Trumpington Meadows Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Trumpington Meadows Primary School Kestrel Rise, Trumpington, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 9AY

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Outcome

Trumpington Meadows Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being at Trumpington Meadows. Younger pupils have lots of interesting activities to explore. Older pupils find lessons engaging and informative. Pupils feel safe as they are comfortable talking to staff about any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils rise to leaders’ high expectations. Pupils learn a rich and broad curriculum. They enjoy reading regularly. They get to take risks safely and explore nature in the forest school. Pupils get extra help with their learning when they need it. A small number of pupils miss out on important learning because they are absent frequently. Overall, however, pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are accepting of difference. They see themselves as part of one school community. Pupils behave well in lessons. They learn about how to share and take turns, right from early years. Many pupils enjoy playing competitive games at lunchtime and breaktime. Staff are on hand to help resolve any friendship issues or disagreements that occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their meaningful leadership roles. They have recently raised over £500 for charity. Pupils also enjoy an extensive range of trips and wider experiences that broaden and enrich what they learn in school. Pupils were recently visited by a Team GB athlete and attended a poetry event.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that meets pupils’ needs. They have carefully planned how important knowledge builds up over time, so that pupils can learn and apply it effectively. For example, children are introduced to learning about where they live in early years. Pupils build on their understanding of where they live and how it differs from other areas as they get older. Teachers revisit previous learning, so that pupils can remember important knowledge easily and can use it to understand more complex concepts. Teachers check pupils’ understanding routinely. They use these checks well to adapt their teaching to address any misunderstandings. Consequently, most pupils 7 and 8 June 2023

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achieve well, because they can remember and use important knowledge in a range of subjects.

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Children learn about different sounds in Nursery. They are introduced to books, stories and rhymes. Children begin learning phonics right from the start of Reception. Pupils read books that help them practise using the sounds they are learning. This helps pupils to read with accuracy and understanding. Pupils read regularly and enjoy a wide variety of books from the school library and reading corners. This supports them to develop an early love of reading. Some pupils join the school mid-year, with little reading experience. Teachers make sure that they get the extra help they need to catch up. Older pupils get to read a wide range of different literature, including Shakespeare plays. Pupils develop important vocabulary and learn how to infer meaning. This prepares them well for learning in secondary school.

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Leaders accurately identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND have strategies in place that support their needs. Staff use these strategies to help pupils successfully access the curriculum. Leaders regularly review how well these are working. They make further changes to better support pupils as necessary. This enables pupils with SEND to learn well.

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Pupils follow the school’s values. They understand that everyone has the right to learn. Right from early years, children learn to respect each other and be tolerant. This continues as pupils progress up the school. As a result, pupils’ learning is rarely disrupted. A very small number of pupils struggle to manage their behaviour. This sometimes causes concern for other pupils. Leaders help these pupils to make better behaviour choices, by providing them with appropriate boundaries and support.

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Leaders make regular contact with families who do not ensure that their children attend well enough. Leaders ensure that attendance concerns are tracked and followed up. Nevertheless, although overall attendance has improved, a minority of pupils miss more school than they should.

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Personal development opportunities are comprehensive. Leaders have put in place an effective programme of personal, social and health education (PSHE). Pupils benefit from a range of experiences that enhance the curriculum. These include trips and visits to places such as the Fitzwilliam Museum and a film studio, and participating in ‘Science Fest’. Leaders have established a range of strong partnerships. These include with local rugby and martial arts clubs. These give pupils experiences they might not otherwise have.

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The school is well led. Governors challenge and support effectively. Leaders listen to staff and take their views on board when making decisions. Staff value the collaborative opportunities they get to work together across the federation and the positive impact these have on workload and well-being. 7 and 8 June 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that robust systems for recruiting safely are in place. There are suitable safeguarding checks for any external staff or visitors.

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Safeguarding

Staff receive regular training so that they can identify any safeguarding concerns. They share and report these diligently. Leaders ensure that any concerns are followed up appropriately. The inclusion team works effectively with other agencies to support the needs of pupils and families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe in school. They are taught about risk. They are confident that they will be listened to and receive support where they need it.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A minority of pupils are persistently absent. This means that these pupils miss out on important learning and do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders need to ensure that all barriers to persistent non-attendance are identified and that their systems for supporting attendance enable all pupils to attend regularly.

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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 school to be good in February 2018.

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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. 7 and 8 June 2023

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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 June 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chairs of governing body Elizabeth Woodham and Gavin Davies

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 February 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Trumpington Meadows Primary School is part of the Trumpington Federation with Fawcett Primary School. Trumpington Meadows Primary School and Fawcett Primary School are registered separately with the Department for Education. Each school is inspected separately by Ofsted.  The executive headteacher has responsibility for both schools.  There is a single federation governing body. The two co-chairs of governors were appointed in September 2018 and September 2021 respectively.  There is a nursery provision for children from the ages of three.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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 his evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in the following subjects: geography, early reading and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector met with curriculum leaders; 7 and 8 June 2023

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looked at curriculum plans; visited a sample of lessons; spoke with teachers; spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  In addition to meetings with the headteacher and senior leadership team, the inspector met with leaders in the following areas: behaviour and attendance; early years; personal development; safeguarding and pupils with SEND.  The inspector spoke with the school improvement partner to discuss school improvement work. He met with representatives from the local governing body regarding governance.  To gather their views on the school, the inspector spoke in formal meetings with groups of pupils. The inspector spoke with pupils around the school site while he observed break and lunchtimes. He also considered that there were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  To evaluate the school’s safeguarding culture, the inspector viewed safeguarding

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records and procedures, and met with a range of pupils, staff and leaders.  The 18 responses and 11 free-text responses made by parents and carers to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, were considered. The inspector also took account of the 41 responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

James Chester, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 7 and 8 June 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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