Meath Green Infant School

Meath Green Infant School

Address: Kiln Lane, Meath Green, Horley, Surrey, RH6 8JG Unique reference number (URN): 125083

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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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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils learn the key facts and skills they need in most subjects. This helps them build on what they already know. In lessons, pupils typically understand their work and can use what they have learned on their own. This includes disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils generally get the right support so they can learn well and keep up with others. Pupils increasingly use subject words, including in science and history.

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Achievement Expected standard

Most pupils make secure progress from where they start. Pupils who need extra help are usually supported well and grow in confidence. However, some teaching in small group lessons is not always sharp enough in ensuring that all pupils make as much progress as they could in catching up quickly.

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Achievement Expected standard

In reading, pupils are doing well and results in phonics are now in line with national levels. Pupils enjoy reading. Elements of writing such as handwriting and spelling are sometimes less secure.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders make sure attendance and punctuality is a clear priority. They have effective systems to monitor who is in school and act quickly if there is a concern. They work very closely with families to help pupils attend every day. This includes successful strategies when parents drop their child off at the start of the school day. Attendance is now above the national average. This is rapid improvement from last year. Fewer pupils miss lots of school. Persistent absence is now below national levels. Attendance for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities has also improved. Attendance for the small number of disadvantaged pupils is rising, and leaders are continuing to support families to improve this further.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Behaviour in the school is positive. Pupils are kind and show respect to each other and to adults. Clear rules help pupils and staff create a calm and safe school. Pupils understand rewards and consequences and enjoy praise in class and assemblies. Poor behaviour is rare and dealt with quickly. In lessons, most pupils focus well and try their best. Staff build caring relationships, which helps pupils feel settled. The 'nurture nest' and lunch club give pupils with challenging needs the extra support they need to help them manage their behaviour.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders plan teaching and the curriculum in a clear way so that staff know what to teach. Training helps teachers learn more about subjects and how to teach well. Staff work together, which helps improve consistency across classes. Leaders know they need to keep giving staff training based on research so that teaching helps pupils to learn even more. Everyone knows early reading is important and phonics is taught in a clear, step-by-step way. Children in Reception enjoy story time, and across the school pupils read matched books from the well-planned programme to help them learn to read. However, additional literacy practice to keep pupils on track is not always exact. This leads to some pupils not catching up quickly enough on foundational skills. Leaders are working to improve this.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Across subjects, the curriculum is planned and sequenced so that pupils build secure knowledge over time. However, the mapped-out goals in the English and literacy curriculum are sometimes not clear enough. This can hinder the speed at which pupils learn the key skills they need, including in writing development. Teachers regularly check pupils’ understanding and ask deeper questions to extend learning, but sometimes pupils' mistakes are not addressed in their work. Leaders are working to make teaching more consistent for every pupil.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders help children in early years get a happy start to school. Children join Reception from a wide range of pre-school provision. Teachers build warm and caring relationships, so children feel safe and ready to learn. Staff know each child well and support their needs. This helps children to settle quickly into Reception. Leaders also work closely with parents and nurseries to make starting school easier.

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Early years Expected standard

The curriculum is generally planned well. Staff place a key focus on talking, listening and early reading. Phonics teaching helps children learn sounds and read with increasing accuracy. Children also develop a secure understanding of numbers through well-structured mathematics teaching. Indoor and outdoor activities help children to build strength, coordination and control in their bodies and hands.

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Early years Expected standard

In teaching and interactions through the day, adults talk with children to help them learn new words and ideas. They help children remember what they have learned before. Teachers check who needs extra help, including children with special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, in the literacy curriculum, extra writing practice is not always effective enough in teaching children the knowledge they most need. This means some children do not catch up as quickly as they should. Children are happy, and grow in confidence and independence so that they are ready for key stage 1.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders are quick to spot pupils’ needs and provide the right help without delay. They utilise staff carefully so that pupils get the support that fits them best. For example, some staff stay with certain classes to give consistency and routine, while others use their skills to help pupils who need extra help. This helps pupils feel safe, included and ready to learn. Pastoral provision such as the 'nurture nest' makes an important difference.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is clearly organised. Leaders check that everyone follows the right steps. Staff use clear systems to find pupils' needs and track progress. Each pupil with identified barriers has a plan with simple, clear targets that is checked often. Nevertheless, leaders do not monitor precisely enough the impact of academic support to ensure disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND achieve more. Teaching is generally consistent because there is a shared plan for support across the school. Leaders also work with outside experts, particularly for speech and language, helping children make appropriate progress by the end of Reception.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Disadvantaged pupils are supported well. Pupil premium funding is used carefully, and staff understand pupils’ needs. Pupils are helped in lessons and other activities. Leaders support children well who are known to social care, working closely with families and outside services.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders guide the school in a clear and careful way. They understand what the school does well and what needs to improve. School improvement priorities are accurate and well chosen. These have included focusing on attendance and punctuality, helping all pupils feel included, and making teaching and learning even better. Everyone shares the same goals, and united values are seen across the school. However, leaders and governors do not review the school’s work in enough depth to see how well their actions are working and to ensure stronger accountability.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors are committed to help lead the school to great success. Many are new and they are becoming more skilled in their role. Governors take the safeguarding culture of the school seriously and make sure rules are followed and children are kept safe. Governors take part in a range of training and understand the school well. They support leaders and ask helpful questions, especially about special educational needs and/or disabilities and staff wellbeing. However, governors underuse available information to compare the school with others to check how well pupils are doing, particularly on achievement data.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders care about staff wellbeing. Staff are unanimous in how they feel happy, supported and valued. Teachers receive professional development training to improve their knowledge and skills. However, this is not consistently applied to the best available research so that teaching improves even more.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and staff have trusted and valued relationships with parents. Parents are very happy and nearly all who were surveyed would recommend the school. Leaders keep parents well informed and offer support early, helping families feel confident and included.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders and staff make sure that personal development, wellbeing and school values are very important for all pupils. Leaders plan learning carefully so that pupils grow in their understanding of themselves, others, and the world. Lessons in both personal, social, health and economic education and religious education help pupils think about big ideas, ask questions, and learn step by step. While pupils generally learn well day to day, they do not always retain their learning over time.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils learn about different religions and cultures. This helps them understand and respect people who may be different from them. They also learn about kindness, fairness and responsibility. Staff teach the school values through the 'Rainbow of Respect', and pupils show these values in how they behave. Leaders have carefully designed the curriculum to ensure that the content meets the needs of each age group. Pupils learn how to stay safe, both online and offline. This is in ways such as speaking to strangers and the safe use of devices. They learn about friendships, different types of families, and how to deal with conflict or bullying. Pupils are taught to speak to a trusted adult if they are worried. There is a clear focus on the people who help keep us safe, such as the fire service and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, through talks and school assemblies.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The school makes sure that all pupils are included. This includes those who need extra help or support. There are different trips, visits and clubs on offer. Leaders ensure that everyone is supported to join in. There are also sports events with other schools.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pastoral care is a strength. Pupils are well supported with their feelings and wellbeing. Places like the 'nurture nest' help pupils when they feel upset or overwhelmed. The curriculum emphasises teaching pupils with identified barriers how to manage emotions.

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

Pupils come to a warm, family-feel school where they feel safe, valued and happy. They talk about their friends as kind and caring. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and that adults will listen and help them if they are worried. Pupils say they do not want to leave when they reach the end of their time at Meath Green Infant School. Pupils keenly help others and strive to make the school a happy and caring place for everyone each day. Pupils come to school regularly and enjoy all it offers.

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

Pupils behave well in class and try hard with their learning. They follow clear routines and like praise when they make good choices. Around school, they are polite, respectful and friendly to others and to adults. Pupils enjoy the structured playtimes to keep them busy and active. High-quality care and support help pupils understand feelings and become more resilient. If any unkind behaviour happens, staff sort it out quickly so that pupils feel safe.

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

Pupils enjoy lessons and join in with interest across the curriculum. They speak clearly about their learning in different subjects and use the right words. Pupils love the brand-new library space, where they grow in fluency through phonics and a love of books. Pupils speak avidly about the school trips and outdoor learning, which widen their experiences. Pupils welcome the enrichment club offer, which includes street dance, yoga, coding, and arts and crafts.

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

Pupils achieve in line with their peers nationally and are typically ready for the next stage of school. Most pupils make secure academic progress from their starting points, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Barriers are found and reduced so that pupils can learn successfully. Pupils' writing is less consistent at times, but pupils do build key skills and confidence.

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Lead inspector:

James Broadbridge, His Majesty's Inspector

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Team inspectors:

Mark Rivers, Ofsted Inspector Louise Quinell, His Majesty's Inspector

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Next steps

Leaders should ensure that staff have continued access to evidence-informed professional development to enable greater impact in the teaching of the curriculum. Leaders should further refine and clarify the end points through the English and literacy curriculum so that these clearly support all pupils securing the foundational knowledge and skills they need. Leaders and governors should further refine their quality assurance systems and processes to sharpen the focus on the impact of leaders’ strategic priorities.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Alice Oswell.

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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

Inspectors met with the headteacher and 2 assistant headteachers. The lead inspector met with the chair and co-chairs of the governing body and also spoke to a representative of the local authority. Inspectors spoke with pupils, staff and parents and carers.

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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The headteacher joined the school in January 2023.

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About this inspection

Most members of the governing body are new.

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About this inspection

The school's wraparound care is run by an external provider so inspectors did not visit this.

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About this inspection

The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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About this inspection

Headteacher: Helen Powell 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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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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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 6.1% 5.5% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 5.6% 5.9% Close to average

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Persistent absence

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

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 15.3% 14.6% Close to average

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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

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