Leeds primary school with absences double the national average gets 'inadequate' Ofsted rating

Millfield Primary School, in Potternewton Mount, has been placed into special measures following the visit by Government inspectors.

The Ofsted report, published this month, said absences at the school were "much higher" than the national average as the number of pupil absences had significantly increased in the last two years.

Meanwhile, the number of fixed exclusions at the school, which has 422 pupils on its roll, have also increased above the national average, the report said.

Ofsted said that staff must "urgently improve rates of attendance and reduce the proportion of pupils who are regularly absent, particularly for disadvantaged pupils."

The report said: "Variability in the quality of teaching and high rates of absence have contributed to pupils’ attainment remaining well below average across key stages 1 and 2."

'Poor progress' in learning

Ofsted also found that the "majority" of the school's current pupils make"'poor progress" in their learning.

"Pupils’ outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are poor across the school," the report said.

"Only a minority of pupils acquire the skills, knowledge and understanding they need for their next steps in education."

Key stage 1 and 2 pupils' learning of English was a particular concern for inspectors.

Inspectors said that in "many instances" pupils' work was well below the standard expected for their age.

The report added: "Pupils’ learning in English is inconsistent.

"Typically, key stages 1 and 2 teachers do not ensure that pupils master the basics of spelling, punctuation and grammar before they use more complicated skills, such as inference or justification.

"Pupils struggle to learn and their written work is often untidy or incomplete. In many instances, pupils’ work is well below the standard expected for their age."

'Too few' Reception pupils make enough progress in reading, writing and mathematics

The watchdog said early years provision was not preparing children for the demands of Year 1.

It sates in the report: "Children, the vast majority of whom are disadvantaged, do not make enough progress from their starting points.

"Although the proportion is increasing over time, too few children reach a good level of development by the end of Reception.

"As a result, too many children are not prepared well for the demands of Year 1, especially in reading, writing and mathematics"

Inspectors said that disadvantaged pupils begin each year on the 'back foot' because they do not fully understand the content from the previous year before moving on to learn new topics.

It raised concerns that pupils are not having their needs met or being assessed as having additional learning needs.

The education watchdog also said that behaviour of pupils was "inadequate".

It urged the school to improve the quality of pupils' personal development and behaviour by 'consistently and effectively demonstrate high expectations of pupils’ behaviour' and 'investigate ways to support each other when managing pupils’ behaviour.'

Unresolved bullying

In response to a questionnaire, 78 per cent of pupils said that bullying occurs at the school.

The watchdog report said: "Too many pupils say that they have seen or experienced bullying.

Ofsted inspectors said the Mill Field Primary must reduce instances of bullying or perceived bullying across the school.

It also advised the school not to appoint any newly qualified teachers until school leaders 'increase the support they provide to staff in managing behaviour.'

School's strengths

In terms of the school's strengths, the report said that the school had a "thorough understanding" of safeguarding.

The report said: "The majority of pupils say that they feel safe.

"They have an appropriate understanding of the risks that they may encounter within and beyond school.

"Teachers have been trained to identify if a pupil is suffering, or is at risk of suffering, abuse, neglect or harm.

"Because of this, teachers regularly discuss, sensitively, the pros and cons of using the internet and peer pressure with pupils."

It also praised the "pockets" of very strong teaching in year 6, provisions for pupils who speak English as an additional language and opportunities for engage in sports and extra-curricular activities.

The report said: "Support for pupils’ emotional needs is strong because staff know pupils and their families extremely well."

What the school say

Jo Heggie, Headteacher and Andrew Keefe, Chair of Governors, at Mill Field Primary School said: “Our whole school community is disappointed with this judgement from Ofsted, so much so that the school has filed a complaint with Ofsted on both the process and the outcome.

"However, we are all committed to working closely with the local authority and partner schools to secure the improvements required.

“There are positives highlighted in the report including comments on some “very strong teaching in the school, particularly in Year 6”, good “support for our pupils’ emotional needs” and “effective safeguarding”.

"Our committed and dedicated staff will build on these positives in our post Ofsted Action Plan and continue to ensure that teaching, learning and overall outcomes are rapidly improved for all our children.”