Mead Vale Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming, happy and inclusive school.

The school's values of 'courage, curiosity and community' underpin all that it offers.

The school has high expectations for pupils. Effective teaching helps most pupils to achieve well.

The curriculum inspires pupils to learn. For example, in the early years, exceptionally well-planned activities motivate children to become absorbed in their learning. Children sustain high levels of concentration when they use maracas and tambourines to beat in time to songs they sing.

Pastoral provision is highly effective, because the school understands pupils' needs well. Staff form supportive relationships with pup...ils and parents. Pupils trust adults and feel safe at school.

Pupils who require extra help are provided with focused and nurturing support in 'The Cottage' and 'The Warren'. This helps pupils to thrive.

Pupils are positive ambassadors for the school.

They are sociable, well-mannered and friendly. Pupils enjoy school. They know what is expected of them.

This helps them to behave well. At breaktimes, pupils joyfully participate in activities such as cycling, listening to music and using the climbing frame.

Several parents and carers spoke highly of the family feel of the school and the positive impact of the school's work on their children's development.

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

The school provides a rich, broad curriculum. The school identifies the key knowledge and skills it expects pupils to learn. In most subjects, strong teaching ensures that pupils achieve well.

The early years curriculum is particularly well designed and sequenced. It is precisely tailored to meet children's needs. Children are well supported to develop strong communication and language skills.

This prepares them well for future learning.

Pupils enjoy learning new things. For example, in the early years, children were fascinated to mix blue and yellow paint to make green.

In science, older pupils created a rainbow by shining a light through a prism.The school inspires pupils to develop a love of reading. Children begin to learn to read as soon as they start school.

This gets them off to a strong start. Phonics is taught well. Pupils regularly practise reading.

This helps them to become confident, fluent readers.

The school weaves high-quality reading activities through all subjects. For example, pupils are interested to read about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius to support their work in history.

Pupils enjoy reading for pleasure. They listen intently when adults read to them. Children in Reception are highly motivated to look at books and share stories with others.

The school swiftly identifies when pupils need extra help with reading. They get the support that they need, for example through 'quick-fire' phonics and extra reading practice. This helps pupils to catch up and become more accurate readers.

The school works closely with all staff, and specialist agencies, to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This helps them to ensure that pupils are provided with highly effective academic and pastoral support. As a result, pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers.

The school ensures that teachers routinely check what pupils know and remember. In the main, this helps teachers to plan future learning. This is especially the case in the early years.

However, in a minority of cases, teachers do not make effective use of this information, because they do not ensure that learning activities take sufficient account of pupils' starting points. On occasion, this hinders how successfully pupils learn. Pupils have positive attitudes to their work.

They respectfully follow the school's values, 'work hard and be kind'. For example, in the early years, children listen intently and persevere with their learning. They share, take turns and cooperate exceptionally well.

The school works closely with parents and carers to improve pupils' attendance. This is beginning to have a positive impact. The school provides high-quality support for pupils' mental and physical well-being.

For instance, pupils might take a walk or count down from five if they need help to manage their emotions. This helps them to be calm and ready to learn. The school provides a range of experiences to support pupils' personal development.

For example, pupils develop their talents when they join clubs, such as arts and crafts and gymnastics. Pupils gain an appreciation of music by listening to live bands and singing in the choir. Older pupils proudly take on positions of responsibility, such as play leaders, librarians and anti-bullying ambassadors.

They support and help younger pupils if they have any problems.

The trust and governors support the school well. Staff morale is high.

Leaders support staff's workload and prioritise their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes, the school does not make effective use of assessment, because it does not take sufficient account of pupils' starting points.

When this is the case, the school does not precisely adapt learning activities to meet pupils' needs. As a result, a minority of pupils, including some pupils with SEND, do not learn the curriculum as successfully as they could. The trust should ensure that assessment routinely takes full account of pupils' starting points in all subjects, so that pupils securely build the knowledge the school expects them to.

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