Rushy Meadow Primary Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Rushy Meadow Primary Academy Rushy Meadow Lane, Fellowes Road, Carshalton, Surrey SM5 2SG

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Outcome

Rushy Meadow Primary Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Paul Needham. This school is part of Cirrus Primary 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), Sharon Roberts, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Dr Peter Simpson.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy coming to this school. They feel safe and well cared for. Pupils say that they know who to talk to if they are worried or upset. There is a strong culture of openness, where pupils feel confident to share their thoughts. They know how to stay safe, and they understand that adults are there to protect them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for each pupil. This is reflected in its vision that all pupils become ‘resilient individuals and successful learners’. In lessons, pupils are encouraged to work hard and give their best. They respond with focus, curiosity and pride in their work. They achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour embodies the school’s values of respect, honesty, responsibility, kindness and politeness. This is because staff model these values and encourage pupils to do the same. The school’s vision to create a positive and ambitious environment where everyone can thrive is clearly reflected in pupils’ attitudes to their work and each other. These positive attitudes are established in early years and then carefully nurtured as pupils progress through the older year groups.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are supported to develop their leadership skills. They experience democracy first hand as they elect representatives to their pupil parliament. The younger pupils in school appreciate the play leaders who support them during break times. 10 and 11 June 2025

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

From the very start of early years, the school has established a broad and balanced curriculum which is carefully arranged. It builds on pupils’ knowledge and skills step by step. For example, in science, pupils begin by learning about the human body and nutrition in Year 1. By the time they reach Year 6, they can confidently and accurately explain how the circulatory system works.

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

The curriculum is typically delivered in ways that help pupils to remember key ideas. Staff revisit important content, ensuring that pupils build on prior learning. They check pupils’ understanding and address misconceptions when they arise. This helps pupils to learn well in a range of subjects. Sometimes, however, teaching gives pupils too much subject- related information to comprehend in one go. When this happens, in some instances, pupils find it difficult to process and retain new learning.

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

The school is quick to identify the needs of its pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils benefit from effective adaptations to teaching of the curriculum. This includes specialist support for pupils in the school’s resource base for deaf children. These pupils receive effective support and they too learn the curriculum well. However, the curriculum has not, at present, helped some younger pupils at the school to be fluent enough in their handwriting. Sometimes, this holds pupils back when completing their written work.

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

The school places great importance on teaching pupils to read as soon as they start the Reception Year. Children begin learning phonics straight away. Staff are well trained to teach phonics effectively. If any pupil starts to fall behind, they are promptly given the help that they need to catch up. In the past, some older pupils did not do as well as the school expected in reading, but the school has acted quickly to improve this. For example, it has improved the way reading is taught across the school. The curriculum puts more focus on helping pupils to learn important reading skills such as understanding hidden meanings and reading between the lines. Now, the school teaches pupils to understand complex ideas in the texts that they read.

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

Following a dip in attendance during the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, the school has taken effective action to improve this aspect of its work. Staff work closely with families to provide targeted support. This includes, for instance, involving family support workers, social care and education welfare officers where appropriate. As a result of this joined-up approach, overall, pupils’ attendance is now improving. However, the school’s work is not leading to sustained improvements in the attendance of disadvantaged pupils. For some of these pupils, absence rates remain high.

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

The school provides a range of activities to support pupils’ wider learning. For example, pupils take part in a variety of workshops. These have included water safety, skateboarding and circus skills. Pupils also enjoy educational outings to museums, galleries and places of worship. Through the curriculum, they learn about healthy relationships, managing their emotions and online safety. The school teaches pupils to respect different cultures and traditions. Whole-school events have included celebrations 10 and 11 June 2025

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of Black History Month and Remembrance Day. These opportunities contribute well to pupils’ readiness for life in modern Britain.

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Leaders and trustees work closely together to drive the school’s improvement forward. They understand what is working well and what needs to improve. Any action taken is clearly focused on improving the quality of education. This has led to noticeable improvements in current pupils’ outcomes, including in reading. Leaders ensure that staff are well supported to manage their workload. Staff appreciate that their well-being is considered by the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes, teaching gives pupils too much information about a subject at once. This affects how well pupils understand and retain key knowledge. The school should ensure that learning supports pupils’ understanding and retention consistently well over time.  Some younger pupils are not as well supported by the curriculum as they could be to develop fluent handwriting. This affects their written work and limits their ability to express ideas clearly in writing. To support these pupils, the school should ensure that the curriculum enables pupils to improve handwriting fluency and accuracy over time.  The school’s work on attendance, while securing overall improvements, has not sufficiently reduced absence rates for some disadvantaged pupils. As a result, these pupils miss out on important learning. The school should continue the work it is doing to improve the attendance of disadvantaged pupils who are persistently absent.

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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 10 and 11 June 2025

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

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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 June 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 December 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Cirrus Primary Academy Trust.  There is a resource base for deaf children situated in the school. It has eight places for pupils between the ages of four to 11 years. These pupils have education, health and care plans.  The school does not use any 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.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 10 and 11 June 2025

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 The inspector held discussions with the CEO of Cirris Primary Academy Trust, the headteacher, and other members of the senior leadership team.  The inspector met with the chair of the board of trustees. He also met with governors, including the chair of governors.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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 inspector also considered the views of parents through their responses to Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Edison David, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 June 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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