The Meadows Primary School

Inspection of The Meadows Primary School Bath Road, Bitton, Bristol BS30 6HS

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 10 and 11 May 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils come to school happy and eager to learn. They benefit from warm and caring relationships with staff who know them well. This helps pupils to feel safe and secure. They are considerate of each other and get on well together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ work, attitudes and behaviour. Staff give pupils the help they need to succeed. Pupils work hard and are keen to do their best. They achieve well, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe because everyone behaves well. Staff help them understand how to behave and to treat each other with respect. Pupils rarely experience bullying. They are happy to talk to staff about concerns and say adults respond quickly if help is needed. Worry boxes throughout the school are valued by pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the after-school clubs provided for them. They also enjoy a wide range of experiences that include visits and visitors to the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff know families well. Parents and carers value this. As one said, ‘All of the staff are fantastic, caring, nurturing and meet the needs of our child’.

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better?

Reading, including the teaching of phonics, has a high priority in the school. Leaders have used rich language and high-quality texts as a basis for an engaging and ambitious curriculum for pupils. The books that staff select for pupils to practise their reading match the sounds that they know. This helps pupils become more confident and fluent readers.

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better?

Using the national curriculum as the starting point, leaders have designed a curriculum that is suitably ambitious for pupils. This includes pupils with SEND. The curriculum in Reception Year lays a firm foundation for pupils to make a strong start in Year 1. Teachers regularly check on how well children in the early years know and remember what they have learned. Teachers use this information to plan appropriate support where needed. By the end of Year 6, pupils are well prepared socially and academically for secondary school.

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better?

The mathematics curriculum is skilfully taught. Teaching makes sure that pupils learn the intended mathematical content. Pupils learn new concepts in small steps so that they become more confident mathematicians.

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better?

In a very small number of subjects, the curriculum is not as well thought through. In these subjects, plans for pupils’ learning over time are not as clear. This means that 10 and 11 May 2022

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teaching does not pinpoint the exact content that pupils need to learn so that they improve their knowledge and skills.

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Lessons are calm, positive and purposeful. They are not disrupted by pupils’ behaviour, so no learning time is wasted. Pupils keenly use regular opportunities for discussion to increase their understanding and help each other.

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Starting in the early years, adults establish clear routines and children are polite. A culture of respect is apparent throughout the school. Staff have consistent expectations for positive behaviour. Pupils understand these well, and this supports pupils effectively in their learning. By investing in specialist staff training, leaders have improved the support they offer to pupils who need help with their emotional well-being. This helps pupils to regulate their behaviour.

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Leaders provide pupils with a wide range of personal development opportunities. The school provides a number of high-quality experiences designed to develop pupils’ wider skills and opportunities. Parents and pupils alike appreciate the efforts staff put into organising these. Pupils learn about staying safe online. Older pupils learn the importance of having a healthy body and developing healthy relationships. Leaders work hard to ensure pupils learn about race, culture and beliefs that are different from their own. However, this is less effective in some areas of personal development.

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Leaders have created a happy and united school community. There is a strong sense of teamwork and cooperation throughout the school. The trust makes sure that staff receive appropriate training. Leaders have carefully managed staff workload. Staff told inspectors they feel well supported by leaders. Staff value being part of the team.

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Governors and trust staff are knowledgeable about the school. They hold senior leaders to account for all aspects of the school’s work, including the quality of education that the pupils receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, including governors, have a clear understanding of their safeguarding responsibilities. Staff receive regular safeguarding training. They quickly pass concerns on to the designated leader for safeguarding if they are worried about a pupil. These concerns are recorded in detail. Safeguarding leaders make sure that the right action is taken. They work well with other agencies to make sure that pupils and families receive the support they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught about risk. They know how to keep themselves safe and healthy. They also know how to keep safe when online. 10 and 11 May 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the intended curriculum is not coherent enough. This means the small steps that pupils need to know and remember have not been precisely identified. Leaders need to complete the process of reviewing the curriculum in all subjects, ensuring it is delivered effectively so that pupils learn what is needed as they move through the school.  The quality of the personal development curriculum is variable. Some aspects are stronger than others. Where elements of the provision are not delivered effectively, pupils are not clear about what they have learned. Leaders need to ensure that all aspects of pupils’ personal development learning are implemented well so they can learn with greater success

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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. 10 and 11 May 2022

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School details

Website www.themeadowsprimaryschool.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 This is the first section 5 inspection since The Meadows Primary School became an academy on 1 December 2017. When its predecessor school, The Meadows Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged as inadequate overall.  The school is sponsored by Futura Learning Partnership multi-academy trust.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector(s) 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, the trust’s SEND lead, and the early years leader. 10 and 11 May 2022

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 Inspectors met with two members of the academy governance committee and two members of the trust executive team.  Inspectors conducted deep dives into early reading, mathematics, geography and art. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors examined a range of documents, including leaders’ self-evaluation, governors’ minutes, school improvement planning and trust reviews of the school. Inspectors reviewed the content of the school’s website and scrutinised records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding, including safer recruitment and case records. Inspectors talked to staff and pupils about safeguarding.  Inspectors reviewed the responses to the online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent

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View, including free-text responses. Inspectors also spoke with parents at the start of the school day. Inspectors considered the responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Paul Walker, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Gareth Simons Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 May 2022

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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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