Margaret McMillan Primary School

Inspection of Margaret McMillan Primary School Scotchman Road, Heaton, Margaret McMillan Primary School, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD9 5DF

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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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

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The headteacher of this school is Richard Walker. This school is part of the Priestley Academy 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), Mathew Atkinson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Peter Lambert. 14 and 15 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is friendly and welcoming. Pupils learn in a calm and nurturing environment. All at the school want pupils to do well in various aspects of school life. The school’s culture reflects its motto of ‘inspiration, aspiration and determination’. These high expectations are at the heart of the school’s ambitious curriculum and inclusive approach to the variety of experiences on offer. Staff encourage pupils to develop their vocabulary, ask questions and be curious. Pupils learn effective communication and language skills. They are immersed in the joy of reading from the early years.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between pupils and staff are positive. The caring ethos helps pupils to feel safe. Pupils understand the school’s expectations for their behaviour. Staff deal with incidents of poor behaviour effectively. Pupils appreciate that staff will help them with their worries. Pupils have positive attitudes and concentrate well in lessons. They show respect for the views of others and behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a variety of school activities and clubs. These include mechanics, rock climbing and ballet. Pupils develop skills of leadership by holding positions of responsibility, such as for school council, eco warriors, librarians and early years associates. They like participating in sports competitions. Pupils relish their residential outdoor adventure experiences.

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

Since the last inspection, leadership of the trust and the school has changed. The curriculum has been reviewed and revised. Curriculum subjects build and extend pupils’ knowledge and skills from the early years. The strong focus on language development particularly supports the needs of pupils who speak English as an additional language and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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

Pupils are encouraged to make connections in their learning across different curriculum subjects. For example, older pupils are confident to discuss their opinions about different types of renewable energy by drawing on their scientific and geographical knowledge. The school has successfully strengthened the curriculum for subjects such as history and geography. However, teachers’ checks on pupils’ learning in some curriculum subjects are not as effective as they are in others. The school cannot be certain that all pupils are making the best possible progress in some subjects.

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

Reading is the school’s highest priority. Staff help parents and carers to support their children to read at home. Phonics is taught well. Staff provide prompt and effective support to ensure that pupils keep up with the phonics programme. Books are everywhere in school. Pupils love using the school library. The choice of books in school is diverse. They reflect pupils’ lives and develop their understanding of the world. Recent changes to the way older pupils develop their reading skills beyond phonics are helping them to become increasingly confident and fluent readers. 14 and 15 January 2025

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Most pupils achieve well in writing by the end of Year 6. However, the quality of some pupils’ written work is affected by weaknesses in their knowledge of grammar and punctuation. Sometimes, these aspects of pupils’ writing go uncorrected by teachers. Pupils in the early stages of learning to write are not consistently taught the skills they need to hold their pencil correctly and form neat, legible handwriting.

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The school provides children in the early years with a rich variety of thoughtfully designed experiences. Children are nurtured and valued as individuals. Staff are positive and enthusiastic role models for children. They provide effective guidance and support for parents. Children are happy and enthusiastic learners. They acquire the knowledge and skills they need to equip them well for Year 1.

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The school identifies and supports the needs of pupils with SEND well. Leaders ensure that staff have suitable resources to meet pupils’ needs. Teachers adapt learning when necessary to help pupils to access the curriculum.

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Most pupils attend well. Persistent absence has been a particular challenge for the school since the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders are not complacent. They work effectively with external professionals and parents to look at the reasons for absence and to offer guidance and support. This determined approach is significantly improving rates of attendance.

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The curriculum supports pupils’ personal development well. Pupils learn how to stay safe, including online. They learn about the importance of equality and individual liberty. They appreciate and respect the diversity of different faiths and values. Pupils understand the importance of positive physical and mental health. They enjoy enrichment activities, including musical performances and trips and visitors linked to the curriculum. Older pupils were recently enchanted by watching a performance of ‘A Christmas Carol’ by a national ballet company.

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Governors work effectively with trust leaders to ensure purposeful improvements. Staff enjoy working here. Leaders are considerate of staff’s welfare and workload. Parents typically praise the way staff are ‘friendly, approachable and professional’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s checks of the progress pupils make are not as well developed in some curriculum subjects as they are in others. Leaders cannot be sure that all pupils are being supported to do their best in all subjects. The school should ensure that the checks of what pupils know, and can do, across the curriculum are analysed thoroughly 14 and 15 January 2025

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and that leaders use their analysis to ensure that all pupils achieve the best possible outcomes.  The school’s teaching of handwriting, punctuation and grammar is not as effective as it could be. This means that some pupils may not make the progress in writing that they could. The school should ensure that all staff understand how to develop pupils’ handwriting skills and to use and apply accurate punctuation and grammar in their writing.

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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 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). 14 and 15 January 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 December 2019

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in January 2024.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school provides breakfast and after-school care clubs.

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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. 14 and 15 January 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, the deputy headteachers, the assistant headteacher, the leader for early years, some subject leaders, the attendance officer, the special educational needs coordinator and the school office manager.  The lead inspector met with three representatives of the governing body, including the chair and the vice chair. The lead inspector also met with the CEO and the school improvement leader for the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history, geography, art and design and English. For each group of subjects, the

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inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors spoke to leaders about the school’s approach to teaching science.  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.  The inspectors spoke to some parents informally at the start and end of the school day and met with some pupils and staff.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and Ofsted’s surveys for pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

Stephanie Innes-Taylor, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Emmeline Ford Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 January 2025

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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