Lift Meadstead

Inspection of Meadstead Primary Academy Meadstead Drive, Royston, Barnsley, South Yorkshire S71 4JS

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

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The principal of this school is Lee Bell. This school is part of Lift Schools multi-academy 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), Rebecca Boomer-Clark, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Hall. There is also a regional executive principal, Pippa Robinson, who is responsible for this school and several others. 7 and 8 May 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a safe and welcoming hub of the community. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They know that adults in school care about them. Staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and achievement. Pupils uphold ‘Bumble’s behaviours’; they engage well in lessons and play well at social times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum is well designed. Pupils develop the knowledge and skills that they need for secondary school. Children in the early years play and learn well. They are prepared for Year 1. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), including pupils who are part of the specialist SEND provision, learn and develop well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has recently introduced its ‘50 Meadstead Memories Passport’ to make sure that all pupils have enriching experiences. This includes a visit to the beach and the chance to play in a rock band. Some pupils have responsibilities, for example as eco warriors and play leaders. They make a positive contribution to school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school helps pupils reflect on stories read to them during whole-school assemblies. This provides pupils with meaningful opportunities to develop empathy and a sense of self.

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

The curriculum is broad and ambitious. The school has identified the knowledge and skills that pupils should learn in each subject. Staff have strong subject knowledge. They provide pupils with frequent opportunities to discuss ideas with each other, which helps them to explore and remember curriculum content. However, occasionally, some lesson activities do not help pupils to secure new learning by connecting it with what they already know. When this happens, pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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

Pupils with SEND are well supported. The school works closely with families and external agencies to ensure that pupils’ needs are quickly identified. Staff receive ongoing training to support pupils with a wide range of needs. They adapt their teaching approaches based on the needs of pupils.

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

Pupils quickly learn to read. Staff are well trained to teach phonics. Pupils who need more support or practice with reading get the right help. Staff know each pupil’s next steps. Pupils have frequent opportunities to revisit sounds and practise reading with staff in school. This helps them to keep up with their peers. Older pupils continue to read aloud to develop their confidence and skill. Most pupils enjoy reading. They explain themes from books they have studied with growing confidence.

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

Children in the early years get off to a positive start. Clear routines help children to settle and focus. Children get along well together. The curriculum is well thought through and prepares children for Year 1. However, some activities do not have a clear enough purpose. Children do not get as much as they could out of these activities. There is a 7 and 8 May 2025

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focus on developing children’s language. Staff receive regular training to refine this further.

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Teachers build positive relationships with pupils. They celebrate pupils’ contributions and achievements. If a pupil needs more support to behave well, the school is highly effective in providing the right help. The school has a range of supportive strategies to help a small number of pupils who sometimes struggle to come to school every day. This work helps pupils to attend regularly.

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The curriculum for pupils’ personal, social and health education is well thought through. Pupils learn how to keep safe, including online. They learn about British values and different faiths. This helps prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. The school has just introduced an approach to developing classroom talk. This is intended to help pupils explain their knowledge with more sophistication.

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Leaders at all levels are deeply committed to supporting the school community. They have rapidly improved the school. The trust provides regular support and challenge through its robust approach to quality assurance. School leaders have developed a positive and open culture with staff. Staff feel valued as professionals and as people. They appreciate the high-quality training and networking opportunities the trust provides. Those with responsibility for governance carry out their statutory duties well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, lesson activities do not enable pupils to fully secure the knowledge and skills that they are intended to learn. When this happens, pupils do not achieve the depth of understanding that they could. The school should make sure that lesson activities support pupils to make meaningful connections and secure new learning consistently well.  In the early years, some activities are not well matched to children’s next steps based on their age and stage of development. When this happens, children do not learn as effectively as they could. The school should make sure that each activity in the early years has a clear purpose, which is matched to children’s age and stage of development, and that staff are well trained to maximise the children’s learning within each activity. 7 and 8 May 2025

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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). 7 and 8 May 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 April 2024, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Lift Schools multi-academy trust.  There is a new principal in post since the previous inspection.  There is a resourced provision for pupils with SEND. It provides support for pupils with communication and interaction needs.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 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. 7 and 8 May 2025

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 Inspectors met with senior leaders, including the principal, regional executive principal and vice-principal. The lead inspector also met with representatives of the trust and local academy council.  Deep dives were carried out 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 looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors discussed and reviewed the curriculum in some other subjects.  An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors spoke to pupils about their learning and their experiences at school. An inspector also spoke to parents as they dropped their children off at school.  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

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extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour throughout the school day, including at social times. Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils about their views on behaviour at the school.  Inspectors reviewed the responses received through Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. Inspectors also considered the responses received to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff.

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Inspection team

Zoe Helman, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Hannah Millett His Majesty’s Inspector 7 and 8 May 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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