Melbury Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Melbury Primary School Melbury Road, Bilborough, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG8 4AU

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Outcome

Melbury Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents and carers would recommend the school to others. Typically, a parent commented, 'Melbury is a special school, with love and care for the children, at the heart of all they do.' Parents are welcomed by the school. Many enjoyed attending sports day. Parents value opportunities to celebrate their children’s learning and achievements. The school is very much at the heart of its community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils consistently meet high expectations of behaviour. They understand what being a good friend means. Pupils are caring and respectful to each other. They are happy and safe. They know that staff would help them if they have any worries. The firm foundations of children's positive attitudes begin in the early years.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well. The school is inclusive and ambitious for all. It ensures that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) learn well, alongside their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils' personal development is nurtured through the school’s lived values. The school promotes pupils’ confidence and self-belief. Pupils enjoy different roles and responsibilities including, for example, as ambassadors, school councillors and librarians. Pupils make a positive contribution to school life. The school enables pupils to be ready for the next stage of their education.

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

The school’s curriculum is aligned to the ambition of the National Curriculum. It is planned to build pupils' knowledge over time. The school's 'learning links' approach coherently aims to link key knowledge across subjects. For example, when pupils learn about Ancient Egypt in history, they learn about the River Nile in geography. However, some foundation subject curriculums do not always identify the key knowledge that pupils need to learn over time. The school is strengthening leadership to address this issue. 18 and 19 June 2024

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Pupils, and children in the early years, benefit from teaching that helps them learn well in English and mathematics. Steps in learning are modelled clearly to develop pupils' understanding. For example, in mathematics, explanations about position and conversion of units are carefully thought through. Pupils are supported to understand and use new mathematical vocabulary well. Pupils benefit from activities to revisit prior learning to make sure that what has been taught is remembered.

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However, on occasions, in some other subjects, pupils do not benefit from activities that fully support the intended learning. There are variations in the effectiveness of how resources are selected and used. At times, checks to spot misconceptions in learning are not as effective as they could be. Sometimes pupils do not learn as well as they might in some foundation subjects.

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Leaders are developing their approaches to check pupils’ learning in the long-term. However, this assessment information is not always used to see what pupils can remember and recall from their previous learning. The information is not used always effectively to determine next steps in learning, in some subjects.

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Pupils enjoy learning to read. The development of early language and listening skills begins straight away in the early years. Staff deliver phonics consistently to build pupils’ knowledge and skills over time. They benefit from the repetition of hearing, saying and reading sounds aloud. Pupils remember the sounds that they are taught and use them to read with fluency. Leaders check on pupils’ learning and provide extra support when needed, to build small steps. Pupils, including those with SEND, gain confidence and learn to read well. Pupils who are new to English are swiftly supported to secure a good grasp of English and reading. Books that pupils read, and take home, are matched well to the sounds that they are learning. The early years curriculum ensures links in knowledge with stories that children enjoy.

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The school prioritises a range of enrichment opportunities. Pupils thrive from meaningful experiences, including, visits, residential trips and school visitors. These include nights under canvas in tents, visits to places of worship, a study of coastal landscapes in Scarborough and a visiting expert in Viking history. The school nurtures links with a local university to broaden pupils' awareness of aspirational opportunities. These varied opportunities provide valuable experiences that build on pupils' learning.

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Pupils concentrate well in lessons. Staff ensure that calm classrooms provide a studious climate for pupils to focus on their learning. The school manages attendance tenaciously to ensure that pupils attend well.

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Staff are supported well by leaders. Staff benefit from training provided by the school, other partners and professional networks. Appropriate focus has been invested in developing and leading the curriculum. Governors visit the school regularly and know the school well. They understand and fulfil their responsibilities. Leaders are considerate of staff workload. They check on staff well-being.

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The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school is currently developing its approach to assessment and how analysis of summative assessment information is used effectively to inform the planned curriculum. However, the analysis of assessment information is not used consistently to determine what pupils are learning in the long-term and what needs to be learned next. The school needs to ensure that assessment information, and its analysis, is used effectively to form the curriculum, thus enabling pupils to build learning progressively.  The school has not ensured that all foundation subject curriculums precisely identify the key knowledge that pupils need to learn over time. As a result, pupils do not build substantive and disciplinary knowledge as well as they could in some subjects. The school needs to ensure that leaders have the pedagogical expertise to develop these curriculums, thus enabling pupils to build learning in all foundation subjects.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some foundation subject curriculums are not consistently implemented as well as they could be. At times, formative assessment does not identify misconceptions in pupils’ learning. On other occasions, some learning activities do not enable pupils to learn as well as they could. As a result, pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school needs to ensure that subject curriculums are implemented to enable pupils to know, remember and do more over time.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. 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 good in March 2019.

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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. 18 and 19 June 2024

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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). 18 and 19 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 March 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school runs its own before-school club for pupils. The club is overseen by the governing body.

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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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, senior leaders and governors. She spoke with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. She listened to pupils read. 18 and 19 June 2024

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 The inspector considered the curriculum in other subjects, including geography and personal, social, health and economic education.  The inspector considered the views of parents who responded to Ofsted Parent View. She also spoke with parents and school staff during the inspection.  The inspector met with groups of pupils. She spoke with pupils informally and observed the behaviour during social times.  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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Donna Moulds, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 June 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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