Milford Haven Community Primary

Highlights from Latest Inspection

to support them to complete tasks effectively.

Where this is the case, pupils do not have a secure foundation for their learning. The school has ensured that the planning for developing pupils' information and communication technology (ICT) skills is clear and builds progressively on pupils' prior knowledge and understanding. This means that all teachers know the expectations for pupils in their year groups and understand how to introduce the skills in discrete sessions.

However, there is still not a consistent approach to the teaching of ICT skills across the whole school. The youngest pupils are developing their ICT skills satisfactorily. Many pupils access online programs confidently to record text or input data to crea...te simple bar charts, for example about their favourite areas of Wales.

They take photographs and videos of each other working in their learning zones and upload these images successfully. When given the opportunity, a very few pupils create increasingly detailed presentations, for example providing instructions on how to wash hands properly, using text, images and voice recordings. In a few older classes, pupils develop their digital skills effectively.

For example, many pupils in Year 6 are beginning to develop effective coding skills. They code a digital device successfully to respond to sound or capture and compare light readings across different parts of the schools. They create spreadsheets accurately to calculate the average of their findings.

Most pupils create effective presentations to share their research, such as work about the impact of deforestation. However, in general, the teaching and the progress of pupils' ICT skills across the school are still too variable. R5.

Establish effective self-evaluation, school improvement and professional learning processes Leaders have set in place a broad and detailed timetable of monitoring to help them evaluate the school's strengths and areas for improvement. This includes regular and purposeful activities, such as evaluating the quality of teaching and talking to pupils picture of the impact of their actions, for example on the work done to improve pupils' reading skills. The headteacher draws this information together thoughtfully to build an accurate picture of how the school is progressing.

As more staff have taken on leadership responsibilities, and their skills and experiences have improved, senior leaders have begun to involve them more in monitoring and evaluating provision and learning. This is helping to ensure that leaders gather a wider picture of what is going well and where further work is needed. However, not all leaders focus well enough on identifying the impact of teaching and improvement strategies on pupils' learning.

Leaders use the outcomes of self-evaluation thoughtfully to plan for the future. They recognise where further development is needed, such as in developing teachers' subject knowledge of mathematics. In most cases, leaders plan professional learning that links with improvement priorities well, for instance to help staff develop a more effective outdoor learning environment.

Leaders link professional learning with the school's improvement priorities carefully. They provide a broad range of purposeful training to develop important areas of the school's work, such as developing staff's professional knowledge and teaching skills. For example, professional learning for teachers on how to develop pupils' digital skills is beginning to have a positive impact on pupils' progress.

Where individuals or small groups of staff need bespoke training, leaders ensure that they meet these needs in a timely manner, for instance to help staff's teaching of phonics. Overall, professional learning has a beneficial impact on improving teaching and learning. However, leaders have yet to ensure that all teachers, such as those who do not work full-time, benefit equally well from the professional learning that takes place on a Friday afternoon.

R6. Develop a curriculum that engages pupils and develops their knowledge, skills and understanding systematically and progressively Since the core inspection, leaders have developed a clear vision for the school's curriculum. This is understood and shared by nearly all staff who are committed to delivering the vision in practice.

The curriculum is structured around overarching topics that provide consistency in pupils' experiences. Teachers in each year group tailor every topic to ensure that they provide suitable scope and interest to develop pupils' knowledge and skills appropriately. Leaders have provided useful and comprehensive direction to support teachers' planning for the development of pupils' skills.

For example, they set clear expectations about the skills pupils require to write for different purposes and the sequence in which these are to be developed. This helps teachers plan a range of learning experiences that build pupils' knowledge and communication skills systematically over time. Staff have benefited from appropriate professional learning opportunities to strengthen their understanding of effective teaching methods and strategies to develop pupils' skills.

This is beginning to improve consistency in the quality of teaching. For example, improvement in the provision for developing pupils' phonic skills is beginning to accelerate pupils' progress. Teachers plan suitable opportunities for pupils to revisit and apply their learning through their topic work and in focused activities as part of the regular 'amser sgiliau'.

They take account of pupils' prior knowledge and enable them to contribute to what and how they learn when planning their topic work. Leaders have introduced more systematic arrangements to plan and monitor provision across the full range of areas of learning and experience. This is helping them to ensure that the curriculum offer is suitably broad and balanced and meets the needs of all pupils.

The school's curriculum gives a clear and consistent focus to developing pupils' emotional, mental and physical well-being. This impacts positively on most pupils' engagement, behaviour and readiness to learn. Overall, the structure and guidance provided by leaders and the professional learning undertaken by staff have developed a curriculum that is starting to deliver stronger outcomes for pupils.

This is most notable in the development of pupils' literacy skills. The quality of provision for the development of pupils' digital skills is improving more gradually. © Crown Copyright 2024: This report may be re-used free of charge in any format or medium provided that it is re-used accurately and not used in a misleading context.

The material must be acknowledged as Crown copyright and the title of the report specified

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