Middlestown Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. The school has made significant progress since the previous inspection.

Issues relating to leadership and management of the school, particularly governance, have been dealt with successfully. Governors fulfil a crucial role in driving improvements. Leaders manage teaching and learning well.

Good improvement in teaching has brought rapid progress in pupils' learning. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They enjoy school and feel safe while they are there.

Pupils' politeness and good manners help to make the school a welcoming place. Parents are exceptionally supportive of the school. Teaching is consistently good... and some is outstanding.

There is good pace to pupils' learning and they enjoy the challenges provided for them. Number skills and basic spelling, punctuation and grammar are taught well. Pupils make good progress from their starting points.

Standards are above average at the end of Key Stage 1 and have risen rapidly in Key Stage 2. Good learning in all subjects means that pupils achieve well by the end of Year 6. Provision in the early years is good.

Children get off to a good start and the majority are ready for learning in Year 1 when they transfer. The school has worked productively with the local authority who have recognised the school leaders' capacity to continue the good pace of improvement. It is not yet an outstanding school because : There are a few inconsistencies in teaching.

Sometimes, in the early years, children's achievements are not built upon quickly enough to ensure their best progress. In some lessons throughout the school, the most able pupils are not challenged sufficiently or given the time to make the progress they could. The good quality of marking in writing is not seen across all subjects, meaning that pupils do not consistently get the guidance they need to improve their work.

Information about this school

This is an average-sized primary school in which almost all pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is well below the national average. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below average. The school meets current floor standards. These are the minimum expectations, set by the government, for pupils' attainment and progress in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6.

There is a choice of full-time or part-time provision for children in the Nursery. Provision in Reception is full time. The school provides a breakfast club for pupils during term time.