Mill View Primary School

Inspection of Mill View Primary School Wealstone Lane, Upton, Chester, Cheshire CH2 1HB

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Ofsted has not previously inspected Mill View Primary School under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. However, Ofsted previously judged Mill View Primary School to be outstanding, before it opened as Mill View Primary School as a result of conversion to academy status.

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The executive headteacher of this school is Jon Lenton. This school is part of Cheshire Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Steve Ellis, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Janet Myers . The executive headteacher is responsible for this school and one other within the trust. 8 and 9 May 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very proud to attend Mill View. They benefit from very positive relationships that they have with staff. This helps them to flourish into well-rounded young people by the end of Year 6. Pupils are kind and compassionate. They know that these are values that the school holds dear.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. This contributes to a calm and purposeful environment. Pupils enjoy coming to school and seeing their friends. Pupils have high levels of attendance.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve exceptionally well. They rise to the high ambition that the school has of their learning. As a result, pupils leave very well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities on offer. For example, all pupils in key stages 1 and 2 have a leadership role. As a member of one of the seven school councils, pupils impact positively on the life of the school. For instance, the councils are working together to develop a willow sculpture trail for the benefit of the whole school community. In addition, pupils take advantage of the clubs on offer. These include tennis, cricket and chess. Pupils are helped to discover their talents. For example, every pupil has the opportunity to represent their school in a sports’ match during the year.

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better?

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum which sets out the most important knowledge pupils will learn and the order in which subject content is taught. The school has given careful consideration to pupils’ interests and the local context when creating the curriculum. Teachers skilfully select activities which make learning meaningful and to excite pupils to want to learn.

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better?

Staff regularly check how well pupils are learning. They skilfully and quickly address any misconceptions as they arise. Staff deliver the curriculum expertly. Pupils achieve exceptionally well.

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better?

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Children in the Nursery class enjoy joining in with songs and stories. They are very well prepared for the Reception Year where the teaching of the phonics programme begins. The phonics programme is delivered very well by highly trained staff. Parents and carers are helped to understand how to read with their children at home with books that match the sounds that pupils know. Pupils who find it difficult to learn new sounds are given additional support. They quickly catch up with the programme. Pupils develop into confident, fluent readers who have a love of literature. 8 and 9 May 2024

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The needs of pupils with SEND are identified swiftly. They receive expert support from staff to make sure that these pupils can access the curriculum and learn alongside their classmates.

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Pupils have highly positive attitudes to their learning. They are inspired to want to try their best. They work together to tackle more challenging work and they do not give up when they are faced with obstacles. This high expectation starts in the early years, where children in the Nursery class persevere in their learning and play.

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The school offers exceptional opportunities for pupils’ personal development. For example, pupils delight in the regular opportunities that they receive to learn outside in the school’s forest and kitchen garden. These activities enhance pupils’ learning across a range of subjects. For example, Year 3 pupils recently made minibeasts from natural materials.

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Pupils regularly have the opportunity to apply their learning in real-life contexts. For example, Year 1 pupils put their learning about healthy foods into action by running a smoothie bar in a local community centre. Pupils in Year 6 shared their history project about explorers with the wider community through exhibiting at a local museum.

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Pupils have a very well-developed sense of right and wrong. They are helped to take action to make their school and wider community a better place. For example, the school council chooses a charity each year to raise funds for. In addition, the school places great emphasis on the arts. Pupils are encouraged to develop their singing, dancing, acting and musical skills. For instance, pupils in key stage 2 learn to play the guitar and many pupils are involved in drama and music performances.

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Members of the local governing body and trustees offer expert support and challenge to the school. They are mindful of staff’s workload and have refined systems to reduce it.

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The trust offers a vast array of training opportunities that contribute to the staff’s strong subject knowledge. This helps them to feel well-equipped to teach the curriculum effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 8 and 9 May 2024

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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). 8 and 9 May 2024

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School details

Local authority Cheshire West and Chester

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, the school has become an academy. It is part of the Cheshire Academies Trust.  The school offers a breakfast club and after-school provision each day.  The school does not make use of any 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.  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. 8 and 9 May 2024

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 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 and open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, looked at a sample of pupils’ work, spoke with teachers and talked with pupils about their learning.  The lead inspector observed pupils from Year 1 to Year 3 read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum in other areas. This included talking with pupils and scrutinising curriculum documentation.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, the headteacher and other leaders. An inspector met with members of the trust and the local academy

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committee, including the chairs of each group. An inspector also met with the CEO of the trust.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour as they arrived at school and during lessons and breaktimes. They also spoke with pupils about their views of school life.  Inspectors considered views of parents. They looked at the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also spoke to a number of parents at the start of the school day.  Inspectors considered the views of staff and pupils who responded to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Frith Murphy, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lisa Hesmondhalgh Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 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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