Medina Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

A strong, inclusive ethos is at the heart of this school.

It is committed to serving and welcoming all pupils and their families. The care given to pupils by staff means that pupils love coming to school. Pupils embrace the school's rules to help them make the right choices, meeting the school's high expectations for behaving well.

The school is ambitious for pupils' achievements, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils. The school has a strong understanding of individual pupils' needs. Staff think carefully about how to make every day successful for every pupil.

As a result, pupils now achieve we...ll and much better than they did.Pupils are polite, well mannered and respectful. At social times, older pupils teach their peers games and how to use equipment safely.

Other pupil leadership opportunities, such as those of reading ambassadors and eco warriors, enable them to learn tolerance and empathy for others. Pupils also benefit from taking part in shoe box appeals by collecting items for children living in other countries. Pupils develop a strong understanding of the world around them, for example through visits from the NSPCC.

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

The school is coming out of a period of transition. The previous difficulties are reflected in the low provisional published outcomes in 2024. Over the last year, there have been many changes to teaching and leadership roles.

Nevertheless, the school has taken decisive action to further improve the curriculum. As a result, pupils now achieve well. Staff are positive about the school, the journey of improvement and the way that they are looked after and supported.

Everyone works well together to make sure that changes impact positively on pupils.Across all subjects, the school now identifies the most important knowledge pupils need to know and remember. The school sequences this knowledge in a logical order from early years to Year 6.

The school quickly identifies pupils' individual needs. Across the curriculum, adaptations in lessons for pupils with SEND link well to their individual needs. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve well.

Staff's subject knowledge is strong. Pupils benefit from opportunities to discuss learning with each other, as it deepens their thinking. In nearly all subjects, staff check pupils' understanding effectively.

They ensure that pupils have remembered and can build on previously taught knowledge. However, in a few subjects, the school has not established strong systems for checking if pupils have remembered previously taught knowledge. This means that in these instances, staff do not have the strategies to build pupils' understanding over time as well as they could.

As soon as children enter Reception, the school prioritises phonics teaching. This means pupils at the earliest stages of reading get the effective support that they need. Teachers regularly assess how well pupils have learned the sounds taught.

The school provides any necessary additional support swiftly for pupils. As a result, pupils who fall behind quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident, fluent readers. Pupils enjoy the texts that they read.

Pupils of all ages speak with enthusiasm and understanding of the books that their teachers read to them. The school is developing pupils' writing knowledge. Leaders have developed systems so that pupils have more opportunities to write and spell words accurately.

However, not enough children write to a high standard. This aspect of the school's work is still being embedded across the whole school.Pupils show a strong sense of right and wrong.

Strong routines established in the Reception class mean pupils learn to focus well on their learning. As a result, pupils across the school work hard in lessons because they want to improve further. Their learning is rarely disrupted by the behaviour of others.

Outside, pupils play well with one another. The school has a calm and reassuring approach to pupils who sometimes find it hard to behave in the way the school would like. Well-trained staff ensure pupils can recognise and reflect on their feelings and the impact on themselves and others.

As a result, there is a warm and happy atmosphere in the school.The school's personal development provision for pupils is exceptional. The 10 'Medina Moments' ensure pupils benefit from a rich set of well-planned experiences.

The school has put in place a wide range of clubs, and take-up is extremely high. Pupils learn about the world of work through purposefully planned visits from adults working in different professions. Through assemblies, themed events and the curriculum, pupils take pride in celebrating the diversity around them.

Pupils engage well with the local community. For example, they collect items that they donate to the local food bank.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's work to further develop pupils' writing skills is not fully embedded. Therefore, not enough pupils produce writing of a high standard. The school should further develop staff's expertise in the teaching of writing so that gaps in pupils' knowledge and skills are closed effectively.

• In a few subjects, the school has not fully established systems of checking how successfully pupils remember key knowledge. Consequently, there are gaps in pupils' knowledge. The school should ensure that there are robust systems in place across the subjects so pupils' misconceptions can be identified and addressed effectively.

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