Kings Meadow School

Kings Meadow School

Address: Manning Road, Moulton Leys, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN3 7AR Unique reference number (URN): 149367

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Inclusion Expected standard

All pupils who attend Kings Meadow have an education, health and care (EHC) plan for social, emotional and mental health needs. Leaders gather detailed information about each pupil, including their individual EHC plans, professional advice and tools that help staff understand how pupils are feeling, behaving and coping in school. This helps staff plan support that meets each child’s needs. EHC plan outcomes are broken into small, manageable steps and reviewed regularly. Pupils access a wide range of specialist and therapeutic support, including speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and wider emotional support, which help to reduce barriers to learning and improves wellbeing.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders work closely with families, social care and external agencies to provide coordinated support. Pupils who are known to social care, including children in care and those previously in care, are supported well through effective multi-agency working.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders use pupil premium funding thoughtfully. Funding is used to provide therapeutic support, staff training and access to wider experiences. This has helped to improve engagement, wellbeing and attendance for some pupils. Leaders recognise that this is not yet consistently leading to improved academic progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Alternative provision is used appropriately and in pupils’ best interests. Placements are carefully selected and monitored, with clear benefits for pupils’ engagement, attendance and emotional development.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

New leadership has brought clear direction and rapid improvement to the school. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development and have prioritised the right actions, particularly in improving behaviour, safety and the school environment. Leaders have stabilised staffing following a period of significant turnover and ensured the school continues to operate safely and effectively. Staff feel well supported, and leaders give careful attention to staff wellbeing and workload, which has helped improve morale.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have strengthened the systems for monitoring and evaluating the school’s work, enabling them to identify priorities accurately and respond quickly to areas requiring development. Professional development for staff has focused on supporting pupils’ social and emotional needs and establishing a consistent culture. Leaders recognise that the next step is to develop staff expertise further, particularly in teaching and the curriculum, so that gains in pupil behaviour and wellbeing are matched by improvements in pupils’ learning and achievement.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governance is much improved. The trust acted decisively to strengthen oversight of the school through an interim executive board, which has now transitioned to a local governing body with the right mix of skills and experience. Governors provide effective support and challenge, and ensure statutory duties are met. They monitor key priorities such as safeguarding, attendance and staffing.

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Needs attention

Leaders communicate effectively with parents and other professionals, particularly during periods of change, helping to build confidence and trust in the school’s work.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils build important foundational skills in communication, reading and mathematics. Many develop greater confidence, improved readiness to learn and the ability to take part in lessons, particularly as their attendance improves and they spend more time in the school. For example, some pupils become increasingly fluent readers, supported by a structured phonics programme.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils make progress from their starting points, especially in their social, emotional and behavioural development, which is a key focus of the school. This helps pupils to re-engage with education and take part more fully in learning across the curriculum. However, progress in academic subjects is less consistent, and some pupils do not yet build knowledge securely over time.

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Achievement Needs attention

Leaders track pupils’ progress carefully, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils with an education, health and care plan make progress towards their individual targets, although this varies. As a result, while pupils are increasingly prepared to access learning, they are not yet consistently well prepared for their next stage of education, particularly in their academic development.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Leaders have prioritised improving attendance and have a clear understanding of the significant barriers many pupils face, including anxiety, trauma and disrupted previous schooling. They use highly personalised approaches, such as attendance plans, part-time timetables and frequent multi-agency reviews, to help pupils return to school. Attendance is improving for an increasing number of pupils, particularly those receiving targeted support. However, overall attendance remains too low and too many pupils are persistently absent. Leaders have introduced clearer systems and a formal attendance strategy, and they increasingly use information to guide their actions. While this work is starting to have an impact for individual pupils, leaders are still in the early stages of securing sustained improvement across the whole school.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Leaders have created a caring and supportive approach to behaviour where pupils feel safe and understood. Most pupils behave positively. Bullying is rare and is dealt with quickly and effectively. Over time, pupils learn to understand and manage their emotions, with staff providing appropriate support. Strong relationships help pupils to feel secure and able to take part in school life. Leaders are working to ensure all pupils receive clear, consistent support so they can take part in learning confidently and successfully.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have designed a curriculum that meets the needs of pupils, all of whom have an education, health and care (EHC) plan. They focus on helping pupils build secure foundations in communication, reading and mathematics, alongside developing confidence and readiness to learn. Leaders have prioritised reading, with a structured phonics programme in place. This is typically taught well, and many pupils develop into increasingly confident readers where they are able.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The curriculum is organised carefully across the school, with clear pathways in Base, Bridge and Beyond provisions that support pupils’ gradual independence. Leaders have chosen appropriate programmes in subjects such as mathematics and reading, alongside a thematic curriculum that helps pupils make connections and stay engaged.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

However, teaching is not yet consistently effective across all classes. Staff understand pupils’ needs and often adapt activities to support them. However, at times these learning activities prioritise engagement over the systematic development of knowledge and skills. Assessment systems are still developing, and do not yet give leaders a clear enough picture of what pupils know and can do over time. In addition, some pupils do not develop their handwriting as well as they should, which limits the quality of their written work.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders place pupils’ personal development and wellbeing at the heart of the school. Staff build positive, respectful relationships and provide consistent support so that pupils feel safe, included and ready to take part in school life. Pupils learn to understand and express their emotions, develop confidence and form positive relationships with others. Pupils learn the importance of respect for others, fairness and kindness.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

The 'K ‑ Bucks' reward system promotes school values, encourages responsibility, and helps pupils learn to make positive choices. Pupils also contribute to aspects of school life, including suggesting trips and helping to shape reward systems.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

Pupils benefit from a wide range of experiences beyond the classroom. These include outdoor learning, sports such as football, basketball and swimming, and wellbeing activities like mindfulness and structured social opportunities. Pupils also take part in creative activities, such as art and music, which support their confidence and self-expression. Events such as annual values days and community projects, including litter ‑ picking and contributions to the local parish magazine, help pupils develop teamwork, independence and a sense of responsibility. Pupils also learn about different cultures and events through celebrations such as Eid, Chinese New Year and International Women’s Day. This helps them understand the wider world.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders have established a broad and ambitious personal development programme. Pupils learn about relationships and healthy eating, exercise and self-care. Pupils also learn about the importance of how to stay safe, including online safety and the risks they may face. Staff adapt this learning to meet pupils’ needs. However, while pupils gain important knowledge about emotions, friendships and safety, the quality of the delivery of the personal development programme is variable across classes. As a result, some pupils do not build their knowledge and understanding of key aspects of personal development, including relationships and life in modern Britain, as securely or consistently as they should over time.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils develop a clear sense of belonging at Kings Meadow, supported by warm, trusting and respectful relationships with staff. Pupils know that adults will help them and support them to face challenges, and for many this represents their first sustained positive experience of education. All pupils have an education, health and care plan for social, emotional and mental health needs. The school provides a highly tailored environment that enables them to re-engage with learning following earlier disruption. As a result, pupils feel safe, valued and included in daily school life.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils take part in a wide range of experiences beyond the academic curriculum, including outdoor learning, therapeutic activities such as art and music, and community-based experiences such as projects that contribute to the local area. These opportunities help pupils to develop confidence, independence and an understanding of the wider world. Staff ensure that pupils can access these experiences in ways that meet their individual needs, supporting inclusion and participation.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils increasingly achieve well from their starting points, particularly in their personal development. Many develop improved confidence, engagement and readiness to learn, which enables them to participate more fully in lessons and wider school activities. Pupils often enjoy learning when tasks are well matched to their needs, and some develop fluency in reading and communication over time. However, pupils’ experiences of the coherently designed curriculum are not yet consistently effective, and academic progress remains variable. As a result, some pupils are not as well prepared for the next stage of their education as they could be.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils generally thrive in a safe and supportive environment. Behaviour is improving, and most pupils show positive attitudes. Bullying is rare and addressed effectively. Pupils report feeling safe and know who to speak to if they have concerns. Attendance is improving for some pupils through personalised approaches, although it remains too low for others, meaning some pupils continue to miss important learning opportunities.

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Next steps

Leaders must improve the quality of teaching by ensuring that staff consistently adapt their teaching in response to pupils’ understanding, using assessment effectively to adjust explanations, tasks and support so that all pupils learn securely. Leaders need to improve the quality of pupils’ handwriting and spelling by ensuring that expectations are consistently high across all classes, and that staff provide regular, targeted practice so pupils develop accuracy, fluency and pride in their written work. Leaders must improve outcomes by increasing the proportion of pupils making expected progress from their starting points, through refining assessment systems to identify gaps and target support more precisely. While attendance is gradually improving over time, the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent remains too high. Leaders should continue to strengthen their approach so that all pupils attend school regularly and benefit fully from the education on

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Next steps

offer. The personal, social and health education and relationships curriculums are well designed but inconsistently delivered. Staff confidence varies, limiting pupils’ depth of learning. Leaders should ensure consistent, high-quality implementation so all pupils build secure, age-appropriate understanding over time. Leaders should improve further the quality and impact of subject leadership by developing the expertise of middle leaders, so they can lead curriculum and teaching development effectively and strengthen outcomes for pupils.

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About this inspection

This school is part of Creating Tomorrow 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), Kevin Latham, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Janet Duggan.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

This is a special school. All pupils attending this school have an education, health and care plan. The main area of need this school offers provision for is social, emotional and mental health.

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About this inspection

The school has undergone a significant change since the last inspection. The school joined Creating Tomorrow Multi Academy Trust in April 2023. The interim headteacher took up his post in January 2025. The interim deputy headteacher started in their post in January 2026. An interim executive board was in place until February 2026. There is now a full local governing board.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other members of the school's senior leadership team, the executive director of education for the trust, chair of the governing body, the chair of trustees and the CEO of the trust during the inspection.

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About this inspection

The school currently makes use of 3 alternative provisions; all of these are unregistered.

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About this inspection

At the time of the inspection, there were 55 pupils on roll.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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What does this mean?

The type of Special Educational Needs provision provided at the school (if applicable).

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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