Martinshaw Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Martinshaw Primary School Forest View, Groby, Leicester, Leicestershire LE6 0BB

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Outcome

Martinshaw Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They believe in the new school values of respect, kindness, resilience, aspiration, uniqueness and confidence. Pupils work hard to live out these values in their work and play. They strive to earn a stamp on their values chart. They are keen to receive a wristband for each of the values. When all of these have been achieved, pupils are awarded the highly prized ‘values ambassador’ lanyard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is caring and welcoming. Staff have high expectations of pupils; they know each pupil’s strengths and talents. They support pupils when they find things hard, both academically and personally. Pupils like their teachers and trust them to keep them safe. Staff greet pupils warmly at the start of the school day. Pre-school children separate happily from their parents and carers at the start of the school day. They waste no time getting stuck into their learning activities. Across the school, pupils enjoy learning. They appreciate that they have their own tablet computers and agree that they help them to learn well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk enthusiastically about the school’s impressive outdoor spaces. Children in the early years have a picnic in the school woods. They whittle their own sticks to toast their marshmallows over a fire. The school is a happy place.

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

The school has designed a broad and balanced curriculum that is ambitious for all pupils. The most important knowledge pupils need to learn is clearly identified. This key knowledge is set out from pre-school to Year 6. Pupils build their understanding well over time. In computing, children learn the basic principles of coding in the early years. Pupils add to this knowledge year on year. In Year 1, pupils combine commands to make a sequence, in Year 3 they identify and fix bugs in a program and Year 6 pupils create a program to run on a controllable device. Pupils are provided with learning activities that help them to learn the intended knowledge. The work they produce is high quality. For example, Year 4 pupils use a photo editing application to combine two images of animals 3 and 4 July 2024

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to make their own mystical creature. However, the school has not fully reviewed the curriculum for all of the foundation subjects. Leaders have not yet made the adaptations or changes that will maximise pupils’ acquisition of knowledge in every subject.

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Staff frequently check that pupils understand their learning. They use this information well to identify any gaps in learning. In mathematics, Year 5 pupils re-visit the concept of perimeter to secure their knowledge before moving on to new learning. Teachers take time to address pupils’ misconceptions. Pupils learn from their ‘marvellous mistakes’.

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Staff keep a close eye on the progress that pupils make. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified. The school provides the support pupils with SEND need to ensure that they can learn the same ambitious curriculum as their peers, wherever possible.

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No time is wasted in teaching pupils to read. Children in the pre-school learn the sound of the week. In the Reception Year, children learn phonics and quickly master new sounds. Pupils who need more help to secure their phonics knowledge receive precise support. They learn to read with increasing confidence. Pupils enjoy a range of books. One pupil said: ‘I genuinely love reading.’

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The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour right from the start of school. Children in the early years work and play happily together in the bright and inviting early years setting. Across the school, pupils work hard and engage well in their learning. However, pupils say that a small number of pupils do not treat others with the kindness and respect that leaders expect.

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Pupils take part in a wide range of activities that are designed to enrich the curriculum. Pupils can choose to attend clubs, including choir, gymnastics, football and ‘Rock Steady’. They go on lots of trips. Children in the early years visit a working farm, Year 2 pupils go to Warwick Castle, and Year 3 pupils visit a mosque and a synagogue. The school emphasises the importance of keeping safe online. It teaches pupils to think carefully about the messages they send when using social media. Pupils enjoy participating in ‘enterprise week’.

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Governors offer the school support and challenge. They scrutinise the information they receive and collect their own evidence to ensure that leaders are making the right decisions for pupils. Staff say that leaders are considerate of their well-being. They agree that the introduction of new technology has significantly reduced their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 3 and 4 July 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not fully reviewed the wider curriculum to check that it is effectively enabling pupils to acquire the knowledge they need for the next stage in their education. The adaptations and, where needed, changes that need to be made to the curriculum to maximise pupils’ learning have not yet been fully made. The school should ensure that this work is completed so that they can assure themselves that over time pupils know and remember more and can connect their learning across subjects.  A few pupils do not live up to the school’s high expectations that everyone will be respectful in their work and play. When this happens, it upsets other pupils and they worry about how they will be treated. The school should ensure that pupils who do not demonstrate the school’s key values of respect and kindness are supported, and challenged, to model these qualities to the same high standard as their peers.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2016.

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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 3 and 4 July 2024

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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).

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Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection 2 May 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.  The school does not make use of 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 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 held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher and the leader with responsibility for pupils with SEND.  The inspector met with seven members of the governing body, including the chair of governors and held a telephone conversation with a local authority representative.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and computing. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. She also listened to pupils read to a familiar adult.

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 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 that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, around the school and at social times. She met with groups of pupils and spoke to them informally. She also considered the responses to the pupil online survey.  The inspector met with parents at the start of the school day. The views of parents and staff were also considered, including through Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Caroline Poole, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 3 and 4 July 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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