Mickley Village Primary & Nursery School

Inspection of Mickley Village Primary & Nursery School Milton Avenue, Stretton, Alfreton, Derbyshire DE55 6GG

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 14–15 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Mickley Primary is a warm and friendly school at the heart of the community. The school has been through significant changes and is proud of the improvements that have been made.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff commit to knowing each pupil individually. Relationships between staff and pupils are positive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The new behaviour policy is working well. Pupils are polite and friendly. In lessons, pupils are focused and engaged, including children in the early years. They work collaboratively. Pupils appreciate the reward points they receive for positive behaviour. Bullying is rare. Pupils know that they can share concerns with staff if they experience a problem. Pupils are happy and feel safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are high expectations for pupils to achieve well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The curriculum is developing, however, many of the curriculum changes are at an early stage. Parts of the curriculum are not yet consistently well-planned and implemented in all subjects. This results in pupils not achieving as well as they could.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love the opportunities to play games, exercise and socialise. They take part in clubs such as gardening and reading, and enjoy litter-picking as part of the lunch time ‘eco club’.

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better?

The school is managed and led well. The school has taken swift action and worked with commitment and determination to bring about significant improvements. Many subject leaders are new to the role. They are ambitious to ensure that all pupils achieve well.

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better?

There have been some positive improvements to the education of pupils at Mickley in a short space of time. However, the improved curriculum has only recently been introduced in some subjects. The school has not yet had time to close the gaps in some pupils’ knowledge. In some subjects, the precise knowledge that pupils need to learn over time is not always clear. This includes the curriculum in the early years.

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better?

Teachers assess pupils’ knowledge and understanding frequently. However, assessment procedures are not fully effective across all subjects and classes. Sometimes, teachers do not use assessment opportunities to check learning or to identify misconceptions and gaps in pupils knowledge. Teachers sometimes move on too quickly before pupils have secured the necessary knowledge and understanding.

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better?

Reading is a priority in the school. The new library has been recently re-stocked and is an inviting place for pupils. The school has recently invested in a wider selection of texts that explore diversity and different groups in society. This helps pupils to 14–15 May 2024

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broaden their understanding of the wider world. Teachers and other adults have received training to ensure that they deliver the phonics programme well. Pupils receive reading books that are well matched to their reading development. Pupils who struggle to learn to read get extra support and practice.

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Pupils with SEND receive effective support to access the curriculum and make progress. The school identifies barriers to the learning of pupils with SEND and works well to help pupils overcome these.

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Children in the early years receive rich learning opportunities. Teachers are passionate and knowledgeable and create a warm and caring environment. Adults interact well with children, which helps to develop the children’s communication and language skills. For example, while children were making boats, the adult asked a child whether their boat would float and why . The child replied with, ‘The boat floats as it is made from plastic.’

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The school is keen to provide ‘a window on the world’ to make sure that pupils understand life beyond the school gates. To support this, pupils have been taken to see a pantomime, a cathedral and to take part in local competitions.

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Staff ensure that pupils receive the pastoral support that they need. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online. However, the curriculum for some aspects of personal development has not been implemented effectively. Pupils learn about different religions, but they have gaps in their knowledge. Their knowledge of British values is limited. This may hinder their readiness for life in today’s world.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. Teachers appreciate the support they receive. Leaders engage well with staff. They consider and support staff’s well-being and workload very well. Leaders and staff have worked hard together to improve the school. They have shown huge commitment. They all want to do their best for the community that they serve.

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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, the key knowledge that pupils need to know and remember is not clearly identified. Teachers do not always ensure that pupils build their knowledge and skills over time. The school should review their curriculum to 14–15 May 2024

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ensure that the key knowledge is precisely identified and taught in all subjects so that pupils are able to build and secure their knowledge over time.  Teachers’ use of assessment does not consistently identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge. When this occurs, the curriculum is not adapted well enough to help pupils to catch up. The school must ensure that assessment is used consistently well by all teachers in all subjects so that any misconceptions or gaps in pupils’ knowledge can be addressed.  Some pupils do not have a developed understanding of the British values and of different faiths. This hinders their understanding of life in modern Britain. Leaders should ensure that pupils develop a deeper understanding of these aspects of the curriculum.

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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). 14–15 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Sara Street (Substantive headteacher) Erika Thornhill (Acting co-headteacher) Juliette Whitby (Acting co-headteacher) Website www.mickley.derbyshire.sch.uk

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School details

Date(s) of previous inspection 5 May 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The two acting headteachers joined the school in October 2023.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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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.  The substantive headteacher was absent during the inspection. The inspectors met with the two acting co-headteachers, other school leaders, members of the governing body and spoke to a representative of the local authority. 14–15 May 2024

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to groups of pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened to pupils in Years 1 and 2 read to a member of staff. The inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and samples of pupils’ work for science and art and design.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site during playtime.  The inspectors spoke with groups of pupils and staff. An inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey for parents, as well as the staff survey.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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

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culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interest first.

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Inspection team

Dawn Ashbolt, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Jonathan Keay Ofsted Inspector 14–15 May 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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