different religions and beliefs. They visit places of worship, such as a Hindu temple, to broaden their understanding of different faiths. Pupils talk positively about this learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school ensures that pupils learn about staying safe. Pupils can speak confidently about subjects such as computing and how to stay safe online. They can confidently recall that they have five trusted adults they can speak to.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the broad range of clubs and opportunities available, including sports activities. They enjoy attending football club. They compete in cross-country events against other schools. They organise their own dance club at lunchtime. Pupils love being awarded badges when they represent the school in tournaments or performances.

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better?

The early years is a vibrant, engaging environment. Children get off to a good start with their learning. Staff are warm and caring. Children benefit from a range of activities and resources to develop their interests. For example, they enjoyed creating Chinese lanterns to celebrate Chinese New Year. They use new words accurately to locate Antarctica on a globe. They learn the basics of programming using robots.

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better?

Reading is central to the curriculum. Children start learning letter sounds as soon as they begin school. Pupils develop their reading fluency from expert staff, who teach them well. Any pupil who needs more help, or who is new to learning English, gets extra practice. This helps them catch up. High-quality texts are included in the English curriculum so that pupils are inspired by great literature. Pupils write creatively and choose interesting vocabulary. Teachers encourage pupils to read widely. Pupils talk enthusiastically about reading a range of books, including those from different cultures.

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better?

The school has worked hard to ensure that there is an ambitious curriculum in all subjects. The broad curriculum helps pupils understand a range of different topics. In subjects where the curriculum has been well thought through, teachers know exactly what content they need to deliver, and pupils can recall what they have learned. However, in a few subjects, the most important knowledge that pupils need 6 and 7 February 2024

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to remember is not always prioritised. When this is the case, pupils struggle to remember the key points so they can build on these and deepen their understanding.

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Teachers often check pupils’ understanding. Occasionally, these checks are not precise enough to help teachers identify exactly what pupils know and to spot if there are any gaps in their knowledge. Pupils’ misconceptions are sometimes missed. This means that pupils do not always achieve as well as they could.

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The school is ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Learning plans for these pupils help staff keep a sharp focus on what helps these pupils learn. Staff provide suitable support so that pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as their peers.

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Staff expectations of pupils’ behaviour are high, and this is reflected in lessons. The school has appropriate systems in place to check pupils’ attendance. There is a keen focus on ensuring that all pupils attend school every day.

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Pupils enjoy taking on leadership responsibilities as, for example, sports leaders or school councillors. Pupils fundraise for charities, including to support a school in The Gambia. They are proud of these achievements.

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New staff have come together quickly to form a supportive team. This has helped the school to implement improvement plans at pace. Staff are positive about the support they receive and opportunities they have to improve their practice. Staff workload is always considered before necessary changes take place.

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The governing body is a relatively new team. Governors are still in the process of acting on recommendations from a recent review of their work. Currently, how governors challenge and check on the school’s improvements are not sharp enough. Many parents and carers recognise the work the school is doing to bring about improvements and would recommend the school to others.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, the curriculum does not identify precisely enough the key knowledge that pupils need to learn. When this is the case, pupils cannot always recall important information that they need to know. The school must ensure that the curriculum in each subject identifies specifically what pupils should learn and when. 6 and 7 February 2024

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 Strategies to check pupils’ knowledge are not always used consistently well. Pupils’ misconceptions are not always accurately identified or fully resolved. The school should ensure that approaches used to check what pupils know and understand are suitably effective.  The recently formed governing body is in the process of establishing its procedures to oversee the school’s work. Current processes used to support and challenge the school are not as sharply focused as they should be. The school should ensure that the governing body has suitable systems and procedures in place so that it can support the school as it continues to improve.

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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' 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). 6 and 7 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 September 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher has been in post since March 2021.  There have been a number of staffing changes since the previous inspection.  A number of governors have been appointed to the governing body since the previous inspection.  The school uses the services of two registered alternative provisions.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 6 and 7 February 2024

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders and staff. They met with members of the local governing body and with the school improvement partner from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, computing and geography. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also reviewed the curriculum in a range of other subjects, including art and design, science and personal, social, health and economic education.  Inspectors discussed pupils’ attendance and behaviour with leaders.  Inspectors considered the views of parents who responded to Ofsted’s survey, Ofsted Parent View, and they spoke with parents outside on the playground.  Inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys. They also held

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discussions with staff and pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: 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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Inspection team

Donna Moulds, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Halil Tamgumus Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 February 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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