Milwards Primary School and Nursery

Overview

The inspection found that the school is “at the centre of the community,” where adults know pupils well and provide “well-thought-out care.” Leaders have implemented an “ambitious curriculum” broken into small steps, ensuring pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, succeed in their learning. The school has improved significantly since its previous inspection, with effective safeguarding and strong personal development outcomes.

Strengths

• The curriculum is well-planned, with an emphasis on “subject-specific vocabulary” that helps pupils explain complex ideas simply.
• Staff receive ongoing training and effectively address knowledge gaps, ensuring pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers.
• Reading is a high priority, with initiatives like a “parent and child reading café” fostering a love of books and confident readers.
• Pupils behave well, showing “good manners” and staying focused because adults adapt lessons to make learning “manageable and accessible.”
• Early years provision has improved, with “engaging resources” and robust transitions ensuring children are ready for Year 1.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure all adults are trained to match reading books precisely to the sounds pupils know, as some books currently “hamper their development as readers.”
• The behaviour policy is not consistently applied by all staff; leaders should provide training to ensure “consistent implementation” so poor behaviour is always challenged.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”