Millfields First School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very happy at Millfields First School. This is a welcoming school where all adults work effectively to provide a challenging and stimulating learning environment. This is in line with the school's values of 'ambition, possibilities and outdoor learning', and there is a significant emphasis on the extensive forest school provision.

Pupils are highly enthusiastic about this. One pupil, speaking for many, stated, 'It brings things to life for us.'

Pupils behave with high degrees of respect for each other and for adults.

They understand expectations of them to behave and do so willingly. They know they can approach adults if they have any concerns and... that they will be supported. They are friendly to and inquisitive about visitors.

Pupils appreciate the thought that has been put into the many visits and opportunities that the school has organised for them. These include sporting opportunities for girls and boys, as well as other clubs and visits. They speak enthusiastically too about the recent residential trip they had to Malvern.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum that clearly sets out the key learning pupils will need. There is extensive use of forest school in this curriculum, which is successfully integrated across a number of subjects. Teachers present learning clearly using resources that are generally well chosen.

They check pupils' understanding well, which means that misconceptions are picked up and addressed rapidly. However, there are occasions when pupils' misconceptions are not addressed or opportunities are not taken to move pupils on to more challenging work. This means that learning can slow for some pupils.

In the pre-school and Reception, skilled adults provide a stimulating learning environment and many opportunities to develop the children's communication and language skills. This means children make a secure start to their early years education.

The school has worked effectively on early reading.

From early in Reception, all pupils are consistently taught how sounds correspond to letters or groups of letters. Staff are skilled in identifying which pupils are at risk of falling behind. These pupils are supported to rapidly catch up.

All of this means that pupils are able to read with appropriate fluency. Furthermore, the school promotes a love of reading well.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs accurately identified.

Appropriate adaptations are made for learning in class or with personalised support. Extensive extra support is provided by trained staff or external agencies, which means that these pupils achieve well.

The school's expectations for how pupils should behave are clear and understood.

Pupils behave in a polite and respectful way, and there is no time lost to off-task behaviour in class. Where a few pupils have found it harder to meet the school's expectations, staff work effectively to support these pupils, sometimes with external support. The school works strategically to track pupil attendance and punctuality, and it has secured improvements for some pupils.

There remain some more vulnerable pupils whose attendance does not yet match that of the rest of the school.

There is a comprehensive curriculum and a range of opportunities for pupils' personal development. This includes a number of trips and visitors to the school.

Pupils appreciate these, as well as the opportunities in the well-developed forest school on site, as these enable them to deepen their learning. Pupils learn about other faiths and traditions through assembly time, alongside the curriculum they learn for their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Staff benefit from extensive training opportunities about how to deliver the revised curriculum. Staff appreciate the support provided by leaders and that they are mindful of workload. The school liaises effectively with the parent body, which reports being very happy with developments at the school.

Governors are very well informed about the quality of provision at the school, and they discharge their responsibilities appropriately. They ensure that regular external reviews help keep a sharp focus on developments.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Absence remains high for some more vulnerable pupils. As a result, these pupils miss valuable learning time, which adversely affects their academic achievement and opportunities to take part in the wider curriculum. The school should continue to work with parents to improve pupils' attendance.

• Some teachers do not use assessment well enough to check pupils' learning. Where this happens, misconceptions or opportunities to move pupils on to more challenging work are missed. The school should ensure that all teachers use assessment effectively to identify and close gaps in pupils' understanding or move them on to a new task, so they are well placed to meet the challenges of the curriculum.