Meadowside Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Meadowside Primary School Elmore Lane East, Quedgeley, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL2 4LX

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Outcome

Meadowside Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Meadowside Primary School is a welcoming and happy place for pupils to learn. Pupils are safe and well cared for.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults are ambitious for all pupils to succeed. Pupils like the different activities which help them to achieve well. Pupils enjoy ‘wow’ events at the start of a new topic. For example, visitors from the Wilson Museum helped pupils to learn about Ernest Shackleton’s explorations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are a credit to the school. They are polite and behave well in and out of lessons. Pupils work hard. They confidently explain that making ‘Marvellous Mistakes’ helps them to learn. Children enjoy their time in the early years. For example, they take great delight in baking their own gingerbread men after listening to the story of ‘The Gingerbread Man’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make friends and play well at breaktimes. They love to play skittles and bounce on their space-hoppers. Pupils confirm that bullying is not tolerated. They trust adults to help them if they have any worries. Most parents are full of praise for the school. Typical comments include, ‘staff are really approachable’ and ‘I am absolutely delighted’.

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

Leaders are effective and dedicated. They have designed an interesting and well- sequenced curriculum. This enables pupils to achieve well.

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

Leaders support staff well to create a real team spirit at Meadowside. Governors have a good understanding of their roles. They work closely with leaders to check how well the school is doing. Some of the checking of the curriculum they do, however, is underdeveloped.

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

Staff prioritise reading. Phonics is taught from the time children begin school. Daily phonics lessons help pupils to practise and develop the knowledge and skills to read 11–12 March 2020

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accurately. Once pupils can read, they regularly read a variety of different texts. This helps them to develop their vocabulary and comprehension. Leaders want every pupil to love reading. Leaders make sure that pupils have access to a wide selection of books. Pupils are pleased to choose books from the school’s collection. Pupils like listening to stories, such as ‘Oliver Twist’ and ‘The Explorer’.

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The teaching of mathematics is effective, including in the Reception Year. Children in the early years concentrate hard to work things out. For example, they carefully count beanbags and pebbles to find different ways of making 10. Last year, older pupils did not achieve as well in mathematics as they did in other subjects. Leaders have changed what they want the pupils to learn, and how they expect this to be achieved. This is working well to improve pupils’ knowledge and skills. Pupils use their mathematics skills to solve problems. Pupils learn how to think carefully to explain their understanding.

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Leaders have given careful thought to making improvements in subjects such as geography. Sequences of lessons are planned well. Younger pupils can name the countries of the United Kingdom and several continents. Older pupils learn about volcanoes and earthquakes. It will take more time for series of lessons to become fully implemented, so that pupils know and remember more.

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Adults form caring relationships with pupils. Pupils have a good understanding of right and wrong. They understand what is expected of them. As a result, disruptions to learning are rare.

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Pupils at risk of falling behind in their learning, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are given further help. For example, adults make effective use of the quiet space in ‘The Glade’ to provide extra support. When pupils experience difficulties in their lives, they are encouraged to talk about their worries. Pupils find this helpful. Parents agree.

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Children in the early years communicate well with others. They speak confidently and clearly. They are quick to learn how to write words and sentences. Children like to experiment to find things out. For example, children learn that they need wet sand to make sandcastles.

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Leaders provide several high-quality and memorable experiences to enhance pupils’ learning. For example, members of the school choir sing at St Oswald’s retirement village. Pupils can participate in art and literary festivals. Pupils have the opportunity to take part in sports such as volleyball and tenpin bowling.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Adults prioritise pupils’ welfare. All staff have received appropriate training. They consistently follow school procedures for referring concerns. Leaders take swift action if they believe a pupil is at risk. Leaders seek support from experts and work closely with families. They check that their actions are making a difference. 11–12 March 2020

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The school provides valuable opportunities to help pupils learn how to stay safe. For example, the Life Education bus visits the school and pupils go to Skillzone. Police visit the school to teach pupils about drugs and internet safety.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have improved curriculum plans in foundation subjects, such as geography. Subject plans outline the knowledge and skills pupils must learn and when. However, teaching sequences are not yet fully embedded. Leaders must continue to improve and embed an ambitious curriculum in all subjects, so that pupils are routinely challenged to achieve well.  Subject leaders and governors, some of whom are new to their roles, have not fully developed their checks on the curriculum in foundation subjects. This means that they have not yet developed the skills to assure themselves of the effectiveness of the curriculum. Senior leaders must provide subject leaders and governors with time and training, so that they can fully evaluate the impact of the curriculum.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 16–17 May 2011.

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How can I feed back my views?

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 are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 11–12 March 2020

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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 March 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10058408 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 8 December 2015, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been no significant changes in staffing at the school since the previous inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 I held several meetings with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. I also met with the special educational needs coordinator.  I did deep dives in these subjects: reading, geography and mathematics. I held discussions with subject leaders. Together, we visited several lessons in both key stages. I talked to pupils and teachers.  I checked the school’s single central record. I discussed safeguarding arrangements and reviewed the school’s safeguarding records.  I held a meeting with three members of the governing body. I also met with a representative from the local authority.  I observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at various times of the day, including during breaktimes. 11–12 March 2020

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 I spoke to pupils, staff and parents to gain their views of the school. I reviewed 44 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, along with 16 additional free-text comments. I also took account of 24 responses to the staff survey

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Inspection team

Catherine Beeks, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 11–12 March 2020

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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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