Mellis Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Mellis Church of England Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

The headteacher of this school is Paul Ryle.

This school is part of the St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Diocesan Multi-Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Tracey Caffull, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Andrew Blit.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school welcomes pupils into a friendly and inclusive environment.

Pupils are happy here. They engage enthusiastically in their lessons because the curricul...um is interesting and because the school arranges a wide range of trips to bring the curriculum to life. Teachers' high expectations foster pupils' academic and personal growth.

As a result, pupils become more knowledgeable. They enjoy using their number knowledge to calculate with speed and accuracy.

Pupils demonstrate respect and focus during lessons.

This is because the school has consistent routines and a fair approach to consequences that all pupils understand. Staff support pupils to make friends. If friendship issues occur, staff are on hand to help.

All pupils have opportunities to get involved in the wider life of the school. This is due to the commitment and enthusiasm of leaders and staff. The school goes above and beyond to help pupils overcome their anxieties to enable them to take part.

For example, staff provide extra support so that pupils develop the confidence to speak in front of an audience. Pupils cite the way that the offer of clubs, sporting and performance events gives them new interests and helps them to come out of their shells.

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

The curriculum is broad and balanced.

The school has ensured that the curriculum prepares pupils well for the next stage of their education. Pupils tend to do well, particularly in reading and mathematics. Since the previous inspection, the school has introduced a new way of checking how well pupils have learned the curriculum.

These checks enable teachers to adjust the curriculum and plan for pupils' next steps. The school has detailed systems that enable staff to quickly identify and respond to the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school involves external experts, parents and pupils in decisions about how best to support pupils' needs.

Many pupils with SEND achieve well from their various starting points.

Children make a good start in early years. Staff focus keenly on developing children's language and communication skills through teaching vocabulary, nursery rhymes and songs.

Children quickly learn how to read. This is because staff are experts in teaching reading. If a pupil falls behind, the school helps pupils to quickly catch up.

Reading is a priority. Pupils enjoy reading and being read to. The school has recently adopted a new approach to enhancing older pupils' opportunities to develop reading fluency.

This is at the early stages of implementation.

Teachers aptly help pupils to understand new vocabulary and concepts. As a result, pupils develop new interests and enthusiasms for different topics.

For example, the way that Victorians lived, what it was like for soldiers during war, and the causes of extreme weather conditions in some parts of the world. Pupils learn how to skilfully incorporate new vocabulary and concepts into their writing. The school makes sure that pupils learn important foundational writing knowledge such as how to form letters correctly in the early years.

However, at times, older pupils do not have enough opportunities to revisit foundational writing knowledge. As a result, their presentation in books does not always reflect the high standards the school expects.

Consistent routines enable staff to focus on teaching and pupils to focus on learning.

Staff recognise and reward pupils' academic efforts and kindness towards one another. The school's strong reputation in the community and regular communication with parents contributes positively to pupils' excellent attendance.

The school is rightly proud of how well it prepares pupils for life beyond its doors.

The school creatively and tenaciously secures opportunities for pupils to develop confidence, resilience and essential life skills. For example, through participation in many inter-school sporting events. The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum teaches pupils to respect differences, build healthy relationships and understand risks.

Pupils have many opportunities to vote and share their views. This fosters a strong sense of democracy, community and civic responsibility.

The trust facilitates networks of support so that leaders and staff can feel part of something bigger, and benefit from each other's knowledge and experiences.

Leaders work closely with staff, creating a collaborative culture that values their input and supports their well-being. Leaders engage with regular reviews and audits. Leaders use these systems to respond quickly to challenges, such as through providing extra support for pupils' social and emotional learning.

Governors and trustees provide effective support and challenge to ensure that decisions are made in the best interests of all pupils. They fulfil their roles to help the school provide pupils with high quality education and wider development opportunities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Occasionally, older pupils do not have enough opportunities to revisit foundational writing knowledge. As a result, the presentation in their books does not always reflect the high standards the school expects. The school should further embed its focus on writing accuracy and presentation to ensure consistency and high standards across all year groups.

• The school's new approach to enhancing pupils' reading fluency is at an early stage of implementation. This means that some pupils struggle to develop strong fluency with reading. The school should continue to strengthen support to help all pupils to read with confidence and fluency by the end of key stage 2.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in 23–24 January 2019.

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