Meadowdale Primary School

School report Meadowdale Primary School Meadowdale Road, Market Harborough, LE16 7XQ

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Inspection dates 30 September–1 October 2014

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils make good progress from their different starting points because teaching is effective.  Children get off to a good start in the Reception class and develop their skills and attitudes well.  Standards in the Year 2 and Year 6 tests are above average.  Pupils make good progress and achieve particularly well in mathematics across the school.  School leaders have been effective in improving standards in writing and reading by ensuring that these subjects are taught well.  The school has good arrangements for ensuring that pupils stay safe.  The school provides effectively for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepares them well for life in modern Britain.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress.  Pupils’ behaviour in and around the school is good and has a positive effect on their learning.  Attendance is above average.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some school policies, such as those for marking, feedback and presentation are not being consistently followed.  The academy's systems for tracking pupils’ achievements have not identified well enough those pupils who are making really good progress, especially in reading and writing, or those who are capable of doing so in reading.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching in 23 lessons or parts of lessons. Three of these were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings and discussion took place with the headteacher, four members of the governing body, teaching staff, pupils and parents.  Several samples of pupils’ work were examined and some younger pupils read to the inspectors.  The inspectors took account of the 204 responses to the online survey, Parent View. The inspectors also took account of the 22 questionnaires completed by staff.  The inspectors looked at a range of documents provided by the school, including data on pupils’ progress and attainment, procedures for safeguarding, the school’s own evaluations of its work, reports to the governing body and the school’s plans for improving achievement.

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Inspection team

David Bray, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Inspection team

Pippa Jackson-Maitland Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average-sized primary school.  Meadowdale Primary School converted to become an academy school on July 12th 2012. When its predecessor school, Meadowdale Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  Most pupils are White British. There are very few pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds. Very few speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is well below average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also well below average.  A well below-average proportion of pupils are supported by the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for

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Information about this school

pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The headteacher is an LLE (local leader for education) and provides additional support to some local schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the progress in reading skills of older pupils so that more make better than expected progress and achieve the highest levels by ensuring that systems for tracking pupils’ achievement give leaders sufficient information about those pupils who are making the best progress, especially in reading and writing.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership at all levels further by ensuring that school policies, such as expectations for marking, feedback and presentation are consistently followed by teachers in all classes.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, senior leaders and governors create a culture of respect and professionalism across all aspects of the school. They model this through their behaviour and the actions they take.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff with responsibility for subjects and other management aspects of the school have been successful in maintaining standards and ensuring improvements. This has resulted in continued good outcomes in mathematics and improved progress in writing and reading, which have both been areas of focus for the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s leaders accurately identify the main strengths and weaknesses in the quality of education provided. The results are used to identify clear priorities for improvement, which are supported by effective plans.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders continually seek to improve the effectiveness of teaching. The monitoring of teaching and pupils’ learning is carried out using classroom observations, examination of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils. This approach provides leaders with a robust view of how well pupils are making progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Assessments of pupils’ work are carried out with a high level of accuracy. This is checked, both by school leaders and staff from other schools. The school has carried out extensive research about its approach to assessment following the removal of National Curriculum levels and is working effectively with other schools to develop plans aimed at ensuring pupils continue to make good progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders ensure that there is equality of opportunity for all pupils. Funding available through the pupil premium is used well to help eligible pupils make good progress through small-group or individual support.

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The leadership and management are good

 The extra funding available to promote physical education and sporting opportunities is used effectively. Pupils speak enthusiastically about the specialist teaching from which they benefit. The school has started to monitor and measure participation in the wider range of clubs and sporting activities now provided. The school is taking part in more competitions with other schools, in a variety of sports, and achieving high levels of success.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has prepared well for recent changes to the curriculum. The curriculum provides a broad range of subjects, including foreign languages such as Spanish and Mandarin, and prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. There is a good focus on high-quality provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The school provides a good range of clubs and extra-curricular activities, including a wide range of sporting and musical activities.

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The leadership and management are good

 The development of writing and reading has been a priority, especially for older pupils. Staff have received extra training in these areas. This has led to improvements in the progress made by pupils currently in the school, especially in writing.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders have a clear enough understanding of the standards reached by pupils. The systems they use for tracking the progress of pupils allow them to quickly identify those who are falling behind, but do not provide a clear picture of which pupils are making the best progress, especially in reading and writing, or who are capable of making even better progress in reading.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers with subject responsibility have a clear understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement in their areas of responsibility. However, they do not ensure that the school policies for marking, feedback and presentation are consistently applied.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has a good range of skills and experience. They have audited their expertise and used this to identify any gaps in their skills, which have been addressed through appropriate training. Governors check how well the school is doing. They provide a good level of challenge to school leaders. Members of the governing body have a good understanding of the systems used to determine teachers’ effectiveness. Decisions about teachers’ pay are appropriately linked to performance and responsibilities. Governors check how effectively school leaders improve the quality of teaching.  Governors track finances well and assist the school in deciding how to spend additional money, such as

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The leadership and management are good

that to support pupils eligible for the pupil premium or to extend sports and physical education opportunities. Governors have not had sufficient information about the effectiveness of this extra spending on pupils’ progress, or their participation in sport.  Governors are rigorous in ensuring that requirements for safeguarding pupils are met.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. In lessons, pupils behave well and demonstrate very positive attitudes to learning. Pupils said that they like school and enjoy the wide range of subjects and activities. In their view, 'school is brilliant'. The large majority of parents, and all staff who completed the survey, are happy with behaviour at the school.

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Behaviour

 Children in the Reception classes quickly settle into the school’s routines and expectations. They behave well and quickly learn to work and play happily together.

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Behaviour

 Pupils talk enthusiastically about lessons and other aspects of the school. They particularly enjoy mathematics which they say is 'good fun', and this is reflected in the good progress that they make in this subject. They also like and appreciate the good range of sports activities and specialist teaching they receive.

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Behaviour

 Attendance is above average and pupils are punctual. This reflects their enjoyment of school.

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Behaviour

 A very small number of older pupils do not concentrate as well as they could during lessons. They follow the school's expectations for behaviour but find it difficult to always remain focused on the lesson or the task they are doing.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils of all ages say they feel safe in school, and parents confirm this view. The school provides a good range of activities to help pupils learn to stay safe, and they have a good understanding of how to use computers and mobile phones safely.

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Safety

 Pupils say bullying is very rare and they are confident that, should it occur, staff would deal with it effectively.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are taught well and so make good progress across the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers create a positive atmosphere for learning which results in almost all pupils having high levels of interest in their work. Classrooms are tidy and attractive, with good displays that create opportunities for teachers to focus pupils’ learning and to celebrate the quality of their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils throughout the school talk positively about their enjoyment of lessons, especially mathematics and physical education.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers assess pupils’ work accurately. They are aware of how different groups of pupils are learning. This has had a very positive impact on the progress of different groups, including those pupils eligible for support from the pupil premium.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching activities are planned to ensure support is provided for different groups of pupils, including the most able. School data shows that, currently, more-able pupils are making good progress, although no pupils achieved the highest levels in reading in the 2014 national tests.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and those who require extra support for particular aspects of their work, receive good support through individual tuition, specialist resources and activities taught in small groups.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The work of teaching assistants is good and they are often effective in helping particular pupils, or groups of pupils, to develop their understanding and gain confidence in their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark work frequently and usually provide pupils with helpful comments. However, some teachers do not regularly provide written guidance on what pupils need to do to improve or, where they do, check that their advice has been followed

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2013, pupils achieved above-average outcomes in the Year 1 check on pupils’ skills in linking letters and sounds (phonics). School data shows that they also achieved well in 2014. Younger pupils have a secure grasp of reading skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards in the national tests at the end of Year 2 were above average in reading, writing and mathematics in 2013. The school’s data shows that the 2014 results will be similar. Current pupils in Year 2 made good progress in Year 1 and are attaining above-average standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment at the end of Year 6 is above average. Pupils make good progress in mathematics and build well on the understanding they have developed in Key Stage 1. Pupils are able to calculate with confidence and apply their skills well across a range of topics and subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils have a good understanding of how to write in different styles and they use these skills well across different subjects. The development of writing has been a school priority and, although in 2013 not enough pupils made good progress, 2014 teacher assessments for Year 6 showed improvement. Work seen across other years in Key Stage 2 shows that progress in writing is good.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2013 there were too few pupils supported through the pupil premium funding in mathematics, reading and writing to comment on their progress. Across the school, extra individual and group support has ensured that eligible pupils are making the same good progress as their classmates.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive effective extra help through individual support, small-group activities and extra resources. This is ensuring that they make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The good development of pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills is ensuring they are ready for the next stage of their learning at secondary school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most pupils are currently developing good reading skills. In 2013 and 2014, some did not make good enough progress in Key Stage 2. This has been a school priority and there is a systematic programme of 'guided reading' in place, where pupils read texts in a structured way, with support from adults.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 More able pupils achieve well, especially in mathematics. A few such pupils have not achieved high enough standards in reading tests in the past, because their progress has not been identified as a cause for concern through the school's tracking.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years provision is good and enables children to develop their skills and abilities. The leadership of Reception classes is good and ensures that assessments are accurate and tasks are well focused. Children understand and respond positively to daily routines, which help them to settle quickly and happily into school.

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The early years provision is good

 Teaching is good with imaginative resources, high expectations and positive and warm relationships.

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The early years provision is good

 Children, including those who are disabled or who have special educational needs, make good progress. They start Reception with skills and abilities that are as expected for their age. In 2013, the proportion who achieved the expected level of development was above average and results were similar in 2014.

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The early years provision is good

 Children behave well, are happy at school and are kept safe. Parents say they are pleased with the start to school that their children are making. There is good provision for the children’s well-being and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 138346 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 449203

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 393 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Angus McGregor Headteacher Kerry Rodger Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01858 465479 Fax number 01858 465479 Email address office@meadowdale.leics.sch.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 and 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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