Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School

Inspection of Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School Churchill Street, Rochdale, Lancashire OL12 7DJ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 7 and 8 December 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school. They are happy and behave well. The care and support that staff provide are of the highest quality. Pupils feel safe because of the actions that staff take. They said that staff always have time to listen to any concerns they may have. Pupils enjoy talking about their feelings.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and respectful towards each other, staff and visitors. They told inspectors that if bullying happens, staff resolve it quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking on extra responsibilities. These include being school councillors and librarians. Pupils take these roles seriously. They like making the school better for each other. Pupils are keen to contribute to society. They run events and organise activities, such as #HelloYellow on World Mental Health Day to raise money for charities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Music is enjoyed by all at the school. Pupils were keen to share how much they enjoy their time in the school’s music room. They enjoy learning how to play different instruments and composing their own music.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are determined to improve how well pupils achieve. This is because pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders’ recent actions to improve curriculum plans is starting to help pupils to learn more and remember more.

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better?

The school motto, ‘making the difference’ threads through all aspects of school life. Leaders have created a caring school that encourages everyone to be the best that they can be.

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better?

Leaders are taking determined steps to improve the school’s effectiveness. This includes the development of a broad, balanced and ambitious curriculum. Leaders have reviewed and changed the curriculum in some subjects to improve pupils’ learning. In these subjects, leaders have made sure that the knowledge they want pupils to learn and the order in which it should be taught are clear. Staff have also received training in these subjects, which has strengthened their subject knowledge. Teachers plan activities that build on what pupils already know. As a result, pupils’ achievement is improving in these subjects.

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better?

In other subjects, curriculum plans are not as precise. Plans do not build pupils’ learning in well-ordered steps. In addition, they do not make it clear what pupils need to learn and by when. This stops pupils from building on their learning from year to year in a number of subjects.

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better?

In English and mathematics, leaders and staff make regular checks to see how well pupils are learning. In other subjects, these checks have only recently started. 7 and 8 December 2021

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Leaders and teachers therefore do not know how well pupils are achieving in most subjects. In these subjects, pupils’ learning does not always build on what they already know.

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Staff are skilled at identifying pupils who may have SEND. They make sure that pupils with SEND receive a wide range of support so that they can access the same curriculum as other pupils.

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Many subject leaders are new to their roles. They are beginning to develop their own knowledge and skills. They have not checked whether subject plans are helping pupils to know more and remember more. In addition, they do not know whether teachers have the subject knowledge that they need to teach the full curriculum.

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Leaders place a high priority on developing pupils’ reading. They have carefully selected texts to develop pupils’ love of reading. Pupils enjoy reading because of the changes that leaders have made. Phonics teaching starts when children join the school in Reception. Staff are well trained and supported. They match books well to the sounds that pupils know. A range of support is provided quickly for pupils who need to catch up.

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Children in Reception and Nursery settle quickly because relationships with staff are caring and supportive. They enjoy playing with each other and behave well. However, the curriculum in early years is not well planned. This means that some activities planned for children do not build on what they already know. Opportunities for children to deepen their understanding are limited. As a result, some children do not achieve as well as they should in early years.

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Pupils and staff understand and follow the school’s behaviour policy. Pupils are keen to receive the class behaviour rosettes, which sit proudly outside classroom doors. Pupils behave well and concentrate in lessons. Their learning is rarely disrupted.

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Leaders plan a wide range of opportunities to broaden pupils’ experiences. For example, pupils visit museums and the local mosque. Leaders make sure that pupils learn the importance of staying fit and healthy. Pupils enjoy attending a range of sports clubs, including those for football and cross-country running.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They said that leaders and governors consider their workload when they make changes at the school. This helps staff to maintain an appropriate work–life balance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The safety of children is paramount at the school. It is everyone’s responsibility. Leaders have made sure that policies and procedures are thorough. They also make sure that staff receive relevant and up-to-date training. Staff are highly vigilant. They act quickly when they spot any concerns. 7 and 8 December 2021

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Leaders and staff know the children and their families extremely well. They work tirelessly with other agencies and professionals to keep children safe. Pupils know how to stay safe online and in their local community. They talked in depth about what actions they need to take to stay safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In most foundation subjects, curriculum plans are not consistently precise. This means that teachers are unclear about what all pupils need to learn and by when. Leaders should ensure that all curriculum plans build pupils’ knowledge and skills in a logical order. This will help pupils to know and remember more across the curriculum.  Leaders and teachers are at the early stages of checking pupils’ learning in the foundation subjects. They are therefore not clear about what pupils already know and remember in these subjects. Leaders should continue to develop their systems to assess pupils’ learning in all subjects. This will help teachers to build pupils’ learning on what they already know.  Leaders have not made sure that the early years curriculum fully meets the needs of all children. Opportunities for children to deepen and consolidate their knowledge and understanding are limited. As a result, some children do not

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

achieve as well as they should in early years. Leaders must ensure that the curriculum is strengthened and understood well by staff, so that children are better prepared for Year 1.  Some curriculum leaders have not evaluated the effectiveness of the curriculum in the subjects that they lead. They do not know whether teachers have the necessary subject knowledge to make sure that pupils know and remember more. They also do not have the information they need to make the necessary improvements to the curriculum. Leaders should provide support and training, so that all subject leaders can fulfil their roles effectively.

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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 . 7 and 8 December 2021

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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. 7 and 8 December 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Cllr Patricia Sullivan

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Date of previous inspection

23 and 24 September 2015, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been significant changes in staffing and governance in recent years.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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 had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, senior leaders, the business manager and the children’s welfare officer.  Inspectors spoke with five governors, including the chair of the governing body. They also met with two representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation for safeguarding, including the record of required checks carried out on school staff. They met with the people 7 and 8 December 2021

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responsible for safeguarding to discuss how the staff work to keep pupils safe. They spoke with pupils about safeguarding and reviewed case files.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour around the school, in classrooms and at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their experiences at school.  Inspectors spoke with parents as they dropped their children off at school. They also looked at the 42 responses to Ofsted Parent View, an online questionnaire for parents, including seven free-text comments.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, religious education, science and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders and looked at curriculum plans. Inspectors visited lessons and looked at examples of pupils’ work. They also talked with teachers and pupils about pupils’ learning.  Inspectors also met with the subject leaders for history, music and physical

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Inspection team

Julie Barlow, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Adrian Martin Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 December 2021

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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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