Mab Lane Junior Mixed and Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school This school is highly regarded in the community. All staff work exceptionally well with parents and carers to ensure that pupils enjoy learning and achieve well.

In the temporary absence of the permanent headteacher, the acting headteacher and senior leaders are continuing her effective work to tackle the areas for improvement identified during the previous inspection. As a result, outcomes for pupils and the quality of teaching are now good. Governors have an excellent understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development.

They are trained well, challenge senior leaders and closely monitor pupils' progress. The quality of tea...ching is good. Teachers and teaching assistants have high expectations of pupils, know them well and plan activities that enliven their learning.

Pupils' attendance is continually improving and their behaviour is good. They are well mannered, respectful, conscientious, and work and play together harmoniously. Pupils benefit from an engaging curriculum, with many opportunities to visit places of interest.

They enjoy learning French and participating in music and sporting activities. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their appreciation of British values are promoted exceptionally well. Pupils' attainment has improved year on year for the last five years at the end of key stage 2.

The vast majority of pupils who left the school in 2015 made at least expected progress by the end of Year 6. Pupils' are currently making rapid progress through key stages 1 and 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. Relationships with parents are exceptionally positive.

The overwhelming majority of parents feel that their children are safe, well looked after and making good progress. Early years provision, including teaching, children's progress and their behaviour, is good. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Teachers sometimes do not move pupils on quickly enough to more challenging work.

In mathematics, not all teaching deepens pupils' understanding and mastery of the subject. Staff do not always plan learning and playing activities for children in the early years in a way that clearly develops their reading, writing and communication skills.

Information about this school

This is an average-sized primary school.

The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is well above average. This is reflected in the make-up of each year group. The large majority of pupils are disadvantaged pupils supported through pupil premium funding.

(The pupil premium is additional government funding to support those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.) The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well below average, as is the proportion who speak English as an additional language. Children in the early years provision attend the Reception class on a full-time basis and the Nursery class on a part-time basis.

The school offers provision for up to 16 two-year-olds. The school offers a nurture provision for a small number of children from the Reception class and pupils from Year 1. The school meets current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

The school's website meets requirements for the publication of information. The school runs before- and after-school services, and these formed part of the inspection. Since the previous inspection, nine staff have been appointed, including three newly qualified teachers.

The governing body has been reorganised and includes two new members. At the time of the inspection, temporary leadership and management arrangements were in place to cover the absence (due to ill health) of the headteacher and a member of staff on maternity leave. The school experiences unusually large numbers of pupils either joining or leaving the school at times other than at the start of the school year.

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