The Mead Community Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: The Mead Community Primary School Hackett Place, Hilperton, Trowbridge, Wiltshire BA14 7GN

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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Outcome

The Mead Community Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Mark Stenton. The school is part of Equa Mead Learning 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.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy, welcoming and inclusive school. The school’s core value: ‘every child, every chance’ underpins all the school does. Staff form caring relationships with pupils so pupils feel safe and valued. They know they can talk to staff if they have any problems.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ achievement and behaviour. Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and are excited to find things out. Pupils become immersed in learning. For example, children in the early years excitedly plant ‘magic beans’ and explain how water and light will help them to grow.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils’ behaviour is in line with leaders’ very high expectations. Pupils are respectful and polite. They enjoy school and attend regularly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school supports pupils’ physical and mental health through a range of activities such as the ‘Mead mile’, ballet workshops and mindfulness.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The majority of parents and carers say they are delighted with the school. Parents comment on the wonderful staff who help their children to thrive. 25 and 26 February 2025

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

The school provides a rich, exciting curriculum that identifies the important knowledge pupils are expected to learn. The school has improved the curriculum, so current pupils are developing more secure knowledge than is reflected in published outcomes. Since the last inspection, there have been many staff changes. The school and trust have created a stable and effective leadership and staffing structure. Staff are provided with effective professional development that supports them to deliver the curriculum in line with the school’s ambition.

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

The school has recently refined the curriculum in several subjects to ensure it is more demanding. It has also developed effective strategies to check pupils’ learning. Pupils are developing the knowledge and skills the school expects of them. However, improvements in some areas of the curriculum, including how pupils’ knowledge is checked, are not yet fully or consistently embedded. This means some pupils have gaps in their knowledge.

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

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Children in early years get off to a good start in reading. They learn to read as soon as they start school. Staff teach the school’s phonics curriculum effectively. Pupils who find reading difficult are given extra reading practice. This helps them to develop their fluency and confidence. Pupils achieve well. The school provides pupils with an exciting selection of books to read for pleasure. Pupils enjoy listening to stories that adults read to them.

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

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They model and explain what they want pupils to learn. Pupils are routinely given opportunities to recall what they have learned. Pupils build their knowledge securely. For example, pupils in Year 5 use their knowledge of fractions to identify equivalent percentages. Teachers routinely check and adapt pupils’ learning when necessary so the activities and work pupils complete meet their needs.

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

The school swiftly identifies the needs of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school works closely with specialist agencies when pupils need extra help. The school provides well-focused academic and pastoral support. This ensures that pupils with SEND are fully involved in all aspects of school life.

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

The school provides highly effective pastoral support. This helps pupils to identify and manage their feelings and emotions. For instance, pupils become absorbed in activities provided for them in the Sunflower and Buttercup rooms. These provide a calm and reflective space where pupils are supported successfully to be ready to learn.

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

The school supports pupils’ wider development well. For example, visits to a mosque and church enhance pupils’ learning about different faiths. Pupils know that discrimination is wrong. Pupils confidently explain the school’s golden rule: ‘Treat people as we would like to be treated.’ Pupils think of others less fortunate than themselves when they raise money for charity. They are proud to take on positions of responsibility, such as play leaders and members of the school parliament. 25 and 26 February 2025

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There is a sense of team spirit at the school. Staff are motivated and committed to supporting pupils to do their best. Morale is high because staff feel well-supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, improvements to the curriculum and assessment have only recently been implemented. Some pupils, including some pupils with SEND, have gaps in their knowledge from previous learning. The school and trust should strengthen the new approaches to the curriculum and assessment to fill gaps in pupils learning so pupils learn the knowledge and skills the school expects them to.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2019.

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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. 25 and 26 February 2025

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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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 12 and 13 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school operates on two sites: Hackett Place, Hilperton, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 7GN and 38D Church Lane, Wingfield, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 9LW. The Hilperton site has two classes for each year group. The Wingfield site has three mixed-age classes. The headteacher and senior leaders oversee both sites.  Both sites operate Nursery provision. The school currently takes three-year-olds and four-year-olds in Nursery.  The school has undergone several changes to leadership and staffing since the last inspection.  The school joined Equa Mead Learning Trust in June 2024. The trust is part of a large multi-academy trust, which includes 19 schools and four specially resourced provisions for pupils with SEND.  The school provides before- and after-school care for pupils.  The school uses four unregistered alternative provisions. 25 and 26 February 2025

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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. Inspector discussed the 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, the special educational needs coordinator and the assistant headteachers. Inspectors also spoke to several subject leaders. The deputy CEO and school improvement partners from the trust joined several meetings.  The lead inspector held a meeting with the CEO and deputy CEO from the trust.  The lead inspector had separate meetings with members of the local governing board and a trustee.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons on both sites, spoke to several pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They also spoke to a group of teachers.

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Information about this inspection

 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central record and other safeguarding records; spoke to designated safeguarding leads; 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 breaktime and lunchtime.  Inspectors reviewed responses to the online parent survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Catherine Beeks, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jo Stoaling Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 2025

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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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