Meadowbank Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Meadowbank Primary School Councillor Lane, Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 2LE

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 September 2022

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Outcome

Meadowbank Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and they enjoy coming to school. They feel safe. Pupils said that they feel like part of a family. They explained to the inspector that they are taught how to deal with any problems that do arise. Pupils are secure in the knowledge that teachers will help if needed. They are confident that teachers would sort out any bullying quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for pupils, including those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils, including those who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision), have positive attitudes to learning. They behave well. Most pupils, including children in the early years, achieve well across a range of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from warm and caring relationships with staff. Pupils, and children in the early years, are polite and well mannered, and they are keen to make visitors to the school feel welcome.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy contributing their ideas to leaders’ curriculum design through generating ‘big questions’ that they can explore in the classroom. Pupils said that this makes their learning interesting.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents and carers are happy with the support that staff provide for their children and they would recommend the school to others.

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

Leaders have a secure knowledge of what is working well in the school. They have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum and they are clear about what pupils in key stages 1 and 2, and children in the early years, should know by the end of each year. All pupils, including those with SEND, follow the same curriculum.

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

Leaders have effective systems in place to identify pupils with SEND at the earliest possible stage. Teachers and teaching assistants support pupils with SEND well. This 14 and 15 September 2022

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helps them to keep up with their peers. Those pupils in the specially resourced provision benefit from appropriate support from highly skilled staff.

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Leaders ensure that staff are aware of the essential knowledge that pupils, including children in the early years, should learn. This helps teachers to design learning well. Staff view themselves as life-long learners. They appreciate the opportunities that leaders provide for them to develop their curriculum expertise. This ensures that teachers can deliver subject curriculums with confidence.

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Teachers use assessment strategies effectively to ensure that pupils have learned and understood the important building blocks that they need for subsequent learning. Pupils’ misconceptions or any forgotten learning are addressed by staff quickly, including in reading.

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Leaders have prioritised the early reading curriculum. Children begin their reading journey as soon as they join the Nursery Year. A consistent approach to the teaching of reading in the early years helps children to become familiar with the phonics programme quickly. Well-trained staff are equipped to deliver the phonics curriculum effectively. They ensure that books are matched appropriately to pupils’ and children’s phonics knowledge. As a result, pupils become confident and fluent readers by the end of key stage 1.

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Leaders have carefully developed an age-appropriate personal, social and health education curriculum. Pupils have a secure understanding of different cultures. For example, they talked enthusiastically about their visits to a range of places of worship and other local places of interest. However, following the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been fewer opportunities for children and pupils to take on responsibilities in school. Added to this, some pupils do not have enough opportunities to learn about life outside of their school environment. This limits them from gaining a rich understanding of the wider world. It also means that some pupils’ understanding of British values are not as well developed as they should be.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and at social times. Leaders and staff support and encourage pupils to speak up and be open about any worries. Pupils show respect for their teachers and listen carefully, and learning is seldom disrupted by poor behaviour.

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Highly experienced governors and trustees have an accurate overview of leaders’ work. Those responsible for governance are equipped to provide an appropriate level of challenge to leaders. Staff enjoy working together to achieve shared goals and they feel valued by leaders. Staff know that leaders consider their workload and they said that they are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff are well trained and understand their important role in keeping pupils safe. Staff remain vigilant and curious and they know the procedures and systems for recording any concerns about a pupil. 14 and 15 September 2022

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Leaders and staff provide appropriate support for vulnerable pupils and their families. Staff work effectively with a range of external agencies to ensure that pupils get the help that they need.

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Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including online. For example, they know who to go to if something that they see online makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe. They understand what it means to be a good friend and how to foster healthy relationships.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that some pupils and children benefit from a wide enough range of opportunities to learn about life beyond the school and the local community. As a result, some pupils’ understanding of the wider world is underdeveloped, including their understanding of some British values. Leaders should ensure that all pupils benefit from a rich set of experiences that broaden their horizons and support them to become responsible and active citizens.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Meadowbank Primary School, to be good in January 2014.

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How can I feed back my views?

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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 14 and 15 September 2022

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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. 14 and 15 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241413 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 and 22 January 2014 under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 This school is part of the Education Learning Trust.  Meadowbank Primary School converted to become an academy school in April 2018. When its predecessor school, Meadowbank Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  There is a specially resourced provision for up to 12 pupils with SEND. The specially resourced provision base is sited in the main body of the school and supports pupils with cognition and learning needs.  Leaders do not currently make use of any alternative provision for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During this inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher. The inspector also met with a wide range of other staff. 14 and 15 September 2022

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and languages. The inspector spoke with staff who lead these subject areas. She visited lessons and spoke with teachers. The inspector spoke with pupils about their learning and viewed examples of their work.  The inspector observed children in early years and pupils in key stages 1 and 2 read to trusted adults.  The inspector met with two members of the local governing body and three members of the trust, including the chair of the trust board. The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation relating to safeguarding. She reviewed leaders’ approach to safer recruitment. The inspector also spoke to staff about their safeguarding knowledge and checked on how well they understood their safeguarding responsibilities.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during playtimes and while in lessons.

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 The inspector considered the responses to the Ofsted staff and pupil surveys.  The inspector considered the views of parents submitted through Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. The inspector also spoke with some parents during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Sarah Barraclough, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 14 and 15 September 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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