River Mead School

Inspection of River Mead School Lowbourne, Melksham, Wiltshire SN12 7ED

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

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The headteacher of this school is Louise Harrison. This school is part of The Equa Mead Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Paul Skipp, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Roger Townsend. 1 and 2 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

River Mead School is a very special place. This is because the whole school team goes above and beyond to support pupils to flourish. Parents describe the school as knowing their children ‘inside out’ and ‘caring about my children just as much as I do’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very well looked after. Staff listen to them and take their concerns seriously. Pupils are proud to attend the school. They fully appreciate the opportunities on offer to them. Pupils enjoy working together and value every member of the school community. Pupils get on well together and treat each other with care and respect.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious. It has high expectations for every pupil, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to do well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at River Mead are happy, safe and well behaved. Parents appreciate the extra help they can access through the school. Parents are proud that their children attend the school.

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

The work of leaders is exceptional. Their drive and improvement work are having an impact on pupils’ achievements. Leaders know that many pupils and their families face wider challenges in everyday life. They are also aware of the needs of the significant number of pupils attending that have an education, health and care plan. Many of these pupils attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. Following COVID-19, some pupils found it difficult to attend school regularly. This resulted in gaps in their knowledge. Leaders worked tirelessly to get pupils back into school. They have introduced effective approaches to ensure pupils do well over time. However, the school’s published outcomes from 2023 do not accurately reflect the quality of learning of current pupils.

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

The school’s support for disadvantaged pupils is extremely successful. The curriculum carefully meets their needs. Regular checks ensure that staff quickly identify and deal with any misconceptions pupils have. This results in pupils achieving better outcomes. Additional funding is well used to strengthen approaches that make the biggest difference for disadvantaged pupils, providing a wide offer of care and support for pupils and their families.

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

The school has clarified what pupils will learn and when they will learn it. This means that staff can successfully make sure younger pupils learn what they need to do well. For example, there is a keen focus on language and communication in the nursery that prepares children well for later learning. This approach is contributing to improved outcomes in key stage 2.

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

The teaching of early reading is a strength in the school. Staff provide high-quality support because they are experts in teaching young pupils to read and write. This enables pupils to quickly learn how to read and spell words correctly from the start. However, 1 and 2 October 2024

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some older pupils with SEND have not received the expert help needed to build their phonics knowledge securely.

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Improvements in the way that subjects are taught are ensuring that pupils learn more and remember more. This is evident in the knowledge pupils can recall, for example in mathematics. However, these recent improvements did not have sufficient time to impact on the school’s published outcomes in 2023.

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The school has successfully reestablished expectations of behaviour and attendance. Pupils behave extremely well in lessons, listening carefully to staff and engaging well with activities. However, expectations of pupils’ behaviour are not as high outside of lessons. Pupils do not behave as well at social times. The school continues to closely monitor pupils’ attendance and acts swiftly to support pupils and their families. Attendance has improved steadily over time and leaders continue to closely monitor this.

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Pupils’ personal development is threaded through all aspects of the school. Pupils have opportunities through lunchtime activities and after-school clubs to be involved in the performing arts, sports and imaginative play. Pupils learn about a range of religions and beliefs that provide them with an understanding of differences. They learn about their local community and how they can contribute positively. Their learning provides them with a secure understanding of the fundamental British values.

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Staff are proud to work at River Mead. The school manages their workload well. The school, alongside effective support from the trust, ensures that staff receive the training that they need to deliver the curriculum effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s expectations for behaviour are not as high outside of lessons. As a result, pupils do not behave as well at social times as they do when in lessons. The trust should extend these expectations to cover the rest of the school day.  Some older pupils with SEND have not received the expert help needed to build their phonics knowledge securely. They do not read and write as well as they could. The trust should ensure that these pupils benefit from the same approach and high-quality support received by other pupils in the school. 1 and 2 October 2024

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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’ 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). 1 and 2 October 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 23 and 24 January 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. This part of the school has 35 places and takes children from four to 11. Typically, pupils in this part of the school have varied needs such as those associated with autism and speech, language and communication needs.  The school runs an on-site nursery that includes provision for two-year-olds.  The school is part of The Equa Mead Learning Trust.  The school uses two registered alternative provisions.  The school has a breakfast and after-school club run by the governing body.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and 1 and 2 October 2024

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management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, other leaders and staff, pupils and representatives from the local governing body.  Inspectors met with representatives of the multi-academy trust, including trustees, the CEO and deputy CEO.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and computing. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector listened to pupils from Years 1 to 3 reading to a familiar adult.

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 The inspectors also discussed the school’s curriculum and provision in the early years with leaders.  The inspectors observed pupils during social times and spoke with pupils and leaders about pupils’ behaviour and attendance and opportunities for pupils’ personal development.  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.  The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. He also took into consideration the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and the results of the school’s own parent survey.

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Inspection team

Phil Minns, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Richard Vaughan Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 October 2024

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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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