Meadow Farm Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be a part of this happy and inclusive school, which is at the heart of the community.

Staff greet pupils every day with a smile, and pupils respond well to the warm and positive relationships in school. They treat each other with kindness, which adults model every day. If pupils have any worries, trusted adults help them.

Pupils feel safe in school.

Staff have high expectations of how pupils should behave. Pupils respond well to these high expectations, including during social times, when pupils play together successfully.

Pupils are taught about what they should do if they feel they are being bullied. Incidents are rare and not t...olerated by the school. The vast majority of pupils trust that adults will deal with it swiftly.

Pupils know, and live up to, the school values of being confident, caring and accomplished learners. They relish the wide range of opportunities to learn beyond the classroom and develop their character through the school's ASPIRE curriculum.

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

They highly value the weekly opportunities they have to visit the school and help their children learn in early years. A parent's comment, typical of many, was, 'Meadow Farm is a wonderful school which has helped my children's learning in a really positive way.'

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum that details the precise knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn.

In most lessons, pupils focus on learning activities that help them to practise these skills and learn new ideas. However, in a small number of lessons, the tasks provided by staff do not always help pupils to understand and remember what was intended. The curriculum is designed to support the development of pupils' character and positive learning behaviours.

Pupils understand the ASPIRE aims of the curriculum and staff encourage pupils to be resilient learners, facing new challenges with confidence.

Children in early years get off to a good start. The development of language and communication is a priority.

Staff design learning activities that capture children's interests. As a result, children are keen and enthusiastic learners and make good use of the learning opportunities to grow and develop.

The school identifies and supports pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) through regular progress meetings with staff and families.

Teachers adapt lessons well to include pupils with SEND. As a result, most pupils with SEND do well. Some pupils' plans lack precision.

Targets on their education, health and care (EHC) plans are not as clearly reflected in their school plans as they could be. Monitoring of these targets by staff could be tighter to ensure that pupils' needs are fully met.

The school has prioritised reading and has ensured that all staff are well trained in phonics.

Staff use a consistent approach when teaching phonics. Pupils read books that are closely matched to the sounds they have learned. As pupils move through the school, they read a wide range of carefully selected books and stories.

Older pupils enjoy reading independently, and the school library is a vibrant space with a rich set of texts that all pupils can enjoy.

Behaviour is good, so learning time is rarely lost. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes quickly learn about these expectations.

They readily follow instructions from adults and treat one another with care and consideration. Rarely, lessons in Nursery are disturbed by some children who are still learning to concentrate. Staff skilfully support these children to pay attention so that disruption is minimal.

The school places great emphasis on pupils' personal development. Diverse experiences enrich pupils' learning about faiths and cultures. These include a whole-school Judaism Day, and visits to a mosque, gurdwara, mandir and the local church.

Pupils learn about different types of families and relationships to understand modern Britain. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, both when learning online and in the wider world. For example, pupils learn about water safety with a water company and take part in a programme to learn to ride a bicycle.

Popular after-school clubs, such as those for art, choir, yoga and sports, add to pupils' enjoyment. They enjoy the responsibilities that come with the leadership positions that all pupils have, such as well-being leaders. Pupils are proud to represent the school at many sporting fixtures, where they compete against other local schools.

Older pupils speak fondly of the recent residential visit, where they enjoyed adventurous activities, such as using a zip wire.

Leaders are highly regarded by staff in school. The school has a team of dedicated and committed staff members.

They are proud to be part of the Meadow Farm family and work together well in the best interests of all pupils. Those responsible for governance know the strengths of the school well. Governors support and challenge the school and fulfil their duties with diligence.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, there are slight inconsistencies in the implementation of the curriculum. This can result in pupils having gaps in their knowledge and understanding.

The school needs to provide further pedagogical and curriculum- based training to ensure that all staff have the knowledge and skills to deliver the curriculum consistently and effectively for all pupils. ? For some pupils with SEND, targets on their EHC plans are not as clearly or precisely reflected in their school plans as they could be. The school must ensure that staff check the quality and effectiveness of support plans for all pupils with SEND and how well these are being implemented across the curriculum to ensure that the needs of all pupils with SEND are fully met.