Meadowdale Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Meadowdale Primary School continues to be a good school.

The headteacher of this school is Liz Martin.

This school is part of Learn Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Stef Edwards, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jeremy Benson.

What is it like to attend this school?

Meadowdale Primary School is a welcoming and ambitious school.

Staff have high expectations. As a result, pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve well. The school's aim for 'every child to have the opportunity to flourish' is evident both in and out of the... classroom.

Pupils feel happy, safe and well cared for. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and nurturing. One pupil shared, 'In lessons, our teachers explain and show us how to do things, but they also build a bond with us.'



The school's rules of 'be ready, be respectful and be safe' are commonly understood. Pupils do their very best to live up to these. They enjoy learning and are focused in lessons.

Pupils support each other. They work together with mutual cooperation and respect. They are eager to do their best and are proud of their achievements.

Pupils are polite and well-mannered. They eagerly volunteer to take on important roles, such as being well-being ambassadors, playground leaders and school councillors. They are proud of these responsibilities and take them seriously.

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

Children get off to a positive start in the Reception Year. The provision is well resourced. Children have the opportunity to learn through play, and they explore and take risks.

Children show high levels of independence and are prepared well for key stage 1. Children are excited about their learning. One child shared, 'I have made a volcano.

This is going to explode so high that it will send the lava up into space.' Staff are skilled at engaging children in conversations that help them learn. Staff ask questions which encourage children to be thoughtful.

Staff help pupils to increase their vocabulary.

Reading is prioritised. The school's phonics programme is well planned and sequenced.

Staff are well trained. Pupils quickly learn to 'say the sounds and read the word' and 'say the sounds and write the word'. Pupils quickly become accurate and fluent readers.

Reading for pleasure is encouraged. Pupils are exposed to a diverse range of high-quality texts. Teachers read to pupils daily.

Pupils benefit from a range of activities that promote a love of reading, such as author visits and reading at a local retirement village.

The mathematics curriculum is taught well. Teachers' subject knowledge is secure.

They are skilled at teaching pupils to think carefully about mathematical problems. Pupils say that this helps them to understand new concepts and methods. Pupils are given lots of opportunities to practise and embed what they have learned.

The school ensures that the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are understood and addressed. These pupils are well supported in lessons. In the vast majority of cases, pupils with SEND get the help that they need to learn the same curriculum as their peers.

Ongoing training and support ensure that staff know how to support pupils with the most complex needs.

The school's wider curriculum is well planned and sequenced. It is well thought out.

It is continually reviewed. On the whole, it is taught well. However, in a small number of cases, teachers do not check carefully enough on how well pupils know and remember content.

As a result, there are some minor inconsistencies in how well pupils recall what they have learned.

Personal, social and health education lessons prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils know the fundamental British values and can talk about them, relating them to their everyday lives.

They understand the importance of respecting difference and can talk about this in a mature manner. Pupils benefit from a range of trips, visits and experiences which enhance their learning journey. The school ensures that all pupils benefit from these wider opportunities.

Pupils enjoy the range of clubs on offer.

The school is well led and managed. Staff, including early career teachers, feel well supported with workload and their well-being.

Staff value the high-quality training that both the school and the trust provide. Training and coaching are used effectively. Subject leaders are supported effectively in order to develop their leadership roles.

Those responsible for governance understand and fulfil their statutory duties.

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 small number of cases, teachers do not check carefully enough on how well pupils know and remember curriculum content.

As a result, there are some minor inconsistencies in how well pupils recall what they have learned. The school should review the way that it supports and helps pupils to remember what they have been taught so that pupils consistently recall curriculum content to raise their achievement to higher levels.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2014.

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