Meadowside Community Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of a good school: Meadowside Community Primary and Nursery School Clough Avenue, Longford, Warrington, Cheshire WA2 9PH

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Outcome

Meadowside Community Primary and Nursery School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy warm and caring relationships with each other and staff in this kind and welcoming school community. Pupils learn and play together in harmony. Children and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) in the specially resourced provision thrive in the caring atmosphere that staff have cultivated.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders waste no time in dealing effectively with any rare incidents of bullying. Pupils value the support that the school’s safety team provides. This helps pupils to feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high aspirations for everyone at Meadowside. Pupils eagerly rise to staff’s expectations and make their teachers proud. They work hard and behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy spending time in the school’s vibrant and attractive learning environment. Children in the early years excitedly enjoy exploring different areas with their friends. Pupils appreciate the many opportunities that leaders and staff provide for them to grow in confidence and to develop their resilience.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the different after-school activities that staff provide. For example, they enjoy being part of the school’s performing arts club. They talked with enthusiasm and pride about taking part in their recent production of ‘Cinderella’.

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

Leaders have made sure that their curriculum is suitably ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with SEND. They have maximised opportunities for pupils to learn about their local area and to bring learning to life.

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

Leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to know by the time they leave school. They have worked effectively together to make sure that the curriculum 18 and 19 April 2023

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introduces pupils to new content in a logical manner from early years to the end of Year 6.

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Leaders make regular checks on how well staff teach their curriculums. Leaders have acted swiftly on this information to make recent refinements to a few subjects. However, it is too soon to see the full impact of this work.

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Teachers value the opportunities that the trust and leaders provide to support them in developing their subject-specific knowledge.

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Teachers introduce new material clearly so that pupils can make sense of more complex content. Overall, teachers use assessment strategies well to keep a watchful eye on how well pupils are remembering important knowledge and to shape future teaching.

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By the end of key stage 2, pupils achieve well in many areas across the curriculum. Where published outcomes are not as strong, or where there are residual gaps in learning, leaders have taken decisive action to tackle these areas. As a result, current pupils demonstrate that they are gaining increasing knowledge of the curriculum.

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Staff go out of their way to ignite pupils’ excitement about reading. For example, the youngest children in the class for two-year-olds listened with rapture and animatedly joined in with a story about a shark. Older pupils spoke excitedly about the chance to gain a token to use in the school’s reading vending machine. They read with fluency and confidence.

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Leaders have successfully implemented an early reading programme that enables pupils to build on their knowledge of sounds day by day. Early readers, including those in the specially resourced provision, enjoy reading books because they are well matched to their current learning. Struggling readers receive effective and timely support. However, some of these pupils do not make as much progress as they should because they miss too much school.

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Leaders have made sure that pupils with SEND, including those in the specially resourced provision, have their needs identified quickly and effectively. Staff provide helpful support. Pupils enjoy playing and learning alongside their friends.

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Pupils behave well. Their learning is rarely disturbed by others. Pupils show tolerance and respect for other faiths and cultures. One pupil explained that this is because, ‘You should always treat people as you would like to be treated.’ However, some pupils do not show a secure understanding and awareness of fundamental British values, such as democracy and the rule of law.

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Pupils enjoy taking on different leadership roles and raising money for worthy causes. They care about their environment. They spoke fondly about preparations for World Earth Day. 18 and 19 April 2023

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Trust leaders and governors challenge the school and hold leaders to account effectively. Staff feel valued and part of a tight-knit team. Their workload and well-being are considered well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are tenacious in their drive to ensure that pupils are safe and well looked after. They work very well with a wide range of external agencies. School staff also provide families and pupils with much-valued support.

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Safeguarding

Staff benefit from regular training so they know what to do if they have any concerns about a pupil’s safety. They act promptly and effectively to keep pupils safe from harm or abuse.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn about different aspects of safety, such as internet safety, and the importance of eating a varied diet and taking regular exercise.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some early readers do not come to school often enough. This makes it difficult for them to keep up with the pace of the phonics programme. Leaders should ensure that these pupils attend school regularly and do not miss vital learning.  In a small number of subjects, curriculums have undergone recent refinements. This means that it is too early to see the impact of these changes. Leaders should make sure that these changes have the desired impact so that any residual gaps are addressed and pupils know more and remember more in these subjects.  Some pupils do not show a strong awareness of British values. This means that they are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they should be. Leaders should make sure that pupils are able to understand how British values work in practice.

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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. 18 and 19 April 2023

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Meadowside Community Primary and Nursery School, to be good in November 2015.

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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.

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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. 18 and 19 April 2023

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School details

Website www.meadowside.warrington.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Meadowside Community Primary and Nursery School converted to become an academy school in December 2019. When its predecessor school, Meadowside Community Primary and Nursery School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  A new headteacher and chair of governors have been appointed since the previous inspection. The leadership team has also been restructured.  The school is now part of The Challenge Academy Trust.  There is provision for two-year-old children at this school.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. The specially resourced provision caters for pupils ranging from Reception age to Year 6. Pupils’ primary needs are mainly autism spectrum disorder or cognition and learning. All pupils who attend the specially resourced provision have education, health and care plans.  Leaders do not make use of alternative provision.  Leaders offer a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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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 leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, she met with leaders, discussed curriculums, visited a sample of lessons, met with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and reviewed samples of pupils’ work. She also observed pupils from Year 1 to Year 3 reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector considered other subjects on the school’s curriculum. She talked to the leaders who lead these subjects. The inspector spoke to pupils about their learning in these subjects and looked at samples of work in these subjects.  The inspector held discussions with the headteacher, other leaders and staff.  The inspector met with governors, including the chair of the governing body. She spoke

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Information about this inspection

with a representative of the local authority. She also spoke to the chief executive officer of the trust.  The inspector spoke with different groups of pupils to gather their views on the school and held discussions about their behaviour and learning. She also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at playtime.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. She spoke to several parents at the start of the school day. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  The inspector met with those responsible for safeguarding at the school. She scrutinised a range of documents in relation to safeguarding. She also spoke with governors, staff, parents and pupils about safeguarding.  The inspector considered a range of documents provided by school leaders and staff.

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Information about this inspection

These included the school priority action plan, minutes of governing body meetings, headteacher’s reports and the leaders’ self-evaluation document.

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Inspection team

Louise McArdle, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 18 and 19 April 2023

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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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