Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School

Inspection of Meanwood Community Nursery and Primary School Churchill Street, Rochdale, Lancashire OL12 7DJ

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 February 2024

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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 Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 27 and 28 February 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and discovering new learning with their friends. Pupils at this school are kind and caring. They form strong and trusting bonds with each other and staff. They know that they can talk to any member of staff if they are worried. Pupils’ behaviour is commendable. They adhere to the school’s core values. For example, they are responsible and respectful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Typically, the school’s expectations of pupils’ achievement are high. This helps to make sure that pupils achieve well overall across a range of subjects. Pupils are polite and welcoming. They are curious about the world around them and contribute positively to the calm and purposeful nature of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils excel in different sports and like to perfect their musical skills. They enjoy playing the piano and drums, singing in the school choir and going to see orchestral recitals. Pupils appreciate fundamental British values, including those of the rule of law and democracy. They undertake their leadership responsibilities earnestly. Some pupils thrive as school council members and sports leaders.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils support many worthy causes. They have raised funds for a local hospice and for families caught up in conflict in different parts of the world. Pupils look forward to trips, including to the seaside.

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better?

The school has devised an ambitious and carefully constructed curriculum. This enables pupils to build their knowledge and skills over time. Teachers know precisely what pupils should learn and when they should learn it.

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better?

The school’s published data for 2023 indicates that the proportion of pupils who met the expected standards in reading, writing and mathematics was below the national average. A high number of pupils start and leave the school at various times during the academic year. Consequently, many pupils do not consistently benefit from the school’s well-thought-out curriculum. This impacts adversely on their achievement. Pupils who have attended the school from the early years onwards typically achieve well.

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better?

Teachers have the skills that they need to deliver the curriculum successfully. In most subjects, assessment strategies are used effectively to check how well pupils are learning. Assessment information is then used to provide tailored support when this is needed. However, in a few subjects, teachers do not systematically check how well the curriculum has been learned. This means that occasionally, pupils have gaps in their knowledge that are not identified. Added to this, at times, the activities that pupils complete, do not reflect the ambition of the curriculum. This prevents pupils from achieving as well as they could. 27 and 28 February 2024

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Reading is a high priority. Staff promote reading for pleasure, as do the pupil librarians. Pupils are especially keen on reading the work of popular children’s authors. They also enjoy poetry.

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The phonics and early reading curriculums are taught effectively by well-trained staff. Children learn phonics shortly after they start at the school in the Reception classes. Children in the Nursery enjoy singing along to nursery rhymes and repeating words and refrains from different books during story time. Staff ensure that the books that pupils read match the sounds that they know. Those who find reading more difficult are quickly identified and are supported well to catch up. This helps these pupils to become confident and fluent readers over time.

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The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly. Staff work with a range of specialist partners, and parents, to make sure that pupils get the support that they need promptly. When necessary, teachers adapt the delivery of the curriculum for these pupils. This helps to ensure that pupils with SEND achieve well and access the same curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils behave well throughout the school. Lessons are rarely disrupted by poor behaviour. Children in the early years listen carefully and follow instructions closely. The school’s various initiatives to reduce absence are having a positive impact. Pupils’ attendance at school is improving as a result.

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Pupils’ personal development is at the heart of the curriculum. Older pupils enjoy helping others. Pupils regularly attend different clubs, including for karate, dodge ball, tennis and netball. Pupils are passionate about their community; they regularly sing in the local church and a residential care home. Pupils learn about appropriate personal relationships. They know how to keep themselves healthy, both mentally and physically. However, pupils are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they could be. For example, some pupils’ understanding of spirituality and cultural diversity is lacking.

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Governors have a clear and accurate oversight of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Staff report that leaders are mindful of their well-being and workload. They appreciate the time that they are given to adapt learning activities for pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, the activities that pupils complete are not sufficiently ambitious to reflect the intended curriculum. This means that some pupils do not achieve as 27 and 28 February 2024

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well as they could. The school should work with staff to raise expectations and to follow the curriculum closely, so that pupils achieve all that they are capable of.  In a few subjects, teachers do not systematically check on how well pupils have learned the intended curriculum. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their learning that go unchecked. In these subjects, the school should ensure that assessment strategies are consistently applied, so that pupils can build their knowledge on what they already know.  Spirituality and cultural diversity are not promoted consistently well. Due to this, pupils’ understanding in these areas is not as strong as it could be. The school should ensure that staff get the support that they need to promote cultural diversity and spirituality across the school, to better prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 27 and 28 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chairs of governing body Gareth Parkhill and Kate Ford

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 7 to 8 December 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school makes use of one unregistered alternative provider.  The chair of the governing body and other governors are new to the school since the previous inspection.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteachers and other senior leaders. They also held meetings with other staff, including those 27 and 28 February 2024

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responsible for attendance and pupils’ behaviour, welfare and personal development.  Inspectors held meetings with the leaders responsible for SEND and the provision for children in the early years.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body. He also held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history, art and design and music. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to pupils read.  Inspectors met with pupils to discuss their learning in some other subjects. They spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.  Inspectors met with parents and reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View,

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including the free-text comments. They took account of responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Lenford White, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Stevens Ofsted Inspector 27 and 28 February 2024

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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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