Milton Hall Primary School and Nursery Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve pupils’ attitudes and behaviours for learning to enable them to be confident, self-assured learners.
• Improve teaching and learning by:
  • sharing effective practice across the school to secure the highest outcomes for all pupils
  • make sure teachers have consistently high expectations of pupils’ presentation of work.
• Further develop the support for disadvantaged pupils so that they achieve as well as all pupils nationally.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has led the school effectively to create a highly inclusive community. The school serves a diverse catchment area, and all pupils feel welcome. Her leadership has ensured a key focus on parents and staff working together to make sure that all pupils have the right support and care to make good progress.
• Senior leaders work well as a team. They are enthusiastic and have high expectations of what pupils will achieve. Year group leaders model good practice to their team.
• Staff feel well supported in their professional development by the senior leaders. Teachers meet regularly to reflect on one another’s practice.
• Newly qualified teachers are well supported. They have access to professional development both in school and from external sources. This has made them feel confident at the start of their careers.
• Staff are extremely positive about working in the school. The vast majority are proud to work there. There is a clear collaborative approach, with teachers working closely alongside each other. In drama, for example, the class teacher brought in themes from the class story, then this was extended with the specialist input of the drama teacher.
• Leaders track pupils’ progress regularly through teacher assessment information. They use this information to target support for individuals or groups that need additional help to catch up. As a consequence, pupils achieve standards in line with national averages at the end of key stage 2, with progress well above national averages in reading, writing and mathematics
• The curriculum is particularly broad and focused on engaging, then extending, pupils’ knowledge and vocabulary. Leaders have enhanced the school’s provision over a number of years, with specialist drama, media and technology resources integrated into the curriculum.
• Subject leaders have a strong curriculum knowledge and develop teaching in their areas by feeding back to staff after checking on the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning.
• The pupil premium grant is used well to support disadvantaged pupils. Provision includes a wide range of support and provision to enable all pupils to make good progress. Leaders ensure that this support is evidence based and they monitor each activity to guarantee it has high impact. Provision of high-quality teaching is a priority. The pupil premium grant enables additional time for team observation, training and support, which has raised the standard of teaching.
• Enriching disadvantaged pupils’ life experiences is a key priority, with provision of a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Both parents and children are extremely positive about the activities, stating, ‘we love them’. Activities on offer range from rugby, through swing and coding to a ‘Shakespeare Club’, which culminates in performing at the local theatre.
• Leaders have targeted the performance of the higher attaining disadvantaged pupils, bringing in specialist weekly support from an English professor and involvement in projects such as the ‘Brilliant Club’, working with a university to raise pupils’ aspirations.
• The well-being of all pupils in the school is a priority, and funding from the pupil premium grant has further enhanced this for disadvantaged pupils. A school counsellor provides weekly therapy and support for both pupils and parents. The family support worker helps enable families to work alongside the school and promote regular attendance.
• The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) is new to post but supported by an experienced part-time colleague. Together, they make certain that all pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities are properly provided for. Provision and support is planned for on a pupil-by-pupil basis and all make strong progress from their individual starting points.
• The sports and physical education (PE) premium grant is used effectively. Provision at playtimes has been extended with a wide range of outdoor climbing and other playground equipment. The school takes part in local sports competitions with other schools and uses specialist coaches from the local football team. All pupils take part in an extended run around the school grounds three times a week. Pupils enjoy this session and are keen to take part in the extra-curricular sports provision.
• Leaders ensure that pupils are effectively prepared for life in modern Britain. They take time to reflect on others’ cultures and traditions. For example, a ‘Spirited Art’ competition encouraged pupils to create a piece of artwork and reflect in writing on what the image meant to them and on their faith or beliefs. In assemblies, pupils are encouraged to reflect on how scenarios make them feel ‘proud’ or if they had to ‘persevere’ or show ‘patience’.

Governance of the school

• Governors of the school have a clear understanding of the school’s current areas for improvement. They spend time with senior leaders so that they understand exactly what this information means and how leaders have come to this evaluation.
• Governors challenge leaders about how they are making effective use of additional funding, with a key emphasis on the provision for disadvantaged pupils.
• Members of the governing body undergo regular training to make sure that they are confident in discharging their responsibilities.
• They fulfil their statutory responsibilities for ensuring that the appropriate checks are made on new members of staff.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There is an extremely strong culture of safeguarding within the school. All staff have a clear understanding of what to do if they are concerned about the welfare of pupils. The designated safeguarding lead deals with concerns quickly and efficiently using a system of tracking multiple concerns, which ensures that pupils who are at risk are identified quickly. The deputy designated safeguarding lead is tenacious, following through referrals to the local authority to quickly secure the support that pupils and families need.
• Staff are trained at least yearly and the deputy designated lead shares additional information throughout the year when necessary. New staff have enhanced basic training so that they are confident in recognising concerns and how to report them.
• Parents are confident that their children are safe in school. Pupils believe that they are safe, and they know what to do if they did not feel so.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers have high expectations of what pupils will achieve. Any pupils who are at risk of falling behind are given additional support to enable them to catch up. Teachers encourage all pupils to have a positive attitude to learning. This is evident in pupils’ enjoyment and willingness to participate in all activities.
• Teaching in mathematics follows a clear structure. Pupils are confident using physical apparatus to support their use of number, for example a counting frame to demonstrate counting up to a much larger number. A high focus has been put on pupils’ reasoning skills. Teachers use challenge questions, with the aim of extending the higher-attaining pupils at the end of mathematical activities.
• Writing is often inspired by the school’s strong drama curriculum or by immersion in 3D films using special glasses in the 270-degree projection space. This area highly engages pupils. Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good use of this space to focus in on books that appear to fill the room and large-scale images, widening their vocabulary through discussion with their teacher. For example, a group watched a section from a documentary about dinosaurs, the scale of the size of them becoming clear due to the wrap-around 3D images.
• Teachers start topics with an open-ended question, to which pupils add their own questions. Teachers plan to address the pupils’ areas of interest, together with core knowledge and vocabulary. Leaders have rightly identified that with a high level of learners who speak English as an additional language, vocabulary extension is a key priority. Teachers emphasise key words through use of word banks, spoken language and the use of drama.
• PE teaching has a high focus on skills and teamwork, and pupils demonstrate good physical dexterity and are supportive of each other.
• Support staff are used effectively. They work closely with pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities to enable them to access the work being covered. Leaders provide weekly training and update sessions which contribute to the support staff being highly skilled.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make strong progress from their individual starting points. Pupils respond well to the support that they receive and are keen to practise what they have learned.
• Teachers do not consistently insist on the highest standard of presentation and too many pupils do not have pride in their work. Untidy work in mathematics was seen to hold some pupils back, for example creating inaccurate number lines.
• Phonics is taught using the school’s chosen scheme, but the programme is not always delivered well. Leaders have, rightly, identified that a higher proportion of pupils could reach the expected standard in the phonics check by the end of Year 2.
• Teachers structure pupils’ learning well throughout the curriculum. Where this is effective, and questioning is of a high standard, pupils’ work across a year group is of high quality and shows learning over time. In some classes, where teachers are less effective, pupils are not always challenged to an appropriate level.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils feel extremely safe at school. There are very few incidents of bullying or discriminatory behaviour and these are dealt with quickly and effectively. The school has a pastoral base called The Nest, and all pupils can access this to get help if they feel sad or upset, or if they are finding things difficult on the playground.
• The pastoral team works closely with families to enable their children to have the best start to life. They run a wide variety of workshops on how to help children learn, such as cookery classes where pupils serve their parents food related to the topics learned.
• Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe online and are very clear about how to do this. They know about being healthy and many choose to have the healthy options at lunchtime.
• A high-quality breakfast club is sponsored by a food retailer, so this is provided at no cost to parents. Pupils enjoy the club, and it provides a calm start to the day.
• Pupils are exceptionally caring to each other. They are thoughtful about members of the school who have SEN and/or disabilities and help them in lessons and out and about in the playground.
• Many pupils leave or join the school during the year. Pupils were particularly clear on how welcoming they are to newcomers. All new pupils are assigned a buddy and, if they are at the early stages of acquiring English, this is someone who speaks their language if at all possible. Staff provide additional support to those who are new in terms of basic language phrases. Older pupils have taken part in a nationally accredited scheme to be ‘young translators’, helping the settling process for new children and supporting families who speak little English.
• Staff have a good relationship with the pupils in their care. They encourage pupils to show each other respect when taking part in discussion in class.
• Drama lessons encourage the pupils to consider moral issues from different viewpoints. For example, a pupil stated, ‘I like drama because you can express yourself and be whoever you want to be. There’s no wrong answer.’ In a lesson seen, the pupils were encouraged to consider gender stereotypes in how they would respond to applause in the theatre.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils generally conduct themselves well around school. Lunchtime and playtime are calm and well ordered.
• There are clear systems for reward and sanction. Pupils are clear about these and are motivated to behave well. The number of recorded incidents of poor behaviour has reduced in the last year.
• Most parents who responded to Parent View, the online survey, believe that poor behaviour is dealt with well in the school.
• Attendance has risen over the last few years to be just below the national average. The percentage of pupils who are persistently absent has fallen. The attendance and family liaison officer works closely with families who are at risk of poor attendance.
• Most pupils have an excellent attitude to learning. However, there is some low-level disruption in many classes where routines are not well established. This prevents pupils from making the most of every session in school.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils’ progress from the end of key stage 1 to the end of key stage 2 is high and, from provisional figures, is likely to be above national averages.
• The school’s assessments show that pupils made steady progress in reading and mathematics over the last academic year, based on teacher assessments against age-related expectations.
• Pupils’ attainment at the expected standard or above in reading, writing, mathematics and science is broadly in line with national averages at all key stages. The percentage of pupils achieving greater depth in writing rose in both key stages 1 and 2.
• More than half of pupils start Reception with levels of development below what is typical for their age. They make rapid progress in the early years, with a majority achieving a good level of development by the end of Reception.
• Pupils read widely. They are motivated by the quizzes and rewards from the school’s reading system, and also speak about their enjoyment of other books.
• Disadvantaged pupils also made strong progress in key stage 2, but the attainment of this group remains below that of non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

Early years provision Good

• The early years provide a good start to children’s education. Leaders look to involve parents both before they start and when they are in the school. Teachers run workshops on helping children read. They invite parents in regularly to share their child’s progress through seeing ‘learning journals’.
• Relationships between adults and children are warm. Staff model good sharing and polite behaviour. They identify children with additional learning needs quickly and put in place support where appropriate.
• The outside areas provide for a wide range of activities. In Nursery, the learning inside links clearly with that outside. For example, children had sung ‘Jack and Jill’ and had seen the teacher telling the story with the help of small world toys. Outside, children completed an obstacle course to see if they could carry the water ‘down the hill’ without spilling any.
• The Reception area is shared by all three classes but has plenty of space for children to both take part in active play and in quieter role play with friends. For example, children performed a song on the ‘stage’, which was accompanied by musical instruments. Adult-led activities, both inside and out, draw on key teaching points from whole-class sessions.
• Children are motivated to investigate their surroundings, for example by lifting sand to the top of the climbing frame by using a pulley. Their behaviour is good and they show that they feel safe in the environment.
• Teachers make effective use of music and song to establish routines, for example by welcoming and starting mathematics sessions.
• Children have access to the specialist teaching on offer in the school, such as using cameras, which they do with care and attention. They have taken photographs in the style of David Bailey (their class name).
• The curriculum is planned on a thematic basis but draws on individual children’s interests, for example comparing size in the context of pumpkins linked to Autumn.
• Safeguarding is effective and statutory welfare requirements are met.
• There is a high focus on speech and language, which reflects the needs of the proportion of children who speak English as an additional language. All teachers emphasise the use of key words and phonics, but some do not do this to a high standard.

School details

Unique reference number 115313 Local authority Southend-on-Sea Inspection number 10052999 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Foundation 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 681 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Dave Taylor Debbie Priest 01702 330 758 www.miltonhallschool.com office@miltonhall.southend.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 22 February 2018

Information about this school

• The school is larger than the average primary school.
• The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium grant is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils for whom English is an additional language is well above the national average.
• The school has a breakfast club that is run out of the premises of Summercourt Children’s Centre, separately registered and inspected, but on the school site.
• The school is part of the Southend-on-Sea Primary Teaching School Alliance.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team observed learning in every class and in several small group sessions. Some of these observations were undertaken alongside members of the senior leadership team.
• A wide range of pupils’ workbooks from the current academic year and a selection from the previous year were looked at by the inspection team.
• The inspection team met with representatives from the local governing body. They met with senior leaders, subject leaders and a group of newly qualified teachers.
• The school council met with an inspector, as did a group of pupils from across the school. Inspectors also spoke to pupils informally in lessons and at playtimes. The 15 responses to the pupil survey were considered.
• The inspection team scrutinised the school’s website and a range of documents, including assessment information, the improvement plan and the school’s self-evaluation.
• Children read to inspectors and talked about their reading preferences.
• The 91 total responses and the 45 free-text responses made by parents to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, were considered. The inspection team also spoke to some parents before school.

Inspection team

Tessa Holledge, lead inspector Fiona Webb David Milligan Deborah Estcourt

Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector