Mill Hill Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Mill Hill Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be members of this welcoming and friendly school.

They enjoy coming to school and attend well. Pupils learn the 'Mill Hill Values' and show these around school, through their consideration and respect for others. Older pupils act as role models by helping where they can, including running lunchtime clubs.

These are popular with younger pupils, who develop friendships that extend beyond their year groups.

Pupils respond positively to the school's ethos that everyone can achieve highly. They learn about the importance of trying hard and making positive ...contributions.

This is apparent in lessons across the school, where pupils keenly share their ideas and purposefully complete tasks. They are motivated to gain house points for effort, knowing that each one contributes to the hotly contested inter-house competition.

Pupils achieve well and their successes are widely celebrated.

The highly anticipated weekly 'Celebration Assembly' recognises individual achievements both in and outside of school. Younger pupils enjoy hearing key stage 2 pupils sharing the stories behind their accomplishments. Pupils are encouraged to participate in opportunities to develop new skills.

These include residential trips about which pupils recall happy memories of their time away and describe activities where they conquered new challenges together.

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

The school has developed an ambitious curriculum where the important knowledge and vocabulary pupils need to learn are identified clearly. This starts in early years, where the curriculum is adapted so that it builds from children's starting points.

Across the curriculum, there is a sharp focus on developing pupils' understanding of important subject-specific skills. Staff carefully consider how pupils accumulate knowledge from early years through to Year 6. This is supported by regular opportunities for pupils to re-visit and recall earlier learning in lessons, which helps them to know and remember more over time.

Teachers explain new learning clearly, drawing on their secure subject knowledge. In the majority of lessons, teachers use questioning to check the extent of pupils' understanding and then re-explain aspects of knowledge when required. Teachers set appropriate learning activities, which require pupils to apply their new knowledge.

In a few cases, these activities are not effective in deepening pupils' understanding fully. Staff know the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. They use individualised plans to make adaptations that support pupils with SEND to learn effectively.

Assessment is used robustly in core subjects, where it informs future teaching so that it addresses areas where pupils' understanding is less secure. In some foundation subjects, assessment is not as impactful because it does not identify where pupils have gaps in their knowledge or incorrect understanding.

The school prioritises reading.

From the beginning of Reception, knowledgeable staff teach children to read well. Children's progress is closely tracked, and any children who struggle promptly receive additional targeted teaching. This supports them to catch up quickly.

The school strongly promotes wider reading through recommended reads covering a diverse range of texts. Books in the welcoming library are carefully matched to the interests of pupils. Across the school, pupils enjoy reading.

Pupils know and meet the school's behaviour expectations well. In lessons, teachers share these, which supports learning to be calm and focused. In most cases, if pupils' attention drifts, teachers quickly re-focus them on learning.

Pupils who can exhibit more challenging behaviours are skilfully supported by staff, using strategies from agreed personalised plans. Around school, pupils conduct themselves appropriately, following established routines and safely sharing equipment in the playground. Pastoral support is readily available for pupils, who confidently share any worries with staff, knowing these will be addressed.

The school's wider curriculum broadens pupils' horizons. Through 'Learning For Life' sessions, pupils explore what is in the news to help grow their understanding of events in the wider world. They learn about diversity in society, exploring different beliefs, values and groups of people.

Pupils refer to examples they have learned when they talk about the importance of equality. There is a firm focus on developing pupils' character. In assemblies, pupils learn about different approaches to looking after their well-being and how to support others with this.

Pupils are encouraged to be curious and to try new things through a range of themed days, visiting speakers, visits and clubs.

The school strives to continuously improve, reviewing the effectiveness of its work to identify further changes. Governors provide effective challenge and support in this process.

Staff appreciate steps taken to keep their workload manageable, including opportunities where teachers share teaching resources and approaches.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some foundation subjects, assessment does not identify pupils' knowledge gaps well enough.

In these subjects, future teaching does not address the knowledge that pupils have not learned securely. The school needs to ensure that all teachers know how to use assessment across all subjects so that it informs future teaching and addresses pupils' knowledge gaps successfully.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2015.

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