Mablins Lane Community Primary School

Inspection of Mablins Lane Community Primary School Mablins Lane, Crewe, Cheshire CW1 3YR

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 5 and 6 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Mablins Lane Community Primary is a happy school where pupils feel safe and are nurtured. Pupils value the warm and positive relationships with staff and each other. There is a strong sense of community and belonging at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils embody the school’s vision of ‘Learning Together, Learning for Life’. They enjoy their lessons, particularly when they are working in the school’s outdoor wooded area classroom.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic learners. They work hard and take pride in their work. Clear rules and routines ensure that pupils behave sensibly in classes and when moving around the school. Pupils are welcoming, confident and polite. Where bullying happens, pupils trust staff to deal with it effectively so that it stops.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high aspirations for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Most pupils across the school achieve well. Pupils enjoy the visits that support their learning, including residential visits where they complete adventurous activities. They also appreciate the visitors to the school. For example, they enjoyed a visit from the fire brigade, where they learned about fire safety.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the responsibilities they hold. This includes ambassadors who support pupils at breaktimes, encouraging participation and building friendships.

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

The school has designed a broad curriculum which motivates pupils. In most subjects, the knowledge that pupils must learn has been clearly identified and organised in a logical sequence. Where this is the case, pupils build their knowledge and skills successfully. However, in a small number of subjects, curriculum organisation is less developed. The sequence of learning is not always clear and pupils have some gaps in their knowledge which hinder future learning.

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

The early years curriculum has been carefully designed to meet the specific needs of the children. Children are well prepared for key stage 1.

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

The school prioritises reading. Starting in the early years, pupils quickly and securely learn phonics knowledge. Where pupils need additional support to keep up with their peers, this is carefully planned and skilfully delivered by well-trained staff. The school ensures that pupils experience a broad range of high-quality books. Pupils have a love of reading. Many choose to use the school’s ‘Book Swap Shed’ at breaktimes and enjoy sitting and reading with their friends.

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

In response to low outcomes in key stage 2 writing in 2024, the school has prioritised improving pupils’ editing skills. This has improved the quality of writing across the school. Teachers and support staff receive regular training which ensures that knowledge is taught accurately. This includes a comprehensive programme of professional development 5 and 6 November 2024

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about how to support pupils with SEND. The needs of these pupils are met consistently well across the school.

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The school checks pupils’ learning well in most subjects to identify pupils’ strengths and gaps in their knowledge. Teachers and curriculum leaders use this information to reshape learning. However, in a few subjects, this is less effective. This results in some errors and misconceptions being missed, meaning that learning does not always build successfully over time.

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The school ensures that the additional needs of pupils with SEND are identified quickly when they join the school. The support provided to pupils with SEND enables them to access the same curriculum as their peers.

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The school sets high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils consistently meet these expectations. They move around the school calmly and safely. Breaktimes are well supervised and pupils have plenty to do.

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The school has worked successfully with parents and carers and outside agencies to overcome barriers to good attendance and punctuality. This has led to improved attendance for groups of pupils, including the disadvantaged.

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Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They understand concepts such as democracy and respect. They enjoy learning about other cultures. Pupils also enjoy their roles in organising events. This includes pupils with SEND who organise and run a ‘pop-up café’ for staff.

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The school ensures that all groups of pupils enjoy the numerous opportunities to follow their interests and talents, including through the broad range of clubs on offer and opportunities within the curriculum, such as learning musical instruments.

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Governors are passionate about the school. They access regular training to help them fulfil their roles effectively. They provide appropriate support and challenge to the school.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They appreciate the support from leaders to help them to manage their workload and to support their well-being.

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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, there is not enough clarity about what pupils should learn and when. As a result, knowledge does not always build successfully in a logical sequence and pupils do not build on what they already know. The school needs to ensure that the 5 and 6 November 2024

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curriculum is organised to enable pupils to successfully build their knowledge and skills over time.  In some subjects, the school has not checked that the curriculum is being delivered with enough precision. Some gaps in pupils’ knowledge and misconceptions are missed. The school should ensure that assessment information is used consistently well to identify any gaps in pupils’ knowledge and misconceptions so that they can be remedied.

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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 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). 5 and 6 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Kathryn Stringer

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 and 13 February 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses one provider of alternative provision.  The school has a breakfast and after-school club, which is run by an external provider.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth-form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This is 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. 5 and 6 November 2024

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, other staff and a representative of the local authority. They met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, computing, mathematics, music, science and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector observed some pupils from key stages 1 and 2 reading to a familiar adult.  The inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects with subject leaders and pupils. Inspectors also looked at pupils’ work in art and design, English, computing, geography and physical education.  Inspectors discussed the school’s development priorities and the organisation of the curriculum with senior leaders.

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 Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including safeguarding records, behaviour records, records of meetings from the governing body, school policies and reports from the local authority and other external services.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. Inspectors also spoke to some parents at the start and end of the school day.  Inspectors considered the views of staff through meetings and informal discussions.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.

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Inspection team

Keith Pullen, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Eleanor Overland Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 November 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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