Milton Park Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of leadership by ensuring that:
  • leaders make thorough checks on the progress of key groups, as well as their attainment, and act swiftly to tackle any inconsistencies that exist leaders promote the highest expectations for pupils’ progress and provide teachers with the ongoing challenge and guidance that they require
  • the governing body strengthens the rigour of its challenge to check the impact of leaders’ actions in improving outcomes for all groups of pupils.
• Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better by ensuring that:
  • teachers make better use of the assessment information about what pupils know, can do and understand, to help pupils make rapid progress
  • teachers and other adults check on how well pupils are learning in a lesson, so that they can quickly help those who are struggling and offer greater challenge to pupils who are more secure in their understanding.
• Improve outcomes in writing and mathematics across the school by ensuring that:
  • teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are raised, in both writing and mathematics, so that they achieve in line with age-related expectations
  • pupils, particularly the boys and pupils who need to catch up, are given more precise guidance on how to develop their writing
  • pupils are given more age-appropriate opportunities to develop their understanding of number and calculation work.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching and learning is not improving fast enough. A focus on raising attainment in the early years and in Year 1 has improved the quality of teaching and learning in these year groups. Until recently, however, leaders have not focused enough on accelerating progress for pupils who need to catch up. Consequently, standards at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are not rising quickly enough.
• Leaders’ self-evaluation has identified many of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. However, leaders’ actions have not led to rapid enough improvement in the identified areas that need further development. Leaders do not focus sharply enough on the progress of different groups, including boys, those with low starting points or those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Leaders have, however, successfully improved some aspects of the school’s work, including the teaching of phonics, the range of learning opportunities across the curriculum and outcomes in the early years. This provides a solid foundation for further improvements.
• The pupil premium funding supports eligible pupils in their personal well-being and academic achievement. As a result, these pupils are now making stronger progress than their peers. This is helping them to catch up and make up for their typically lower starting points.
• Priorities in the current school improvement plan are appropriate, but progress towards achieving them is not monitored closely enough. This means that leaders, including governors, are not clear on the difference they are making, or where more urgency is required. Some initiatives such as the plans to improve spelling and times tables are very recent and it is too soon to see their impact.
• Middle leaders have responded well to their increased responsibilities. For example, they are taking greater account of pupils’ progress and attainment information. They ensure that assessment judgements are accurate and support teachers in their teams. This is beginning to improve teachers’ practice.
• The curriculum is suitably broad and pupils are taught the appropriate range of subjects. In addition, pupils benefit from an appealing range of extra-curricular programmes, including a strong focus on the arts and drama. For example, during the inspection pupils’ involvement in the performance of ‘Joseph’ enabled them to be confident and self-assured. Cross-curricular links have been developed well to provide additional opportunities to practise writing and mathematical skills.
• The school promotes British values well, for example tolerance and respect for others. Leaders provide a range of opportunities to support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. These have a positive impact on pupils’ attitudes towards others. The school is a harmonious community and pupils understand the importance of getting along together.
• Recent support, commissioned by the local authority, to develop reasoning skills and problem-solving is paying dividends. Leaders have responded well to this support, monitoring improvements made to the teaching of these aspects effectively.
• The school uses sports funding effectively to promote pupils’ physical well-being. For example, trained coaches are used to improve the skills of teachers as well as providing a wide range of sporting clubs for the pupils to take part in. These include karate, judo, tennis and dance.

Governance of the school

• Governors carry out their statutory duties well for areas such as safeguarding to keep pupils safe.
• Governors do not challenge leaders strongly enough about pupils’ progress. They know how additional funding, including the pupil premium and funds to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, is used but not enough about the impact on pupils’ performance. Their overall grasp of the progress made by different groups of pupils, and the reasons behind low outcomes, requires improvement.
• Governors monitor the budget effectively and ensure financial management procedures are in place.
• Governors are supportive of the school and are committed to improving their skills and expertise in order to help the school improve further. As a result, governors are starting to ask more searching questions of school leaders, particularly about the quality of teaching.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff follow school policies carefully. They receive regular training and as a result, all staff know what to do if they have a concern about a pupil. Communications with outside agencies, such as children’s social services, are managed well. Leaders ensure that records are sufficiently detailed and securely stored.
• Appropriate checks are carried out on adults’ suitability to work with children. Safer recruitment guidance is used to ensure that all relevant checks are completed for those newly employed by the school.
• All necessary checks are carried out on members of staff who work in the breakfast and after-school clubs.
• Staff, parents and pupils are positive about the culture of safety in the school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• There are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching across the school. Work planned by teachers is not sufficiently well adapted to meet the learning needs of different groups of pupils.
• Teachers do not consistently develop pupils’ understanding, knowledge and skills or probe what they know well enough. Consequently, many pupils, particularly those who need to catch up, do not make the progress that they need to.
• Where teaching is less effective, teachers do not use ongoing assessment well enough to reshape tasks and explanations so that pupils learn new concepts well. Activities are not routinely challenging enough. Pupils with low starting points often do not receive the support they need in order to make good progress. As a result, pupils are not able to make the progress that they are capable of, particularly in writing and mathematics.
• The teaching of writing is variable. Staff are not doing enough to enable pupils to edit and improve their writing effectively. Consequently, pupils do not make good progress. However, more opportunities for cross-curricular work have enabled pupils to write at greater length.
• The teaching of mathematics is also variable. Pupils’ reasoning is now developing well due to recent training given to teachers. However, pupils’ understanding of number and calculation is underdeveloped in many year groups. When teaching is less effective, it is not yet supporting pupils to help them to catch up quickly. When teaching is more effective, pupils are given opportunities to deepen their mathematical understanding through problem-solving and challenging tasks.
• Where teaching is stronger, teachers have secure subject knowledge and high expectations of pupils. They plan learning based on what pupils already know and need to learn next. This challenges pupils and motivates them to learn well. Teachers monitor pupils’ understanding effectively and move their learning on. They intervene well to ensure that pupils make good progress over time. For example, in a Year 6 lesson the teacher skilfully challenged all pupils, from a range of starting points, to use clues to unlock padlocks. As a result, pupils had to think deeply about which mathematical strategy to use in order to solve the problems.
• Teaching in the autistic unit is adapted well to personalise the learning for each pupil who attends. Consequently, pupils are calm and eager to engage in their learning.
• Overall, teaching assistants support pupils’ learning well, particularly those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. They encourage pupils to do their best and take pride in the presentation of their work.
• The teaching of phonics is effective, having improved over the last year. Teachers are now largely effective in setting out tasks which build pupils’ understanding well. However, there are occasions where pupils’ errors and misconceptions are not addressed systematically enough. Initiatives to promote a ‘love for reading’ such as special weeks, author visits, book days and the new library have increased pupils’ enjoyment of, and enthusiasm for, reading.
• New homework initiatives, for example to practise times tables and spellings, consolidate learning in class well. As a result, pupils are beginning to make more progress in these areas.
• Teachers provide a range of exciting learning opportunities across the curriculum. These are enabling pupils to develop their enquiry and research skills well. For example, pupils have the opportunity to become ‘history detectives’ where they pose questions and evaluate evidence to solve problems. Pupils enjoy learning about interesting topics, including learning from visits to the local D-Day Museum and learning through drama workshops and theatre groups.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils care for each other well. Teachers give pupils opportunities to develop their confidence through mentoring and leadership roles. For example, the older pupils lead clubs at playtime and lunchtime, which are valued by younger pupils.
• Pupils take pride in their work and the quality of this is improving. Pupils feel that teachers expect them to work hard and try their best.
• Pupils develop their understanding of values effectively through the school’s ‘learning heroes’ which focus on resilience, teamwork, reflection, respect and resourcefulness. These values are beginning to help pupils to tackle more challenging work.
• Pupils feel safe and happy at school. They enjoy coming to school and are keen to learn new things. In lessons, they want to learn and particularly enjoy educational visits such as the visit to Southsea Castle.
• Pupils have opportunities to find out how to stay safe, particularly online. They learn how to use technology safely and responsibly, where to go for help and what to keep private. They also learn how to stay healthy by participating in competitions and sessions led by trained coaches. In the science curriculum they learn about the benefits of eating healthily. They are also encouraged to make healthy choices for snacks during break.
• Parents feel that pupils are cared for well. For example, one parent said, ‘I have been particularly impressed with the caring nature of the teachers.’
• Pupils’ understanding of the dangers of bullying is good. Concerns are resolved quickly and bullying is rare.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They are polite and abide by the school rules.
• Staff working in the autistic unit manage the pupils’ behaviour well. Strong relationships between adults and pupils enable concerns to be resolved quickly.
• Pupils follow instructions well. They value other pupils’ ideas and views. The vast majority of lessons are orderly and run smoothly, without interruption.
• Teachers have high expectations of behaviour. The clarity with which these are reinforced by staff has led to some marked improvements in the behaviour of individual pupils.
• Staff tackle the very rare use of derogatory language quickly and effectively.
• The school provides good opportunities for pupils to reflect on their feelings and debate their views, particularly when resolving issues.
• Attendance has improved slightly over the last two years, as a result of leaders’ actions to address persistent absence. This has led to absence figures reducing for some groups of pupils. However, leaders, including governors, recognise that there is more work to be done to improve this further.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Pupils’ progress by the end of key stage 2 in 2015 and 2016 has been inconsistent. In 2016, progress in reading was just above the national average; however, progress in writing and particularly in mathematics was much weaker.
• There have been similar inconsistencies in key stage 1. In 2015, attainment was broadly in line with national figures for reading and writing but below in mathematics. In 2016, attainment was well below national averages in all three subjects and pupils’ progress was significantly lower than the national average in 2016.
• Pupils’ progress in phonics has improved and is now good. The proportion of Year 1 pupils who met the expected standard in phonics in 2016 improved on 2015, but was below that seen nationally. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils typically meeting the standard required in phonics at the end of Year 1 was well below national figures. However, most achieved the standard required by the end of Year 2. Current pupils are making good progress because of improved teaching.
• The progress of current pupils varies across subjects. Progress in writing and mathematics is weaker than in reading. Although evidence in pupils’ work shows that pupils are making progress, it is not rapid enough, particularly for boys, and support is not provided quickly enough for those falling behind to help them catch up.
• Disadvantaged pupils are currently making better progress than their peers in the vast majority of year groups in reading, writing and mathematics. However, their current attainment remains significantly below that of other pupils.
• The progress of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is variable because teachers do not plan precisely enough to build on pupils’ prior learning, particularly in writing. However, the small proportions of pupils who receive targeted support to develop their reading skills make strong progress. Other interventions are also beginning to increase the rates of progress for some pupils. Pupils’ progress for those working within the autistic unit has improved more recently.

Early years provision Good

• Most children start in the Reception class with knowledge and skills below those typical for their age, particularly in language and communication. They make good progress from their starting points, including those who are disadvantaged. Consequently, most children are well prepared for Year 1. The proportion of children who reached a good level of development at the end of Reception Year, including disadvantaged children, in 2016 was in line with that found nationally.
• Leadership of the early years is effective. Leaders have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. For example, they identified from analysis of assessment information that opportunities for children to develop skills in technology were weak. Evidence seen in lessons and in learning journals shows that effective action has been taken to improve outcomes in this learning area.
• Teachers provide an interesting range of engaging learning opportunities which develop children’s skills in all areas of learning, particularly indoors. Leaders have identified learning outdoors as a priority for further development, so that children have the same level of challenge and range of learning opportunities that are inside. Children concentrate for sustained periods to complete tasks. Most adults engage well with children, asking relevant questions and providing suitable challenge.
• Children develop their early reading and writing skills well through the use of engaging texts. Teachers plan interesting tasks which motivate the children and build their language skills steadily. For example, children were enjoying retelling ‘Goldilocks and the three bears’ using small figures for each of the characters. Adults skilfully probed the children’s understanding of the sequence of events in the story.
• In another part of the class, children were working with the teacher to practise writing simple sentences about the story in their own booklets. Teachers provide regular opportunities for children to practise and learn the sounds that letters make. This is leading to good rates of progress in both reading and writing.
• Additional funding is used effectively. The difference between the achievement of disadvantaged children and that of others is reducing. Disadvantaged children achieved in line with their peers in writing and number in 2016.
• Children behave and respond to each other well. For example, one child was observed saying ‘You can share this glue with me.’ Children work cooperatively and considerately with each other, taking turns when needed. Staff give children’s safety and well-being a high priority and make sure that all statutory welfare requirements are met.
• Teachers develop strong links with parents, who have valued the information and workshops provided by the school. They now feel more able to support their children’s learning at home. One parent commented that: ‘The workshops available to parents and children during the transition period from pre-school were informative, well-structured and most importantly welcoming for the children.’
• Effective links with pre-school settings ensure that children settle quickly into their classes.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140689 Portsmouth 10032489 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 Maintained 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 410 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Lionel Smith Julie Smith Telephone number 0239 273 3792 Website Email address www.miltonparkprimaryschool.co.uk jsmith@miltonparkprimaryschool.co.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• Milton Park Primary School is a larger than average-sized primary school. The school opened in September 2014 as a result of a merger between an infant and a junior school. There are two classes in each year group. The school also includes an autistic unit for 14 pupils. A breakfast club and after-school club are managed by the governing body.
• The school is being supported by a specialist leader of education, to develop teachers’ practice in mathematics.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities in receipt of an education, health and care plan is significantly above the national average.
• Almost half of the pupils who attend the school receive support through the pupil premium funding, significantly above the proportion seen nationally.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school meets the current government floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed 24 lessons across all year groups. Some lessons were jointly observed with senior leaders.
• Meetings were held with senior leaders, other staff and governors.
• Inspectors took account of the 26 responses to the confidential questionnaire from staff and spoke to a representative from the local authority.
• Inspectors evaluated documents, including the school improvement plan, minutes of meetings, reports on attendance and behaviour, and records related to pupils’ safety and academic progress.
• Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in lessons, scrutinised a sample of work across different ages and abilities and listened to pupils read.
• Pupils’ behaviour was observed at break and lunchtime and around the school.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils both informally and in a meeting. They also took account of the 37 responses to the confidential pupil questionnaire.
• Inspectors took account of the results of a school survey of parents’ opinions, analysed 17 responses from the parents’ online questionnaire, Parent View, and spoke to parents at the beginning and end of the school day.

Inspection team

Mo Galway, lead inspector Cassie Buchanan Simon Francis

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector