Meridian Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Ms Jo Graham Headteacher Meridian Primary School Old Woolwich Road Greenwich London SE10 9NY

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Short inspection of Meridian Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 9 May 2019, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in November 2015.

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Short inspection of Meridian Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice and marked improvement in specific areas. This may indicate that the school has improved significantly overall. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next inspection be a section 5 inspection.

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Short inspection of Meridian Primary School

Pupils at the school have consistently made strong academic progress and you have maintained these standards over a significant period. Leaders promote the school values well and the inclusive nature of the school is evident in the manner in which you support deaf pupils at the school. Governors challenge leaders well. They plan for the long term, through sustainability, balanced with the appropriate support for leaders. Pupil mobility is relatively high at the school, and 30% of current pupils did not begin their schooling in the Reception class. You ensure that new pupils are assessed quickly so that they can access the school curriculum and their needs are met swiftly.

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Short inspection of Meridian Primary School

The school maintains a ‘ Designated Special Provision for the Deaf’ and deaf pupils are integrated into the main school. Leaders do not see deafness as a barrier to learning, and challenge underperformance from the deaf pupils at the school. In the mornings, deaf pupils receive individualised literacy and numeracy lessons. During these sessions, hearing pupils are taught alongside their deaf peers. The reason for this is that the school accurately tracks all pupils and knows the best environment for pupils to be placed in to maximise their progress. In the afternoons, deaf pupils are successfully integrated into the main school with their mainstream peers.

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Short inspection of Meridian Primary School

Middle leaders have taken part in teacher research groups. They have worked with local partners to research and devise a mathematics curriculum that is delivering accelerated progress for current pupils. Teachers have benefited from this opportunity by establishing collaborative networks with other schools. Connections with local teaching colleges have kept research and innovation as driving forces for improving teaching at the school. The school’s arts festival has raised the profile of art within the school. All pupils contribute to the arts festival and, alongside the high-quality artwork displayed, pupils produce good-quality writing to bring their artwork to life.

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Short inspection of Meridian Primary School

At the school’s previous inspection, attainment of disadvantaged pupils was identified as an area for improvement. Disadvantaged pupils at the school are currently on track to match the attainment of non-disadvantaged pupils nationally. You have the highest aspirations for disadvantaged pupils. Leaders now compare their progress to the strongest pupils’ outcomes at the school.

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Short inspection of Meridian Primary School

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Leaders, including governors, regularly check that safeguarding routines are followed and that documentation is accurate so that pupils are kept safe. All staff are trained to be wary and respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns so that leaders are quickly made aware of potential issues. Leaders show the utmost care when dealing with safeguarding issues and follow all avenues of support to ensure pupils’ safety.

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Short inspection of Meridian Primary School

Pupils feel safe at the school. They told me that they understand the school’s rewards and sanctions system and that they know how to stay safe online because they are taught about it in lessons. Leaders appreciate the safeguarding issues surrounding social media. When incidents do happen, leaders act quickly and ensure that pupils at the school are kept safe.

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Inspection findings

 At the beginning of the inspection, we agreed on three lines of enquiry. The first was based on recent positive outcomes across phases and subjects. We looked at how the school was maintaining this strong pupils’ progress.  Strong historical outcomes across key stages and subjects are common. Adults at the school have high aspirations for all pupils. At regular meetings, leaders judiciously analyse pupils’ progress. They use this analysis to target individuals and groups to receive extra support. For example, I observed several pupils from Year 2 receiving extra support with their reading, despite them having passed the phonics screening check in Year 1, in order for them to reach the highest levels of which they are capable.  In mathematics, the mathematics mastery approach to the curriculum has deepened pupils’ mathematics skills and broadened their knowledge. Work in pupils’ writing books shows progress in the use of fronted adverbials. This is due

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Inspection findings

to the support of the class teacher when delivering written feedback that pupils act upon. The most able pupils are challenged using extended vocabulary and through the development of independent thinking.  In the afternoons, deaf pupils are integrated into lessons with their mainstream peers. All pupils benefit from this arrangement and it reflects the inclusive ethos of the school. In a key stage 2 French lesson, vocabulary was practised. Pupils broadened their French grammar knowledge and, by the end of the lesson, were able to tell the teacher the difference between ‘la’, ‘le’ and ‘les’. Similarly, in an art lesson, skilled direction and an emphasis on individuality meant that pupils experimented in painting. They developed their independence and, consequently, their artwork was of a high standard.  Current pupils are making progress in line with the consistently high expectations of the school. Internal pupil information, lesson observations and book scrutiny

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Inspection findings

suggest that current pupils are on track to make strong progress.  The second line of enquiry was based on pupils’ progress in mathematics. This was agreed because, despite historically strong achievements in mathematics, recently, mathematics outcomes were relatively lower than outcomes in other core subjects.  Leaders are committed to improving outcomes in mathematics. The mathematics curriculum is designed to ensure that progression takes place. The mathematics mastery programme is used well by the school and was seen in pupils’ books. For example, before pupils begin to add fractions, they are taught how to manipulate equivalent fractions and mixed numbers. Pupils showed me the broad range of resources available to help them with their fractions. For example, pupils used a fractions wall in a Year 4 lesson, and similar resources were evident in Year 3 books.  Skilful questioning is common in mathematics classrooms. Questions are posed to

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Inspection findings

address common misconceptions. For example, pupils successfully explained why you do not add the denominators when adding fractions and why a placeholder is needed when working with decimals.  Middle leaders and teachers are accurate in their assessment of pupils’ attainment and know their pupils’ strengths and weaknesses very well. The work in books and internal pupil information show an improving picture for pupils’ outcomes in mathematics. In mathematics, current pupils are working at a similar standard to that in other core subjects.  The third line of enquiry was based on outcomes in phonics. This was agreed because leaders have put significant resources into reading at the school.  Senior leaders are aware of the strengths and areas for development in the teaching of phonics. Adults delivering phonics intervention and support do so with considerable skill and with high regard for the needs of individuals. Teachers

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Inspection findings

speak with clarity when teaching phonics so that all pupils have the greatest opportunity to access their learning. Current pupils are making strong progress in their phonics learning.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 the school’s successful emphasis on improving the progress of disadvantaged pupils continues to the extent that they make progress comparable to their peers in all subjects.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Greenwich. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

I looked at a range of pupils’ work together with leaders. You accompanied me on visits to classes, where we observed teaching and learning, spoke with pupils and looked at their work. I examined a range of documentation relating to safeguarding, including the single central register. I scrutinised Ofsted’s online survey for parents and carers, Parent View, (83 responses) and associated commentary (84 comments), and responses to the staff survey (seven responses). I had a meeting with governors. I examined the school’s website and reviewed information about pupils’ progress, attainment and attendance. I also considered the school’s evaluation of how well it is doing, its improvement priorities and assessment information for current pupils.

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