Meadow Park School

School report DRAFT - not for publication

p.1

DRAFT - not for publication Inspection of Meadow Park School Haswell Drive, Stockbridge Village, Knowsley, Merseyside L28 1RX

p.1

Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 26 and 27 March 2024

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Many of the pupils at this school have been permanently excluded or are at risk of being permanently excluded from mainstream school. Meadow Park School offers them a second chance. Staff at the school quickly form close relationships with pupils. This helps pupils to feel safe and relaxed. Pupils have a trusted adult to whom they can talk if they have any concerns.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from clear and precise expectations around behaviour. Most pupils behave well in lessons and try their best. Now and then, when pupils do not meet these expectations, staff calmly support them using the ‘three Rs’ system of ‘refocus, regulate and reflect’. This allows pupils to return to class quickly and to continue with their learning.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a breadth of activities to develop their skills and interests. For example, key stage 4 pupils take part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. There are table tennis and cookery clubs for pupils to enjoy. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe. Recently, pupils worked with a local football club to make a video to promote the dangers of knife crime.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of what pupils can achieve socially and academically. Most pupils rise to these expectations and achieve well.

p.2

better?

Some pupils attend Meadow Park for short periods of time, whereas other pupils remain for the long term. An ambitious curriculum has, therefore, been carefully designed to meet pupils’ needs in either case. The school has selected the essential knowledge that pupils need to learn and the order in which it needs to be taught. Staff design learning activities that help pupils to consolidate their knowledge.

p.2

better?

When pupils arrive at the school, teachers use assessment strategies effectively to identify any gaps in learning. They continue to check on how well pupils have understood the curriculum. Pupils talked clearly about their recent learning. From their starting points, they achieve well.

p.2

better?

The school ensures that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly and receive the right support. Teachers make adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum which support these pupils to learn successfully.

p.2

better?

The phonics programme, for pupils who are in the early stages of reading, is delivered consistently. Pupils in key stages 1 and 2 who struggle with reading are given individual support to help close the gaps in their phonics knowledge. This helps them to read with increasing fluency and accuracy. However, the school is not confident in how best to support pupils in key stages 3 and 4 who find reading difficult. Consequently, some older pupils do not read as fluently as they could. 26 and 27 March 2024

p.2

3

In most lessons, pupils can learn free from disruption. Staff are patient with pupils. They provide effective guidance that helps pupils to learn to manage their emotions. Typically, during their time at this school, pupils’ behaviour improves.

p.3

3

The school successfully identifies some of the barriers that pupils have to attending school regularly. For instance, it has set up Meadow Park Alternative, an online provision for pupils who do not attend because of social, emotional and mental health needs. For some pupils, this has been the stopgap that they have needed to re-engage and they now attend school in person. However, despite the school’s efforts to improve attendance, a high proportion of pupils do not attend school regularly enough. They miss out on the well-designed curriculum and the pastoral support. Consequently, they do not achieve as well as they could.

p.3

3

Pupils benefit from the opportunity to learn about the world of work. Older pupils undertake weekly work experience. Pupils understand the importance of keeping physically and mentally healthy. Younger pupils talked about the importance of dental hygiene. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in their communities.

p.3

3

At times, the school is not aware of whether the actions that it takes, for example to improve attendance, are having the desired impact. This is because the school’s monitoring processes are not as robust as they could be. Those responsible for governance have not recognised this swiftly enough. They have not held the school to account sufficiently well.

p.3

3

Since last year, the school has stabilised the staff body. Staff report that they are happier working at the school than they were previously. This is because the school supports them well to manage pupils’ behaviour and to make workload manageable. For example, meetings after school are kept to a maximum of one per week.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils in key stages 3 and 4 who have difficulties with reading do not get the support that they need to overcome gaps in their reading knowledge. This means that they lack fluency in reading and struggle to access some areas of the curriculum. The school should ensure that it puts in place an effective programme of support to help these pupils with their reading.  Those responsible for governance have not held the school suitably to account. As a result, the school does not take a strategic approach to ensure that identified weaknesses are addressed in a timely way. Those responsible for governance 26 and 27 March 2024

p.3

4

should ensure that the school is suitably supported and challenged to take a more strategic approach to successfully achieving its improvement priorities.  Many pupils’ attendance is still stubbornly low. These pupils do not benefit from the many opportunities offered by the school, including the curriculum. As a result, they are not learning academically or socially as well as they could. The school should ensure that effective systems are put in place to improve pupils’ attendance.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 26 and 27 March 2024

p.4

School details

Local authority Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The local authority

p.5

School details

Date of previous inspection 13 June 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The headteacher has been in post since January 2023.  After the last inspection, the decision was taken to disband the management committee and to replace it with a governing body.  Most pupils have been permanently excluded or are at risk of exclusion from their mainstream schools. The school admits pupils throughout the year. Some pupils at this school are dual registered with their mainstream school, while others are on single-registration placements. Almost 10% of pupils have an education, health and care plan and 17% are under assessment for one.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school makes use of one registered and one unregistered alternative provision for a small number of pupils. The school has its own online alternative

p.5

Information about this school

provision, called Meadow Park Alternative, for a small number of pupils.

p.5

6

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

p.6

6

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school's education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading and English, mathematics and personal, social, health and economic education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened to some pupils in key stages 1 and 2 read to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.

p.6

6

 Inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders, staff, governors and representatives of the local authority.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation including minutes of governing body meetings, the school’s self-evaluation and development plan.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils about their experience of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff and pupils.

p.6

Inspection team

Jenny Jones, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Dawn Platt Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 March 2024

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