Mill Lane Primary School

Inspection of Mill Lane Primary School Mill Lane, Batley, West Yorkshire WF17 6EG

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 9 and 10 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Mill Lane Primary School is a welcoming and nurturing school which fully lives out its ethos of ‘learning through hard work, friendship and fun’. Pupils are very happy at the school and love to attend. They know that there are many trusted adults who take care of them and this helps them to feel safe. Staff are caring, kind and helpful. They reflect these values through their interactions with pupils. This inspires pupils to show kindness and respect. The school is ambitious for all, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils achieve well because of the ambitious curriculum that staff have created.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s high expectations are understood by all. Pupils behave very well. If bullying happens, staff deal with it swiftly and effectively. Everyone is treated equally in this diverse school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school supports pupils to develop their talents and interests extremely well. They go above and beyond. The school takes pupils to sporting events at weekends. Staff run clubs during the day, including cookery and art, to ensure that all pupils can attend. Staff encourage pupils to learn musical instruments. They provide lessons in school and organise talent competitions so they can perform for their friends.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is broad and ambitious. Since the last inspection, leaders have identified the knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn across subjects. This supports pupils to connect new learning to what they already know. For example, in geography, they compare their local town to a different country. The school is continuing to refine the curriculum. This is helping staff to identify the most important knowledge that pupils need to learn. Pupils are remembering most of this knowledge, for example using their map reading skills to add a key to their own maps.

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better?

Staff typically deliver the curriculum well. In the main, staff help pupils to make connections with what they know already and to deepen their knowledge. However, this is less well developed in the early years’ wider curriculum. Leaders recognise that there is further work needed to develop this.

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better?

The way that the school supports pupils with SEND is a strength. Staff are well trained in making the necessary adaptations for these pupils to fully access the curriculum. Staff routinely check what pupils with SEND know. Where gaps are identified, the right support is given to help pupils catch up.

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better?

Pupils develop their numeracy skills and become competent mathematicians, building on the foundations taught in the early years. Every lesson starts with revisiting previous learning to help pupils consolidate their mathematical knowledge. 9 and 10 July 2024

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The learning environment supports pupils well. For example, when learning about measurement, pupils refer to working walls during their discussions.

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Pupils share a love of reading. Staff promote this well. Storytime is an important time in school when adults share stories with pupils and bring them to life with expression. This inspires pupils to read a range of authors and styles. Those pupils at the early stages of reading are well supported. Children begin to learn phonics as soon as they start in their reception year. Across the provision, they secure new knowledge in phonics and apply it in different situations. Staff make sure that they focus on the sounds that pupils need to learn. This means that pupils quickly become fluent and confident readers. Those who still require support receive this from well-trained adults.

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Provision for pupils’ personal development is exceptional. Staff prioritise it from the minute pupils arrive at school. The day begins with a daily mile and ends with an ‘investing in me’ session where pupils learn about values such as tolerance, kindness and respect. Pupils understand that the world is diverse and that people should be valued for who they are. They live out these values through leadership positions such as well-being ambassadors, sports leaders and school councillors. Pupil peer mediators are trained to help children learn the value of resolving small issues themselves. They support others to be responsible for their actions. Pupils are proud to take on this role. The school encourages pupils to be ambitious for their futures by exploring different careers. Many talk about their dreams for the future and this includes becoming doctors, vets and artists.

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Governors provide effective support and challenge for the school. Governors and the staff are proud of the school and share leaders’ ambition that every pupil will succeed. Leaders track attendance daily. The impact of this is that attendance has improved since the previous inspection. Parents and carers value the support that the school gives to their children. One, typical of many, said: ‘This is a school that puts the pupils first.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The activities that children are provided with in early years sometimes do not provide the depth of learning that children need. While children develop secure understanding in some areas, this is less developed in other areas of learning. The school should make sure children engage with activities that sufficiently deepen their learning so that the ambitious curriculum that is in place is realised in practice. 9 and 10 July 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). 9 and 10 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 May 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 Mill Lane Primary School is a smaller-than-average-size school.  The school has its own alternative educational provision on site.  The school offers a breakfast club.  The school has a Nursery with provision for three-year-olds.

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued 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 these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils 9 and 10 July 2024

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about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher and school business manager.  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 culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors gathered the views of parents informally in person and formally through responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free- text responses.  The views of staff were considered through the staff survey and through meetings with them. Pupils’ views were considered through the pupil survey and through meetings with them.  Inspectors spoke with a representative from the local authority and members of

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the local governing body.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in classes, at breakfast club and during breaktime and lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Lisa Ponter, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicola Murray Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 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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