Rushy Meadow Primary Academy

Inspection of Rushy Meadow Primary Academy Rushy Meadow Lane, Fellowes Road, Carshalton, Surrey SM5 2SG

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected 11–12 December 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told us that their school is a good place to be. They help each other, feel safe and are happy in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and teachers have high expectations for all pupils’ achievement. They want pupils to be prepared for their future lives. Pupils rise to these expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders enable pupils’ ideas to be heard. There is a ‘Pupil Parliament’ with representatives from each year group. Pupils discuss matters relating to their well- being and learning. They enjoy taking on responsibilities. For example, recently, Year 6 pupils have applied for jobs as librarians for the new library.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know the school’s behaviour management system and said that it works as everyone behaves well. Pupils told us that bullying rarely happens, and if it does adults are quick to sort it out. Pupils show respect for each other and adults. They celebrate the differences that are represented in the school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are full of praise for the work of leaders and the school. They appreciate attending events such as the ‘come and be nosy’ days, when they find out ways they can support their child to learn at home.

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better?

Leaders and staff have high aspirations. They want every pupil in the school to become a fluent reader, writer and mathematician. Leaders have well-established and successful plans for how reading, writing and mathematics are taught in the school. They are equally ambitious for pupils’ achievement in a wide range of other subjects. However, their plans for these are in the early stages of being put into practice.

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better?

Leaders ensure that reading is a top priority. Children in the early years gain firm foundations in the core skills of reading. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 build on these skills and read books in school that are matched to the sounds they have learned. Pupils use their phonic knowledge and skills to read unfamiliar words. However, the books that are sent home for pupils do not help them to practise their reading so well. Leaders have plans to reorganise this so that pupils read books at home that develop their skills better.

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better?

Pupils have not continued to develop their reading so well as they move up the school. Leaders have responded to this recently by making changes to the way that reading is taught in Years 3 to 6. This includes ensuring that teachers improve their expertise in supporting older pupils with their use of phonics.

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better?

Leaders are revising their plans which set out what pupils will learn in a broad range of subjects from year to year. They are clear on how different aspects of subjects 11–12 December 2019

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link together and build. They are refining their plans where needed, for example in music, to give pupils better opportunities to learn about different composers. The plans for what pupils learn in design and technology (DT) are still at the early stages of development.

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Leaders have made sure that subject plans include what is to be taught to children in the early years. This means that pupils build on their knowledge and skills as they move into Year 1. Staff use their assessments well to plan activities that enable children’s learning and development across a wide range of subjects.

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Children in the early years learn and play together in a happy and safe environment. We saw children sharing resources and being considerate towards each other. Parents told us that their children settled into school quickly. Pupils’ behaviour in lessons is positive throughout the school. They are very occasionally distracted when they move from one activity to another. Teachers help them to focus back on their work swiftly.

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Staff support pupils’ personal development well through lessons and extra-curricular activities. Pupils enjoy the many clubs on offer, including football club and cheerleading. Teachers use these experiences to promote pupils’ resilience and social skills.

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Leaders have worked with families so that overall, pupils’ attendance has improved. However, there are some pupils who are absent from school too often.

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Both in the mainstream classes and the specialist provision, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Leaders work closely with external agencies and other professionals to make sure that pupils’ individual needs are met.

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Leaders and staff work together as one team in the best interest of pupils. Staff told us that leaders take care of their well-being and help them manage their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that staff receive up-to-date training in line with the latest legislation.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have assessed the risks posed to pupils in their local community. Staff receive frequent updates and training, so they know the school’s procedures for raising concerns about pupils’ safety or well-being. Leaders work closely with external agencies to protect pupils from potential harm.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in a wide range of situations. For example, they learn about the dangers associated with talking to strangers. 11–12 December 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have developed plans for almost all foundation subjects. Some plans, for example in DT, are in their infancy, or others such as music, need further work. Leaders should ensure that the development of pupils’ knowledge and skills in these subjects is based on clear and well-sequenced plans. It is evident from leaders’ ongoing work that they are in the process of bringing this about.  In key stage 1, pupils read books that match the sounds they have learned. However, some of the books that pupils take home are not fully supportive of the school’s phonics programme. Leaders need to review the books pupils read and take home to help them practise and develop their reading skills  Leaders have made positive changes to how reading is taught in key stage 2. These are making a difference. Leaders need to embed these approaches so that the proportion of pupils that reach the expected standard in reading continues to

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

improve at the end of Year 6.  Leaders have worked hard to engage parents and support them to get their children to attend school regularly. Nevertheless, the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent needs to reduce.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 11–12 December 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10128880 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Rushy Meadow Primary Academy converted to become an academy school on 1 September 2017. When its predecessor school, Rushy Meadow Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall.  The headteacher was appointed in April 2017.  The school is part of the Cirrus Academy Trust, which has five other primary schools.  There is a hearing-impaired resource base situated in the school. It has 11 places for pupils between the ages of 4 and 11 years. These pupils have education, health and care plans that have identified hearing loss as their primary need.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with: the headteacher; both assistant headteachers; the leaders for inclusion and early years foundation stage; curriculum leaders; members of the local governing body; and trustees.  We did deep dives in these subjects: reading, writing, mathematics, history and 11–12 December 2019

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music. In addition, science and geography were considered during the inspection. This entailed discussion with curriculum leaders, visits to lessons, talking to teachers, scrutinising pupils’ work and talking to pupils.  We met with leaders responsible for safeguarding to determine its effectiveness. In addition, we talked to pupils and staff. We also scrutinised documents related to safeguarding.  We met with leaders and staff responsible for attendance, behaviour, personal development and SEND provision, including the hearing-impaired resource base.  We talked to staff about their workload and well-being and sought their views on how well pupils’ behaviour is managed.  We analysed the 46 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and the 23 free-text comments from parents. We also talked to parents informally at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Rajeshree Mehta, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Rekha Bhakoo Ofsted Inspector 11–12 December 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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