Millway Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, and children in the early years, are happy and safe in this school. They know and understand the importance of the school's values to 'listen, respect and persevere'.

Pupils often reflect on these values in whole-school assemblies. They know that staff expect them to behave well and make good behaviour choices. Pupils play together happily during playtimes.

The school has ambitious aims for pupils' understanding of diversity. Pupils' cultural development is prioritised. The school makes sure that 'diversity' is a golden thread through the curriculum.

Pupils learn about a broad range of different religions and beliefs. They visit places of worship, suc...h as a Hindu temple, to broaden their understanding of different faiths. Pupils talk positively about this learning.

The school ensures that pupils learn about staying safe. Pupils can speak confidently about subjects such as computing and how to stay safe online. They can confidently recall that they have five trusted adults they can speak to.

Pupils value the broad range of clubs and opportunities available, including sports activities. They enjoy attending football club. They compete in cross-country events against other schools.

They organise their own dance club at lunchtime. Pupils love being awarded badges when they represent the school in tournaments or performances.

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

The early years is a vibrant, engaging environment.

Children get off to a good start with their learning. Staff are warm and caring. Children benefit from a range of activities and resources to develop their interests.

For example, they enjoyed creating Chinese lanterns to celebrate Chinese New Year. They use new words accurately to locate Antarctica on a globe. They learn the basics of programming using robots.

Reading is central to the curriculum. Children start learning letter sounds as soon as they begin school. Pupils develop their reading fluency from expert staff, who teach them well.

Any pupil who needs more help, or who is new to learning English, gets extra practice. This helps them catch up. High-quality texts are included in the English curriculum so that pupils are inspired by great literature.

Pupils write creatively and choose interesting vocabulary. Teachers encourage pupils to read widely. Pupils talk enthusiastically about reading a range of books, including those from different cultures.

The school has worked hard to ensure that there is an ambitious curriculum in all subjects. The broad curriculum helps pupils understand a range of different topics. In subjects where the curriculum has been well thought through, teachers know exactly what content they need to deliver, and pupils can recall what they have learned.

However, in a few subjects, the most important knowledge that pupils need to remember is not always prioritised. When this is the case, pupils struggle to remember the key points so they can build on these and deepen their understanding.

Teachers often check pupils' understanding.

Occasionally, these checks are not precise enough to help teachers identify exactly what pupils know and to spot if there are any gaps in their knowledge. Pupils' misconceptions are sometimes missed. This means that pupils do not always achieve as well as they could.

The school is ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Learning plans for these pupils help staff keep a sharp focus on what helps these pupils learn. Staff provide suitable support so that pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as their peers.

Staff expectations of pupils' behaviour are high, and this is reflected in lessons. The school has appropriate systems in place to check pupils' attendance. There is a keen focus on ensuring that all pupils attend school every day.

Pupils enjoy taking on leadership responsibilities as, for example, sports leaders or school councillors. Pupils fundraise for charities, including to support a school in The Gambia. They are proud of these achievements.

New staff have come together quickly to form a supportive team. This has helped the school to implement improvement plans at pace. Staff are positive about the support they receive and opportunities they have to improve their practice.

Staff workload is always considered before necessary changes take place.

The governing body is a relatively new team. Governors are still in the process of acting on recommendations from a recent review of their work.

Currently, how governors challenge and check on the school's improvements are not sharp enough. Many parents and carers recognise the work the school is doing to bring about improvements and would recommend the school to others.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, the curriculum does not identify precisely enough the key knowledge that pupils need to learn. When this is the case, pupils cannot always recall important information that they need to know. The school must ensure that the curriculum in each subject identifies specifically what pupils should learn and when.

Strategies to check pupils' knowledge are not always used consistently well. Pupils' misconceptions are not always accurately identified or fully resolved. The school should ensure that approaches used to check what pupils know and understand are suitably effective.

• The recently formed governing body is in the process of establishing its procedures to oversee the school's work. Current processes used to support and challenge the school are not as sharply focused as they should be. The school should ensure that the governing body has suitable systems and procedures in place so that it can support the school as it continues to improve.

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