The Meadows Primary School

Inspection of a good school: The Meadows Primary School Harlech Road, Oswestry, Shropshire SY11 2EA

p.1

Inspection dates: 15 and 16 November 2022

p.1

Outcome

The Meadows Primary School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to The Meadows Primary School. There is a strong team spirit here, summed up in the school’s tagline ‘Play Together, Learn Together, Achieve Together’. Pupils behave really well and bullying is rare. Pupils are kind, caring and look after each other. They know if they have any problems, staff will help sort it out.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils. They have recently revised the curriculum to make sure pupils learn and remember more over time. A love of reading is woven through the school and pupils learn to read from the start. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported exceptionally well because leaders make sure they get the help they need.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take pride in their school. They learn how to look after their physical and emotional health as well as helping in the community. Clubs, trips and visitors contribute strongly to their personal development. Parents are very positive about the school and say that staff go ‘above and beyond’. They really value the help and support their children receive.

p.1

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

Leaders have designed the curriculum so that it is broad and ambitious. They have worked with subject leaders to clearly identify the knowledge, skills and important vocabulary that pupils need to know and remember.

p.1

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

In most subjects, such as mathematics, teachers have received high-quality training, so they know how to teach these subjects well. Teachers pick up on misconceptions quickly, adapt lessons and provide extra help when needed. This means that outcomes are improving rapidly as a result. However, in a few subjects, subject leaders are new and have not been able to check precisely what pupils have learned in their subjects. They have introduced new assessment processes but these are not used consistently by all teachers. This means pupils’ learning does not always build on what they already know. 15 and 16 November 2022

p.1

2

Leaders have prioritised early reading and made sure that staff are well trained. Pupils quickly learn the sounds that letters represent. The books they read match the sounds they are learning. This means that almost all pupils become fluent readers quickly. Pupils who need support, benefit from extra help provided by highly skilled staff. This enables them to catch up quickly. Pupils are keen readers. They enjoy telling stories using creative props in story suitcases, as well as sharing books with their buddies on the playground.

p.2

2

Pupils love learning together in the early years. They share resources, solve number puzzles and make obstacle courses in the attractive outdoor space. Clear routines mean that they settle into school happily. Staff work as a team and know the pupils well.

p.2

2

Pupils with SEND are supported very well indeed. The special educational needs coordinator is passionate about getting pupils the help they need. Staff are highly skilled. They make sure all pupils are included in all lessons to ensure that they access a broad curriculum alongside their classmates where possible.

p.2

2

Pupils are friendly and courteous. They take pride in their school and their work. They collaborate well and play happily during unstructured times. There is no low-level disruption during lessons. They attend regularly and there are clear routines in place to support the few families who need help to get their children to school.

p.2

2

Leaders have created an enrichment curriculum that provides pupils with a wide range of opportunities to learn important life skills, such as money management, self-esteem and coping with tough times. There is a wide range of clubs, such as football, craft and cookery. Many pupils learn a musical instrument and benefit from free lessons provided by a local music charity.

p.2

2

Staff are proud to work at this school. They feel listened to by leaders, who consult them on how to improve their workload.

p.2

2

Governors know the school really well. They have changed the way they work, and this means all governors play an active role in working with leaders to make sure the school continues to improve.

p.2

2

Parents are exceptionally positive about the school and say that their children are happy, safe and making good progress here.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.2

Safeguarding

A core team of designated safeguarding leads work together closely to monitor cases and check that actions are being taken quickly to keep pupils safe. They have introduced a new monitoring system that helps everyone stay informed efficiently. Staff are well trained and know what to do if they have any concerns. 15 and 16 November 2022

p.2

3

Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe, including an age-appropriate understanding of boundaries in relationships. They have regular e-safety lessons, so they know how to keep themselves safe online.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have reviewed the curriculum. Some subject leaders have not yet had the opportunity to monitor the impact of these changes fully. This means that they sometimes lack a detailed understanding about how well pupils are learning important knowledge. Therefore, they are not able to challenge and support the work of their colleagues as much as they could. Leaders should further support subject leaders to monitor their subjects effectively.  Approaches to assessment are inconsistent in a few subjects. This means that the way teachers check how pupils acquire knowledge and skills varies. Therefore, pupils’ learning does not always build on what they already know. Leaders should ensure that assessment is used consistently in helping teachers identify next steps for pupils in these subjects.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2012.

p.3

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 15 and 16 November 2022

p.3

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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. 15 and 16 November 2022

p.4

School details

Inspection number 10212440 Type of school Primary

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Chair of governing body Jan Herman Kuiper

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 28 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 There is a breakfast club and an after-school club managed by school staff.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 The inspector carried out this ungraded inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and subject leaders.  The inspector carried out deep dives into early reading, mathematics and history. The inspector visited lessons, spoke to subject leaders and staff and met with pupils. She looked at a range of curriculum documents, including plans and pupils’ books and folders. The inspector also listened to pupils read with familiar adults.  The inspector also met representatives of the governing body and the school improvement adviser from Shropshire local authority. 15 and 16 November 2022

p.5

6

 The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View and the views of staff recorded in Ofsted’s online survey. She also met parents after school in the playground.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of safeguarding documentation, including the school’s single central record. She spoke to the designated safeguarding leads and pastoral lead.  The inspector met with the school council and spoke to pupils during lessons and during lunch and breaktimes.  The inspector visited the school’s breakfast club and after-school provision managed by the school.

p.6

Inspection team

Johanne Clifton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 15 and 16 November 2022

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7