The Mill Primary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 April 2026

Pupils give a joyful welcome to this friendly and caring school. Playtimes buzz with activity, and relationships across the community are warm and supportive. Pupils respond well to leaders’ high expectations. They behave politely, hold doors for visitors and move purposefully around the school. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning, and lessons proceed without disruption. Pupils say that bullying is rare. Staff address any concerns swiftly and effectively. The school vision for everyone to be 'forever proud' is modelled daily by caring leaders and staff. Pupils feel a sense of belonging from the day they join the nurturing environment in early years. As they move through the school, pupils take on leadership roles which develop their confidence and resilience further. The school provides a range of effective opportunities to support pupils’ personal development. Initiatives such as ‘Room 13’ enable pupils to work with a resident artist and produce high-quality work for display in the local community. Pupils develop a clear understanding of equality and are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Leaders and staff promote good attendance through effective pastoral support for families. Pupils generally achieve well across the curriculum. By the end of Year 6, many produce high-quality work and attain highly in reading, writing and mathematics. This prepares them very well for the next stage of education. Leaders, governors and trustees maintain generally effective provision across the school. They ensure suitable use of pupil premium to help disadvantaged pupils to access opportunities that enhance their wellbeing and conquer barriers. However, leaders' oversight of inclusion lacks precision. As a result, provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is inconsistent. Staff do not always adapt activities to ensure that pupils with SEND access the same opportunities as their peers.

What the school should improve

• Leaders, governors and trustees must strengthen their oversight of the schools’ work to ensure that accurate evaluations identify weaknesses accurately to drive effective improvement.
• Leaders must identify and support the needs of pupils accurately to ensure that provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is consistently effective.
• Leaders should ensure that teachers design and adapt lesson tasks that help pupils to achieve well across all areas of learning.
• Leaders should ensure that teachers identify and address pupils’ misconceptions to help them to improve their work successfully.
• Leaders should ensure that staff promote early writing and mathematics more effectively for all children across early years provision.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)