The Mill Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher and other senior leaders have a very clear vision for the future of the school.

They clearly recognise the school's strengths and those areas that are in need of further improvement. Their future plans reflect this well and identify the school's continuous route to improvement. The governing body works closely with leaders to ensure that extra funding is used effectively to support the needs of vulnerable pupils.

The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved since the school became an academy in 2014. The close monitoring and high expectations of the leadership team have successfully supported and challenge...d staff to improve. Pupils in key stages 1 and 2 make good, and sometimes better, progress.

This is because : they are taught well, enjoy learning and believe that they can succeed. Children in early years get off to a flying start. Most make exceptional progress, sometimes from very low starting points.

In the last two years, above-average proportions of children have reached a good level of development. Children are very well prepared for learning in Year 1. Pupils' behaviour is nearly always exemplary and is reflected in the polite, caring attitudes they display to each other, staff and visitors.

Pupils are very clear that school is a place that they enjoy coming to and where staff help them to learn how to be safe both in and outside school. Pupils say that they feel very safe. Pupils, and particularly most-able pupils, make slightly better progress in English than in mathematics.

This is because the school has a clear focus on ensuring that opportunities to practise skills in English are present in the planning of other subject areas. This approach has yet to be fully developed in mathematics. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and the staff.

They particularly acknowledge the impact of the headteacher in turning the school around. A quote from one parent summed up the views of others well: 'Everyone wants to send their children to this school now. Two years ago, very few parents put it as a first choice.'

The role middle leaders play in supporting senior leaders to bring about further improvement is at an early stage of development.

Information about this school

The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.

The Mill Academy converted to become an academy in 2014 and joined the St Mary's Academy Trust. When its predecessor school St Edmunds was last inspected, it was judged by Ofsted to be inadequate overall. The school appointed a new headteacher in September 2014, as it became an academy.

The school has a link with a local children's centre and runs a weekly playgroup in partnership with children's centre staff. The vast majority of pupils come from within the locality of Wosborough Bridge near Barnsley. Most are of White British origin.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is well above average. The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average. The school meets the government's current floor standards for primary schools, which are the minimum standards set for pupils' attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.