Great Milton Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Great Milton Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

The essence of Great Milton is captured perfectly in the words of the parent who observed, 'The school feels like a family.

Kindness and happiness are at the heart, which is what makes the children feel safe and secure to grow as individuals.' Many other parents expressed similar views. Pupils, too, describe the school as being like 'one big family' with 'one big heart'.

Those who have joined the school later appreciate how they were made to feel welcome and how something 'just clicks' so that they feel they belong. The way that the school embraced the arriva...l of refugees and their families a couple of years ago is impressive. While they have all moved on now, the legacy of empathy and the depth of pupils' understanding about what their former classmates had experienced is inspirational.

The school is equally committed to pupils' academic achievement. The 'Great Milton Way', which includes 'be ready, be respectful, be responsible', underpins daily life in school from Reception upwards. Pupils work hard and know that it is okay to ask for help and to learn from mistakes.

They gain a good grounding in the basic skills and important knowledge across the full range of subjects.

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

Pupils get so much more than an academic education at Great Milton. Visits and visitors bring learning to life and broaden pupils' horizons.

Plenty of clubs allow them to pursue their interests or have a go at something new. The recent addition of a lunchtime book club, led by Year 5 reading ambassadors, is proving very popular. The school makes sure that staff have the knowledge, skills and resources to teach the personal, social and health education curriculum confidently.

So, for example, pupils learn to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy and about different types of relationships. They are very accepting of difference and insist that no-one is left out. A preventative anti-bullying programme for key stage 2 pupils tackles issues proactively and equips pupils with strategies to stand up for themselves and others.

Any incidents of pupils falling out are dealt with sensitively, using a restorative approach.The school successfully nurtures individuals 'to be the best they can in an inclusive environment where they feel valued, respected and know they belong'. Leaders are improving attendance by working closely with families to overcome barriers.

Pupils who have not had a good start to their education elsewhere or those with special educational needs and/or disabilities thrive as part of the Great Milton family. Staff are compassionate and well trained to meet their needs. The school is tenacious in chasing other agencies when they feel more support is needed for individual pupils.

Pupils are learning and achieving well overall. While outcomes at the end of key stages 1 and 2 are not as strong as before the pandemic, small class sizes and pupils joining and leaving the school at different times skew the figures somewhat. Nevertheless, the school is reflective and outward looking in its determination to continually improve provision and give pupils with the best chance of success.

The new phonics programme introduced last school year is having a notable impact. Children start to learn to read more or less as soon as they join the Reception class. Staff are well trained, so teaching is precise.

Tailored extra teaching and support for pupils who do not find it as easy to master early reading skills means that they still experience success and see themselves as readers.

Mathematics teaching has improved over the same period, underpinned by the use of a published scheme and regularly revisiting learning to, as one pupil described it, 'jog our memories'. A strong focus on clear explanations and ensuring that pupils can explain their reasoning and apply their learning from early years onwards is bearing fruit.

Pupils have a deeper understanding of their mathematical learning and, with it, greater confidence in their ability.

The school is equally ambitious for pupils' learning across other subjects. It has revisited its curriculum design following the COVID-19 lockdowns and continues to refine it, doing so in a manageable way.

In some subjects, the school has carefully chosen and adapted published schemes. Guidance for staff makes sure that teaching is purposeful and engaging. Teachers know what pupils should understand and be able to do and check their learning by observing and talking to them.

Pupils can see how their knowledge and skills are building over time. In a few subjects, the progression of learning is not as clearly defined and pupils do not recall their learning as readily. This means that they are not achieving as well as they could.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum beyond the core subjects is under review. As yet, the guidance for staff in a few subjects about how learning should build over time is not as helpful as in others in making sure that pupils have the essential learning for what comes next.

This impacts on what pupils remember and know. In further refining the curriculum, the school should ensure that it is clear what knowledge, skills and vocabulary pupils must have mastered and retained at key points from early years to Year 6 in all subjects.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2013.