Milton Hall Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of Milton Hall Primary School and Nursery Salisbury Avenue, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex SS0 7AU

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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 16 and 17 April 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They enjoy having fun at lunchtimes with their friends from other classes. Pupils know how to be good friends to each other. They appreciate their peers’ kindness, loyalty and care.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the school rules: ‘ready, respectful, safe’. They follow these rules well. This allows pupils to learn in a focused and supportive environment. They encourage each other to behave well. Staff quickly resolve any incidents.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Expectations are high. Pupils are interested in their learning and want to do well. They develop the skills to work independently. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils try hard. They are pleased and proud when they produce successful work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a happy place. Pupils understand that everyone is different and respect these differences. They enjoy hearing about other places, times and people.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a wide range of opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests. They enjoy their pupil ambassador roles. These include being on the junior leadership team, being a language ambassador and supporting new pupils who arrive at the school. Through these experiences, pupils build up their teamwork skills and resilience.

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better?

The school has established an ambitious curriculum. The wide range of subjects are well thought through and sequenced. There are opportunities for pupils to repeat and review previous learning. Pupils apply what they already know to new learning. As a result, pupils remember what they have learned in most subjects.

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better?

Published outcomes do not reflect the overall quality of the curriculum. In part, this is because there is high pupil mobility. Pupils, including those who speak English as an additional language, progress well from their varied starting points.

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better?

Staff are confident and well trained. They teach the curriculum effectively. They have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. In most cases, teachers review what pupils have already learned before introducing new learning. This ensures that pupils build on their prior learning and understand the new topics that they are taught.

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better?

In most subjects, teachers provide effective additional support to ensure that pupils keep up. However, this is not consistent. Occasionally, teachers do not check carefully enough whether the curriculum has been fully understood. Sometimes, the support does not precisely target the gaps that individual pupils may have. As a result, pupils do not always do as well as they could. 16 and 17 April 2024

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Pupils are taught to read as soon as they start school. They quickly develop the skills to sound out new words. Pupils read regularly to practise their new skills. Books are well matched to pupils’ reading abilities. The school provides effective sessions for pupils who need to catch up so that they do not fall behind. As a result, early readers rapidly develop fluency. Older pupils enjoy reading. They name their favourite authors and stories with enthusiasm.

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Children in the early years receive a very positive start to their education. They quickly begin to listen to their teachers and to play, concentrate and learn alongside their friends. Children develop their language and friendships in the well-planned learning activities. They respond well to adults’ high expectations. Consequently, children behave well and are successfully prepared for the next stage of their learning.

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The school accurately identifies pupils with SEND. Staff provide a range of resources and expertise to support pupils’ individual needs. The school has the same high expectations of pupils with SEND as they do of other pupils. As a result, pupils with SEND progress well against their individual targets.

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Pupils behave well. They work hard, respect others, listen carefully and engage in their learning. The school expects all pupils to meet its high standards. Staff work very hard to ensure all pupils are safe, cared for and learning.

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The curriculum teaches pupils’ personal development effectively. For instance, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and live physically and emotionally healthy lives. The school’s wider offer develops pupils’ understanding of themselves and others.

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Leaders, the local authority and governors work cohesively as a team to support the school. They have a shared understanding of the school’s priorities and strengths. As a result, leaders are held fully to account for their actions. Staff appreciate leaders’ commitment to help with their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some areas, staff do not check as well as they could whether pupils have gaps in their learning. As a result, not all pupils keep up with everything that is taught. The school needs to ensure that staff get the support and guidance they need to assess learning effectively in all subjects, so that pupils make the best possible progress. 16 and 17 April 2024

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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). 16 and 17 April 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 October 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.  The school uses two alternative providers. One is registered and one is unregistered.  The headteacher was appointed in April 2019.

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Information about this inspection

The 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.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, science, geography, computing and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the 16 and 17 April 2024

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curriculum with leaders, looked at leaders’ planning, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work with leaders, spoke with pupils and spoke with teachers. In early reading, pupils were observed reading to familiar adults.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders and members of staff. Meetings were also held with those responsible for governance, the school’s improvement partner and a representative from the local authority.  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.  The inspectors took account of 134 responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents, including 94 comments from the free-text facility. In addition, inspectors spoke to several parents on the telephone. The inspectors

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also considered 52 responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff and 160 responses from pupils.  Inspectors spoke to staff at the alternative provisions the school uses.  Inspectors met leaders with responsibility for pupils with SEND, behaviour and attendance, and pupils’ personal development.

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Inspection team

Debbie Rogan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Rebecca McCutcheon Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 April 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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