Kings Meadow Primary School and Early Years Education Centre

Inspection of Kings Meadow Primary School and Early Years Education Centre Meadow Lane, Ainsdale, Southport, Merseyside PR8 3RS

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 16 and 17 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive on being part of this caring and welcoming school. Children in the early years, and pupils across the rest of the school, benefit from the positive relationships that they form with staff. This helps them to feel happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), understand the school’s high expectations of their achievement. They rise to meet these expectations. Typically, pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave extremely positively throughout the school. They are polite and respectful towards each other and to staff. They enjoy harmonious playtimes with their friends, joining in with a variety of team games. Pupils take pride in receiving rewards for demonstrating exemplary behaviour. For example, they earn ‘crowns’ and get to sit on thrones during celebration assembly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those in the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision), benefit from an exceptional programme to enrich their personal development. For example, pupils throughout school relish going to clubs, such as in Flamenco and ballroom dancing, history and book group. Pupils have high aspirations for their future lives. They enjoy finding out about different career pathways that they may wish to follow in the future. Older pupils shared their comprehensive understanding about issues, including cybercrime and water safety.

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better?

The school has successfully designed a curriculum that is ambitious for pupils, including for those with SEND. It has identified the important knowledge that pupils should learn at each stage and in each subject. Trips and visitors to the school further enhance the curriculum offer. Most pupils achieve well in a range of subjects.

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better?

Staff deliver the curriculum in a way that creates awe and wonder for pupils and promotes their love of learning. In most subjects, teachers successfully check how well pupils are learning the curriculum. However, in a few subjects, the school does not use information that it gathers to modify future teaching. Consequently, in these subjects, gaps in some pupils’ prior learning remain.

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better?

Strong staff expertise in the early years, including in the provision for two-year-old children, contributes to the curriculum being delivered extremely successfully. Staff know children and their families remarkably well. In the Nursery class, staff encourage children to interact positively with each other. They support children to take turns and to develop their communication and language skills. Staff help children to understand and to follow instructions and classroom routines exceedingly effectively. Parents and carers are involved in what children will learn by being part of curriculum consultation groups. Children in the early years are exceptionally well prepared for key stage 1. 16 and 17 July 2024

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Staff implement the phonics programme skilfully. Reading is prioritised from the start of the Nursery class to the end of Year 6. Staff swiftly identify pupils who struggle to keep up with their reading. They ensure that these pupils receive appropriate support to catch up with their peers. Most pupils become avid, confident and fluent readers. Older pupils spoke with enthusiasm about the diverse range of authors and texts that they enjoy reading.

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The school has appropriate processes in place to identify any additional needs that pupils may have. It provides teachers with information about the support and resources that will help pupils to access the full curriculum. Pupils with SEND learn well during their time at school.

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Pupils benefit from a wealth of carefully considered experiences which enhance their personal development. These opportunities prepare them exceptionally well for life in modern Britain. For example, pupils discuss and consider topical issues with deep understanding and empathy for others. They have an impressive understanding of how to keep physically and mentally healthy. Staff help pupils to develop healthy habits from a young age through exciting activities, such as smoothie-making and yoga workshops. Pupils fully respect the many differences that exist between themselves and others.

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Pupils work conscientiously. They understand and rise to the school’s values admirably. By following the school’s ‘golden promises’ conscientiously, pupils help each other to make the most of their time in school. They behave exceptionally well. The school’s rigorous approach to supporting pupils’ attendance helps to ensure that pupils are in school as often as possible.

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Governors have a wealth of experience. They assure themselves that the school’s systems are working effectively and that pupils receive a high-quality education. Staff value the support that they receive to fulfil their roles. They appreciate how the school and the governing body make sure that their workload is manageable as they are given time to fulfil their roles well. Staff are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, staff do not use assessment information as well as they could. This means that the school is unclear about what pupils remember over time and, from time to time, gaps in some pupils’ knowledge go unaddressed. The school should support staff to identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge, so that new learning builds on what pupils already know and can do. 16 and 17 July 2024

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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). 16 and 17 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a specially resourced provision for up to 10 pupils, aged between four and 11 years old, with speech, language and communication difficulties. There are currently 10 pupils who access this provision. All pupils have an educational, health and care plan.  The school provides early education for two-year-old children.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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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 first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school. 16 and 17 July 2024

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 Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. Inspectors also held meetings with other school leaders, including those responsible for attendance, pupils’ behaviour, welfare and personal development, the early years provision and SEND.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The lead inspector held telephone conversations with a representative of the local authority and with the school’s education consultant.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with pupils to discuss their learning in some other subjects.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.

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 The lead inspector reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. He took account of responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.  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

Sandra Hamilton Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 July 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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