Mill Hill Community Primary School

Mill Hill Community Primary School Inspection report

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121330 Unique Reference Number North Yorkshire Local Authority 331051 Inspection number 5–6 March 2009 Inspection dates Mark Wilson Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005; it was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 227 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Sheila Sutton Chair Mr Stephen Hanscombe Headteacher 14 May 2007 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Crosby Road School address Northallerton North Yorkshire DL6 1AE 01609 772382 Telephone number 01609 777617 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 5–6 March 2009 Inspection dates 331051 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Mill Hill Community Primary School, 5–6 March 2009

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Introduction

When Mill Hill Primary School was inspected in May 2007, it was judged to require special measures because it was failing to provide an acceptable standard of education for its pupils. Subsequently, inspectors have made four visits to monitor the school's progress. This inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Mill Hill is an average sized primary school, which serves an area in the market town of Northallerton with a broad mix of socio-economic circumstances. The headteacher and his deputy took up post in January 2008. Almost all pupils are of White British heritage and the vast majority speaks English as their first language. The percentage of pupils entitled to a free school meal is slightly higher than average. A larger number of pupils than average have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. The school's Reception class provides for 20 children in the Early Years Foundation Stage. There is a privately run breakfast and after-school club on the school site which is not managed by the governing body. This was not inspected.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Mill Hill Community Primary School, 5–6 March 2009

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Grade: 3

In accordance with section 13 (4) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires special measures. Mill Hill Primary is an improving school, which provides a satisfactory education for its pupils. Some features of its work are good. The strong leadership of the headteacher and his deputy has led to rapid improvements. This is clearly seen in the good quality of teaching and learning pupils receive. Teachers have a good understanding of what makes a good lesson to engage pupils well in their learning. This good teaching has accelerated pupils' progress; however, it has not yet resulted in pupils making good overall achievement because of the legacy of underachievement and gaps in pupils' prior learning. Overall, standards are broadly average and achievement is satisfactory in both Key Stages 1 and 2. However, the standards and achievement especially across Key

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Grade: 3

Stage 2 and in mathematics are not consistently high enough. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make the same satisfactory progress as other pupils. The identification of and support for pupils with these additional learning needs has however, not been addressed at an early enough stage. Although in Reception steps have been taken to remedy this, there is still more work to do across the rest of the school. The care, guidance and support for pupils provided by the school are satisfactory and procedures for ensuring the safeguarding of pupils meet current government requirements. Overall, the personal development and well-being of pupils is satisfactory, as is their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school's very clear focus on the core value of respect is starting to impact positively on pupils' enjoyment and attitudes towards learning. However, some pupils do not make as much progress in their lessons as they could. This is partly because

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Grade: 3

they do not have the personal learning skills required since aspects of their social and emotional development are not developed sufficiently. Pupils know how to keep healthy and safe and make a satisfactory contribution to their school community through their positions of responsibility. Overall, pupils develop satisfactory basic skills for later life. The curriculum is satisfactory and improving, providing pupils with much more interesting activities. Topics are linked and themed days such as 'World Book Day' demonstrate the efforts leaders and teachers put in to try to ensure the best outcomes for pupils. Pupils realise this and one pupil summed up others' views, by saying 'Mill Hill helps you fulfil your dreams'. Leadership and management including governance are good. Through their effective self-evaluation, leaders have a very clear understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. Despite financial constraints, sensible deployment of staff and resources mean

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Grade: 3

the school provides satisfactory value for money. The raft of recent developments indicates that there is a good capacity for further improvement.

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Grade: 3

Children start Reception with skills and knowledge levels sometimes lower than those usually found. They make satisfactory and occasionally better progress. Inspection evidence indicates they are on course by the end of Reception to reach the levels broadly expected for their age. These levels have been well below average. More rigorous assessment and a stronger focus on 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Mill Hill Community Primary School, 5–6 March 2009 curriculum development are leading to improvements in the children's achievement. Their progress in numeracy is better than in language, but the introduction of a programme linking sounds and letters is having a positive impact on their learning. Overall, the children are helped satisfactorily to learn and develop. Planning for learning is good, with a balance of activities led by an adult and those children choose for themselves. However, children are not always

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Grade: 3

guided sufficiently to have as wide a range of experiences as possible. There are also opportunities missed to reinforce other areas of learning while children are involved in activities. Children's gains in skills are assessed well and good use is made of the information to plan the next steps in learning. Satisfactory use is made of the outside area, but leaders know there is scope to make more imaginative use of it to develop skills across a wider range of learning. The promotion of the children's welfare is satisfactory, but is not strong enough to encourage consistently positive attitudes to learning; hence, the personal development of the children is satisfactory. Leadership of the Early Years Foundation Stage is satisfactory. Recent staff changes at teaching and management levels have taken place and a good partnership is developing. Formal monitoring of the provision by the new leadership has yet to take place, but the school's

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Grade: 3

senior leaders support this area of the school well.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards and improve achievement especially at Key Stage 2 and in mathematics.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve the social and emotional development of some pupils so that they have the personal learning skills needed to make better progress in their lessons. ■ Ensure that pupils' additional learning needs are identified at an early stage so that effective support can be given to enable them to achieve their potential. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

At Key Stage 1, pupils make satisfactory progress and reach standards that broadly match the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. In most years, standards in mathematics are slightly below those in reading and writing. Following a period of decline when pupils made insufficient progress at Key Stage 2 and standards were well below average, the headteacher has brought rapid change, resulting in improved and now satisfactory achievement. While standards across the school are broadly average and all groups of pupils make satisfactory progress, there is still a need for more improvement. For example, despite good teaching, pupils in some Key Stage 2 classes, including the current Year 6, are having to make up the deficit resulting from a legacy of underachievement. This is especially so in mathematics where pupils' rate of progress is slower. Better use of assessment data enables teachers to focus their attention much more strongly

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Grade: 3

on the progress of individual pupils or groups of pupils. Their success has been evident in the actions taken to improve pupils' progress in English recently. Realistic, yet challenging targets are set in mathematics and English and pupils have a clearer understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Mill Hill Community Primary School, 5–6 March 2009

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Grade: 3

The school has worked hard to improve pupils' personal development and well-being. As a result of a more consistent approach to reinforcing positive behaviour, pupils' behaviour is never less than satisfactory and on occasions good. In lessons, most pupils demonstrate better attitudes and behaviour than they do out of the classroom. However, some pupils have not made sufficient gains in their social and emotional development and so do not have strong enough learning skills to help them make best progress in the classroom. For a minority of pupils, weaknesses in literacy, numeracy and information communication technology (ICT) prove a potential barrier to future success. As a result of the improved lessons, pupils enjoy their education more and their attendance is satisfactory and improving. This enjoyment was most apparent in the themed literacy lessons on 'World Book Day' when staff and pupils had

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Grade: 3

great fun dressing up as their favourite literary character. Partnerships with others, including parents, are satisfactory and increasingly used to promote pupils' well-being.

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Grade: 2

As a result of the leadership's relentless efforts, the quality of teaching and learning is good. Good relationships between staff and pupils means pupils generally learn well. Teachers plan their lessons well, carefully matching the activity and the level of demand to the pupil's individual ability. Pupils are actively involved in most lessons; they speak warmly of the opportunities taken for example through role-play to enliven their learning. Teachers regularly check how well pupils are learning and mark their work well. Pupils are set challenging work in lessons in order that they can learn more and achieve their demanding targets. Teachers encourage pupils to be independent learners, as seen, for example, in the use of talking partners. Classroom wall displays are effectively used to reinforce pupil's understanding. However, for some pupils their weaker personal development gets in the way of their learning. Teachers have high expectations

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Grade: 2

of their pupils and there are high pupil expectations of the quality of teaching they receive.

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Grade: 3

The school has focused clearly upon developing an integrated curriculum where links are made across subjects. Teachers and pupils have responded very positively towards this and it has been reflected in the good teaching and learning observed. While statutory requirements are met, the leadership has recognised the need to regularly review the curriculum to ensure that pupils have their full learning entitlement in subjects such as religious education and science. Gaps in some pupils' learning, due to a legacy of underachievement, have been identified, especially in numeracy. A more active and explicit curriculum to reinforce numerical concepts is being developed to address this. Similarly, in Year 6, specialist subject teachers are taking pupils for their literacy and numeracy lessons to consolidate learning. A start has also been made to give pupils better opportunities to use information and communication technology in

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Grade: 3

lessons. Again the gaps in pupils' learning have been identified, but the process to make up the shortfalls has only recently started. Satisfactory opportunities for enrichment are provided through, for example, football coaching, a puzzle club and very recently an information and communication technology club which pupils have been keen to join. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Mill Hill Community Primary School, 5–6 March 2009

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Grade: 3

The headteacher and all staff know the pupils well and work hard to remove barriers to their learning. Pupils are confident that they are well cared for and know that staff will listen to their worries and take appropriate action. All statutory policies are in place and are regularly reviewed. Procedures for health and safety and risk assessments are appropriately undertaken. The school works closely with other agencies to ensure that the needs of pupils at risk are identified and appropriately catered for. Pupils know and understand how they can improve their work in English and mathematics because teachers give them clear, specific guidance through good quality marking. Across other subjects, this guidance is less strong. The school is working more closely with groups of pupils identified to be in need of support. This is helping raise their self-esteem and ensuring that they have better access to learning. However, some pupils with

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Grade: 3

learning difficulties and/or disabilities do not always have their needs identified at an early enough stage to initiate appropriately timed support. As a result, their progress is sometimes restricted.

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Grade: 2

Through the good, strong direction given by the headteacher and his deputy headteacher, staff share a clear common purpose that all pupils will get the best from their education. Good use is made of challenging targets to help raise standards and staff are clearly accountable for the progress pupils make. Satisfactory steps have been taken to ensure an equality of opportunity for all pupils. Amongst subject leaders there is a feeling of empowerment and because of this they are very keen to take the initiative as seen in their leadership of the very successful 'World Book' and Fairtrade days. The school has established good links with two other local schools to better meet the learning needs of the more able pupils. Leaders are working hard to engage parents and the local community in the life of Mill Hill. However, they are aware that more needs to be done to develop what is presently a satisfactory provision for community cohesion

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Grade: 2

and to extend pupils' cultural experiences beyond that of the locality. Governors have a wide range of pertinent expertise, which is used well. The strong leadership of the governing body has ensured effective challenge and support for the school to enable the necessary improvements. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Mill Hill Community Primary School, 5–6 March 2009 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Mill Hill Community Primary School, 5–6 March 2009

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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needs of learners?

Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well being? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

3 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 3 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 3 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 3 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Mill Hill Community Primary School, 5–6 March 2009

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learners?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 3 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 3 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 3 The behaviour of learners 3 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Mill Hill Community Primary School, 5–6 March 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Mill Hill Community Primary School, Northallerton, DL6 1AE Thank you for the warm welcome you gave us when we inspected your school recently. We enjoyed talking with you and were grateful to those pupils who gave up part of their lunchtime to meet with us. We decided that your school has made such a lot of improvements that it no longer needs special measures. We found that in Reception and the rest of the school you all now receive a satisfactory standard of education and some features of your school's work are good. In Reception and the other classes, you all make at least satisfactory progress and reach broadly average standards, with some pupils doing even better. This is because in most lessons the teaching you get is good. You told us how much you enjoy lessons when you are actively involved in making the learning fun. However, we found that some pupils have not yet developed the best learning skills they need to help them progress well.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Teachers and their leaders have worked hard to give you much better learning activities, so that the curriculum you have is satisfactory and improving. It was lovely to see how much you enjoyed dressing up as your favourite literacy character on 'World Book Day' and the interesting things you did on Fairtrade Day'. Overall, we found the care, guidance and support you receive are satisfactory as are your behaviour and attendance. You told us that you enjoy school and that you know how to keep safe and healthy. We could see that the leaders of your school are doing a good job in helping it to improve. They are very clear what still needs to be done to make your school even better. To help do this we have suggested a few things for them to focus on:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ help you to reach higher standards and achieve better in your work, especially in Years 3 to 6 and in mathematics ■ help some of you develop better personal learning skills

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ identify and support as soon as possible those pupils who need more help with their learning.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

You can help by working hard and aiming for 100% attendance at school. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Mill Hill Community Primary School, 5–6 March 2009

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