Meadow Park Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and are keen to talk about their learning. As a result of a carefully thought-out curriculum, pupils achieve well.

They are enthusiastic and are confident to share their views. They are particularly passionate about reading. They talk about the books they have read and the ones that their teachers have read to them.

They find the reading mural inspiring and younger pupils use this to find characters they know. Older pupils share their favourite genres and recommend books they have enjoyed to their friends.

Pupils are confident that they have an adult in school to share any worries with.

This helps them to feel safe. They... know that pupils who wear a blue lanyard have an important role in school as 'well-being ambassadors'. They feel confident to talk to these pupils on the playground.

There are high expectations for behaviour. As a result, pupils behave well. They understand why this is important.

Pupils report that staff support them well. This includes helping them to understand their own feelings.

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

The school utilises the support from the trust and local area to train and develop staff.

As a result, there is a high-quality programme of staff development. This means that staff have strong subject knowledge. They understand the curriculum and how to deliver it.

A well-designed curriculum is in place from the early years and beyond. This curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. The school has thought about what pupils should learn throughout their time at the school and how it can help them to love learning.

The school has used this to identify the most important information that pupils will learn from the early years to Year 6. Staff present content clearly and give pupils opportunities to recall what they have learned previously. This helps pupils to learn the intended content.

However, teachers do not always check that pupils have fully understood this key information before moving on to the next activity. This means that pupils sometimes have gaps in their learning or misconceptions.

Robust systems are in place for the early identification of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Staff know what to do if they are concerned that a pupil may need extra help. The school works well with external agencies where necessary and makes sure that plans help pupils to get the support they need. This begins in the early years, where staff are particularly alert to spotting indicators that a child may need something different or additional to help them learn alongside their classmates.

Sometimes, however, teachers do not make the most effective adaptations to learning activities, to enable all pupils to be as successful as they could.

Reading has been successfully prioritised in school. A genuine love of books permeates throughout the school.

Pupils are keen to delve into a story and find out what happens next. The school is ambitious for pupils to learn to read as quickly as possible. The school knows that this will help pupils to achieve well in other areas of school life, as well as in the future.

All staff follow the same shared approach to teaching reading. Staff are well trained and check how well pupils have understood the sounds they have been learning. Extra support is given to those who haven't grasped these sounds and to help pupils to keep up with their peers.

High expectations for behaviour are prevalent throughout the school. These expectations begin in the early years, where children learn the routines of school life and how to navigate situations such as taking turns and sharing. Pupils across the school report that they are supported well by staff.

They do not worry about behaviour. Staff feel the same. Staff are well trained in the school's approach to conflict resolution.

This means that there is a consistent approach throughout the school. As a result, there is a calm, purposeful atmosphere in classes and during social times. In the dining hall, pupils are kind and courteous.

The school has carefully considered pupils' wider development within school. There is a comprehensive personal, social and health education curriculum which helps pupils to understand key aspects such as staying healthy and being a good friend. Pupils enjoy learning about people who have influenced modern-day life.

Older pupils debate themes in a mature and sensible manner. There is a wide offer of clubs for pupils, who appreciate the opportunities they have. All pupils are encouraged to participate, including those with SEND.

The school has thought about ways to enhance pupils' understanding through workshops and visits. During the inspection, for example, pupils were considering the concept of 'farm to fork' by engaging with a workshop about how sausages are made.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Checks during lessons on whether pupils have understood the intended content are not consistently effective. This means that future teaching does not address misconceptions or gaps in knowledge well enough. The school must ensure that in-lesson assessments enable teachers to form an accurate picture of gaps in pupils' knowledge, so they can be acted on quickly.

• From the early years and beyond, staff do not always make the most effective adaptations for pupils to learn the intended curriculum. This means that some pupils do not learn as deeply as they could. The school should ensure that staff have the training and support required to know how to best meet pupils' needs more precisely through the learning they do in class.