Mead Vale Community Primary School

Inspection of Mead Vale Community Primary School Kestrel Drive, Worle, Weston-Super-Mare BS22 8RQ

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 December 2024

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

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The headteacher of this school is Jo Jaloszynski. This school is part of Extend Learning Academies Network, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Adam Matthews, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Rosemary Carr. 10 and 11 December 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming, happy and inclusive school. The school’s values of ‘courage, curiosity and community’ underpin all that it offers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils. Effective teaching helps most pupils to achieve well. The curriculum inspires pupils to learn. For example, in the early years, exceptionally well-planned activities motivate children to become absorbed in their learning. Children sustain high levels of concentration when they use maracas and tambourines to beat in time to songs they sing.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pastoral provision is highly effective, because the school understands pupils’ needs well. Staff form supportive relationships with pupils and parents. Pupils trust adults and feel safe at school. Pupils who require extra help are provided with focused and nurturing support in ‘The Cottage’ and ‘The Warren’. This helps pupils to thrive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are positive ambassadors for the school. They are sociable, well-mannered and friendly. Pupils enjoy school. They know what is expected of them. This helps them to behave well. At breaktimes, pupils joyfully participate in activities such as cycling, listening to music and using the climbing frame.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Several parents and carers spoke highly of the family feel of the school and the positive impact of the school’s work on their children’s development.

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

The school provides a rich, broad curriculum. The school identifies the key knowledge and skills it expects pupils to learn. In most subjects, strong teaching ensures that pupils achieve well.

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

The early years curriculum is particularly well designed and sequenced. It is precisely tailored to meet children’s needs. Children are well supported to develop strong communication and language skills. This prepares them well for future learning.

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

Pupils enjoy learning new things. For example, in the early years, children were fascinated to mix blue and yellow paint to make green. In science, older pupils created a rainbow by shining a light through a prism.

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

The school inspires pupils to develop a love of reading. Children begin to learn to read as soon as they start school. This gets them off to a strong start. Phonics is taught well. Pupils regularly practise reading. This helps them to become confident, fluent readers.

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

The school weaves high-quality reading activities through all subjects. For example, pupils are interested to read about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius to support their work in history. Pupils enjoy reading for pleasure. They listen intently when adults read to them. Children in Reception are highly motivated to look at books and share stories with others. The school swiftly identifies when pupils need extra help with reading. They get the 10 and 11 December 2024

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support that they need, for example through ‘quick-fire’ phonics and extra reading practice. This helps pupils to catch up and become more accurate readers.

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The school works closely with all staff, and specialist agencies, to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This helps them to ensure that pupils are provided with highly effective academic and pastoral support. As a result, pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their peers.

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The school ensures that teachers routinely check what pupils know and remember. In the main, this helps teachers to plan future learning. This is especially the case in the early years. However, in a minority of cases, teachers do not make effective use of this information, because they do not ensure that learning activities take sufficient account of pupils’ starting points. On occasion, this hinders how successfully pupils learn.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to their work. They respectfully follow the school’s values, ‘work hard and be kind’. For example, in the early years, children listen intently and persevere with their learning. They share, take turns and cooperate exceptionally well.

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The school works closely with parents and carers to improve pupils’ attendance. This is beginning to have a positive impact. The school provides high-quality support for pupils’ mental and physical well-being. For instance, pupils might take a walk or count down from five if they need help to manage their emotions. This helps them to be calm and ready to learn.

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The school provides a range of experiences to support pupils’ personal development. For example, pupils develop their talents when they join clubs, such as arts and crafts and gymnastics. Pupils gain an appreciation of music by listening to live bands and singing in the choir. Older pupils proudly take on positions of responsibility, such as play leaders, librarians and anti-bullying ambassadors. They support and help younger pupils if they have any problems.

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The trust and governors support the school well. Staff morale is high. Leaders support staff’s workload and prioritise their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 10 and 11 December 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, the school does not make effective use of assessment, because it does not take sufficient account of pupils’ starting points. When this is the case, the school does not precisely adapt learning activities to meet pupils’ needs. As a result, a minority of pupils, including some pupils with SEND, do not learn the curriculum as successfully as they could. The trust should ensure that assessment routinely takes full account of pupils’ starting points in all subjects, so that pupils securely build the knowledge the school expects them to.

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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). 10 and 11 December 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 June 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Extend Learning Academies Network.  The headteacher was appointed in September 2022, after the last inspection.  The school provides before- and after-school care for pupils.  The school does not 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. 10 and 11 December 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 held meetings with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. Inspectors also held meetings with the early years foundation leader and the special educational needs coordinator.  The lead inspector held a joint meeting with the CEO and the school improvement adviser from the multi-academy trust.  The lead inspector held a meeting with the chair and the vice-chair of governors. She also had a telephone conversation with the chair of trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. 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

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looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  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.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at various times during the day, including breaktimes and lunchtimes.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils and staff and spoke to some parents to gather their views. They reviewed the responses to the online parent survey, Ofsted Parent View, along with free-text comments. They also took account of the responses to the online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Catherine Beeks, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Kathy Maddocks Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 December 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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