The Meadow Community Primary School

Inspection of The Meadow Community Primary School Meadow Way, Wigston Magna, Wigston, Leicestershire, LE18 3QZ

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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 Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 5 and 6 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

The Meadow Community Primary School is a welcoming and caring school. Pupils are polite and courteous. They listen carefully in lessons and work hard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have introduced a ‘Routes to Resilience’ programme to help pupils to cope with the demands of everyday life – both in school and beyond. Pupils are taught to exercise their ‘character muscles’. These include respect, friendship, gratitude, honesty and empathy. Pupils demonstrate these characteristics in all aspects of school life. During the inspection, pupils were regularly observed using kind words and helping each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults have high expectations of pupils, both academically and personally. Pupils told inspectors that their teachers are kind and fair. They say that almost all pupils behave well in class and in the playground. Pupils know what bullying is. They say that it very rarely happens and are confident that the adults in school will help them to sort problems out. Every child spoken to said that they feel safe in school.

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better?

Since the previous inspection, leaders have worked tirelessly to improve the school. Leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of what the school does well and what it needs to do better. Leaders are ambitious that the school will continue to improve. Every member of staff shares leaders’ determination for the school to go from strength to strength. Staff are proud to work at the school and want every pupil to succeed.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced. Curriculum plans are in place for all subjects. These plans identify what pupils need to learn in each year group and each subject. Some of these curriculum plans have only recently been completed. Leaders have not yet fully checked the extent to which pupils are remembering what they have learned in these subjects.

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better?

Leaders understand that it is vital for pupils to read well. This has been a priority for the school. Teachers use characters based on dogs as an engaging way to present learning to pupils on how to read. For example, ‘Arlo the author’, ‘sequencing Sheba’ and ‘vocabulary Victor’. Pupils begin to learn phonics as soon as they start at the school. Staff make sure that pupils remember the sounds they have been taught. Teachers use this information to check that pupils’ reading books match the sounds they know. Leaders want pupils to love reading. Teachers read to pupils in all year groups. During the inspection, pupils in the Reception Year were observed listening intently to the story of ‘Burglar Bill’. In another class pupils called out for ‘more’ when their class teacher finished reading. Every class has a pupil monitor who promotes reading. Rainbow badges are awarded to pupils who read widely and often. Pupils wear these badges with pride.

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Teachers have good subject knowledge, which they communicate clearly to pupils. Pupils are encouraged to make links with prior learning. In Year 6 pupils can identify how an earlier topic about Ancient Rome, which included how slaves were treated, helped them to understand more about their current topic on crime and punishment. Teachers make sure that pupils learn new subject specific vocabulary. This commitment to learning new words begins in the early years. For example, when the teacher in the Reception Year was reading, ‘The Tiger Who Came To Tea’ to children, they explained that the correct word for a tiger’s foot was paw.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are given the help they need to access the curriculum. Staff know pupils with SEND well and adapt tasks and questions to make sure they do well in lessons.

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Leaders have focused on promoting pupils’ mental health as pupils have returned to school after the pandemic. Pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe and how to develop positive relationships with others. A part-time counsellor provides support for vulnerable pupils. This aspect of the school’s work to develop pupils’ character is strong. However, leaders have not ensured that pupils are provided with a wide range of opportunities to develop their understanding of how to become active members of society. This is not strategically planned. Curriculum enrichment activities are also limited.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have prioritised safeguarding pupils. Every adult in the school understands the importance of keeping pupils safe. Staff receive regular training and know how to spot the things that should concern them about pupils’ safety. Concerns are communicated to safeguarding leaders without delay. Leaders take the right actions to make sure that pupils are safe. They work closely with other agencies to get pupils and families the help they need.

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Safeguarding

Leaders check that adults are safe to work with pupils when they join the school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Curriculum plans have been written for all subjects. However, some of these plans have only recently been implemented and are not as well developed as others. Leaders should monitor the impact of these plans to check that pupils know and recall the knowledge they intended them to learn. Where needed, leaders should make adaptations to ensure that the recall of pupils’ knowledge remains high.  Pupils do not have an extensive range of experiences and opportunities to become active citizens, who contribute positively to their local area. Leaders 5 and 6 October 2021

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should develop a strategic approach to ensure that pupils are even better prepared for life in modern Britain.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 .

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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. 5 and 6 October 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200017 Type of school Primary

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School details

Chair of the board of trustees Nigel Harrison

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 November 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Symphony Learning Trust.  The school runs pre-school provision for pupils aged two, three and four.  Since the previous inspection a new executive headteacher has been appointed.  A new chair and vice-chair of the governing body have been appointed since the previous inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher and other senior leaders. Meetings were held with the chair and vice-chair of the governing body, the chair of the board of the trustees and the chief executive officer of the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, English, mathematics, history, science and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors spoke with subject leaders, pupils and teachers, visited lessons and 5 and 6 October 2021

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looked at samples of work. Inspectors observed pupils reading to a trusted adult.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator, spoke to a group of pupils with SEND and checked the provision the school was making for these pupils.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of safeguarding documentation, including the single central record. Inspectors met with the designated safeguarding leader and checked how leaders record and respond to safeguarding concerns.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the start of the school day. The 88 responses to Ofsted Parent View and 88 free-text messages were considered. Inspectors also reviewed the 43 responses to the pupil questionnaire and 40 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Caroline Poole, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Graeme Rudland Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 October 2021

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