Meadow View Primary School

Meadow View Primary School Meadowhall Road, Kimberworth, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S61 2JD

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires Improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires Improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires Improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires Improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires Improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Although attainment is rising, it is not as high as it should be for some groups of pupils.  Not enough pupils make more than expected progress from the beginning of Year 1 to the end of Year 6, especially in writing.  There is too much teaching that requires improvement. As a result, there are too many lessons in which some pupils’ learning is not good.  Teachers do not always provide pupils with clear written comments and guidance on how to improve their work. This means that these pupils cannot respond well enough to make good progress.  In some lessons, learning is slower because pupils have to wait too long for an adult to check their work before they can move on to the next stage.  The attendance of a small group of pupils is very low, especially amongst those who speak English as an additional language.  Not all subject leaders and managers are fully accountable for improving the quality of teaching and increasing the rate of pupils’

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

progress. Some leaders do not always sufficiently check whether actions taken to raise pupils’ achievement have been effective.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress, as a result of the targeted support they receive.  Pupils say that they feel safe and happy in school.  Behaviour has improved in the last two years and this has led to a reduction in exclusions.  Leaders and managers, including the governing body, are tackling weaknesses effectively, with the result that pupils’ attendance and attainment have risen and the quality of teaching and behaviour have improved in the last three years.  The curriculum provides a broad range of experiences that contribute well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed parts of 21 lessons taught by 11 different teachers, supported by teaching assistants. One lesson was observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with pupils, representatives of the governing body and local authority, and staff.  Inspectors took account of the 31 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). Inspectors also considered the school’s own survey of parental views and spoke informally with parents.  Inspectors observed the work of the school. They looked at a range of documentation, including the school’s procedures for checking on its performance, improvement plans, the school’s own information about pupils’ progress, pupils’ workbooks, and records relating to child protection and safeguarding procedures.  The school operates a process of early transition and pupils move to their new class (for example, from Year 2 to Year 3) two weeks before the end of the summer term. This gives them

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Information about this inspection

the opportunity to settle in to their new rooms and with their teachers before the start of the next academic year.

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Inspection team

Helen Gaunt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Stefan Lord Additional Inspector Susan Davis Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Meadow View is slightly larger than the average sized primary school.  There is a higher proportion of girls than boys.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is almost double the average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children who are looked after by the local authority. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is average.  The proportion of pupils who identified as having English as an additional language is also average.  There is an above average proportion of pupils who are supported at school action, school action plus and who have a statement of special educational needs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards that set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better by:  ensuring that pupils are clear about how they can improve their work and that they are given time to act on that advice  ensuring that the level of challenge and expectations of what pupils can achieve are higher, especially in writing and for the more able  ensuring that information about pupils’ progress is used more effectively to match activities more closely to their needs and abilities  providing pupils with opportunities to learn for themselves without relying so heavily on the teacher.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate the progress made by all pupils, especially those for whom English is an additional language and who are absent too often, so that their achievement matches that of others in the school by:  improving attendance through continued partnership working with parents, the local authority, the local partnership of schools and external agencies to ensure that persistent absence is eradicated  ensuring that the progress made by pupils in English in Years 1 and 5 is as strong as it is in other years.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the capacity of leaders, managers and governors to accelerate improvements in teaching and pupils’ achievement by ensuring that:  the skills of all middle leaders are fully developed, giving them increased independence and accountability for the tasks allotted to them  ensuring that all actions are measured in terms of their impact on pupils’ progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children start the Early Years Foundation with skills that are well below those typical for their age in all areas of learning. They enter Key Stage 1 with skills that are much closer to those expected for their age, therefore, having made good progress during their time in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They make especially good progress in learning how to work well with others, taking turns and making friends.  Pupils’ progress is slower from Year 1 to Year 6 because teaching in these year groups is not as consistently strong as it is in the Nursery and Reception classes. In 2012, pupils’ attainment was below average at the end of Key Stage 1, in all subjects, because they had not made fast enough progress from the end of the Reception Year to the end of Year 2. In 2013, progress in mathematics and reading improved, as a result of the school’s focused work in these areas. However, the rate of progress pupils make in writing is still too slow because pupils do not

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

always have enough opportunities to write at length for a real purpose in subjects other than English.  Attainment at the end of Year 6 has risen for the past two years and is now closer to the average in English and mathematics. Pupils make good and rapid progress in Year 6 helping them to make up for any lost ground. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher levels in reading at the end of Key Stage 2 is in line with the average, but below in mathematics and writing.  Pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding benefit from having additional adult support and a range of other activities beyond the classroom. They make the same progress as other pupils.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress from their starting points and towards their personal targets. This is because the support is well targeted and matched to their individual needs and their progress is carefully checked by the special

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

educational needs leader.  Many pupils for whom English is an additional language make good progress in all subjects if they are at the school for the whole of Key Stage 2. There are increasing numbers of pupils who come late into the school (i.e. they do not start in Year 3). These particular pupils are very well supported and make good progress when they attend. However, many of them are often absent from school, despite the school’s attempts to promote regular attendance, and this limits these pupils’ achievement.  The school has tackled discrimination rigorously and promoted equality of opportunity overall effectively over the past two years but clearly there is more to do to ensure that all pupils make equally good progress over time.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching quality varies from good to inadequate. It is consistently good in the Nursery and Reception classes and in Years 2 and 6. It is weaker in other years and teaching is weaker in literacy than it is in mathematics.  Where teaching requires improvement, expectations of what pupils can achieve are not high enough and the work set lacks challenge. The pace of lessons is not brisk enough to keep pupils interested.  Teachers do not have consistently high enough expectations of pupils’ handwriting and presentation in Years 1 to 6 and there are too many worksheets in pupils’ books. Consequently, sometimes their work is marred by scruffy crossings out and insufficient attention paid to forming numbers and letters accurately. Pupils do not have enough opportunities to practise their writing skills.  Marking does not always tell pupils precisely what they need to do to improve their work. For example, one pupil was told, ‘I think these calculations are too easy for you’, but was not given

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

more difficult questions to attempt.  Pupils sometimes have time to respond to teachers’ comments and suggestions and so they have limited opportunities to learn from their mistakes.  The best teaching ensures that tasks exactly match pupils’ learning needs. In these lessons, pupils work productively in pairs and small groups on thought-provoking activities that challenge them to think for themselves and, as a result, learn at a faster pace.  Nursery and Reception class staff question children well and ensure that they learn through problem-solving. The balance between adult-led and child-led activities is just right. Tasks challenge the children and they learn rapidly.  Staff give skilled support to disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. They provide step-by-step instructions but also expect them to work alongside others. This develops pupils’ confidence as well as their skills.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils’ reading skills have improved since the school developed its library facilities, purchased more books that appeal to pupils’ interests and involved more parents in reading with their children at home.  Pupils enjoy the ‘Big Maths’ sessions, during which they challenge themselves to do better through a range of problem-solving activities. Older pupils told inspectors, ‘It’s hard, but we like it and we learn more now because we compete with ourselves!’  Pupils are encouraged to use computers in a range of subjects in order to develop their confidence and skills in information and communication technology (ICT).

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 In the Nursery and Reception classes, children quickly learn what is expected of them in terms of how to behave and how they should treat one other, and they can be seen learning and playing together harmoniously.  The school has a small number of pupils who exhibit very challenging behaviour. Teachers work successfully with these pupils to help to moderate their behaviour and involve them in their learning. All pupils are taught to be considerate of one another and of adults. Pupils say that behaviour has improved over the last two years in lessons and in the playground. They say it is better at breaks and lunchtimes because of the new play equipment purchased by the school and the increased numbers of lunchtime supervisors that have been employed.  Pupils say they feel safe in school. They talk about low numbers of incidences of bullying, which are largely name calling, and say when bullying occurs teachers take appropriate action and it is

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

soon stopped. Not all pupils, particularly younger ones, have a good understanding of what constitutes racist or homophobic bullying. The school has identified this as an area for further development and has plans in place to involve parents more fully in, for example, anti-bullying weeks.  Pupils told inspectors that they enjoy school and they are well cared for by their teachers. The majority of parents who responded to Parent View believe that their children feel safe at school and most believe that pupils are well behaved.  During the past two years, despite having risen, attendance remains below average. The school’s analysis of the attendance of different groups of pupils shows that this is largely due to the frequent absence of a small number of pupils, particularly those with English as an additional language who have joined the school late. Leaders have appropriately involved the education

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

welfare officer and worked hard with parents to promote the importance of high levels of attendance. They know, however, that there is still work to be done to improve attendance further. This, together with the challenging behaviour of a few pupils is why this aspect of the school’s work is judged to be in need of improvement rather than good.  There have been no permanent exclusions for the past three years and the number of fixed-term exclusions has dropped as behaviour has improved.  Every morning, parents are encouraged to bring their children into classrooms and meet with their teachers. The school has worked successfully to involve more parents in their children’s day-to-day learning and the impact of this is contributing to their improved behaviour, the better attendance of most pupils and their punctuality, and pupils’ increased interest in their learning.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The headteacher and governing body have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and what it needs to do to improve further. Plans are well focused on areas of priority. However, leaders and managers do not always check that actions taken are having the desired effect on raising pupils’ achievement.  The headteacher regularly checks the quality of teaching but as yet, not all subject leaders check the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress through lesson observation and analysis of pupils’ work. This is an area for improvement.  Teachers have clear information about pupils’ progress over time because assessment systems are sharp. This means they know which pupils are underachieving and who needs extra help in order to catch up. Regular meetings ensure that teachers have to account for the progress their pupils make.  Performance management clearly identifies the professional development needs of teachers and

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The leadership and management requires improvement

the school has established activities to support better teaching. Although inadequate teaching, a very small proportion, was observed during the inspection, school records of lesson observations and pupils’ progress information shows that this is not typical. Subject leaders have taken opportunities to develop their leadership skills further through the use of local and national courses. In order to improve teaching, the headteacher has developed a number of partnerships with local schools to share expertise and learn from best practice.  The recently revised curriculum in Key Stages 1 and 2 has increased the range of creative opportunities for pupils to develop skills through topic-based learning, which is linked to all subjects. During the inspection, pupils were writing letters to a leading supermarket, thanking them for the trophies and ideas they had been given for their recent sports day. They were

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The leadership and management requires improvement

considering how to write formal letters correctly. The revised curriculum is not yet fully embedded and has yet to be measured in terms of its impact on raising pupils’ achievement.  The Early Years Foundation Stage manager takes every opportunity to enable good quality learning in both the outdoor and indoor learning areas.  There are many good opportunities, through the curriculum and the wide range of trips and visits, which make a strong contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.  The local authority judges Meadow View to be an improving school. It facilitates school-to-school support within the locality.  The governance of the school:  In the last two years, governors have become more involved, and are beginning to have first- hand experience of the school. They are enthusiastic, take their responsibilities seriously and continue to develop their skills. Governors understand the data provided about pupils’ progress

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The leadership and management requires improvement

and hold the school to account for the achievements of pupils. They have approved the use of pupil premium funding to give additional support to those pupils in receipt of the funding, but have not fully evaluated the impact of this spending on these pupils’ outcomes. The governing body ensures that all statutory duties are met, including the arrangements for safeguarding. Governors understand the relevant arrangements to link pay with the quality of work that staff do. When performance targets are not met, they challenge the headteacher to ensure that there is improvement.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 106846 Local authority Rotherham Inspection number 400060

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 278 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Carol Overrill Headteacher Karen Smith Date of previous school inspection 6 July 2011 Telephone number 01709 740500 Fax number 01709 740500 Email address meadowview.primary@rotherham.gov.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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