Midfield Primary School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Midfield Primary School Grovelands Road, St Paul’s Cray, Orpington, Kent BR5 3EG

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Outcome

Midfield Primary School continues to be an outstanding school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Dan Osborn. The school is part of The Spring Partnership Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by joint chief executive officers (CEOs), Corinne Sheehan and Gulcin Sesli, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Cliff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an exceptional school that is at the heart of its community. Leaders have made the school a nurturing place for both staff and pupils. In partnership with parents and carers, the school works very successfully to meet pupils’ needs. Staff are highly committed to improving the life chances of all pupils. They know pupils and their families extremely well. Everyone at Midfield treats each other with high levels of respect.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have the highest expectations for pupils’ achievement and behaviour, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All staff want pupils to achieve their very best, and pupils consistently do. They excel in their learning across the subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and courteous. Their behaviour around the school is calm and orderly. Pupils understand the school rules and follow them well, both inside and outside the classroom. At social times, pupils play well together and take turns. Pupils have trusted adults who they can talk to. They know that adults will sort out any incidents of unkind behaviour. Bullying is not tolerated, and any rare incidents are dealt with swiftly. Pupils are kept safe and feel happy here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

As they get older, pupils enjoy taking part in a range of school-wide leadership opportunities. These include being playground monitors, oracy ambassadors and members of the junior leadership team. 6 and 7 March 2024

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

The school has constructed a high-quality, ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum that has been designed meticulously for the school’s context. Learning has been broken down into small steps. Consequently, teachers know precisely what to teach and when. This includes the important vocabulary that the school expects pupils to know and use across all subjects and year groups.

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

Staff carefully choose activities and resources that support pupils to learn and remember the curriculum. They use strong, expert subject knowledge to explain concepts and enthuse pupils about their learning. Pupils are accurate and precise when talking about the subject content that they have learned. They make meaningful links across their learning in different parts of the curriculum, and this helps to deepen their understanding of subject content further. As a result of all this work, pupils are confident and articulate, with a highly secure understanding of what they have been taught. Pupils achieve consistently well. They are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their learning.

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

Leaders prioritise the teaching of reading. In early years, this begins with a strong focus on developing children’s communication and language skills. The school has also prioritised the teaching of phonics. Staff deliver the ambitious approach to phonics effectively. They have high levels of expertise and confidence in teaching phonics because of the regular high-quality training and development that the school provides. Children begin to learn phonics as soon as they begin in the Reception Year. Books are closely matched to the sounds that pupils are learning. Leaders regularly check that the early reading curriculum is implemented well. They make sure that pupils learn to read quickly. Those who need additional support are identified promptly and the school puts in place the right help. Pupils said that they enjoy reading a wide variety of books and speak excitedly about their favourite books and authors.

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

Leaders are ambitious for pupils who are disadvantaged and pupils with SEND, including those who attend the additional resourced provision. Leaders and staff work closely with parents, and other agencies, as well as pupils themselves. Early identification and precisely targeted additional help from adults enable pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as their peers.

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

Wider curriculum opportunities are carefully planned to enhance pupils’ learning. Pupils are provided with a wide range of experiences that are designed to help them to develop their confidence and character. For example, pupils take part in many educational visits to museums, theatres and places of interest. They learn how to be respectful and kind. Pupils gain age-appropriate knowledge about healthy relationships. They enjoy the range of clubs on offer, such as swimming, choir and performing arts. They are well prepared to contribute positively to society as responsible, active citizens in modern Britain.

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

Pupils’ attendance is a top priority, with the school taking a number of effective steps to reduce absence and ensure that pupils arrive to school on time.

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

Leaders ensure that staff are given enough time to fulfil their roles. All staff spoken to said that leaders are approachable. Staff, including early career teachers, are proud to 6 and 7 March 2024

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work at this school and said that they feel valued by leaders. They know that leaders, including the local advisory committee and trustees, care about their well-being and work–life balance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. 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 outstanding in November 2017.

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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). 6 and 7 March 2024

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School details

CEO of the trust Corinne Sheehan and Gulcin Sesli (joint CEOs) Headteacher Dan Osborn

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 16 and 17 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is one of five schools in The Spring Partnership Trust.  The school has three additional resourced classes for pupils with a range of complex SEND.  The school uses one registered alternative provision.

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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 taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the joint CEOs of the trust, the headteacher, other school leaders, teaching staff and trustees, including the chair of the trust board. 6 and 7 March 2024

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. 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 inspector also considered the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documents, including those relating to behaviour and SEND.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and in the playground at lunchtime.  The inspector considered the view of pupils, parents and staff through discussions during the inspection and through the Ofsted surveys.  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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Chris Birtles, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 March 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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