Park Mead Primary

Inspection of Park Mead Primary Park Drive, Park Mead Estate, Cranleigh, Surrey GU6 7HB

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 1 and 2 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and thrive in this caring school. They uphold the school’s values of ‘kindness, curiosity and determination’ well. Pupils demonstrate these through their warm and considerate conduct towards others. In lessons, pupils enjoy learning and work well together. At playtime, they take turns, share equipment, and invite each other to join in with games.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s high expectations motivate pupils to achieve well. This is reflected across lessons, where pupils work with focus and purpose. Pupils respond well to the positive encouragement that staff provide. They value the different ways that the school recognises their achievements and contributions. These are widely celebrated, including in the Friday celebration assemblies.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Participation is strongly encouraged. Pupils appreciate being able to share their views about changes in the school. They are proud of the playtime games and trim trail, which resulted from their suggestions. Pupils benefit from wider opportunities such as the weekly clubs, school productions and residential trips. They reflect happily on the memorable experiences that these provide and how these helped to build their confidence. Parents and carers widely value the school’s work. One captured this by saying: ‘It is a truly special place.’

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

The school’s curriculum is broad and ambitious. The curriculum is continuously being refined so that across subjects, it supports pupils to learn well. This starts strongly in the early years, where the curriculum carefully builds children’s knowledge and skills. The school responded robustly to low published outcomes of the key stage 2 national tests in 2023. Changes to the reading and writing curriculums have improved pupils’ achievement in these subjects. However, in a few other subjects, important knowledge is not arranged well. This hinders how well pupils understand key ideas in these subjects.

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

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They draw on this to give clear explanations of new ideas. This includes deliberately teaching the meanings of new vocabulary. Teachers carefully choose learning activities that help pupils to apply new learning. However, at times, some teachers do not check pupils’ understanding well or address pupils’ weaker knowledge areas. Where this happens, pupils continue to have misconceptions. As a result, this hampers pupils’ future learning in these subjects, including pupils with special educational needs/and or disabilities (SEND).

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

Across the school, there is a sharp focus on reading. Children start learning how to read from the beginning of the Reception Year. Their reading knowledge is closely tracked. Those who struggle receive extra support. This helps them to catch up quickly. The school promotes a love of reading successfully. Regular story time and opportunities to read at many times of the school day build pupils’ enjoyment. They spoke enthusiastically to inspectors about the books they are currently reading. 1 and 2 October 2024

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The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND clearly. It provides teachers with information about strategies to support these pupils. However, some teachers do not use these strategies well enough. When this happens, some pupils with SEND struggle to complete learning activities. This hinders their achievement.

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Behaviour is exemplary across the school. In the early years, children learn and practise essential routines that support them in their learning. Across lessons, pupils display positive attitudes to learning. They take pride in completing work to a high standard. Around the school, pupils act as role models. Where pupils struggle to manage their own behaviour, staff provide highly effective support. The school takes prompt action to support pupils who miss school more frequently. This is increasing pupils’ attendance.

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The school prioritises the development of pupils’ character. Pupils learn ways to stay safe and how to look after their mental health. This helps them to manage their well-being and develop independence. Pupils learn about the importance of equality and respect. They are encouraged to be curious about world issues and develop a broader understanding of differences in society. This supports pupils to embrace diversity. Through the school council and a range of leadership roles, pupils in all year groups gain experience in having responsibility. These opportunities support them to develop awareness of how to work well with others.

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The school continuously strives to improve. It carefully identifies changes which will lead to further improvement. Governors maintain close oversight of the school’s work. They provide effective challenge and support. Staff appreciate the school’s efforts to manage their workload. This helps them to focus their efforts on helping pupils to learn.

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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 of the foundation subjects, curriculum design does not support pupils in building secure knowledge over time. This hinders pupils’ future learning. In these subjects, the school should ensure that the order in which knowledge is taught supports all pupils to develop an accurate understanding of the most important ideas.  Some teachers do not identify or address gaps in pupils’ understanding well enough. This means that, at times, pupils develop misconceptions. The school should ensure that teachers are well equipped to identify and address any gaps in understanding so that all pupils can achieve well.  Some teachers do not use strategies to meet the needs of pupils with SEND well enough. When this happens, these pupils sometimes struggle to acquire knowledge or complete learning activities. The school should develop the skills of all staff in order to support pupils with SEND to learn effectively.

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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 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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 April 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The governing body manages a breakfast club and after-school childcare provision.  The school does not currently use any 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. 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 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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Information about this inspection

 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. 1 and 2 October 2024

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 The inspectors met with the headteacher, other leaders, and teachers. The lead inspector met with representatives of the governing body and spoke with the local authority school improvement adviser.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history, geography and art. 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.  The lead inspector also considered the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspectors observed breaktime and lunchtime activities.  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.

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 The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff, and spoke to a range of staff about their views of the school. They looked at the school’s development plan.  The inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses. Inspectors also spoke to some parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Phillip Blagg, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Chris Toye 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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