Mytchett Primary & Nursery Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This busy, happy and hard-working school provides a warm welcome for pupils, parents, carers and visitors alike. The school's values (happiness, equality, aspiration, respect and trust) underpin school life.

Pupils are confident learners. They enjoy all the school has to offer. Pupils told us how much they enjoy sports, music and the arts, as well as English and mathematics.

Many join the wide range of clubs offered by the school.

Staff and pupils get on well together. Adults expect all pupils to work hard and behave well, and most do.

Sometimes in lessons, a small number of pupils get a bit fidgety. A reminder from the teacher is usually all that is... needed to get most pupils back on track. Pupils have fun and behave sensibly during playtimes.

They join in happily with the many activities provided.

Pupils feel safe in school. They know how they can help to keep themselves safe and know whom to speak to if they need help.

Pupils told us that teachers take good care of them, and parents agree. Pupils have no concerns about bullying. Pupils told us that their 'teachers are right on it' if they or their friends have any worries.

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

Leaders have achieved a great deal in a relatively short space of time. They and their staff have improved the quality of education in a range of subjects, particularly in mathematics. This has ensured that learning builds well for pupils as they move up through the school.

However, leaders know that there is more to do. For instance, they know that pupils could develop even stronger skills in subjects such as science and physical education (PE) than is currently the case.

An improved mathematics curriculum, combined with high-quality training, means that teachers are clearer about when and how to teach mathematical knowledge and skills.

This means that pupils have an increasingly secure mathematical understanding.

Leaders and teachers keep a close eye on pupils' learning. They are quick to notice where pupils are falling behind and provide extra help where needed.

This is making a notable difference to pupils' learning. Pupils with gaps in their knowledge and understanding are catching up quickly, especially in phonics and mathematics.

Children in the early years are immersed in a culture of books and reading from the first day in school.

They develop a real appetite for reading. Teachers in all year groups give pupils lots of opportunities to listen to stories. The school's recently updated library provides pupils with an airy, inviting and well-resourced place for them to enjoy books.

The school's focus on reading for pleasure has clearly paid off. Pupils enthuse about reading, with a pupil describing the joy of 'sinking into a book'.

Staff teach phonics skills effectively from the start of the school year.

By the end of Year 2, most pupils can use phonics well to read tricky words. This puts them in a good position for future learning in key stage 2.

Most pupils learn well across a range of subjects.

However, some of the most able pupils do not learn as well as they should because work does not always require them to think deeply enough. Leaders have already started to look at how to improve this aspect of the school's work.

Pupils usually work purposefully during lessons.

They want to do well and they pay careful attention to their teachers. This means that teachers and pupils can get the most out of their time in lessons. Pupils get on well together during playtimes.

They are polite to adults and considerate towards others.

The school provides a wide range of trips, clubs and visits. These contribute well to pupils' personal development.

Pupils talk about British values with understanding. They respect different faiths and backgrounds. For instance, during the inspection, some of the older pupils spoke with interest about a trip to a Sikh gurdwara.

The headteacher provides strong direction for her staff. She has used training well to support staff development and knows exactly what needs to be done to secure further improvements. The headteacher has maintained an upbeat atmosphere in the school during a period of rapid change and development.

Staff enjoy teaching and are proud to work in the school.

Subject leaders share the headteacher's ambitions for the school and provide valuable support for staff. However, it is too soon for them to have checked whether recent developments in the curriculum have improved pupils' learning.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff keep a careful eye on pupils' safety and welfare. They know what to do if they have any worries about a pupil's well-being.

Leaders take any concerns about pupils' safety very seriously and act quickly where needed. Parents say that the school does a good job in keeping their children safe.

Personal development lessons, visits and visitors help pupils to learn about ways they can help to keep themselves safe.

For instance, they told us how internet safety presentations help them to feel confident about when and how to report a concern.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders have worked well with staff to develop the curriculum. They have made changes to programmes of learning to ensure that pupils learn knowledge and skills more securely.

Improvements are particularly notable in mathematics. As a result, standards in mathematics have risen across the school in the past year and continue to improve. Leaders have secured improvements in other subjects too.

For example, leaders have made good use of training to strengthen teachers' understanding of science vocabulary and this, in turn, is improving pupils' scientific knowledge. Leaders have also made sure that pupils have more opportunities to practise science skills by completing investigations. However, the science programme is not precise enough about which skills should be taught in each year group.

This makes it difficult for teachers to make sure that what they are teaching is building strongly enough on prior learning. The picture is similar in subjects such as PE and art, where leaders are currently developing stronger progression in how skills are taught and making sure that the most able are challenged to do as well as they should. Leaders should continue their work to update the curriculum so that all pupils, including the most able, develop knowledge and skills equally well in all subjects.

. Subject leaders are not always clear about the difference their work is making to pupils' learning. Leaders and the trust should ensure that the leadership training already scheduled enables subject leaders to evaluate and continually improve the school's work consistently well so that subject leaders' actions have a stronger impact on future curriculum development.

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