Mickleover Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. • Achievement is good and pupils are well prepared for secondary school. Standards, particularly in reading and in mathematics, are above national averages, with all groups of pupils making good progress.

• Pupils eligible for extra government funding are quickly catching up with their peers. • Teaching is good overall and some is outstanding. • Teachers develop excellent relationships with pupils.

Pupils feel safe, behave well, work well in teams and have positive attitudes to learning. • Teaching assistants and the learning mentor make valuable contributions to pupils' learning. • Attendance is above average.

• The school prov...ides well for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. • The additional funding for primary sport has been used effectively to improve teachers' knowledge of how to plan for dance and gymnastics and work in teams. • The headteacher's good leadership has helped the school to improve since the last inspection.

Together with governors and other leaders, she has ensured that teaching has continued to improve and that pupils are motivated, proud and successful. It is not yet an outstanding school because : • Standards in writing have not been as high as those in mathematics and reading, although they are now improving rapidly. • Pupils are not regularly encouraged to build on what they have been taught about in guided reading to improve their writing.

• Pupils, especially the more able, do not write to enough length, other than in English lessons. • Children in Reception do not progress as well in writing as they do in reading. There are too few opportunities for children to develop correct letter formation in play situations.

• Not all teachers, including those in Reception, build sufficient time into lessons to give pupils guidance on how to improve their work or use their marking to give pointers to pupils on the next steps they need to take to move their learning on.

Information about this school

• Mickleover Primary School is an above average sized primary school. • Most pupils are from White British backgrounds and the percentage of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds, whilst rising, remains below the national average.

• No pupils are at the early stages of acquiring English as an additional language. • A below-average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and looked after children). • The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below the national average.

• The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below the national average. • The school employs a learning mentor who works with pupils whose circumstances make them vulnerable and others who need adult support. • The school meets government's floor targets, which are the minimum expectations set for pupils' attainment and progress at the end of Year 6.